All ActivityMost RecentMost LikesSolutionsRe: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.When you shut off the generator, was it still powering the AC? That will blow the voltage regulator sooner rather than later! Generators should always be started and stopped with no load. As a test, start your Champion and slowly load it up with about a 3500 watt resistive load. Heaters and hair dryers work great for this. If the generator still chugs and coughs, it is not performing to spec and there is clearly something wrong with it. Hope this helps! :)