I'm thinking about installing a hour meter to keep track of hours between oil changes. Lots are available...but as with anything you buy some are better than others. Anybody have one that they are happy with? If so what did you get? Make and model and how hard to install. Thanks

Not to hijack but on this topic, Honda 2000s have a built in hour meter, but it only tracks in 100hour increments. Every time you start the generator, the number of times the green light blinks corresponds to the # of hours x 100. IE: 3 blinks = 300-399hours. For closer monitoring, imo, these generators are not finicky. I’ve seen some on the job (that didn’t get stolen, most of them get stolen though) with 1000hours on them and they get few to 0 oil changes. Usually generators on the job yet oil changed by the run out method. Low oil warning shuts it off, after laborer #1,2 and 3 all pull on the recoil about 178 times they break the recoil rope. Then they call the boss and say it died then the rope broke. Only after fixing the rope and pulling on it 33more times does someone check the oil, see that there’s none in there. Fill it up until it’s spilling out the hole, jam the fill plug back in and fire it up. That scenario gets repeated again the next time it runs out of oil. What I’m trying to say is it’s hard to kill a Honda generator. I’ve seen about 10 die of old age, 50 used as traction by a front end loader or excavator and 100 are stolen and sold at the local pawn shop!Personally if you’re using it more than enough to just change the oil annually, I’d just approximate 40-50 hours and change it. It takes like 10 min and $4 worth of oil.

Changes are supposed to be done at 6 months or 100 hours. It seems pretty easy to estimate the run time. I change oil much more frequently anyway.

Grit dog wrote:Not to hijack but on this topic, Honda 2000s have a built in hour meter, but it only tracks in 100hour increments. Every time you start the generator, the number of times the green light blinks corresponds to the # of hours x 100. IE: 3 blinks = 300-399hours. For closer monitoring, imo, these generators are not finicky. I’ve seen some on the job (that didn’t get stolen, most of them get stolen though) with 1000hours on them and they get few to 0 oil changes. Usually generators on the job yet oil changed by the run out method. Low oil warning shuts it off, after laborer #1,2 and 3 all pull on the recoil about 178 times they break the recoil rope. Then they call the boss and say it died then the rope broke. Only after fixing the rope and pulling on it 33more times does someone check the oil, see that there’s none in there. Fill it up until it’s spilling out the hole, jam the fill plug back in and fire it up. That scenario gets repeated again the next time it runs out of oil. What I’m trying to say is it’s hard to kill a Honda generator. I’ve seen about 10 die of old age, 50 used as traction by a front end loader or excavator and 100 are stolen and sold at the local pawn shop!Personally if you’re using it more than enough to just change the oil annually, I’d just approximate 40-50 hours and change it. It takes like 10 min and $4 worth of oil.Op here...thanks.....I never knew that and never looked. Just got the thing because old one grew legs. Never looked at the light as I'm pulling the cord. Thanks again...

JimK-NY wrote:Changes are supposed to be done at 6 months or 100 hours. It seems pretty easy to estimate the run time. I change oil much more frequently anyway.Thanks...I thought it was 30 hours or once a year. Was in process of printing out owners manual and ran out of ink in printer cartridge:MThanks again

path1 depends on the genny. My Yamaha suggests every 50 hours.

Honda generator hour meter for oil change time | Good Sam Community

16 Replies

sparkydave
Explorer
Jun 14, 2018
pianotuna wrote:
Perhaps I am wrong but the spark plug firing twice as often may cause the "hour" meter to advance faster than at the lowest speed?

The reason for the hour meter is to better judge when an oil change is due? Yes? No? (maybe?).

That's why I got one that advances via the spark plug. At least I hope it does.... Heck I have NO idea. lol

Those hourmeters only sense the spark plug firing to know when the engine is running, then the hours increment based on a watch crystal, not the number of times the spark plug fired.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Jun 12, 2018
Perhaps I am wrong but the spark plug firing twice as often may cause the "hour" meter to advance faster than at the lowest speed?

The reason for the hour meter is to better judge when an oil change is due? Yes? No? (maybe?).

That's why I got one that advances via the spark plug. At least I hope it does.... Heck I have NO idea. lol

JaxDad wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

That would be fine for a constant speed generator--but for the inverter generators with the eco switch on, the spark plug method is perhaps more useful.
JaxDad wrote:
Get a grease pencil, put a little line on the generator each time you refill it.

Each tank full of gas represents X hours of runtime multiplied by the number of hash marks.

Very simple, very accurate.

Don, I’m confused, hours based on a meter will be counting idle hours the same as WOT hours. How is that different than fuel consumption which also counts (presumably the same) blend of ‘eco time’ and WOT?
JaxDad
Explorer III
Jun 12, 2018
pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

That would be fine for a constant speed generator--but for the inverter generators with the eco switch on, the spark plug method is perhaps more useful.
JaxDad wrote:
Get a grease pencil, put a little line on the generator each time you refill it.

Each tank full of gas represents X hours of runtime multiplied by the number of hash marks.

Very simple, very accurate.

Don, I’m confused, hours based on a meter will be counting idle hours the same as WOT hours. How is that different than fuel consumption which also counts (presumably the same) blend of ‘eco time’ and WOT?
pianotuna
Nomad III
Jun 12, 2018
Hi,

That would be fine for a constant speed generator--but for the inverter generators with the eco switch on, the spark plug method is perhaps more useful.
JaxDad wrote:
Get a grease pencil, put a little line on the generator each time you refill it.

Each tank full of gas represents X hours of runtime multiplied by the number of hash marks.

Very simple, very accurate.
Grit_dog
Navigator II
Jun 12, 2018
Jax dad wins idea of the week!
path1
Explorer
Jun 12, 2018
SoundGuy wrote:
path1 wrote:
I'm thinking about installing a hour meter to keep track of hours between oil changes. Lots are available...but as with anything you buy some are better than others. Anybody have one that they are happy with?
If so what did you get? Make and model and how hard to install.

I just bought the first hour meter I found on Amazon, like this ... drilled a small hole in the top of the genset case, ran the sense wire through it, and wrapped it around the spark plug wire. It worked fine, was easier to see than Honda's blinking light system, and is obviously more accurate. :B

Thanks...i
I have your granny box design saved for future use

Thanks
path1
Explorer
Jun 12, 2018
Love it... haven't seen that method since watching old western on tv, and counting days in jail. It cheered up my day.
Thanks
JaxDad
Explorer III
Jun 12, 2018
Get a grease pencil, put a little line on the generator each time you refill it.

Each tank full of gas represents X hours of runtime multiplied by the number of hash marks.

Very simple, very accurate.
SoundGuy
Explorer
Jun 12, 2018
path1 wrote:
I'm thinking about installing a hour meter to keep track of hours between oil changes. Lots are available...but as with anything you buy some are better than others. Anybody have one that they are happy with?
If so what did you get? Make and model and how hard to install.

I just bought the first hour meter I found on Amazon, like this ... drilled a small hole in the top of the genset case, ran the sense wire through it, and wrapped it around the spark plug wire. It worked fine, was easier to see than Honda's blinking light system, and is obviously more accurate. :B
Grit_dog
Navigator II
Jun 12, 2018
Yeah, 100 hours is a lot/too much despite what I said above. Typical small utility engines like mowers and generators usually reccomended to be changed at 25-30 hours.
And I'd be ok with about 50 hours with good synthetic oil.