This little generator is exactly like the Harbor Freight Predator 2000. My neighbour said it was given to him as a new unit but upon further examination it had sat for at least a year. The saw draws 13 amps not 8 duh!!!!
Great video thanks! Here's a couple tips if you own the Harbor Freight Predator 2000. This generator is exactly like the Harbor Freight Predator 2000. You can get to the Jet by removing the bottom cup of the carburetor. You do NOT have to remove the carburetor. Go to 11:01 in the video and watch as he removes the jet from the side. He then cleans it by poking a small wire through the jet and spraying it with carburetor cleaner. You may not even have to remove the jet, just poke a wire through it and spray a little carburetor cleaner through it. The best wire to use is some fine piano wire which you can get on eBay or Amazon. Once you have some piano wire you'll find it useful for a thousand and one things. At 3:37 in the video he shows you how to drain the carburetor cup. You should do this before trying to remove the carburetor cup, More importantly you should drain the carburetor cup if you're not going to use the generator for more than a month. If you do that you'll probably never have to clean the jet.
Best tip I can contribute is the engine mounts have enough flex to remove the carb with the electric throttle controller still attached. Simply grab the top of the engine and pull the whole thing toward you while you wiggle off that carburetor. I usually remove the air filter box first also for more work room.
I don’t see anywhere in your video anything about the carburetor float valve needle. My generator had the same problems and the needle was stuck. You video skills are amazing! However you left a very important step out of the process.
I am not sure this video was made in 2018. Best of luck. I don't hesitate to make my own gaskets. you can buy the gasket material from any major hardware store.
As other have commented this is just like the Harbor Freight 2000W Inverter Generator. I had an issue where the governor would surge back and forth at idle. The idle circuit can be found by looking at the throttle plate side of the carb. There is a tiny hole in the carb body visible when throttle plate is closed at about 4:00 and 90' to the plate. Very little fuel would come out when I squirted carb cleaner in the hole on the choke side of the carb @ 9:00. I found that the idle circuit needle is under a screw down plate. It is housed in black plastic plug and needed to be gently pried out for servicing. Once removed a small brass jet is visible on the bottom of the plug. Take a very fine wire and clean it out and then follow through with carb cleaner. Do the rest of the carb cleaning as described in the video.
Just so you know, if you remove the plastic housing, the front and back panel screws and open the entire side, you can remove the carb with the choke cable and throttle controller intact. You have to fuss with it a bit and raise up the gas tank a little (be careful not to score the manifold face with the studs), but by pushing back on the engine housing, there is just enough clearance to get it out and back in. Good luck, I wouldn't want to do this job very often and swear that I will use carb cleaner religiously from now on. lol. Thanks for the vid, it saved me a bunch of time! OOPS, others have already posted this, oh well.
Nice one Bruce. Headed to Harbor Freight today. Especially after knowing where that Spring resides! DANG it is EASY-Out time this afternoon -Bob. Athens GA
Thanks for the vid! There is a jet on top of the predators that is covered with a Phillips screw and small metal plate. Got the carb out by just removing that whole side of the cowling which made access much easier but it still didn’t run right (running lean and surging). Found another video that mentioned that jet on the Hondas so I looked for it and found it. Had to pry/pop it out with a flathead and clean out the tiny hole on bottom. Good as new.
I have lots of generators for emergencies. This ethanol is terrible on carbs. I run mine once a month and keep fuel stabilizer in all stored fuel .We have insane weather in Missouri . From below zero to over 100. ice storms,snow,tornadoes. People have learned the hard way that generators must be kept fresh . The time to test them is not during an ice storm . Another common problem is they forget about low oil cutoff . In 2006 there were parts of Saint Louis out of power 25 to 30 days. I keep 50 gallons of fuel stored . I rotate it with the rider and pushmower .During serious power outages good luck getting fuel .
Low oil cut off is good call. If I’d known that with a Honda engine I was struggling with it would have saved me a lot of time and grief. Now I check fuel, spark and oil level (particularly if it’s on a rotovator - tiller to you - and it’s not going to run on the nice and level) before attacking the carb.
