Generator cleanup

PJH · May 4, 2022

My poor little generator sits back in the corner of my fuel shed, and it had gotten pretty nasty. It's 24 years old, and hardly ever gets used anymore. Our rural electric grid is pretty reliable now, and as I get older I don't get involved with as many remote building projects, so it has been neglected. I thought I'd clean it up today. I didn't think to get any before pictures, and I might have been too ashamed to post them, but here's two pictures after the cleanup and wax job. I think it looks pretty good for its age.

Billy Shafer · May 5, 2022

That is a very good brand. Don't ever sell it. When you do you will need it.

MarkB_MI · May 5, 2022

Very nice. I like the lift eye; I'd put one on my EM6500 if I needed to transport it.

I always run the carburetor on my Honda dry before I put it away. And I pull the cord until it's on its compression stroke. Fires up every time we need it.

John T · May 5, 2022

You did a good job. What a good looking older genset !!!!!!!! To keep up my small engines (including generators) and/or for long term storage I recommend it be exercised UNDER LOAD on a regular basis,,,,,I use Sta Bil in the gasoline prior to long term storage,,,,,In the event I have carb issues I've had good luck using Sea Foam....... In addition service and replace as necessary the air filter, change oil and fuel filters as recommended by the manufacturer....

As I've stated before and all here know Billy Shafer is the expert and go to guy when it comes to generators, listen to him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! is my best advice

Best wishes everyone, take care be safe be happy

John T

Geo-TH,In · May 5, 2022

I always run the carburetor on my Honda dry before I put it away

I never run a carb dry and I have no issues.

Annually I will empty the gas tank and add fresh fuel.

I don't use my generators that much anymore.. I will start them at least once a year..

Same with my retired Jubilee. Start it more often but drain the tank annually.

Google shelf live of gas.

MarkB_MI · May 5, 2022

> I never run a carb dry and I have no issues.

But do you shut off the fuel? That's generally good enough, as the gasoline in the carburetor bowl eventually dries up. Problems arise in a gravity-feed fuel system when you leave the fuel turned on, since the evaporated fuel gets replaced by fuel from the tank. The more fuel that evaporates, the more 'varnish' is left in the carb, until the jets and passages are plugged. BTDT.

Geo-TH,In · May 5, 2022

Some of my tractors and mowers have a solenoid that turns the gas off, some don't.
If the carb leaks I add a solenoid.

Any engine that Diesels when hot I turn the power off to the solenoid so yes some run out of gas others I leave gas in carb.

Bob - MI · May 5, 2022

Very nice. So rare anymore to see someone take good care of things. Well done.

miangus · May 5, 2022

Nice job. I bought a cover for mine at Menards. Then there is the generator dog house.

PJH · May 5, 2022

John, you mentioned the air filter - that is the air filter, or what's left of it, lying on the ground in the top picture. It fell apart in my hands and would have sucked pieces into the intake if I had tried to start it. I'm ashamed that I let it deteriorate so badly without noticing it.

I also use Stabil, and I shut the fuel off and let it run the carb dry at every shutdown. I have a 1500 watt electric heater that I exercise it with.

It's been a good generator - starts on the first pull, but about ten years ago I was gonna use it for a little project and it would run for exactly four minutes and then die with no ignition spark. After cooling off it had spark again, but four minutes of running and no spark. Over and over again. I convinced myself that the coil was failing and I put in a new coil, fired it up and it ran four minutes and died with the new coil. I changed the spark plug and it has never quit again. It really made me feel stupid, but now I have a spare coil on the shelf.

Yes, Billy Shafer is the generator man!

John T · May 5, 2022

Hey you're not the only one who has seen foam type air filter elements disintegrate like that grrr Good job with those LOADED exercise cycles, that and Sta Bil work great for me also. Hey, don't be hard on yourself, I would have suspected the coil myself instead of a bad spark plug !!!!!!!

Thanks for the feedback best wishes

John T

PJH · May 5, 2022

I like your dog house!

PJH · May 5, 2022

George - an experiment for you - for those engines that diesel on a hot shut-off, try turning the key off with the engine idling, then right after switching the key off, push the throttle wide open. Does that lean the mixture? I don't know why it works, but that procedure has stopped the dieseling on every gas engine that I've tried it on, from my lawn mowers to my old two cylinder Deeres. That procedure is suggested in my Grasshopper mower manual. If I fail to follow that procedure on my Grasshopper, it will pop just about the time I get one foot on the ground and it will scare the dickens out of me.

Mark-Mi · May 6, 2022

Run the engine full throttle turn the key off. The engine will not diesel and back fire.

Geo-TH,In · May 6, 2022

Mark.

when you turn the key off you kill the spark and at full throttle you will be filling the muffler with raw gas.
Then it blows fire out the hot muffler and it sounds like a 12g.

Do what works for you..

Generator cleanup

PJH

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Billy Shafer

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MarkB_MI

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John T

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Geo-TH,In

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MarkB_MI

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Geo-TH,In

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Bob - MI

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miangus

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PJH

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John T

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PJH

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PJH

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Mark-Mi

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Geo-TH,In

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