Generator Surging and Stalling Under Load - Running Lean? 

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!

Hi James. Because of what I learned on your channel I bought a used generator at a garage sale non-running for $5. I followed your steps and got it running and producing power. Sold it for $150!

So I noticed that James has two dislikes for thumbs down on this video my question is who the heck would not like this guy's videos? He does nothing offensive and his videos are amazing.

James is hands down the best RU-vidr on RU-vid in my opinion.

You know James, a year or so ago I found I needed an ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning small parts. In one of your videos I was able to see the name on yours and picked up the same model. I have to say it works great and I also discovered starting with hot water really accelerates the cleaning. I failed to use the same all purpose cleaner you use because I had some of the purple cleaner and quickly discovered it turned aluminum parts a very dark gray. Today I use the same product you use and life is good! Thanks again!

James, yours is one of my favorite RU-vid channels, I find everything you do captivating, keep up the good work.

Thanks, James for good quality videos learning as we go

Nice job on multiple attempts on the same carb. It’s interesting to see if it’s going to work. Like your thought process on each attempt and also I like to see repairs more not just replacement. Great video.

James I really enjoy your video's and channel. You are doing a great job. I like your honesty and attention to detail. I enjoy your narration and you explain what you are doing which makes it easier to understand and do the repairs ourselves. 👍👏👏

I like that you actually fixed the problem. I binge watched all your videos. I came to expect you would drill it. Then you did and wow it works. That's why I watch. You solve it no matter. I have learned a lot. Keep up the good work. What will the next one be? Patiently waiting.

I bought a non running generator to fux up. It was almost brand new and had classic faults from sitting, stuck needle, clogged idle jet. Cleaned the carb, adjusted valves, changed oil. The engine runs great, but no power output. The auxiliary winding for the AVR on the stator is open. Take the stator off and look for broken wires, cutting off the rope wrapping. Turns out they used ALUMINUM magnet wire! The silder they used had gone bad and crumbled, disconnecting the splice where 2 aluminum wires were joined. Of course there's no chance of soldering that with regular solder, so I cleaned the wire, put on some flux I had for aluminum brazing, and used a torch to melt the wires together, which worked great. Cleaned off the flux which is very corrosive and that was fixed. But in the process of finding the fault, one of the copper wires that comes from the connector broke off of the aluminum magnet wire. I don't know how I'm gonna fix that, I don't have solder that works for aluminum to copper. Maybe I'll try the brazing flux with regular lead solder and see if it sticks. Or just improvise some sort of mechanical splice or crimp. These cheap generators are junk. The solder fails even if just sitting not running.

Wonderful effort. Amazing fighter James well done 👏

Always find a solution, love it!! Thumbs up!

Thank you James for such good quality videos

Thanks for a very informative video! I am considering getting a generator for several reasons but have questions and I am very grateful for your videos. I also want to say thank-you for letting the videos be about the work and not about the worker. Seems to echo another worker some years ago. Happy Easter to you and your family. George

You finally got it running well. Great job.

Those smaller engines are a pain to tune/adjust. The flow through the carb changes so wildly that it has trouble with sudden loads. Also I have found that the smaller carburetors like to have the airbox on no matter what. I have done testing and watched the intake without the airbox and I have noticed that a large amount of the fuel sometimes is ejected into the airbox as the intake valve closes. I have seen this happen also in 2 stroke engines with smaller carbs. I have not noticed it as much on larger engines. Just the smaller ones, so anytime I am troubleshooting a small sub 150cc engine I will do most of the tuning with the airbox on. Great vid and keep up the great work.

I love a trier...your patience is amazing 👏

Hi, James. I thought this was another easy fix. Then it got off the tracks and I hadn't a clue. Good for your perseverance I guess. I did suspect that the carb spring was not adjusted properly. Thanks for sharing! Stay Healthy!

This one seemed to fight you a lot but at least you got it sorted out in the end, nice work James!

I am proud you stuck with this one, falling on its face three times in a row was bad. The outcome at the end made it worth all of your trouble. Thank you for another classroom quality video. Have a great day.

Wow!!! Excellence again!!! I did Not expect it to handle a load. Thank you for your helpful videos and outstanding presentation 😁👍👍

I learn so much form you . Thanks. and keep the videos coming.

Man this is awesome. I got the same generator about 3 months ago and had the same issues but there were no videos made by competent people about this model, and I don't know much about generators. I hadn't checked back until now, and I was like "how did I not see this video before??" Then I saw when you uploaded it. You're awesome.

