g wrote:
Hi all
thanks for all the reply

Its a gas genset. I have no clue how long it sat and if the old owner
used some stabilizer in the fuel.

I am guessing that it sat for at least 2 years.

And it surges all time time. load. or no load. you can even see it
surging on the boats volt meter.


I have seen this problem many times on generators that rarely get used.
Typically, the homeowner doesn't run the generator until there is a
power outage, at that point it won't start and they bring it in to be
fixed. The first step is to drop the carb bowl and clean it, especially
the jets and needle and seat. After a couple visits they start looking
for a propane-powered unit.

Sometimes you get lucky, try turning the high and low speed jets out a
turn, then turn them back in. Sometimes this will clear an obstruction
in the jet.

What is the make of the engine? The generator is made by Generac I
think, but is the engine a Briggs& Stratton or a Tecumseh?

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:15:06 -0400, John Wentworth
wrote:

What is the make of the engine? The generator is made by Generac I
think, but is the engine a Briggs& Stratton or a Tecumseh?

=====================================

Lucky it starts at all. Nothing but Honda OHVs for me when it comes
to home generator engines. They are incredibly reliable and trouble
free. I wish they made a diesel marine version.

jhwentworthspam replies:

-The first step is to drop the carb bowl and clean it, especially the jets
and needle and seat. After a couple visits they start looking for a
propane-powered unit.-

Bilge- Is the culprit that ole devil varnish? All our gensets are diesel, so
we have to worry more about bacteria and algae and water..oh my...at least it
gives the 3rds something to do.

Coast Guard regs for us require the emergency diesel genny to be run under
load for 1 hour each week...precisely to find out that it won't work when you
DON'T need it.

IIRC, the lifeboat engines need to be run once a month...ditto.

Propane engines...Lord, Carrier used to make propane engine-driven reefer
compressors back in Magellan's day...they were almost universally loathed as
POS.

-Sometimes you get lucky, try turning the high and low speed jets out a turn,
then turn them back in. Sometimes this will clear an obstruction in the
jet.-jhwentworthspam

Bilge- And sometimes you back the jet out too far and hear it rattle right on
down the intake and fetch up against the valve...

....sorry, couldn't resist the "My Cousin Vinny" quote.


G'luck


Mutiny is a Management Tool
Select Your Tattoo while Sober

Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:15:06 -0400, John Wentworth
wrote:


What is the make of the engine? The generator is made by Generac I
think, but is the engine a Briggs& Stratton or a Tecumseh?


=====================================

Lucky it starts at all. Nothing but Honda OHVs for me when it comes
to home generator engines. They are incredibly reliable and trouble
free. I wish they made a diesel marine version.


Honda makes a good motor, but there is no magic. Any gasoline powered
engine that is left alone for 2 years will have a problem. There's
nothing wrong with a Briggs or a Tencumseh.

BTW: Not all Honda motors are created equal. That Honda lawnmower you
buy at Home Depot is not the same unit you saw in Consumer Reports.

Bilgeman wrote:

-Sometimes you get lucky, try turning the high and low speed jets out a turn,
then turn them back in. Sometimes this will clear an obstruction in the
jet.-jhwentworthspam

Bilge- And sometimes you back the jet out too far and hear it rattle right on
down the intake and fetch up against the valve...

If you back out the jet too far it might fall on the ground, but not go
down the intake. My comments are based on a commercial 10-20 hp powered
generator.

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 21:56:57 -0400, John Wentworth
wrote:

Honda makes a good motor, but there is no magic. Any gasoline powered
engine that is left alone for 2 years will have a problem. There's
nothing wrong with a Briggs or a Tencumseh.

==========================================

B&S engines have an average lifespan of about 500 hours in home
generator service. Honda OHVs typically go 1500 to 2000. I once
bought a Home Despot Generac with B&S engine and returned it the next
day because I never could get it started. The Honda that I bought to
replace it always starts on the first or second pull, even when it
hasn't been run in 6 months. It is noisy however, wish I had one of
the new quiet models.

Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 21:56:57 -0400, John Wentworth
wrote:

Honda makes a good motor, but there is no magic. Any gasoline powered
engine that is left alone for 2 years will have a problem. There's
nothing wrong with a Briggs or a Tencumseh.

==========================================

B&S engines have an average lifespan of about 500 hours in home
generator service. Honda OHVs typically go 1500 to 2000. I once
bought a Home Despot Generac with B&S engine and returned it the next
day because I never could get it started. The Honda that I bought to
replace it always starts on the first or second pull, even when it
hasn't been run in 6 months. It is noisy however, wish I had one of
the new quiet models.


Out of curiosity, Wayne, on what are you basing your "lifespan"
statistics? I've never been much of a fan of Briggs & Stratton engines,
but I've not been convinced there are great differences between small
gasonline "lawnmower" engines.





