A personal break-in and review of the Champion Inverter Generator Model 201053, with 4500 starting watts and 3500 running watts. This video shows some of the breaking in I did with oil changes, to finally plugging in the RV.
I used mine the other day during an outage. Its hooked up to a 10 circuit safety switch panel. Started 2nd pull. Ran quiet at times using half capacity while on eco mode.Only draws were a refrigerator, oxygen machine, TV, cable box, fan and lights all LED. Ran flawless and quiet. After break in and two oil changes now running Amsoil 10/30 Small Engine Oil Pure Synthetic. Just perfect. I drain Gas from Carburetor after use and keep fuel in tank with Stabil.
Just ordered this after watching this review. Very helpful content and will no doubt view this again when I'm setting this thing up next week when it arrives.
I just bought one and have it up and running now. It only took 1 pull after putting in the name oil and fuel. It weighs 95 lbs but not too difficult to lift in and out of my hatchback and then up onto my bumper mounted cargo carrier on the back of my Minnie Winnie where I will be using it from as the built-in 30 amp power cord from the RV reaches just fine. Plenty of power to run the ac easily. It runs quieter than my Allpowers 2500 gas generator, probably about 60db. I'm liking it! Good job thanks for posting. 7:38
good Sir if that generator is to last along time first get rid of that snake oil and Habit of putting oil in your spark plug hole.. secondly break in period in the manual is 5 hours, 3 hours ok, u need a small load to properly break in any engine to seat the rings and allow proper mean clearance of the engine moving parts.. 91 octane does nothing for the longevity of the engine unless its ethanol free fuel that's the greatest impact regardless of octane rating above 86.. if not then 87 is fine once it runs good.. for longterm storage even with fuel stabilizer ethanol fuel is still hygroscopic drain it
Thank you, for this great review and tips. I just bought this generator from Costco as well. Can I give you a little tip, when you are pouring gas have the narrow tube on the top that way you get air back into the gas can.
Just picked up the same one! Funny thing is i bought mine from my local hardware store where it was out of the box on the show room floor with no box so no tools no oil....mmmmm something funny about that! otherwise the generator works great!!!Best generator i ever had!
I'm thinking it might be a good idea to also add an inline fuel filter to this generator. I own three gennies and have done this to all of them. Very inexpensive and good insurance against clogging the tiny jets in the carb.
I just bought the 2500 watt dual fuel Champion inverter generator model 200961. I’ll be using this break-in procedure except for the Lucas oil stabilizer. I’ll use the oil that Champion supplied for the first half hour then dump that and use Royal Purple Break In oil for the next hour then back to conventional 10W30 for the rest of the 5 hour break in period. I’ve put oil in the cylinders of my motorcycle when putting it into long term storage but don’t think that’s necessary for a brand new inverter generator although it won’t hurt. I’m just not sure about Lucas products. I’ll also swap out the OEM spark plug for an NGK at some point.
Hey Stan , Chris again the same rules apply to this . Do not leave fuel in the machine more than two months . The gas goes bad causing problems . Use the fuel shut off when you are not being used , run carburetor empty . Drain the fuel out on the off season leave it empty until needed . this will save you a lot of problems in the future . Have fun with the trailer .
I went to check my generator, and there is no fuel shut off on it! I checked the manual and there's just the dial to turn off the generator. Interesting! I use premium gas 91 in the generator, and when I stored it, I put some fuel stabilizer in and let it run for 10-15 minutes. I stored in my garage. After I saw your comment, I went to try and start it, and it did not start. I brought it in the house to warm up for 2 hours, and then I re-did the start procedure and it started first pull. So I guess storing in the cold garage is not good!
@@stanf957 Thanks for review. I just purchase this same model. I will add a fuel filter for mine. BTW, the petcock (shut off valve) is behind the dial. The dial control both throttle cable and petcock. To drain fuel in this carburetor, you have to use drain screw in carburetor float bowl.
I only buy ethanol free fuel for my small engines. Ethanol gunks up so quickly that Home Depot will start any of their lawn mowers for free. They guy told me just to bring it in each year. Since I switched to e free fuel, I haven’t had any problems.
@@stanf957 I know this is an old comment but I just found out that you can put the dial to ALMOST the off position on the champion. This will allow the gas line to be pinched therefore draining the gas from the carburetor without shutting off the generator. I hope this makes sense.
I gotta say...I never was a fan of these Chinese generators however I bit the bullet and tried one. I purchased a champion about 15 years ago, I put over 700 hrs on it so far and I treat it horribly. I leave it outside all the time. Rain and snow. sometimes I even pee on it. I kick it when I walk by. Im a terrible owner and I'll tell ya, it starts first pull every single time for me. Excellent machine. Super reliable
We have used the ru-vid.comUgkxOTeIs0vv4_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!
Great video and thank you! Do you know the measurement height to the top of the gas cap? I’The measurements they offer online are clear as to whether it’s 20.1 inches to the top of the case or the gas cap. It appears to me the gas cap is higher than the casing. Thank you in advance!
Great video, thanks a lot! One question: do you know why the display was showing only 0.1A current while on over 50 percent load? Did it show incorrect amperage?
Hello! Thanks so much. That A 0.1 is actually the run time for the current session. So it was running for 1/10 of an hour. It's not the amperage. Unfortunately it does not show the amperage, just the power meter with the green lights.
@@digitalmixer I got it Sept 2021. I have not used it other than for the break in period and the video. I left the gas in, but I use premium gas, and I put in a gas stabilizer before storing it, to prevent any gumming up. It has about half tank of gas right now.