Awesome vid, my kid's gennie is doing the same thing, Not the same brand but identical set up . I bet there are 100 different brands of these identical units. Thank you for your time and effort here and all the other vid's

Nice fix James, I had one recently brought to my shop and the fuel cap vent was plugged and causing it to starve for fuel after a few minutes of running. Thanks for the video.

I give you an A+ for persistence! Most would have kicked it to the curb when it first cut out under load. I would’ve just called you lol. Another save by JC! Nice work!

Funny. I was watching and, when you first put the carb back on, I got a little disappointed that the video was going to be short. Then I took a look at the timeline and saw there was still 20 minutes to go. I said to myself "looks like it's not going to be an easy fix after all". Now don't take this wrong but I like when they kick your butt a little bit. Makes for a much more interesting and entertaining video. Love to watch your dogged determination to fix things. Wish I had your patience. If it were me, hammer time. 😁

Thanks James love your content I worked on a little guy that I have that had many of the same problems you encountered. You did everything correct So did I on my little guy. But I decided to check the back end of the muffler. Beyond the outer screen. I found a inside the muffler a medium size screen the size of a 4 inch carrot all carboned up. Well of course you burn it clean with a propane torch and reinstall. Also went with a 4HS plug That's what worked for me. Man don't give up so easy !

Great vid. I also agree a lot of manufacturers over state the load capacity of their gensets for marketing. This is fixable tho. Had something similar months back, took apart the engine twice, changed piston and rods on the second attempt, no change. Turned out the threaded rods for the carb mount to the cylinder head had worn out leaving a washed out gap of about 2/3mm. Combined with engine vibration this gap resulted in intake leaks. Because it wasn't holding down the carb gaskets tightly enough. Changed the carb threaded rods and then it could take load without shutting off or stalling. Lastly, had to adjust the governors back to spec, for a complete repair. Seems the issue creates a secondary problem in the governor due to excessive movement of the governor arm. 12year old engine, works almost like brand new now. Hope this helps.

I am amazed at your temperament. If I had done all that work and got that engine running so smooth and then it just stopped on a dime the instant there was a load - I would have exploded with a string of expletive's deleted.

Man oh man what patience. I wonder if that little $50 generator was worth all that time. I guess you’re always learning something new

I was thinking you had an air leak somewhere but I'm sure you ruled that out. Chinese generators can be hit and miss but you beat it into submission. Well done.

Just picked up 2000 watt All-Power for $40, new carb for $12 and no charge for confidence as a result of James Condon video. Thanks.

Enjoyed this video. You are tenacious.

Learning something new about jets and drilling for a smother running engine.

I have a similar issue but lesser. Surges or 'hunts' at standby but not not under load. Clean the carb and it's good for a work day then soon surges again. Might try opening the jets next time I have it apart. Got my money's worth out of it and plenty more already- some of these cheap ones seem to be OK, maybe the older the better? Always learning something every vid- good job!

We love what you did here. I actually found you because they were talking about how awesome you are on Reddit! Thanks so much for your expertise! 🥰

Another great video, James, thanks.

Excellent video Mr. James !!!! excellent explanation looking for possible failures... good explanation on enlarging the fuel flow in the Yets... thanks for your videos and sharing your knowledge... nice day...😁👍👍👍👍👍( Google Translator)

I drilled main jet out to .75 mm, that made a very significant performance improvement all around. Over here in Australia ours run at 50HZ or 3000 rpm so a bit slower than your 3600 rpm. anyhow mine starts and runs 1375 watt 240 volt grinder no worries now, where as before it would just die every time. Thanks for the video

Wow that was a puzzler James. Nice work-up and explanation👍👍👍💡

these little engines can be a lifesaver in a blackout, just enough to get you by

I have a Champion that is almost identical. After 5 years running perfectly it started the exact same surging and low power. I don't have your skills or tools so I think I will just try a new carb. Very helpful video.

Great job as usual. This little fella sure tested your patience or it did mine anyway. To me over stating what a generator can do is called lying. But that is just me. I am sure many companies do the same thing. Fantastic repair for sure. Thanks for all the tips and video.

I did not know that you had a variac James. They are a good way of varying a load if you don't have a load bank. They are 98 or 99 per cent efficient. However when used in this way over a short time scale that does not matter at all. I am always impressed by the way you mix and match pieces of carburetor in attempts to make them work. Even then they do not always work but you always try. I reckon thjat you must spend a fair proportion of the money you make from fixing generators and the rest and selling them on new tools and equipment for yout garage/workshop. Keep up the good work.

I was cleaning out some junk for my neighbor and I came across a bike lift. She gave it to me and it is really nice for working on generators and small lawnmowers. You don't even have to pick it up because its hydraulic. A generator only takes up 1/3 of the space so you have lots of room for setting tools or cleaning a carb.

