Your last generator Maintenance Run

[daugen]

That observation keeps coming up in this thread. I believe it to be true....

In my small engines, I tend to rotate thru Stabil, SeaFoam, and occasionally StarTron (different attack vector, IMO).

I think there is a stability factor with 2Strk oil, but this discussion flow brought me back to the original reason I started using Lucas fuel treatment much of the time in my road vehicles - Lubrication. While I believe this Lucas product has some basic cleaning properties (which has value to me), the main reason I want it is to extend fuel-pump life. I drive old vehicles, and want to avoid the hassle/Labour charge involved in dropping a tank to replace a pump... knock-wood, I've had a good run so far with the Olde Stuff I drive.

I probably should add this Lucas product, into my Small Engine "mechanic in a can" rotation....

Fuel Treatment – Lucas Oil Products, Inc. – Keep That Engine Alive!

Rgds,D.

good minds think alike
I have a gallon of the Lucas cleaner and mix it regularly in car, rv and small engines.
only gas engines left are Ariens efi snowblower, Westinghouse generator and Kawasaki in JD mower.
my old tech Lexus V8 has port fuel injection, not DI so less issues with gunking
I think any modern DI gas motor needs some extra help today to last.
and for sure any carb being fed ethanol gas that can sit for six months at a time, better get some
help there too

half full tank of 4 year old gas in my snowblower really ought to be pumped out and thrown out.
not so easy to get rid of gasoline. It's been dosed with both sea foam and stabil, which is why when I ran it last week,
it fired right up after sitting so long.
so far in four years have only run propane through my gen so no worries there.
of course it's still in shop after a week, was promised back this morning.
I may be generator shopping soon.

 

[daugen]

just as I clicked send, I see the gen repair guy walk by returning my Westinghouse gen.
As expected a bad switch, one well known online to fail due to inadequate waterproofing.
Replacement has a plastic front.
if you have this gen, suggest you order a new on/off rocker switch as if this one gets wet, it's likely to fail.
just like the big push button on this model, low bid hardware.

 

[BX23S-1]

I go through my generator once a year. Change the oil, put a wrench on the bolts throughout, check the propane hose and fittings, fire it up, then good for the next year, or the next storm.

 

[3930dave]

good minds think alike
I have a gallon of the Lucas cleaner and mix it regularly in car, rv and small engines.
only gas engines left are Ariens efi snowblower, Westinghouse generator and Kawasaki in JD mower.
my old tech Lexus V8 has port fuel injection, not DI so less issues with gunking
I think any modern DI gas motor needs some extra help today to last.
and for sure any carb being fed ethanol gas that can sit for six months at a time, better get some
help there too

half full tank of 4 year old gas in my snowblower really ought to be pumped out and thrown out.
not so easy to get rid of gasoline. It's been dosed with both sea foam and stabil, which is why when I ran it last week,
it fired right up after sitting so long.
so far in four years have only run propane through my gen so no worries there.
of course it's still in shop after a week, was promised back this morning.
I may be generator shopping soon.

Let us know what the failure point was pls, on that gen of yours. TBN-minds want to know

Many of us won't put 1000s of hours on our portable gens, but some do, so the "mechanical" aspect of EFI pumps was on my mind, during first-coffee today. OK, an open-frame generator stands a good chance of being easier to change-out an FI pump (vs. most road-going vehicles), but it's still something I'd like to defer/never do if possible..... and, modern suitcase-style would likely involve significant tear-down, to get @ the pump.....

Let us know what you are considering, new-Gen wise..... may be a good chance somebody on here already has one. There is quite the matrix of Efficient and Quiet (if desired) to choose from today. Beginning @ the 2kw or so level, I do like the Pairing option that many Inverter gens have today..... more combined capacity @ lower unit/weight level is attractive.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

just as I clicked send, I see the gen repair guy walk by returning my Westinghouse gen.
As expected a bad switch, one well known online to fail due to inadequate waterproofing.
Replacement has a plastic front.
if you have this gen, suggest you order a new on/off rocker switch as if this one gets wet, it's likely to fail.
just like the big push button on this model, low bid hardware.

View attachment 4080414

Thanks for posting that.

As you'd know..... good-quality Marine-grade switches are Spendy, so not surprising as a cut-corner....

If you are keeping the GE? you have for now, perhaps a tarp under the unit may help this Fall, if not in place already.... (outdoor-stored, with cover already, IIRC).

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I go through my generator once a year. Change the oil, put a wrench on the bolts throughout, check the propane hose and fittings, fire it up, then good for the next year, or the next storm.

Murphy, is not going to like you !

Rgds, D.