I have the Predator generator from Harbor Freight. Looks identical to the one you worked on. I found that the side panel comes off fairly easily and that gives plenty of room to work on the carb. After the side panel is off remove the air cleaner and the float bowl nut is easily loosened giving access to the jet and emulsion tube. Took less than an hour and the beast started on the first pull.
bruce thks for a your videos gives me a break from all this corona virus news luckly for me im still working everyday at the space center considered essintal were getting the mars rover ready be safe sir
That is a cool generator a pain to work on yea, but nice and seems like it gives enough juice to do the job even tho its compact! First pull gotta love that!
Very nice job Bruce, really close quarters. I have the Honda 2000i, same setup, I would hate to pull the carb out of it, lol Thanks for the great video!
Thanks for this vid Bruce! I’m having trouble with the spring too. In fact, originally the plastic piece with the stud also fell off during disassembly and had to be found in the bottom of the housing. Yours is the only video I’ve found on RU-vid that shows it but I can’t see it very well. Is the plastic piece with the stud and spring entirely between the two metal tabs that are moved by the electronic throttle control? It seems a little cockeyed but it does fit…
Have the HF Predator. Same issue. Found that I could just remove the air intake housing with two bolts. That left ample room to drop the carb bowl. Didn't even remove the float. Could remove the jet and emulsion tube for cleaning. Cuts a good 30 - 45 minutes off the job with no springs to fight!
Ordered the HF Predator, and is being delivered today, so your comment is very good news. Would you consider doing a short video on that? It would help so many folks. Thanks for the info!!
Good one buddy. Hypothetical situation for you. (This happens to me 1/2 the time) what happens and how deep will you go if after you get it running it wont make electricity?
I try to flash the coils with a drill in reverse. I have not had too much luck but I got one working doing that. I also check all the breakers for continuity and measure the output of the coils each side. I also had one where the GFCI outlet was no good, That only took about $4 to get going. That one is my own now :-) The newer ones like this one have to many brains (electronics)
Good info !! I have 2, predators, bought few years back to power my lighting etc in 5th wheel....Bought the Predator Parallel Kit.to run both at once(used 1 time only), BUT why burn 2 gallons of fuel v.s. 1 @ a time. So I was alternating between em both. Run 1 , 1 night, run other next night. they ran 12-14 hours on a gallon of gas ! I only used them at night, maybe 3-4 hours each. 1 is still apart in my shed, dug out other n replaced the plug, thinking that was my problem, NOT ! Thanks a TON for your video even if was couple years ago hahahaha......... EDIT: Went out to check my exhaust screens, sure enough!! Totally clogged up inner screen and exhaust screen, can't see any light, so into a soak, over night or 2, clean out retest it later for starting
Great job!!! So if the switch was in the off position, could I loosen the screw that you drained gas from the carb to drain carb for storage? Thanks!!!
Good video Bruce, basically the same problem with 2 strokes, the oil sludge is left behind and clogs the passages and taps when equipment is stored for long periods. Watching your videos, seems to me like most people don't take care of their equipment, is this a fair assumption?
Well they totally don't know abut ethanol. It does seem backwards that you need premium in a lawn mower and regular in a car. But cars have a sealed fuel system so there is no evaporation.
Good Job as always looks like a nice little generator for free wish i had a neighbor that would give me something like that worth having. LOL Have a great day. God Bless!!!
Looking for any advice, After 5 months of working fine, I have no power going out in the outlets but the engine is running. Does anyone with the same problem?
Good job Bruce, those foreign knock-offs are terrible to work on, one repair shop i know of refuses to accept them due to the repair time and cost to the customer.
The last two generators I worked on of that type , had to have pull ropes replaced. I think they built them around thr rope's. Also had to service the carbs.
love these lots of bolts to take all apart but after a few its quick those have one big issue the valve adj is to tight from factory 3 out of 5 with less than 20 hours had leaking intake valves
That is the problem with most of the newer overhead valve small engine stuff. You know my old lawn mower lasted 29 years and I sold it running (a flathead of course). Do you think some of the overhead valve engines sold today will be working in the year 2047. I don't think so.
