hard to start generator

[rollbar]

back in the spring in rural arkansas , we had a terrible ice storm. electricity out for weeks
in some areas. bought a storm responder generator 5500 watt output, briggs and stratton
engine. put fuel stablizer in gas ,stored it after storm. went to start it today ,cleaned plug,
put fresh fuel in, this is the hardest engine to start i ever had. paid 1000.00 anyone one have one of these units and had the same problem? any input would be appreciated. thanks

 

[radioman]

I had the same issue. I bought a gen- used it one week then put it away for almost a year. needed it again, could not get it started even with stablizer in gas. I had to spray starting fluid in carb to get it started after many cranks. I finally leanred my lesson by starting it up once a month for 10 mins with a load and it starts with a pull every time ever since. All this is still with the original spark plug so the key here is to use it once a month and you wont have a problem with it.

 

[Raw Dodge]

You cant leave something sitting so long and expect it to start and run normally. Ill tell you this,ever since they took the MTBE out of the gasoline about 3 yrs ago,and added 10% ethanol,the gasolines shelf life has been cut by over 50% from what im seeing.Stabil isnt enough anymore,you need to use the fuel,and put new in or drain it fully,and drain the float bowl,and put fresh fuel in when you need it.
At my home,I have a 10K Northstar generator,it has a sweet running V twin Briggs Vanguard engine,its never failed to start for me,but i run it at least 1/2 hr every 2-3 months when im not using it.I add stabil,and keep the tank full(10 gallons),and if i dont use it,every 3 months,I drain it thru the fuel hose,(it pops off in a few seconds at the filter,)into 2 -5 gallon jugs,and use it in my lawnmower,or snowmobiles.I then refill the generator with fresh fuel,start and run it 5 minutes,and im set for another 3+ months easily.You have to make time for this,it only take 15 minutes every few months,and you will be rewarded with a good running generator that works when you need it too.Also chaneg the oil and filter every yr,whether you use it or not,run it 15 minutes first drop oil and filter.Its money well spent.
At work I have a 10K onan/hobart welder I sue for backup power,same proceedure,also for my dads house a smalle 4400 watt Chicago pneumatic long run 8hp Honda,it runs perfect as we run the fuel thr it as well.

I would keep a can of starting fluid if you have a tempermental engine,with a dry float bowl,a shot of ether will get it lit and running sometimes when you just cant get gas to it fast enough.

 

[timswi]

back in the spring in rural arkansas , we had a terrible ice storm. electricity out for weeks
in some areas. bought a storm responder generator 5500 watt output, briggs and stratton
engine. put fuel stablizer in gas ,stored it after storm. went to start it today ,cleaned plug,
put fresh fuel in, this is the hardest engine to start i ever had. paid 1000.00 anyone one have one of these units and had the same problem? any input would be appreciated. thanks

First, does it sound like it's firing?

Second, Pull the plug, lay it on the head and check for spark..Plugs can go bad. Believe me on this one.

Third, pull the air cleaner and see if the choke is working, they can hang up.

If none of these, drain the gas, although I kind doubt it's really bad at this point..Could be though. I generally leave my push mower and pressure washer go all winter, and never had a problem starting either in the spring, this isn't a recommened practice. I just have enough engines around here that I forget some of them.

As others have said, gotta run it once a month or so. Don't want to find this when you need it. I load mine up with 1000 watt lights every month or so.

 

[woodchuckie]

Sometime this past summer the gas started leaking out of my generator motor. It just started one day. I hadn't used it for 6 months or more. The float bowl needle valve had gummed up. After cleaning it good it worked ok. I had stabil in it so that's not enough protection. It started easy and I've used it once since then with no problem so changing out with fresh gas every 3 months is probably a good idea.

 

[sailorman]

my experience with a similar engine on genie is this, avoid the problems completely by starting at least once a month or more if circumstances allow. The carburetor and fuel intake screen inside tank gets screwed up not matter what additive you have used. It was a $ 226.00 lesson for me. I had to have a new carb replacement including labor, fuel screen and drain the tank. Starts every time now once a month.

 

[dave1949]

I use the 'run it every 2 months' process also. It works for me. My generator is a Honda, about 12 yrs. old. It starts with one or two pulls. I shut off the fuel supply and let the engine run the carb. dry everytime I start it, no exceptions.

If I have gas getting old in the generator tank, I siphon it out (no fuel tank drain valve) and put it in the cars where it gets used up quickly.

I also dump my reserve gas in the cars and refill my 5 gal. cans periodically so I will always have reasonably fresh fuel on hand.

Dave.

 

[PILOON]

"Exercising" a generator on a routine basis is a must!
Also one should exercise it under load as many models or designs will loose magnetism and simply refuse to generate power.
Under load conditions will also warm up the engine to operating temps more rapidly which in turn will 'boil off' or evaporate any condensation from the innards.

About the only solution to fuel or gas going bad is to own/operate a propane powered unit, but even those should get regular exersize.

 

[tommu56]

While you got the plug out put a finger over the plug hole and see if it has compression.

A lot of times the intake valves get gummed up and hang open and and you don't get any vacuum to get he carb to work.

Again exercise it even 4x a year is better than none.
When shutting it down drain or turn off fuel and let it run till its out of fuel.

I use an old turkey baster to put 3 or 4 shots of fuel in tank start it and let it run till its out of fuel.

tom

 

[patrick_g]

I have had most of the common problems with stored gas engines and don't have them any more!

I always run a gas engine (typically a generator but also ride on trenchers etc) dry before storage. Turn the gas off and let the engine run till it dies. This keeps the float bowl's needle and seat from gumming up.

STABIL will NOT preserve gas reliably more than 6 months. They really don't make gasoline like they used to!

Unless the generator is rigged for auto-start with loss of commercial power consider storing it with the tank empty. You can keep the fuel in a gas can or two and before the gas gets too stale, pour it into one of your gas powered vehicles and get fresh gas for the cans.

Running the generator for at least 10 min with a load every month or two is a really good idea. A longer run 15-20 min with at least 50% load every couple weeks is even better but a little hassle. Short runs tend to let condensation collect in the engine. You need to run it long enough to "dry it out."

I sold my two portable gas gensets and replaced them with a 17,500 Watt gasoline Generac that I put on a small welding trailer and a propane fired fully automatic 17,000 Watt Generac unit. The propane unit automatically runs itself once a week (Monday morning is what I programmed.) I try to ALWAYS run the gas generator dry and it always starts up very easy, never a starting problem, even though it may not get started for a few months (rare but it happens.)

Pat