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path1's avatar
path1
Explorer
Jun 11, 2018

Honda generator hour meter for oil change time

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

16 Replies

  • 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:M

    Thanks again
  • 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...
  • 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.
  • 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.