--
Not dead, in jail, or a slave? Thank a liberal!
And don't forget to pay your taxes so the rich don't have to!

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 23:15:00 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:
Out of curiosity, Wayne, on what are you basing your "lifespan"
statistics? I've never been much of a fan of Briggs & Stratton engines,
but I've not been convinced there are great differences between small
gasonline "lawnmower" engines.

===========================================

The numbers I quoted came from people who supply generators for
disaster relief efforts. The difference between engines is like the
difference between an Accord and a Kia. They're both cars but that's
where it stops.

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 14:43:25 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:15:06 -0400, John Wentworth
wrote:

What is the make of the engine? The generator is made by Generac I
think, but is the engine a Briggs& Stratton or a Tecumseh?

=====================================

Lucky it starts at all. Nothing but Honda OHVs for me when it comes
to home generator engines. They are incredibly reliable and trouble
free.

That's interesting. I had a Husqvarna with a Honda OHV and it was a
bear to start, noisy as hell and problematic at generating
electricity. Total piece of crap.

On the other hand, I have a backup generator for the bait freezer that
is a crapola B&S Coleman AG generator and it's never failed to start
even if it's sat for a year or so. I use fuel stabilizer, but that
isn't a cureall for everything. It's got to be at least 15 years old.
One of the "industrial" series engines. Which is basically a
lawnmower engine. :)

Oddly, I have one of those little Honda gensets (1.5Kw camper deals)
and love it - quiet, starts first pull, purrs right along. I use it
on the Contender from time-to-time during football season and if there
is a ham radio CW grid contest.

And just to keep this fair, one of my neighbors has a Honda genset and
just bought a second one - great little generators.

I wish they made a diesel marine version.

My house is on a three cylinder Kubota 15 Kw diesel and it runs great.
I bought it as a left over from the generator upgrade at the local
volunteer fire department six/seven years ago. Usually start it once
a month or so by shutting down the mains in the house and barn to test
the switch over too. That thing is noisy on start, but once it warms
up, works great. I understand that this is actually a Yanmar three
cylinder marine diesel, but that could be total BS.

Later,

Tom

On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 08:18:35 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:

~~ snippage ~~

My house is on a three cylinder Kubota 15 Kw diesel and it runs great.
I bought it as a left over from the generator upgrade at the local
volunteer fire department six/seven years ago. Usually start it once
a month or so by shutting down the mains in the house and barn to test
the switch over too. That thing is noisy on start, but once it warms
up, works great. I understand that this is actually a Yanmar three
cylinder marine diesel, but that could be total BS.

The proliferation of pieces and parts is amazing. When I was looking for
a yard tractor (to cut the lawn -as opposed to my old diesel farm
tractor), I looked at the John Deere line. Most of under $3000 units had
Briggs & Stratton engines, or maybe a Kohler. "But the real cream of the
small line JD tractors," the sales guy told me, "has a Kawasaki four
stroke...best small gas engines going." If I recall, some of the JD
smaller diesel tractors use Kubota engines. Some of the JD transmissions
are made in Europe and China---ke-ripes.

Heh - it's enough to make you run screaming into the wilderness. :)

A friend of mine sells Zetor/Century tractors which are made in North
Carolina with Kubota frames, Czechoslovakian sheet metal, Case/IH
hydraulic pumps, Chinese hubs, bearings and wheels and a Korean
knockoff of the Kubota diesel.

This past weekend, I saw a Chinese 40 hp four cylinder diesel, Iron
Horse I think they were called, with a basic loader and three point
hitch for $12,000.

Unreal.

Well.

Well indeed.

I ended up getting a Husqvarna lawn tractor on the internet. Sears sells
them under its own brand name, but their tractors have B&S engines and
Kohler engines. The XP line, apparently not sold by Sears, has the
Kawasaki engines. Though Husqvarna is a Swedish company, the tractors
are made in Canada.

My neighbor has a Husqvarna with the Kawasaki 25 horse four stroke.

That is a nice lawn tractor.

I have a Ariens 1742 zero turn that I really like a lot. It has a B&S
engine and runs like a top - I've got three acres of f'in lawn to mow
and vacuum. :)

Now, my old diesel farm tractor is nearing the end of its life, and I've
been eyeing a four wheel drive JD diesel tractor. The damn thing really
fascinates me. But that means I'd have to take farming a bit more
seriously. Damn thing swings a massive posthole digger, though...and
that appeals.

Seriously, look into the Zetor/Century line. At least they are
assembled in the US - fairly inexpensive and from what I can see, run
forever. You might also want to look into the Long line of tractors
which are basically American made knockoffs of the Case/IH line.

Take care.

Tom

"The beatings will stop when morale improves."
E. Teach, 1717