Seafoam saved my Honda eu2000 Generator

Re: Seafoam saved my Honda eu2ooo Generator

JB,

I glad it worked out for you. I highly recommend that if you don't use a small engine every couple weeks, (enough to always need fresh fuel) that you drain the carbs and or the tanks before it sits. Some of the fuel stabilizers (Store-it- and-start-it, or Stabil) seem to help prevent varnish deposits in carbs. I do think though that it is better to leave the carbs dry.

Tony

Re: Seafoam saved my Honda eu2000 Generator

JB, a little experience of mine showed me that for any extended period of sitting ( > 1 month), you need to run the unit dry and THEN open the valve on the bottom of the float bowl.

This advice came from my local Honda dealer after he gladly took my $$ to clean the carb. Cheeeeeap insurance.

He also let me know that the carbs are prone to falter with the smallest amount of gunk going through the carb, they will start to 'hunt' when on ECONO.

My habit now is to at least run it dry in the summer by only adding a minimum amount of fuel. I also use a fuel stabilizer in All my cabin gas, as modern gas can go 'off' right after it goes into the Gerry Can...

cheers
Eric

Re: Seafoam saved my Honda eu2000 Generator

So far (just over a year) I have been hauling my eu2000i out roughly once a month to fire up for an hour of operation under load. I haven't drained the gas in that time, just treat it with Stabil. So far, no problems...!

But a question on letting it run out, is there any problem with letting it die from lack of fuel while under load? I guess I'm more concerned with the loads - is there going to be a power spike / brownout or something? Or will the inverter just kick out before anything too hideous happens? I can see where an older-style generator head could make all kinds of nasty glitches on the power line at that time... I suppose there could potentially be issues with the inverter itself too...

I did try a couple of times to run it dry, but the silly thing runs so incredibly long on so little fuel...! I never did get it to die before I had to shut it off so I could leave the house.

Re: Seafoam saved my Honda eu2000 Generator

I wouldn't worry about damaging the engine by running out of gas. I would however be concerned about damaging the load, as it begins to run rough as it runs out of gas.

I personally run them out of fuel with no load at idle, and then choke and start a few times to get as much out as possible. Most Hondas have a carb drain screw which will do the same thing,, I can't remember about the EU 1000.

Running every month or so is fine, but remember that the fuel in the tank might be a year old by the time you need to add fresh. I was always taught to keep the tanks either full or empty. In between invites trouble.

Tony

Re: Seafoam saved my Honda eu2000 Generator

The point of choking when the engine is out of fuel, is to draw the last little bit in to the cylinder to be burned. The amount left unburned to contaminate the oil is so small as to be insignificant.

The other reason to leave engines with the valves closed is to take the tension off the valve springs.

Tony

Re: Seafoam saved my Honda eu2000 Generator

RandomJoe wrote: »

is there any problem with letting it die from lack of fuel while under load?

YES. If you are running close to full load, the residual heat in the windings, when the "blower" stops, will cook the varnish, and then you get shorted windings.

Much like a car boils over in the desert, when you stop at a gas station. (East coasters find out about that the first trip out.) You have lost your 80mph ram air thru the radiator, and water circulation when the engine switches off.

Re: Seafoam saved my Honda eu2000 Generator

Actually,

We bought it used in ~1965 from a fishing resort 100kms away. In those days, we had no roads, so the seller floated down his lake, put in on the CN Rail, and they dropped it off at our stop. Over the portage on a 1929 Model A Ford Truck, floated down our lake, off our island on rollers with blocks and tackles. Been there ever since.
(It replaced a 1948 Onan 3 kw auto start. The lister burns ~1/4 per hour, the Onan ~1 gal! Still have the Onan, it runs like new as well!)

It is important to remember that Canada, especially post war had lots of trade with GB, and tons of manufactured items came from England. The engine came from Dursley England, but the GenSet was made by Russel-Hippwell in Owen Sound Ontario. (A fairly large industrial company at the time). We also had, (at the bush camp we ran) another Lister, 10 kw open flywheel water cooled. That ran great until the next owners killed it y not putting oil in it. It probably had 20k hours on it.

As for the middle of nowhere. We are in the middle of nowhere now, sort of. We do have a road to the lake shore so that we can go to town anytime, but in so many ways we are way more isolated than we were back then. In those days we only had the railway. Our community was 400km long, but only 10 meters wide! All along the railway were small communities, populated mostly by railway maintenance workers,, every 5-10 miles. You knew everyone along the line, as you would take the train to town once a month or so for supplies. We would ride down the line with the section gang on the "hand car" to visit neighbours.

There were bush trappers, prospectors, fishing and hunting guides all scattered in the bush. In 1950 within 10 miles we probably had 20 people living around us. Now there is one other. The railway now does all it's maintenance with trucks from town, no one traps, and all the guides live in town.

I miss the community,

Tony