James with the patience of a high school vocational teacher, and the way you work your way through a problem. Would like to see you take on a young ap

I have the same generator with a different brand and it’s rated at 1200watts and that’s about what it will do… I think all power just tossed a number in the air when they rated that one! Great video!

Great Job again James .. Those darn china made generators seem to run lean even out of the box to get the run time per tank . If the carb gets even a micron of anything in it then it goes to surging .. The only fix I have found that works is to buy a good set of carb jet drills and go one step at a time .. You did perfect ! ENJOYED..

Thanx James I’ll try that

Glad to see you got a new ultrasonic cleaner. I'm still using the H.F. model that you have. It's so worn out I can't read the buttons anymore. Great video and excellent camera work!

If you had an extra main jet I'd suggest drilling out the main just one size bigger. Seems like you are right on the edge of lean. Anyway great find and thanks for posting

Hi James. I’ve got a way of getting those jets and even screws in other projects out I use a hair dryer to gently heat the surrounding area up. A heat gun can be too much sometimes. Maybe this might work for you. I love your videos

good perseverence mate.

James you’re doing a great job and I enjoy your videos. But I think you need something like a small lift. Something to get your work higher so you’re not bending over so much. You’ll thank me later in life.

Hi James. The generator was still running lean, although it still performed. It needs a little more main jet. Running them lean will burn them up. You want to run them just a tiny bit rich to lubricate the valves and give it enough to catch up with immediate heavy load from idle. You want to adjust it to where the surge stops and then give it another quarter to half turn, to where it doesn't surge or die when load is applied :)

All you guys suggesting James needs a lift table to work on, you’ve finally got your answer. Yes, folks, it’s the Condon patented Two Bucket Lift. Available now, wherever free plastic buckets are found! Get yours while supplies last! PS-If none are available in your area, milk crates or stacked bread flats will work as well.

Thank you so much.

Ever thought of checking the air/fuel ratio with a wideband setup? It would be interesting to see the initial lean running ratio and then what it takes for it to pull the load correctly, and also to measure the difference in how much richer they run with the air filter in place. Just a thought! A friend that works on this stuff sarcastically says "The factory finds out where it runs perfectly, then leans it out two turns!"

Interesting video. Iv currently got a Yamaha EF2000 sat outside that I bought for $20. Just need to find a new coil for the motor general. Not the spark coil. Then she should be good. Engine looks brand new, and it's all in great condition.

Thanks for this video😊

funny mine did the opposite ran ok soon as I loaded it with small grinder it started surging then would stop surging after that so now going to see why great vid matey

Very good video.

Great renovation as always James. Odd though that those cheap 2 stroke Chinese 800W (?) generators do give out 800W but they are much happier at 700W. I have seen an idiot on RU-vid put a 2000W saw on one and then complain when it cut out.

Nice video i had a wen generator that look just like that one, i enjoy your video watching from Guyana

Jame, I admire your sequential approach to trouble shooting the machines and the knowledge you possess. Your videos are a learning lesson for us nontechnical wannabees. Thanks so much and keep on teaching us!!

I have a jiangdong gen that looks identical with the same problem. It was a trash pic but i have run a sump pump on it for years at about half choke. Might finally be able to get it running correctly. Thanks!

Great video. I check craigslist every morning for things like this 😁

I agree with the feller about an in-depth carb seminar. I'm curious about the screw on the outside of the main jet. Some carbs have it, some don't. Just saying. Great vijayos

Super, that was helpful. Just like my Sportsman GEN4000 DF-SS surges at 2 hours. Sadly, it doesn't run on low 500w load. Thanks

I would step up a little larger on the main jet .

Thanks for such informative videos. Always learn something. I have a bunch of old dental instruments that may help you clean out the jets. Let me know how to forward to you. Thanks again John

I doo the same with stuff I repair, I recently bought an auction lot with 5 Miller generator welders all had sat for years but with full tanks of fuel, it was stale but I drained it all out and ran it through my work truck, closed loop efi motors have no problem with mildly stale gas, the short term fuel trims make up the difference. It no good in a carburetor because the fuel mixture is fixed by jets. Generally speaking stale gas burns fine under a slightly richer fuel mixture. Wouldn't recommend doing it with a boosted engine though unless it's direct injected due to the lower octane rating

Thanks for the video FYI I think you need the lid on the ultrasonic cleaner. You don't want to breath in that mist/vapour. Something will condense on the lid and fall back in.

