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public_land_hun's avatar
public_land_hun
Explorer
May 03, 2015

Champion Generator 4000/3500 trouble

Bought A New Champion Generator used It From Sep Though Feb Then Again Last Week. I've Not Had Any Issues With The Gen Until The Last Few Times I've Used It. The Problem Is The Gen Surges And Gallops Bad And Then Will Stall. I Check Fuel Bowl Lines, Air To Tank Line. No Trash Or Debris. Always Use Fresh Gas And Start The Gen Every Two Weeks. It Has 130 Hrs Of Moderate to Medium Load Hrs. Use it For My TT. Now, This May Sound Strange, But When The Gen Is Off And I Open Gas Cap For A Minute, The Put Cap Back On, it Runs Great for a Couple of Minutes, Then Goes Back To Galloping. Is it Possible The Gas Cap is not venting right? Model Number Is Champion 46598. Thanks.
  • greenrvgreen's avatar
    greenrvgreen
    Explorer
    May 04, 2015
    I think it is the gas cap, just as the OP suspects. I have one of these gennies (I love it), and the ONLY venting the gas tank gets is through the cap threads. I had similar troubles and learned to back the cap off a bit after tightening it fully. Fiddle with it, but I am fairly certain the cap is not venting enough.
  • public_land_hun's avatar
    public_land_hun
    Explorer
    May 04, 2015
    Thanks Gbopp, No, It Does Not Have a Inline Fuel Filter, Although It Should, Just A Basket Filter At The Fuel Cap. I Talked To My Mechanic, And He Said More Then Likely It Is A Defective Fuel Cap. He Said If The Cap Is Not Venting Then It Will Create A Vacuum Which In Turn Stops The Flow Of Fuel. That Why It Will Run Good when I Let Air In The Take Then It Will Gallop Because Its Not Getting Fuel. Replacing Gas Cap Should Solve The Problem, if Not He will Fix It For Cheap. Now, Finding A Gas Cap is Going To Be The Real Problem, Maybe Champion Will Send Me One.
  • gbopp's avatar
    gbopp
    Explorer
    May 04, 2015
    Does it have a fuel filter? If it does, did you change it?
    I had a similar problem with our Onan 5500.
    Changing the fuel filter solved the problem.
    Sometimes you get lucky and have a cheap/easy fix.

    When you get it fixed, please let us know what caused your problem.
  • public_land_hun's avatar
    public_land_hun
    Explorer
    May 03, 2015
    I Will Call Them Tomorrow, Yes, I Clean The Spark Arrester Every 10 Hrs Of Run Time Clean Air Filter And Change Oil Every 50 Hrs.
  • public_land_hun's avatar
    public_land_hun
    Explorer
    May 03, 2015
    Thanks Dakota98, I Bought The Gen Last Aug. I Used It Every Other Week From Sep Though Feb, And Then Again In April Until A few Days Ago. I've Never Used A Stabilizer, Because I Has Never Sit Unused Longer Then Two Weeks. I Use The Same Gas As My Truck. Pumps Say May Contain 10% Of Ethanol. Champion Says Ethanol Won't Harm There Gens. Its Still Under Warranty, I Just Wanted To Try And Fix It My, Instead of Going Though The Hassel Of Trying To Get It Fixed. When I Do Get It Fixed, I'll Let Y'all Know What I Find Out. Champion Say Govener Is Defective, But I'm Sure, But It Could Be. Other Then This One Thing, Its Been A Very Good Gen For The Price. Thank You.

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