Champion 2000 Inverter Generator will not start

[centracom]

Last week I was dry camping at Bristol Motor Speedway for the races. I was using one of my Champion 2000 Inverter Generators to power my travel trailer while I changed cell phones ect.. When I woke up the next morning the generator was off and out of fuel. I filled the generator with fuel and tried starting it. The unit sputtered one time for about 5 seconds, after about the 5th pull. I tried multiple times to start the generator with no success. I pulled the spark plug and it looked fine but I replaced it with a new one. I tested the volts coming from the plug wire. When turning the motor over the plug wire reads 2-3.5 volts. I also drained the carberator bowl just to make sure the carb was getting fuel. Oil level was also good and the low oil light did not illuminate when trying to start the generator. I re-assembled the generator and it still will not start.

I do service the unit regularly and had done so just before the trip. Oil change, cleaned the spark plug, cleaned and oiled the air filter, cleaned spark arrestor and screen. I also store the unit with no fuel and in a dry place.

Any thoughts?

[John_Burke]

Pull the exhaust screen cover off and clean out the screen. It gets plugged with soot and will not let the air flow. It is a dirty job, hands will be black, so will anything you touch. Have rags on hand and soap and water handy.

[72cougarxr7]

I flooded mine once and if was a bear to get cleared out. Ended up pulling the plug and blowing out the cylinder with compressed air, and installing a new plug. Proper plug is an NGK BPR6HS ( I went wild and put a BPR6HIX iridium plug in mine)

If the plug looks dry, you could take off the air filter and give it a shot of ether or carb cleaner and see if it runs off that for a few seconds. If it does, you have a fuel issue. I priced out a carburetor once, think it was only around $30.
If I recall correctly, there is a screen in the shutoff valve on the gas tank as well, might want to check and make sure that isn't clogged.

[bikendan]

Why don't you call Champion customer service.

They are excellent.

[SCVJeff]

OR.. Hold the plug, have someone pull the cord and measure how far back you land

[j-d]

Even if a DVOM has the range scale for that kind of voltage, it probably could not capture and report what the spark was, since the duration is so short. We used to be able to get little neon spark testers. They worked with the old points and condenser ignition but electronic fires so fast the neon doesn't have time to react. This is a "Small Engine Spark Tester"Put spark plug wire on the terminal as usual, connect alligator clip to ground. I made mine by cutting part of the threaded shell off an old plug, jamming a copper tubing fitting over it, attaching alligator clip with a short screw.

...OR... push a small screwdriver with a plastic handle into the terminal and lay the screwdriver down on a metal part of the engine so there's a 1/4" gap. Tape it in place if you have to. You should see a blue spark jump the gap. Probably will have to have the sparkplug out of the engine.

[SCVJeff]

When my 2000 has that problem I slowly rock it back and forth sideways and that seems to get the fuel wherever it's missing. Also, unless you want to buy another DVM, do not measure spark voltage. That's probably on the order of 10,000v+. The DVM may already be gone.

(Edit: iPhone spelling)

[csamayfield55x]

IT sometimes is hard to reprime them. Pull the air cleaner off and give it a shot of starting fluid. Keep it running for a few seconds on the ether and it will get any air bubbles out of the fuel system that might be air binding the carb. Just don't run it to long on ether cause you can scrub the cylinder walls of oil and cause some damage

Chris

[Dave_H_M]

I would bypass all the proper troubleshooting and give it a shot of the non environmentally safe carb cleaner in the intake, brake clean works also. I am fearful of ether.

giver her a shot and let us know.

[RoyB]

I had similar thing with my Honda generator but the problem there was the fuel cap vent was turned off.



Its symptom was abit different as it would start and then only run for about a minute.

One guy walks up after seeing me field stripping my unit down and looking everywhere. He takes one look and see the cap OFF so flips it over. It cranked right and kept running. He said $50 please haha...

Don't know if the Champion has this feature or not...

Knock on wood but my Honda 2KW has been running great since 2008 - usually start on the second pull everytime... It sets secured to the inside of my covered and locked truck bed... Get used alot sitting there. Never know when someone needs some help... About the only maintenance I have done was replace the oil a couple of times. The truck movement all the time when not being used probably is a good thing for it...

Being a Ham Radio nut I am forever running my truck start down so the generator is great letting me plug in my battery charger and getting a five minute charge to start my truck again haha... Had to do that yesterday sitting in the WALMART lot waiting for the wife do some shopping..

You might run some SEAFOAM in it maybe clean out something in the fuel line...

I've only camped for a week at a NASCAR event just once in ALA. That was enough for me... No body sleeps and you have folks walking on their trailer roofs etc... Too wild for this old Illinois Dirt farmer haha... Every trailer out there running a generator all night long...

Like football games its best to watch the event on HDTV haha

Roy Ken

[azrving]

Remove and read the plug and check for spark. Wet? Dry? Be sure there isn't a slug of carbon on the plug tip. DONT get your face near the plug hole when checking for spark or you may have fire in your face.

[2oldman]

When my Honda 2k is dry of fuel it can take up to a dozen small pulls and then a couple strong ones. The choke is on the entire time. You may be shooting yourself in the foot by turning off the choke.

Maybe you just haven't pulled enough!

You really need to run a generator all night to charge small devices?

[Kayteg1]

It is quite possible that the engine suck some dirt from bottom of the tank.
Sounds like you are familiar with the service - take the fuel bowl out, check the valve and blow all the nozzles with carb cleaner or at least compressed air.

[corvettekent]

Maybe the guy next to you added some honey to your gas tank.
Why not charge your cell phone off the 12 volt batteries?

[centracom]

Yes I used the choke because the motor was cold. After several pulls I did turn the choke off because I did not want to flood the motor.