I discovered James about a month ago. I have around 40 video's I already downloaded. I live in South Africa. If you don't know, we suffer of load shedding (black outs) at least 6 to12 hours a day. My solar setup only pull me through till 3 am, thus I start my "worksman" 3 kva generator around 05h00 to get ready for the day. Around 07h00 the solar panels take over. I had a carb issue, which I suspected. Searching for advice on how to clean and adjust it, I found James. You, sir. Saved me R6,500. I am binge watching your videos, what a mountain of things I learned. Thank you for what you are doing, in my case you changed my living standard. I was struggling for 2 months in the mornings. Money is tight. I have accumulated roughly another 30 or so hours in the meanwhile. You inspired me. God bless you my friend with wealth, health and prosperity.

@craigstewartStif69Myster

Жыл бұрын

lekker man! guess how i got here? slowing turning into the local gennie guy lol

@gertwolmarans6974

Жыл бұрын

@@craigstewartStif69Myster 😂👍👍

@robertpeters9438

Жыл бұрын

Looks like you could benefit from batteries and an inverter. Good luck.

@gertwolmarans6974

Жыл бұрын

@@robertpeters9438 i have. Maybe just more batteries

We have used the kzread.infoUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!

Wow wasn't expecting it to start first pull let alone be enough compression to start and it makes power impressive

I honestly appreciate the time you take to explain how a certain mechanism works in an engine or the generator head. Even if you already explained it before in a previous video, you do it again anyways. I’ve learned so much more about honda clone engines or honda engines and generators from this channel than I probably would of learned at my local technical school. In your youtube bio, it says that you’re not a certified small engine mechanical or words to that effect, but I feel like you would be more than capable teaching a class at a tech school.

@zrkn1

Жыл бұрын

I second your comment and he makes small engines fun to diagnose and repair. I have learned so much from watching this channel and we all thank you!!!

@YukonHawk1

Жыл бұрын

Exactly what I was thinking when he explained how the decompression mechanism worked.

@jameshedrick605

Жыл бұрын

I've been able to diagnose and repair quite a few generators from watching his videos

@gelo1238

Жыл бұрын

Explaining it again at again actually helps to gain viewers. Like this is my first video i saw and i hate to watch another millions video to know what creator means saying 'it was in 123 video you know it'

As someone who likes to repair things myself I find your videos are always interesting and educational, I have learned a great deal from watching them.

@mattedwards4533

4 ай бұрын

You and me too!

The fact that I'm now able to predict the upcoming problem(s) means you've taught me well. Most steps of the way, I yelled the problem out loud before you explained it.

Hi I'm an old marine mechanic I found through the years if you add a little 2-cycle oil mix to your gasoline on generators and lawn mowers it helps cut down on corrosion forming in carburetor and in the cylinder on the valves and piston also helps the engines run cooler and acts as a preservative in the gasoline. Another great job.

@williamfoote2888

Жыл бұрын

Good old Marvel Mystery Oil.

@sniper7.62x51

Жыл бұрын

I've been running 2 stroke oil and rec fuel in my "occasional use- mostly stored" 4 cycle machines like snowthrowers for 30+ years.

@asakayosapro

Жыл бұрын

There's just the question of how much is 'a little'. Hopefully way less than 50:1 .

@silvestrepalacios9009

8 ай бұрын

@@sniper7.62x51can i have a quick tutorial i know it sounds dumb but how much oil do you use

@sniper7.62x51

8 ай бұрын

@@silvestrepalacios9009 I'll run 1/2 tank of 90 octane rec fuel and 1/2 tank of 40:1 2 stroke mix. Never had any issues. In my mind a little extra lubricity is not going to hurt anything. And I've never had a coked up or fouled out spark plug, or any rust formation in the steel fuel tanks.

Superb as usual. A shot in the dark I know, but I have seen that rust pattern before. If the generator was stored near pool chlorine, you'd see unprotected steel rusting while most other materials are fine.