Going to reflect on possible issues. weak compression , poorly adjusted valves,, stuck camshaft compression release (if it has one), camshaft timing off (engines with plastic timing gears will do this when the gear slips in the shaft) or cam timing not correct if it uses a belt driven cam. worn cam not opening valves far enough. restricted exhaust (if it has a spark arrestor for instance) a badly deteriorated fuel line (will quickly gunk up jets) restricted fuel flow through the fuel inlet valve , also check the PVC crankcase vent valve. a bad fuel tank vent allowing for the formation of a vacuum in the tank , fuel filter restricted fuel flow

Nice chimes!

Another good video👌

It would appear that the generator was defective right from the factory. The poor owner did not know that it was not running correctly. I wonder if he ever got to use it much or ended up buying a bigger one. Nice job figuring that carb issue out.

“Yuck!” LOLOLOL! Good thing I didn’t have any coffee in my mouth to spit out!

That may be the most well-made AVR on earth. Perfect voltage despite the rest of the machine.

My predator 1800 is acting up, thats why Im here. Lol not a bad buy though, runs 10 hrs every night since I bought it 2 years ago👌✌

Jim - can you do a video dedicated to walking us through how the carb components works, how to properly adjust it and what to look for when troubleshooting? I’m sure with the number of videos you have made, you can put together a montage of problems and solutions.

Great job James or should I call you Sherlock. Great video.

On the jet that u had to remove with the vice grips try brazing a nut on the broken end and you could still use it, good chance it will work. 👍

I do small engine repair for a living and have used the Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner for many many years and my last one almost burned my house down. They should have a safety to shut them off however my son left it on and it malfunctioned and didn't shut down like it should have and luckily didn't burn down my house. people should be aware of that these cheap ultrasonic cleaners can and will do this. This was my third ultrasonic cleaner from Harbor Freight. the first two died from normal extender use however the third one almost changed our life for the worse.

I've tangled with many projects that were female dogs! I knew you'd come through at the end though. Questions: 1. Where did you find the screw-extracting pliers? Those would be nice to have around. 2. Is there much demand for a generator that small? I'd think the uses would be limited (not saying it's worthless by any means). Great job on the repair James, as always, and thanks as always for sharing your awesome videos. God bless. Rev. D.

I use a good shot of Dawn, a good shot of Purple Power and an equal amount of vinegar in my ultra sonic. The vinegar keeps the Purple Power from turning the carb black and the other two clean the carb pretty good.

Good job, I have ben looking for a unit like that, have not found one yet.

Husband: how many of his generator repair videos are you gonna watch Me: all of them! Thanks for walking us through your trouble shooting. Love when I pick up something new from one of your videos.

So I also have that Sportsman GEN2000 generator and I can get the max 1400 running watts out of it right out of the box. I can run a 1500W space heater for a long time bogging the thing down and it wont even die. Its a great generator and I've put a ton of hours on it.

I find that sometimes these engines do not run well when air cleaner assembly is off. I find that applying a light oil and saturating foam filter will help engine run a little richer. These jets are often too small due to EPA regs.

That generator still looks new. Have you ever mad a list of Generator brand goodness- like Yamaha, Honda, Briggs, Gentrax, genpower etc

James, I know you fiddled around with those carbs more than enough times, but after the bought carb failed at 750W, I would have been interested in replacing the primary jet (Not the main, the one you had to vice grip out) in the original carb with the jet from the new bought carb. My thinking is that the original carb might have been spec'd already to the machine and the only problem in the beginning was the over-seated / stuck primary jet.

I have one almost identical to this only I think it's a slightly earlier version. Someone discarded it because it leaked gas. I took apart the fuel shut off. Someone had taken it apart and put it back together backwards! The engine idles fine. When I put it under a heavy load the engine wants to stall but if I partial choke it for a second it smooths out right away. That air box is a pain in the butt to reinstall though!

Really enjoy watching you work on generators, do have a question for you though and that is is there anyway to check a magnatron coil for when it gets hot and stops working

Hi James love you videos what type of oil do you recommend for a snowblower? And what weight also have a champion generator that needs an oil change so I will do it at the same time. Thanks and keep the videos coming.

Cool little genny. Glad you got it working. In a pinch it could be a life saver. Would you be kind enough to provide a link to the screw extraction tool you used? Whoops....I found the link in your description.👍Thanks for another great learning video.

Quite the fight but skill and persistence produced victory. The use of the word "plaque" and the adept use of a high speed grinder might point toward a DDS as the day job. BTW, draining a fuel tank through the filter could jeopardise the efficiency of the filter.

Brilliant as usual. I wonder if there's any other kind of flaw that can admit excess air: warped gasket surface, porous gasket (including head gasket I suppose), micro-crack? Regardless, congrats on another one bending to your patient good will :)