 

[daugen]

Dave, we were likely typing at same time.
my shopping basically said bare bones in the 1000-1200 dollar range,
more power and cleaner for 2400 and deluxe do everything for 4500.
is a Durostar any better than a Champion any better than a Honeywell or Westinghouse?

I wish the Youtube guy who tests everything would test 10kw portable gens.

I have a good quality gen cover and unless it's blown off, unit stays dry. But on a damp cold morning, I'm sure
it's all rusting away in there.

repair guy confirmed the low oil wire went into this box, wasn't easy to get to, after the four panel screws there were three more, and
it wasn't that anyway.

in a bad storm, these gens are outside and unless in a cover like a generac, they are going to get wet.
no IP68 hardware for sure

 

[daugen]

one lesson here, I don't think Westinghouse is alone on using low bid hardware.
might pay every couple of years to take the panel off and if anything exposed maybe spray it
with something appropriate. I Deoxit the plugs and receptacles but thinking more of corrosion proofing
inside. Since this is a maintenance thread, should we be be tending to our hardware better?
I wipe protectant on mine and I thought took pretty good care of it, but now not one but two separate switches
on the panel have failed. I think the motor and generator are likely fine; this is switch failure.

if you are a prepper, maybe check out spare switches for your gen...?
I like spares but you have to draw a line somewhere. But if you have a 6-10kw Westinghouse portable, or its clone,
which is a clone of another clone...you might see if your rocker power switch looks like the one above.
of course if it would simply fit in the hole,which the first one I ordered swore would, and didn't, the repair guy's switch he got from
the factory did fit. And was sealed with plastic. Amazon screws up again. Box is even labeled for right gen but wrong part in it.
worth buying from factory to avoid aggravation of doing it all twice

sure that part fits
only ten minutes with a Dremel sir
what's the big deal?

 

[3930dave]

Dave, we were likely typing at same time.
my shopping basically said bare bones in the 1000-1200 dollar range,
more power and cleaner for 2400 and deluxe do everything for 4500.
is a Durostar any better than a Champion any better than a Honeywell or Westinghouse?

I wish the Youtube guy who tests everything would test 10kw portable gens.

I have a good quality gen cover and unless it's blown off, unit stays dry. But on a damp cold morning, I'm sure
it's all rusting away in there.

repair guy confirmed the low oil wire went into this box, wasn't easy to get to, after the four panel screws there were three more, and
it wasn't that anyway.

in a bad storm, these gens are outside and unless in a cover like a generac, they are going to get wet.
no IP68 hardware for sure

Are you looking to go up to 10kw range ?

If so, you might want to look @ Generac portables. I don't know their reliability well, but once FI started making it into larger portable gens, I noted it in one of their new open-frame 8Kw or so models... not Honda-quiet likely, but more in the $ range you are targeting. Good-sized gas tank too, on this ^ Generac I'm thinking of.

I don't claim any special knowledge of the marketplace, but just tend to do a ton of reading on brands I'm considering. I don't know the Honeywell or Westinghouse line, but marketing-wise, I view them as old brand-names that are easy to market here (at least to us oldsters). Any company can go to China, and get "whatever" built, at most quality-levels today; I suspect even Honda builds some of their range there. So as much as I hate to admit it, esp. today, the "China" part is often less of an issue, than how much an Olde Brand Name wants to trade mostly on their Name, vs. actual production-quality.

Similar - I don't know Durostar either. Champion, I've done some reading on, as their current 3-5kw inverter line I find interesting personally. It's a pile of data to sift through (something I don't mind doing, passing the time during our long Winters....), so I know it's a PITA.... Amazon reviews are a place to start, then on to various forums.... Some Amazon reviews are bought, but you know how it goes..... reading on a given model, you tend to see the general trends (good/bad) repeating.

Pick a particular model you are considering, and post it up here..... one of the Regulars, or somebody passing-by this thread may know it, or know somebody that has one....

Rgds, D.

 

[ponytug]

+1 on DeOxIt. I think that the stuff is like magic, but I also think it is not really a replacement for keeping electrical items dry. I try not to run generators where they can get wet, unless they have waterproof enclosures. (I have just one of those.) Open garages, ventilated sheds, I will use pretty much anything to keep damp/water off/out of a generator.

When I have to rewire electrical systems for outdoor use, I tend to replace OEM parts with marine parts that are more water and corrosion resistant. (West Marine, and DelCity.net are my two favorite sources) I figure that if the OEM failed, that's evidence it wasn't good enough.

On the spare parts: I have a number of mission critical backup parts for the main genset, (disposables, fuel pumps, voltage regulator, and control parts) and somewhat fewer for the backup generator, and even fewer for the backup backup generator, which really only has a spark plug and diodes as replacement parts. I try to have single point failure items as spares. If I think that I could Rube Goldberg it in a pinch, I tend not to worry about it.

All the best,

Peter