Another great repair James! Two things: 1. The owner's manual says .008" for the exhaust clearance, but the service manual says .006" for the exhaust. You will find the engine has excessive valve tick with .008, so when I had this machine to repair I went .006". 2. Industry accepted standard states you need 2HP for every 1KW under load. This takes into account gasoline engines are only about 28% efficient. 13HP is ideally a 6KW at most in practice maintaining 58-63hz. ***Mechanical (imperial) Horsepower is defined as a horse lifting 550lbs by 1ft per second, or 745.7 Watts. Cheers bud! 😊

@thisnthat3530

Жыл бұрын

Why does the efficiency of the engine matter? The 13HP rating is the mechanical output of the engine, the amount of fuel it burns to achieve that is irrelevant. The characteristics of the engine (just because it says 13HP doesn't mean it can deliver that much at 3600RPM) and the efficiency of the power head is what matters in determining how much electricity can be obtained.

@Bassguitarist1985

Жыл бұрын

@@thisnthat3530 efficiency is important for energy convertion. A single cylinder gasoline engine is not going to take all of the stored energy in the gasoline and convert it to usable work. There are heat and frictional losses that take away from this. Inherently single cylinder engines are not consistent on power delivery either having a power stroke every four strokes. It is also important to know that horsepower ratings are not always accurate for these engines. You are correct, torque/ horsepower curves all related to RPMs can have an impact on total output produced. Powerhead efficiency is rated in terms of power factor. Generator powerheads are rated in X amount of watts at 1.0 power factor. Realistically however, what matters most is Voltage Amps. It's a metric commonly less used on portable generators because the concept is beyond the average homeowner, real power vs apparent power, as in power not doing any actual work for the load. It is the difference of being able to run a large inductive motor like your 5 Ton central air with a soft start or your portable 1/2HP air compressor. My point in all this is that the science is less understood by the average homeowner thus derived standards like 2 horsepower for every 1 KW are far easier to understand than all the math/calculation/factors that goes into chemical energy to mechanical energy conversion.

@thisnthat3530

Жыл бұрын

@@Bassguitarist1985 Power factor isn't related to efficiency of the powerhead when thinking of the engine power. Reactive energy by definition isn't dissipated in the system but stored and released out of phase, therefore it loads and drives the powerhead equally with a net result of zero. The stator winding must be sized for the additional current (which is why cheap generators always specify W@PF=1 so they can skimp on materials), but the engine doesn't care. The losses due to friction in the bearings, the fan, wire and core losses are the ones that count from the engine's perspective. Also, while the single cylinder engine will be uneven with its power delivery it averages the rating over two revolutions so doesn't need to be higher rated because of that. At 13HP an engine is producing 9700W at the crank. With a 95% efficient power head the electrical load would be 9200VA at PF 1 or 11500VA at PF 0.8 (9200/0.8). In both cases the engine only has to produce 9700W at the crank.

@Bassguitarist1985

Жыл бұрын

@@thisnthat3530 great info! I recently repaired a portable generator with a 13HP Honda engine. It could not handle more than 6kw resistive load. My guess is that it was not outputting it's full horsepower or it was never able to produce 13 horsepower. Thanks for the info once again!

I cannot imagine how relieved you are that you did not use that sticky compression release in the prior predator generator. Dodged a bullet there. Great video again. thanks.

@jcondon1

Жыл бұрын

I was definitely tempted to use the original part. Glad I did not.

That's great it wasn't a blown rod, just some junk in the cylinder preventing it from rotating, nice work as always James!

That is one of the best overall performances of a generator I have seen on the channel. It did really well. My best guess about the stator housing is that it got really hot at some point and cooked the paint off, or the paint was not applied properly at the factory.

@MrTonyPiscatelle

Жыл бұрын

I own the the 7500E just like this one. That is a different kind of metal on the gen housing , I think it is prone to rust

@johnclifford1911

Жыл бұрын

Once I got the crap out of the cylinder I would have soaked the cylinder with Seafoam, cleaned the carb, and then run it on pure gas with Seafoam and put an ounce of Seafoam in the oil for a half-hour. An oil change and you would have been good to go. Engines want to run. This genset looked good, and getting some of the gunk out is all it needed. Ethanol is what kills these engines, and water. I wonder if this genset got submerged at one point. Be mindful that a lot of what people do has no effect, it's the one or two things that do matter. For instance getting the gunk out of the cylinder not the valve adjustment.

