3000W Chinese Gensets Info.

Explorer

Mar 27, 2012

MrRchitty wrote:
Has anyone tried to retrofit a starter on the Champion 46515 3500-4000 watt generator? It has the 196cc engine. I took the guards (air cooling covers) off to see if there were threaded holes to accommodate the starter.

The Champion 46555 has the same engine and comes with a starter. The pdf manual has a detailed diagram and the components which make up the charging and starting components are in purple.

What I noticed on my engine is there are holes present which are piloted, however, not drilled and tapped.

The two MINIMUM parts needed are the gear tooth flywheel and starter motor. The rest can be made or outsourced if needed.

You can also use (Honda) GX160-200 starter kits such as this one I found on eBay just a few minutes ago that will fit the 46515 engine.

To the best of my knowledge, CPE has not offered a retrofit kit and individual prices or parts from CPE are almost as much as a new, complete ES engine.

SuperGenProducts told me last year that they were going to offer a kit - but it has yet to be advertised.

A kit like the one I pointed out may not include the engine fan shroud (some do). A cutout will need to be made in the side of the fan shroud for starter clearance. Measure carefully and cut small - enlarging as needed by trying fitment of fan shroud over the mounted starter. It is easy to get this hole too high and too large if not extremely careful.

The key start assembly shown in the kit will not fit "as is" due to interference with the generator frame. The accessory key start assembly also contains a transition module that is not used as the 46515 has one installed. You take the key start assembly apart and rewire for the genny tossing the extra transition module.

The "newer" 196cc engines have some casting material on the block near the cylinder base that interferes with the geared flywheel. When I encountered this installing electric start on my log splitter last winter (2011) I simply removed the casting material from the engine block with a grinder - no big deal.

The kit on eBay that I referenced includes the charge coil, which may not be needed if a remote battery (such as the camper battery) is used. If you do install the charge coil, threads for the mounting bolts must also be drilled and cut into the block.

As far as the holes for mounting the starter not being taped, it is easy to cut the threads with a standard tap. I elected to use a 1/4" SAE tap for convenience and turned it with a pair of vice grip pliers.

The casting on the engine that is not drilled for the tap or the second starter mounting hole is shown. The blank casting goes pretty far into the engine - unfortunately I do not remember how far. It is best not to drill through into the crankcase as chips will end up in the oil sump.

I wrote the entire process up with numerous photos several years back when I put ES on my pressure washer. Unfortunately, I can't find it on the thread now. I think it was somewhere around '08. In any event, I still have some of the photos in PhotoBucket I am re-posting now. Maybe someone can find the original post in the thread? I believe I included how deep to drill the starter mount hole in that one.

Let me know if I can be of any other help. The conversion was well worth the $$ and time to me as I have a bad "pullin'" shoulder.