Generator question

question,there in a pawn shop. they don,t no any more about these gen sets than you do. but if you buy them dump the fuel sea foam them and you might get lucky. p.s. sea foam does eat goo. in the carbs .but if its dried gunk in there they gotta come apart.

MadFinnHockey wrote:

I'm "assuming" the carbs are gummed up / dirty, and a good cleaning may take care of it, but I'm not mechanical enough to tear them apart and do that. Or maybe a little Sea Foam will clear it out?

That is a very reasonable assumption ! You are rolling the dice with any additive. No guarantee. Rebuilding those carbs could be expensive, easily $100-$200 each.

I have put sea foam in many a gas tank. Works great. Solves a lot of issues and I have used it in small engines that were running rough and it solved the problem. Great stuff. On the other hand you have no idea what you are getting at the pawn shop.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Why not get the Champion 3400 watt with remote electric start? It is oh so convenient to have remote start.

Because he's getting a real name brand Yamaha generator two of them for $900 that's why:h


And I have the Honda 3000 with remote start and yes it is nice:C

Fresno Tundra Driver wrote:
Drain the old gas out and put fresh gas in along with some Seafoam and run it for awhile and see if it clears up.

X2

I just looked at the Champion and I have to say it looks good, but it may be to heavy. The reason I'm looking for a new generator(s) is because my 14 year old Kipor 3000 thats worked flawlessly over the years has finally developed a problem, and I'm weighing the differences between spending a few hundred, fixing it and continuing to lug around that heavy beast, or go to two smaller, lighter units.
If my Kipor were a bit lighter I would surely fix it.... Maybe I should go see a champion in person and check it out....

Well, a surprise just happened, but first let me give you the background. Monthly I start my two generators (Kipor 3000 for camping and Generac 8000 for the house backup). When I did this in April the Kipor made an awful sound, like there was loud exhaust leak and it wasn't outputting 120vac. Oil is fine (changed at least once a year and I only use the unit a handful of times).

Well I decided to have the shop take a look at it, moved it near the truck and decided to start it again, and been running over an hour like a champ.... smooth, quiet, and running about 2000 watt load without any issue.....

Gremlins?

When the pilot jets are plugged (Which these are) I have never had any luck with Seafoam. The problem is the pilot jet holes are so small that any little thing will plug them up. Once plugged up you're done. I've tried to clean them out with 0 success.

I would pass on these unless you want to put new pilot jets in both of them and get them for 700 bucks.

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
When the pilot jets are plugged (Which these are) I have never had any luck with Seafoam. The problem is the pilot jet holes are so small that any little thing will plug them up. Once plugged up you're done. I've tried to clean them out with 0 success.

I would pass on these unless you want to put new pilot jets in both of them and get them for 700 bucks.

I just went through this rodeo with the same Yamaha and agree 1000% with the above statement.

OEM replacement parts for fuel system parts ran ~ $75 and I provided the labor. As an additional note, the fuel outlet on the bottom of he gas tank is where the fuel filter is located. The filter is NOT separate from the fitting and is most likely clogged as well if fuel has been left in the tank. My $75 cost included a new fuel outlet fitting.

The earlier reply stating replace the carb it is cheap is no correct, A new complete carb assembly is $180+++. Fairly expensive in my book.

Lastly, I am NOT a fan of the Yamaha generators simply because their warranty and dealer network is a joke. Hondas for me from now on.

Agree with mowermech, not a great chance that adding stuff to the fuel will clean out the gummed up carbs.
What you're seeing is absolutely that condition. Runs better on choke means the fuel circuit is plugged or varnished up from old gas and not providing enough fuel through the jet(s).
If they're not throwaway carbs (is you can actually disassemble them) then disassembly and cleaning the carb is what needs done.

IMO you'd have to run them too long with any additives/carb cleaners to make it worthwhile and you're also putting more wear on the engine doing that compared to it running proper A/F ratios.
Take one apart. They're pretty simple and easy to clean. If they run that bad you'll probably see the problem. Main jet will likely be clogged.

Coming from a pawn shop, they don't GAF so do your diligence and check compression before buying, since you can't test them running properly.

And idk if Yami has a built in hour meter like the hondas but may research that.