Hi James, nice to see a guest appearance of Jons Farmcraft101 seals in the video. You are both favourites of mine. Keep up the great work. Hello again from New Zealand

@jimmeroniuk8266

Жыл бұрын

I thought I was the only one that thought then when seeing Jon's seal meme

Wow you've made Thursday exciting

@evilredBoris

Жыл бұрын

Agreed.

Great job❤ you pulled the boy out of trouble. Guess there will be money in your pocket or a trade down the road. Congratulations.

Jason made out ok...good thing he got someone like you he can trust. I appreciate you explaining how the decompression worked I have wondered about that for years.

Nice fix James , you never cease to amaze me with your knowledge of these units. By the way I own the bigger brother to this one ,I have the 7500E for around 13 or 14 years now and she has been a good unit.

Hi James, I always enjoy your engineering approach to these repairs. I find it interesting entertaining and educational. I wouldn't know what harmonic distortion was 'til watching your channel. Although I almost bailed out early on this one when you mentioned disassembly before attempting to start it. Debris can interfere between the valve and seat 'til you give it a run or at least 'til you rotate the engine quickly with the spark plug installed (otherwise atmosphere is not moving in the intake and out the exhaust to clear the debris). Before I stopped, you decided to attempt starting. Your result was a likely one in my opinion. Equipment was the primary lesson for me in this presentation. The ratchet adapter and Amprobe 52NAV you use for measuring THD which unfortunately is unjustifiably expense for what I do.

I do have a Yamaha EF1000 (non inverter old style one) and according to the service manual, the compression should be 14.2 psi! It starts ok in the summer, but in winter it’s a bit of a struggle. It has plenty of power though. Next valve clearance service I will try to increase the clearance a bit. Thanks for the video!

James your the man and are the one who goes the extra step to make sure that all bases are covered. Good Job.

Thanks for all the info that you look up and research on these engines. I'm the guy that gets frustrated but has to fix things instead of buying new so the education helps a lot! You're kind of like a video version of a motors manual. Thanks again!

I enjoy listening to you narrate as you do your work it makes me feel like I’m right there with you thank you

I've always been mechanical and can fix most anything, but I never had luck working on small engines. Thanks to your videos, I was able to fix the carb on my snowblower last year, an ignition issue on my old push mower and fixed my buddies' riding lawnmower, which had 2 separate issues last week. Thanks for the good diagnostic training.

You really make your explanations so clear and easy to understand. Thank you from Somerset UK

Super awesome diagnostic work! Thanks for going into detail for each step!

And the GENERATOR GODS have smiled upon you once again my friend !

I always learn something from your videos and I really appreciate your short lead ins and outs

Thanks for explaining the compression reducer again. I knew some engines had them, but not how they worked. That 'duff' one you showed looked like it might have a slight bend in the sliding plate, or maybe that was just the camera angle. Anyway, another good video, James - thanks.

THESE VIDEOS ARE VERY PROFESSIONALLY DONE AND VERY HELPFUL. THANK YOU JAMES !

I would love to work in this shop. I spent way too many hours watching you tear down engines. Thank you for th awesme content

Very interesting video about the valve clearance and the compression release.

Great as usual James! I really like how you verbally go into lots of detail with reasoning and teaching. It's really like we are right there. I look forward to seeing your videos. The possible crack between the valves should be checked. I'm hoping it's just a mark that comes when manufacturing the cylinder head. Would be good to compare visually with other cylinder heads etc. Powerful Gen! Thanks again James. Take care and God bless.

Wow it’s a nice day with that generator. Minimal damage or repair and nice full load test +.

We once owned a nozzle for our air compressor that had a side fitting for a tube... and it could vacuum. I thought of that when you needed to get the crud out of the cylinder. Blowing it out worked, can't argue with success.

Good job! One thing about compression testing: the throttle must be open for an accurate test. The piston can't draw sufficient air through the intake valve if the throttle is closed...

@jcondon1

Жыл бұрын

Very true. Engines like this are automatically at full throttle when turned off. Once up to speed the governor begins to close the throttle plate to maintain the set speed.

I enjoy the troubleshooting method and thought process you take use through. Thank you.

Nice win James.

