Think I Fixed My Generator
My Onan Marquis Gold 5500 would run fine until I took the load off, which caused it to die. When I'd try to restart without a load, it would die within a few seconds. I feared that it was more carbure...
Forum Discussion
rockhillmanor wrote:
Too much ado about the ethanol issue.
Don't know where you are from but in the Midwest we have had this added to our fuel for over 20 years now. If all these rumors were true you'd see nothing but dead vehicles lining the streets.
My MH used to sit from September to May every year. Started the gen up at least 2 times a month never put anything in the carb. Yes I do put stabil in the MH gas tank, but that's because ALL gas even pure goes south after a while.
No need to drain the carb in gen because if you are starting it regularly like recommended you are pulling in the fuel from the tank that is treated with the stabil.
Ethanol does not seem to be a problem in automobiles where the fuel is normally consumed before it has a chance to go bad. So that's why you do not see scores of abandoned cars alongside the road. I've had no problems with my small 2 cycle engines such as my weed whacker and chains saw, either even without using a fuel preservative. I have left fuel in my Echo trimmer year round, and it usually starts on the second or third pull. I understand that the 2 cycle oil has additives that serve that purpose as a fuel preservative.
However, I have had one carburetor replaced on my RV generator and the three carburetors replaced on my outboard motor. The outboard is 2 cycle, but the oil is not mixed until the gasoline enters the engine.
One the advice of the outboard motor repairman, I now pour marine Sta-Bil (the blue kind) in my 5 gallon cans before I go to the gas station. I do not use red Sta-Bil anymore. I also add either Sta-Bil or Sea Foam to my full RV tank when I return from a trip and will leave the RV idle for more than a few days. I have also tried Star-Tron.
The Onan shop told me to start it once a month and run it for at least an hour. I have done that more or less, and it seems to have worked since the generator ran well until I removed the load as described earlier. That was why I kept thinking that the carburetor was not the problem. So it does appear that my problem was not the gasohol, but I am nevertheless very wary of it.
BTW, I am in Texas where it gets considerably hotter than in the Midwest. That may very well make a difference in how gasohol affects the carburetor. I would think the heat would make the gas evaporate more quickly and deposit gum in the carburetor. The big problem with gasohol as I understand it is dissolving rubber hoses and forming a gel that plugs everything up. I am sure that high temperatures affect gelling as well.
