Kyle_in_Tex
Super Star Member
Go out to a rural airport and buy yourself some 100 octane fuel. Store your equipment with avgas in the tank and your problems will go away.
hard to start generator
- Thread starter rollbar
- Start date
- Views: 18893
Iplayfarmer
Super Member
I use seafoam as my stabilizer, and I run my generator dry at the end of every summer and everytime I fire it up in the winter. I try to run all of my engines for at least a few minutes a few times every winter. I'm sure the neighboors love hearing a dozen or so small engines all running at the same time.
When I run the engine dry, I can usually start the generator on the first pull after letting the carb bowl fill up.
When I run the engine dry, I can usually start the generator on the first pull after letting the carb bowl fill up.
Pull your oil fill plug out, see if you have two wire leads inside near the top. If you do they are the low oil cut off and if they are not covered in oil, they will cause what you describe. I found out the hard way on my generator after my right arm nearly fell off from pulling.
Travelover
Elite Member
I had a similar experience. Neighbor's B&S powered generator wouldn't start and even after pulling off the kill wire from the coil, it had no spark. We put on a new coil module and it sparked until we hooked up the low oil shutoff, so somehow the low oil cutoff seemed to have killed the old coil module.
They check the oil religiously, so we just left the low oil sender unhooked.
JoelD
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2005
- Messages
- 2,343
- Location
- Windham, NH and York, ME
- Tractor
- Kioti LK3054xs TLB, 2004
Since the machine does start, you most likely have consistent spark, in the electronic ignition you typically have consistent spark or not.
Time to take the carb off and appart and clean and put back on.
Switch out gas and your problem is most likely solved.
Was a good point on compression, but my guess is unlikely you've got loss in compression this new and this recent. You can always hook up a compression tester and see what you have (may have a friend with one if you don't have one, some auto parts places may loan one out) you should be at least a 100 or so.
I run mine dry each time, shutting off fuel valve, I rarely drain tank. but with this new line of fuel I may have to.
Joel
Time to take the carb off and appart and clean and put back on.
Switch out gas and your problem is most likely solved.
Was a good point on compression, but my guess is unlikely you've got loss in compression this new and this recent. You can always hook up a compression tester and see what you have (may have a friend with one if you don't have one, some auto parts places may loan one out) you should be at least a 100 or so.
I run mine dry each time, shutting off fuel valve, I rarely drain tank. but with this new line of fuel I may have to.
Joel
timswi
Elite Member
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2008
- Messages
- 4,997
- Location
- Beaver County Pa
- Tractor
- Kubota BX23 TLB, Kubota RTV1100, Kubota Z724 & Polaris RZR 900 Trail
Good idea on the low oil shut off, that can get knocked loose..Didn't think of that one.
Soundguy
Old Timer
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2002
- Messages
- 51,575
- Location
- Central florida
- Tractor
- RK 55HC,ym1700, NH7610S, Ford 8N, 2N, NAA, 660, 850 x2, 541, 950, 941D, 951, 2000, 3000, 4000, 4600, 5000, 740, IH 'C' 'H', CUB, John Deere 'B', allis 'G', case VAC
IMHO brigs get sticky float needles REAL bad.. though their carbs are super easy to R&R..
soundguy
soundguy
Soundguy
Old Timer
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2002
- Messages
- 51,575
- Location
- Central florida
- Tractor
- RK 55HC,ym1700, NH7610S, Ford 8N, 2N, NAA, 660, 850 x2, 541, 950, 941D, 951, 2000, 3000, 4000, 4600, 5000, 740, IH 'C' 'H', CUB, John Deere 'B', allis 'G', case VAC
I bet you have to pull your arm off to get hi octane to fire in a whizzbang.
no thanks for me!
higher the octane.. harder it is to fire off the fuel....
soundguy
patrick_g
Elite Member
AMEN BROTHER!! I used to put just a little fresh gas in the tank after draining the old and put in some Berrymans choke and carb cleaner (liquid not aerosol) in the gas and then use aerosol Berrymans as a starter fluid. Virtually always fixed the problem.
I also avoid gasohal in all small engines. Todays gasoline, with or without alcohol, does not store as long as gas used to a few decades back. Do'n't count on gas storing over 6 months with STABIL in it and less without.
Oh, a tip... always shut off the fuel before transporting anything with an engine that has a float and bowl in the fuel system. Otherwise the fuel may slosh into the intake. The needle and float will ensure that more gas flows to the bowl so more can slosh into the intake. Lather rinse repeat... This makes for a marathon starter rope pulling session as the engine will be flooded in biblical proportions to rival Noah's flood. Yet another good reason to not shut off the engine electrically but to shut off the fuel and let 'er run dry.
Pat
Soundguy
Old Timer
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2002
- Messages
- 51,575
- Location
- Central florida
- Tractor
- RK 55HC,ym1700, NH7610S, Ford 8N, 2N, NAA, 660, 850 x2, 541, 950, 941D, 951, 2000, 3000, 4000, 4600, 5000, 740, IH 'C' 'H', CUB, John Deere 'B', allis 'G', case VAC
I used to have a gas engine trail mower that religously had it's carb flaot needle stick -EVERY- year.. that and a couple lawnmower engines. got to the point where I didn't even try to start them each year without dropping the bowl and spray cleaning the float needle and moving it a few times, then slapping bowl back on with same good/clean/dry gasket... saved the arm quite a bit..
soundguy
soundguy