Hi James nice fix mate A great knowledge you have Always love your detection work Thanks for sharing

Good job as usual and it is always a win when the engine does not need to be opened.

@jcondon1

Жыл бұрын

It sure is

Another excellent result James. I don't think I've ever seen a problem you couldn't resolve. You could be a Small Engine Specialist Diagnostic Technician. Thanks for sharing.

@jcondon1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Brian

That ratchet adapter you out on the drill now that is impressive I could use one of them appreciate the Links @James Condon

Good morning. Outstanding work ethic. keep it up! with this video you teach old timers like myself, and keep us on the edge on how to fix small engine carburetors. Great way to explain and allow us to see how to fix. GREAT JOB!

I am in AWE of your patience

Brilliant as usual James👍👍

Another great one James, thanks for the videos 😊

Great troubleshooting. Very informative !

Thank you for sharing your skill with us.

Excellent work as always, 👍👍

great from stuck engine to running sweetly marvelous

Perfect! This morning I was staring at our Generac 5500 that hasn't been started since Hurricane Issac in 2012, wondering what to do with it. This evening I discover this video and am intrigued by the coincidence. Guess I know how to check it out now.

That motor was definitely fighting back MMF at 7500W!! Nice job Jim!

Glad you got that one going but with all the rust here and there it sure looks like it's had a hard life somewhere. It's amazing to me that people don't really care about keeping their stuff runnable when it's there to get them out of a jam. We have no water without a generator if the line power goes out and the coolers need a little too. So Thanks, James! Good job and here's hoping the next owner takes care of it. BLESSINGS!

@jcondon1

Жыл бұрын

I never understand the neglect these machine receive. A lot in my area also rely on a well for water. No power = no water.

@lewiemcneely9143

Жыл бұрын

@@jcondon1 Can't run a well pump off a candle!

Hi James Thoroughly enjoyed your channel all 252 videos took me 3 weeks.

A survivor for sure. Who would have thought that debris in the cylinder had region would have been why that engine was locked up.

👍👍👌👌 Another good one, James. Thanks for the video.

Great video as usual but the baby seal really made it complete! :)

Hell yeah you made a great deal with Jason. You win either way.

Nice going James

Another great video James, thanks. This one didn't test your skills too much. Nice to have an easy one every once in a while :) I was hoping you were going to do a compression test with the drill on the crank, before you put the pull-start back on. It would have been interesting to see those results before you adjusted the valves. Thanks Again, Sev

@jcondon1

Жыл бұрын

Not sure my drill could have spun it fast enough.

Excellent fix 👍

Hey James, I really like watching your videos you always explain things so well for us dummies. I like watching John on Farn craft 101 and he gave you a shout out on his last video, and I got a BIG lol when you put the seal picture up like he does, both of you really have great channel.

Absolutely my favorite KZreadr Love your videos I've learned so much and have applied it to working on my own equipment thank you very much for taking the time to make these videos I know it takes a lot to do that and for that I really appreciate you thank you!

That's an awesome borescope i need me one of those. And the seal picture made me laugh out loud just a perfect edition. Great job on the machine i wonder how so much junk ended up inside the engine like that.

Just discovered your channel. Great video!

Started using a breaker bar ratchet about nine years ago after I was trying to start an engine just using a socket and power drill. When the engine caught it actually caused the flywheel nut to come off causing damage to the crankshaft keyway. Lesson learned the hard way.

@philliphall5198

Жыл бұрын

That’s what it’s called Breaker bar racket Thanks I had one but lost it so I’m ordering other one online

Nice work Mr Condom! I have a small tailgator generator that is getting no spark.

I have learned so much from your content. Ty.

Great save, great video!

Oh boy another carb cleaning video what can we expect next

James, at 5:21 I thought I saw a crack in the head between the intake and exhaust valves. Might be debris. Doesn't look like it made it through the valve seat.

@BenMitro

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for putting the time in. Yes, it is very clear there is some discontinuity in the head between the valves. If I was to take a guess, its a gouge from some tool during manufacturer. I could be dead wrong.

