mejones53
South Florida
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I have a Yamaha EF3000 which is my go to generator for most everything. Because it weighs as much as I do, five years ago I bought a Honda EU2000i for those occasions when I'm certain my power requirements will be under 2000 watts.
The Honda gets used about twice a year. Recently it got so it would not start. Had it serviced and was told the carburator needed to be cleaned. The advise I got from the shop was to run it dry every time I use it.
My question is for those who use your Honda less than every two or three months, say 2 or 3 times a year:
- Do you use the Carburetor Drain Screw?
- Do you drain the Fuel Pump in accordance with the instruction manual?
- Do you ever turn the generator upside down to empty remaining fuel in the tank?
- Have you heard about the Spark Plug Cut Off Wire from the Engine Switch and have you tried disabling that?
Thanks -
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coolbreeze01
Redding, Ca
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I just put my EU2000 away for awhile. I tipped it and drained the gas plus drained the carburetor. Has worked for me a couple years now. I haven't messed with the spark-plug.
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mbopp
Henrietta, NY, USA
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I siphon the gas out of the tank, then run it until it quits.
This spring it had some surging under load. I put some Gumout in the tank, ran it under load for 15 minutes (1500 watt heater), and the problem cleared.
I don't know what the fuel pump or spark plug cut off wire are.
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2oldman
Winchester WA
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mejones53 wrote:- Do you use the Carburetor Drain Screw?
- Do you drain the Fuel Pump in accordance with the instruction manual?
- Do you ever turn the generator upside down to empty remaining fuel in the tank?
- Have you heard about the Spark Plug Cut Off Wire from the Engine Switch and have you tried disabling that?
Thanks - yes, no, no, no. Drain tank, add a bit of Stabil, drain carb.
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JayGee
Foothills of the Smokies
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I guess I've been lucky. I have never drained it, I have never ran it dry for storage, and it has always started after about 5 years of ownership. I do start it up every 30 days or so and let it run awhile. I also use Stabil in all the fuel that I put in it. It does surge sometimes for a few minutes but it always clears up after I run it full speed for a few minutes.
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Craig A
Tampa Bay Area, FL
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I just got my EU2000i. It had 3 hours on it in 3 years, but had not been run. Had to have the carb cleaned. Now, I add about 1/2 cup of fuel in it every 30 days and run it dry. Thanks to gasahol, evaporation is much worse and anything I have with gas in it gets run every 30 days. In the trimmer, blower, and hedgeclippers, I run them, shut 'em off, drain the gas, and run them dry. No more $100 bills for me.
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2oldman
Winchester WA
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Craig A wrote: It had 3 hours on it in 3 years, but had not been run. Now, I add about 1/2 cup of fuel in it every 30 days and run it dry. I'll bite.. how does it get 3 hours on it and not be run?
I don't get what running it dry every month does.
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mejones53
South Florida
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I'm guessing that by running it every month your are washing out whatever residue may be in the carburetor and putting a "fresh" coat of fuel on it... a way of keeping things from getting too stale in the fuel line and carburetor.
Thank you all for the responses and ideas.
I will use the Drain Screw from now on and I will run it dry with some Stabii in it. See how that works.
My doctor has diagnosed me as having a serious case of bad luck, hopefully the generator won't catch it.
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Airstreamer67
Pineville, LA USA
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What it does is remove the fuel that could otherwise gum up the works...the OP's original problem.
I've had the same problem and now run the tank dry and use the carb drain screw to get the last few drops out. When the generator is needed, it takes little time to put in fresh gas and get it going.
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dclark1946
Richardson,TX,USA
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Airstreamer67 wrote:What it does is remove the fuel that could otherwise gum up the works...the OP's original problem.
I've had the same problem and now run the tank dry and use the carb drain screw to get the last few drops out. When the generator is needed, it takes little time to put in fresh gas and get it going.
I follow the same procedure but add one more step after draining the carb I start the generator and it will usually run for a second or two. I repeat this until it will not start any more.
Dick
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