A mod for Honda EU generator owners

Okie, I've heard that the fuel back in the Mainland USA is a lot better than what we get out in California -- maybe that's one reason why your generators are still in good shape. Ours has a lot of ethanol and air pollution prevention additives. True, the air is a lot cleaner now than it was in the bad old days of the 1960s, but California gas is very tough on the little carb jets in Honda generators. I have learned the hard (expensive) way that the carb has to be drained when the generator is going to sit for more than a few days, even though I run it under load for a half hour every month and use Seafoam regularly.

Good idea and video to show mod, on the other hand I have 2 of the Honda EU2000I generators that I have had for almost ten years now with almost 500 hours on each. I have never drained the fuel and never had a problem with them. I do run Stabil in them when I think about it.

352, I think I get it now -- if the amount of fuel remaining in the carb after you shut off the petcock valve is below the jets, then there is nothing left to cause the jets to clog. And logically, that has to be true, because the engine stops only when all of the fuel available to the jets is burned.

So the point of the petcock is to make it easier to end up with dry jets, instead of having to bother with draining the carb bowl.

I like this idea!

Rbertalotto wrote:
So are you suggesting that turning the knob some how stops this fuel pump from operating or is it simply cutting off the fuel supply?

Turning the large knob to the off position does both. It is a vacuum operated fuel pump, there for if the motor stops the fuel stops so it does both.

So are you suggesting that turning the knob some how stops this fuel pump from operating or is it simply cutting off the fuel supply?

Rbertalotto wrote:
I don't believe there is an electric fuel pump in the Honda 2000 or any type of fuel pump. I believe it is a vacuum operated fuel system. This is why you can use an aux fuel tank that is equal to or below the level of the generators fuel tank. Vacuum draws the fuel into the caburator.

You are indeed correct about the vacuum operation. But who said there was an electric fuel pump? Actually it is a vacuum operated diaphragm fuel pump that is operated by the large on and off switch.

I don't believe there is an electric fuel pump in the Honda 2000 or any type of fuel pump. I believe it is a vacuum operated fuel system. This is why you can use an aux fuel tank that is equal to or below the level of the generators fuel tank. Vacuum draws the fuel into the caburator.

My Honda EU2000I has an electric fuel shut off ( like all others ) when you turn the large knob to the off position. It simply stops the fuel pump from pumping more fuel into the carb because it shuts the motor down. It still leaves the carb full. Sure, you can open the door and manually drain the carb. But what I have done was simply for convenience. Sometimes we think we are going to use the generator in the near future, but don't and we don't take the time to manually drain it. Guess what happens then? A generator that either does not start or runs rough. And why mess with electronics when fuel is the issue. How much more convenient it is to turn the petcock off and walk away and do not even have to turn the large knob to the off position. The gas that remains in the carb does not touch the jets and will not hurt anything. So I guess I do know my Honda generator and being redundant is not the issue.

The large on/off switch is indeed a fuel cut off. On my modification, when I leave my installed ignition cut off "on" and turn the large knob to "off" , the generator runs for about three minutes and then runs out of fuel and dies. But there is still a tiny bit of fuel in the carburetor that turning the "carb leak down screw" removes. I've not used this screw in two years and sometimes my generator sits for months as my solar system keeps everything running during most camping trips. I don't believe this tiny bit of fuel remains in the system long enough to do any harm. I believe it evaporates rather quickly. At least this has been my experience with my two Honda 2000 generators.
Even in the above modification that the tread originator posted, there will still be a tiny bit of fuel in the carburetor....All he did was add another fuel cut off...now his generator has two!
BTW...Since we have your attention, there is another modification folks might want to think about. If the temperature is below 35 degrees, and you are using summer weight oil in your Honda 2000, the oil will become thick during the night and the generator might not run in the morning. This is because the "Low Oil" sensor is misinterpreting the thick, cold oil as low oil. But if you use "Winter" weight oil, as specified in the owners manual, then if you run the generator during the heat of the day, or in a confined area, the oil might be too light and not protect the engine properly.
There is a modification that takes the low oil sensor out of the loop during cold weather start up by using another simple toggle switch. Just remember to turn low oil warning back on after the generator has run for a minute or two. I'll be detailing this modification on my web site shortly.
Hope this all helps!

I could be wrong (and often am), but I don't think that turning the built-in switch to off would accomplish the same thing as the petcock valve in the video -- the "off" switch kills the spark but does not drain the carburetor. The petcock valve cuts off the fuel, allowing the carb to run dry. And unless you use the generator often, draining the carb is a good way to avoid a clogged carb -- here in California, the ethanol gas will foul the carb unless it is drained.

But my question still stands -- there must be an advantage to the petcock valve over manually draining the carb by opening the float bowl screw, but I just don't see the advantage?? Maybe it's that if the "run dry" method does an adequate job of draining the bowl so that the carb does not foul, turning the valve is easier and neater than my old-fashioned method of just draining the gas.