@jamiewykes8585

Жыл бұрын

I noticed that potential crack too

@ayozhek1898

Жыл бұрын

Sure looks like a crack to me

Thanks for doing the "overload" test. The result was really interesting to me. Are you considering adding a "proof" load test to all your resale generators in the future? I've seen you apply a load slightly in excess of the continuous rating before, but other times not. Maybe you just didn't have enough heaters on hand at that time?

@jcondon1

Жыл бұрын

I have enough heaters to max out most portable generators. Usually do not unless I suspect an issue. Need to buy a real load bank at some point.

Great Video Thanks James!!👍👍

I have the exact same generator. I run only non-ethanol fuel in it and it gets drained and replaced with fresh fuel every fall. I was interested in the THD readings. I definetly won't run electronics with it. Great video.

Dang that machine runs pretty good always starts first pull and dosent do to bad on a 6000 watt load

James for the save!

By far the best small engine mechanic I’ve had the pleasure to watch on YT. And it seems as though he has an electrical engineering background as well. Great content! Thank you Mr. Condon.

@jcondon1

Жыл бұрын

Thanks

Generac's are LOUD! Excellent video

Thanks James.

Great video as usual. I am going to have to get one of those video scopes. They sure look like they help diagnose some problems. Thanks for the video's.

Hey James, I'm beginning to like your videos after watching few. New subscriber here.

I had a Briggs with that same stuff in it. It was very strange and I’m not really sure how it forms so much of it. I ended up having to pull the head to get it all out. I believe the one I had was possibly flooded but I can not confirm it. Glad this one worked out for you.

Great job sir.

Great video always.

If you get a old straight boot off of a spark plug wire and keep it close by to use to screw plugs out after you break them loose it will be much easier.

I’ve used shop vac vacuum hose along with compressed air nozzle when blowing out cylinder head the two together work quite well.

You did a nice job again even it was a easy job

nice, thank you. Another machine saved.

very helpful videos. Thank you

Seeing this reminds me that i need to service my generator. Don't remember the last time the valves we're adjusted and i know it's over due for a spark plugs air filter and an oil change

Another great video👍

Great Eazy Peazy job!

Yet another "Hey guys, welcome back, today we're looking at this generac" It really sounds like a rap! 😅 Surprised nobody's remixed that yet. 🤣🤣

@williamfoote2888

Жыл бұрын

Now THAT is some creative content!

Good job. Thanks from. Sc

James, thank you for this video. I remember the Predator with the stuck compression release. Ironically I would have reused that cam. What I really liked is your thoughts on the “over aggressive” compression release. I have a Firman generator that I believe may have the same issue. Thanks.

I own the 3500 of this model and it ran about 4 days straight after Hurricane Michael without a hitch. Also it has a 240v outlet

I had occasion to repair one of those a couple of years ago good generator

That definitely looks like dirt to me hmmm it's kinda green like moss though but it's powdery like garden soil dirt😮

@1pcfred

Жыл бұрын

Little Johnny was helping grandpaw

James, you provide excellent teaching videos and your even-delivery speaking voice is wonderful to learn from, along with the spontaneous humor moments. You've had some repairs where the camshaft compression release mechanism is at fault resulting in continuous lower compression. Can that compression release mechanism simply be removed? It's only for startup. And not too long ago no engines had this. So maybe it isn't required, just a nice to have feature to make starting easier especially on pull-start engines that are 12hp and larger. With elec start why is this even needed on a properly tuned engine? What would happen if you removed the compression release mechanism and reassembled the engine? Wouldn't that be one less thing to fail?

Great result! I'm surprised it starts so easily with that low compression. How to do find so many stuck engines that you are able to fix? It makes me wonder how many generators and other small engines are scrapped that just need a little bit of work. I think most people would assume if the engine is stuck, it's junk.

@jcondon1

Жыл бұрын

They seem to find me. I hate to think about how many are trashed for minor things that could be fixed with just a little time and know how.

@jcondon1

Жыл бұрын

Been watching a lot of your videos recently. Could not resist the seal reference when putting the carb back together.

First time viewer. Incredibly excellent video. I have broken down and cleaned the same modrl carburetor on my All Power AAPG10000, but never down as far as you have. Will a generac motor fit mine, I need a 420cc motor for mine. Oh, and that dig-a-magig on the camshaft, never knew about.