I have the same generator. Did you have any issues with the propane regulator? My gen will hardly run using propane. I understand they had a bad batch of regulators
Prior to the final oil change to full synthetic, what oil is recommended for the oil changes after using the supplied bottle for the initial add? Thanks.
Hi, you can use any 5W30 or 10W30 motor oil, as per the manual. After the 5 hour break in period, then you can use 5W30 synthetic...again as per the manual.
@@erichunter5231 If this is your generator model, then yes. I recommend checking the owner's manual for your model. I don't know what generator you have so I cannot say for certain if that 5w30 is good for you. Thanks for watching.
It was from another video I saw on RU-vid. I did a search for "Generator break in" and saw this guy had done it. I didn't put a lot. It's totally optional. Don't do it if you're not sure. Another commenter here suggested not to do it.
You should really have oil in the sump before you pull the cord. Oiling the cylinder isn't a bad idea. I think a little fogging oil would have worked just fine, but having an empty sump kinda defeats the purpose.
Some videos on youtube suggest using Royal Purple after the 2nd oil change as it has a zinc and Phosphorous content to help with break in. Has anyone tried this and is it a good idea? After break in with Royal Purple then change to Synthetic. Use oil stabiliser and Seafoam or Sta-bil 360 for people that do not use generator on a regular basis. Just what I have seen, kinda makes sense.
Why champion vs predator and why did you put oil stabilizer in spark plug also did you get the warranty I want to but this so much but want more feedback thank you
Hi. I've had Champion before and decided to go with it again. It was a great deal at Costco at $799 for a 4500W / 3500 W. I have registered the warranty with Champion, no problems there. For the oil stabilizer in the spark plug case, it's just to help lubricate inside before cranking the cable.
The other reason I chose the Champion was because of the 30 AMP connector on the generator is what I need for my travel trailer. The Predator, I would need to get an adaptor or a new power cable.
Great video but major overkill. It’s only recommended to change the oil after the 5 hour break-in procedure and not several times, but to each his own I guess. I have the exact same generator and only run propane through her but that shouldn’t matter either.
whoops never broke my in.....and i will never use synthetic oil! Its been running my fifth wheel camper for two weeks now and yes it runs your air well..
Hi. I think they are the same. The 200986 is the 'USA' model, where the 201053 is the Canadian model that was sold at Costco Canada. But the specs looks exactly the same.
need to make sure to put the oil in the right spot, and then the gas. turn the dial to the choke position, pull the cord a couple of times slowly, and then pull hard to start. that should do it.
@@stanf957 Great new! Just purchased mines a 4650 waiting for it to come.. Thanks for the review. I was a little skeptical at first and found your video and it helped with making the decision to buy..
It's an overload reset button. As per the manual: If the generator power output is cut off due to an overload condition indicated by the AC overload blinking light, lower the load by unplugging one or more items, then press the AC overload reset button before restarting the generator for continued normal operation.
They are just shipping brackets that are attached to the generator from the factory. They need to be removed prior to filling it with gas or oil, as you need to tip over the generator to remove. So it is best to do it before you tip it over to reveal the bottom.
I read one of the reviews for another generator on the Costco website, and it mentioned the break in period, so I just followed that. It might be overkill as others suggested with the changing of oil every hour, but I didn't mind doing it. Wasn't a big deal for me. What I found: NOW for the Break-in! 1. Start the generator as per manufacturer’s instructions and let it run for one hour at the lowest speed (Eco Mode). It’s extremely important to let it run for this 1st hour with no load whatsoever. 2. After letting it run for 60 minutes with no load whatsoever, drain the crank case. This helps rid the engine of the majority of break-in metal flakes and fragments. Getting these out will prevent serious wear on the engine. Hold your oil catch-pan in the sun and you’ll be surprised at the number of metallic particles! Add some more oil stabilizer to the crank case and complete the 1st oil change. 3. Remove the supplied spark plug. Check the gap on the new NGK BPR6ES spark plug and coat the threads with a little Never-Seez and install. 4. Start it up again and let it run for 60 minutes with no load whatsoever. After the 2nd hour, power down and drain the crank case. Add some more oil stabilizer to the crank case and complete the 2nd oil change. Check your oil catch-pan for metallic particles. (Should be less metallic particles) 5. For the next 2 hours, apply varying loads up to, but not exceeding 1500W. (I ran a 1200W shop vac and a 300W bulb for 15 min, then 5 min. with just the light, then 10 min. no load, and so on) 6. After the 4th hour, power down and drain the crank case. Add some more oil stabilizer to the crank case and complete the 3rd oil change. Check your oil catch-pan for metallic particles. (Should be free of metallic particles) 7. For the 5th hour, run a 1500W load for 20 min., then no load for 10 min. and so on. 8. After the 5th hour, power down and drain the crank case. Add some more oil stabilizer to the crank case and complete the 4th and final oil change with Lucas Full Synthetic 5W-30. 9. After the Full Synthetic oil change, run the gen-set for another 15 minutes. 10. Your generator has been broken-in beautifully! I know it sounds like a lot of oil changes, but I tell you man, she just purrs!
I used regular engine oil to break in the generator. The Lucas oil was just a couple of drops in the spark plug, but this is optional and as others have said here, it's not necessary.
The dipshit's at the store that sold me this generator fired it up for me to prove that it was working and didn't remove the shipping hardware.... It was only running for 5 minutes. I get home and read the instructions and realize they fucked up. I don't think there's any damage. How likely would it be that it would cause damage in 5 minutes of running? I'm so irritated at the store that did that there are people don't know what the fuck they're doing. This was at Coastal farm and ranch.
why are you pull starting? haha pushing the yellow button in is the way to use the electric start from what i know also you dont need to use the choke on it all the time
