Why do my eu2000s surge in Eco?

aruba5er wrote:
After you get the little jet cleaned, from now on use no ethonal gas and a dose of seafoam every time you refuel. I did and never had trouble again.

even with enthanol gas if I use seafoam I haven't had trouble in the generator, weedeater, leaf blower, lawnmower etc. But seafoam is needed regardless.

If non ethanol gas is readily available, go for it.

After you get the little jet cleaned, from now on use no ethonal gas and a dose of seafoam every time you refuel. I did and never had trouble again.

I was getting mine ready today for the upcoming winter outings. Same problem reared its ugly head and surging was as described here in. This comes up yearly on mine as there is a 4-5 month period where it gets no use. The idle (low speed) circuit gets restricted with junk out of present day gasoline. It's about a 10/20 minute job to tear the carburetor down and clean it up with spray carb and choke cleaner and blow it out real good with compressed air. It gets an oil change at the same time along with a new spark plug and an air cleaner cleanup. It's good then, for the season and practically starts when you touch the handle on the pull starter rope. It's just a dirty carburetor. Easy fix, on tap for tomorrow.

tealboy wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:

enblethen wrote:
Did any of you read the manual I referenced?
It could be normal as you should not run in ECO mode.

well, OP says little or no load and the big clue.. "If I use a little choke it runs ok". That says
1) it isn't a load variation
2) the engine is running lean, which with the 2000 is a big indicator of a partially clogged pilot, idle jet, or whatever you want to call the low speed jet. When that happens the engine surges, rpm drops, throttle control opens the venturi to raise Rpm, that means more fuel through main jet, rpm goes above the eco limit, throttle reduces venturi, main jet drops flow, engine rpm drops to low

repeat, till you replace or get the pilot jet cleaned.

basically same symptoms I and others have had with plugged idle jet. And on the 2000, at
least mine, it is a plastic jet with an extremely small orifice that is just about impossible to
clean with a tool. either replace or use a good cleaner.

This poster nailed it. Did some digging around bc this made sense based on the symptoms. Found the low speed jet, removed it and cleaned the jet and hole. Thing runs perfectly now. Thank you. Now I need to fix the same problem on the other 2000.

I did buy some Seafoam, haven't used it yet but nothing to lose

I guess you missed my post at the bottom of the first page.:h

Add me to the list of those who switched from Stabil to Seafoam. I use Seafoam in all my small engines every time I add gasoline, and I haven't had any problems starting them after sitting for seasons in years. It doesn't matter if it is my lawn mower, snow blower, or generators.

ktmrfs wrote:

enblethen wrote:
Did any of you read the manual I referenced?
It could be normal as you should not run in ECO mode.

well, OP says little or no load and the big clue.. "If I use a little choke it runs ok". That says
1) it isn't a load variation
2) the engine is running lean, which with the 2000 is a big indicator of a partially clogged pilot, idle jet, or whatever you want to call the low speed jet. When that happens the engine surges, rpm drops, throttle control opens the venturi to raise Rpm, that means more fuel through main jet, rpm goes above the eco limit, throttle reduces venturi, main jet drops flow, engine rpm drops to low

repeat, till you replace or get the pilot jet cleaned.

basically same symptoms I and others have had with plugged idle jet. And on the 2000, at least mine, it is a plastic jet with an extremely small orifice that is just about impossible to clean with a tool. either replace or use a good cleaner.

This poster nailed it. Did some digging around bc this made sense based on the symptoms. Found the low speed jet, removed it and cleaned the jet and hole. Thing runs perfectly now. Thank you. Now I need to fix the same problem on the other 2000.

I did buy some Seafoam, haven't used it yet but nothing to lose

My Honda 2000 has not liked the converter in ECO mode since it was new. The companion does not like ECO mode either.
Page 37 from Honda manual
The Eco-Throttle systemis not effective foruse with appliances or tools thatrequire only momentary power. If the tool orappliance will be turned ON and OFF quickly, the Eco-Throttle switch should be in the OFF position.

enblethen wrote:
Did any of you read the manual I referenced?
It could be normal as you should not run in ECO mode.

well, OP says little or no load and the big clue.. "If I use a little choke it runs ok". That says
1) it isn't a load variation
2) the engine is running lean, which with the 2000 is a big indicator of a partially clogged pilot, idle jet, or whatever you want to call the low speed jet. When that happens the engine surges, rpm drops, throttle control opens the venturi to raise Rpm, that means more fuel through main jet, rpm goes above the eco limit, throttle reduces venturi, main jet drops flow, engine rpm drops to low

repeat, till you replace or get the pilot jet cleaned.

basically same symptoms I and others have had with plugged idle jet. And on the 2000, at least mine, it is a plastic jet with an extremely small orifice that is just about impossible to clean with a tool. either replace or use a good cleaner.

enblethen wrote:
It could be that the converter is trying to charge battery then drops off then tries again. This could be normal in ECO mode.

Look at page 37 of your owner's manual second to last paragraph.

You must be referring to version 4 of the manual. My version 3 manual has emissions info on page 37, and the ecothrottle info on page 26. Since the OP said the issue is in eco mode with no load, I would think this info isn't applicable.

dvitale300 wrote:
I've got a new EU3000I, should I run some Sea Foam in the gen from time to time for maintenance?

I add Sea Foam to all my small engines year around. May seem like overkill to some here but even with using ethanol gasoline I have never had any issues-no carburetor rebuilds, gummed up systems, etc. Some of my equipment is 20+ years old and all sit full of fuel in the off seasons. 2-3 cans a year is cheap insurance and maintenance.

I have heard good things about Stabil Marine but haven't tried it yet.