The inverter generators are completely different than a standard generator . Your standard generator can smoke all of your electronics.. Inverters actually produce DC then convert it to AC through electronics
Wow, the internal mechanicals right down to the cross brace in front of the carb is pretty much an identical Yamaha EF2000iST clone. Its only major difference is where the controls are located. Interesting.
@@BrucesShop I was being sarcastic on that remark, it is a pain to fish the fuel line through the housing and trying to connect the fuel line tot he fuel shut off valve.
Good job Bruce, nice little generator people have to learn to drain gas when not in use for long periods of time. But if that happens what will you do ? Don't worry there will always be small engins to work on.
Thank you Thank you Thank you. Pulled my Predator out of 1 year storage. Ran it out of gas before i stored had Stabil in the gas. thing wouldnt start. Got to the step where you sprayed Carb cleaner in the breather and the sumbish is running like a champ. Saved me hours. Can I send you $$$?
Nice repair. Think I might call the electric throttle control an actuator but not sure if that's correct or not. Think it's more of a lack of maintenance than ethanol fuel . Leave em sitting your asking for trouble.
It will be a carb issue. They like to have the jets increased in size with micro drill bits. It takes some practice . Go slow. RU-vid has some great videos.
Hi, could I pick your mechanics brain... I have a predator 2000 generator from Harbor tool. Added new gas this am and it started up just fine then quit a couple hours later. I changed the oil a few weeks ago. Okay, so I drain the oil again put new oil and clean the air filter, is the bottom of filter supposed to have oil? There are a bunch of holes like a honeycomb. I clean the spark plug best I could and drained the excess fuel out of the carburetor. It almost started but wouldn't keep going. My next guess would be the carburetor is plugged. But there's so many little bitty parts I'm really not comfortable taking that apart unless I absolutely have to. Okay I'm fine with taking it apart it's being able to put it all back together in the right order that I'm not so confident about. 😆 Anything else I should look at?
The air filter should be dry. Did you add too much oil? Everybody say Oh yes. But check it for too much oil. Did you tilt the generator to add oil to make it easier. That makes it easier to add way too much. Remove the dipstick and check it carefully. I also think you have a leaking needle and seat in the carb. Just like a toilet running all the time gas is not stopped when the carb is full. I think your carb needs to be cleaned. If you take it apart lay the parts out from left to right. The assemble the other way.
Honestly thinking of adding a small fuel filter to mine. . So many have the surging problem like mine. Not interested in taking it apart every time and the filter screen is obviously not effective enough.
My Grand father was over there in Europe as was my wife's dad. They came home in 44 I remember him He (my grandfather) passed away at 58 from related injuries that caught up to him. A gunner in England. Sorry I am rambling.
My Dad stayed stateside for the war. He was an orderly in a hospital at Mather Field Sacramento CA till the wars end then went back to Nebraska. He made it to 92.
me again. i would add the fact i now filter my fuel as i transfer from gas can to individual quart containers (adding some stabil) and again from there to generator. i use a coleman gas filter from my lantern days. .
Yep those small Jennies are a pain to work on ................... That Makita is a 8 amp saw ?? All mine were 15 amps..... Makitas, Porter Cable, Dewalt ETC.. Using them all day everyday like I did in the past takes a toll on saws..... That's why carpenters buy good stuff like Makita...... Plus Tard Mon Ami ~!~!
It might be 15 amps now that you got me thinking. I was thinking of my good drill, it is 8 amps The saw makes the lights flicker. I will check right now. Time-----------------------------------------Well you are smart. 13amp 1400 watts. I should have remembered that, as I have owned it for 33 years. It has been a fantastic saw. I will ad a comment to the video. duh!!!! I should know as I have an electrical background. Nothing like subscribers to keep you honest eh!!!
33 years gave you a lot of great service from that saw....... Yes I do remember the 13 amp saws that they made and owned quite a few..... Some walked off the job site without my knowing and some just took a chicken dump with the white stuff on top too......... LOL... Plus Tard Mon Ami ..........
It built my first house. First garage. Second garage, basement finishing, upstairs reno, fences and countless jobs as you know. a new blade every 5 years is all I have had to do to it. . I use it so much it is on the open shelf beside the drills. I even broke of a piece of the cover and epoxy'd the crack.
