Thank you for all of the great responses. The reed valve is my next avenue of attack. I am not familiar with the reed valve - its purpose, what it looks like, and most importantly how to diagnose whether it is causing my oil consumption issue. What am I looking for?
Based on Chris Bryant's diagram it seems easy to access. Is there anything that I should be aware of (or wary of) in removing the cover from the crankcase to access the reed valve? I assume this should be done with the generator cold.
Regarding the dipstick, I am fairly certain that it is the original. The O-ring appears to be in good condition and it seals well.
Kpackpackkelley, do you think that I should have those things done even if the reed valve resolves the issue? I'm running 10W-40 per the temperatures that I camp in. Thank you for the service manual offer. I have a copy of it and have been learning/reading/glazing over it for days :-)
