High Compression - Impossible to Start Generac Generator 

Who else watches the whole video without skipping a bit 😊 Your videos are very relaxing, educational and very well explained, my favorite channel 👌

James im 85 years i have the knowledge and all the tools you are using. I will give all the tools to a person who works like you and i used to do.

Coffee,check. Egg Scramble, check. James Condon Thursday morning video, check. All systems go for a great day!

No matter how many generators you work on there is always one that shows you something you haven't seen.

I commented a few months back about the length of your vids. I now realize IF I had one of these generators, there is no better video to follow to repair it. This is the best small engine repair channel on YT.

The time-lapse of the ultrasonic carb cleaning is always extremely satisfying to watch. Gourmet.

I immediately spotted the fault. It has no fuel tank!

The one thing I enjoy most about your videos is that no matter how much I think I know about mechanics, engines, and how things work... I ALWAYS learn something new from you!! Especially the small little details that most either overlook or ignore. In my experience, those are the ones that either make or break you. Yours rapidly became my favorite channel. Thank you for your detail to the little tubes things.

These really are beautiful machines. I have a 15 year old Husky 3750 watt generator that never had any service and ran for 3 days straight powering my parent’s house during hurricane Sandy 12 years ago. Inspired by your videos I decided to give it a chance at some more life and did a full service. It had about 300 ml of oil in the engine…factory oil that had never been changed. Carburetor was a mess. After the JC treatment it runs like a champ again. Thanks so much for the education and inspiration!

Aahhh, a fresh cuppa and Jim is on the screen.😊

A James Condon video is not complete unless it includes a trip to the paint booth. Well done.

I own a couple of Honda's. I never understood why they bother with a dipstick. We have all been taught that if there is oil on the hash marks, were good. This isn't true with these. Great save on this one.

Excellent video, professor. Imagine that...broken dipstick. Another genset saved from the junk pile.

Thanks James-it's channels/videos like yours that *will* make cable tv obsolete.

i got the honeywel 7500 and it powers my house.. your videos have saved me soo much in parts and maintenance repairs/ i wish u were my neighbor here in MidCoast maine, Small engie repairs guys are dissapaering

Perfect timing for me. I have an engine that is showing excessively high compression. This gives me at least a starting point. Thanks...

Think about it: With 20/20 hindsight, draining the oil and doing a borescope inspection, pulling out those 2 pieces, it could have been running in 20 minutes. Thing is, you put it through the paint shop, upgraded the carb, reset the valves. Sure. It gives up a little performance, but that thing is rock solid. It’s better than new. Well done.

I've come to think of your Thursday morning upload as the start of the weekend. Nice!

Nicely done James. It never gets old.😊

I picked up my late Father-in-law's PowerStroke 6800 Watt unit with the Honda GX390 engine (NOT a clone!) The generator counter had....22 hours on it! The unit sat in his shed and got a lot of crud on it, but thankfully no mouse house. Cleaned up nicely. I had to remove OLD fuel. Changed the oil, removed the carb and gave it a deep cleaning. The engine started on first pull and runs great. Why? Because I watch James Condon videos and I did EXACTLY what he does. Thank you for the great work you do, Jim.

Nice job Jim! Thanks!

excellent and very useful show! thanks for the publishing.

Very enjoyable my friend watching a very knowledgeable gent at work

what i was taught in gen. repair school is NOT to exceed 80% of total load of the MAX cap. of the gen. set. so far its worked for me for years. nice save on this gen. set !

Another one cleaned up, dressed up and ready to go back to work.

Another excellent video, James. I love the way you work, so methodical. Thanks for sharing.

Great video James. See you next week.

Another great episode. Thanks James!

Examining every detail and solving the problem is a great skill. I congratulate you. Thank you.

These Thursday morning releases just make my day! Thank you sir, another "revival" gone beautifully!

James, keep up the great content. Loving the generator videos!

Another victory, for James. Well done, sir !!

I recently had to remove a GP5500 generator head and didn't have a gear puller for the stator. I ended up using 2 large reversible trigger clamp and pushed the stator off the crank cover. worked surprisingly well.

Great work and explanations throughout

Thanks for sharing James, another great video. Thursday morning at 7am has become my weekly ritual to watch your videos. 👍🇨🇦

Welcome back!

Great job James

Thank you James. I totally enjoyed watching this video. I always learn something from you.

Another fantastic video.....thanks

Great find James. Love your videos

Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing

I always learn something from your videos, as does my confidence in problem solving and engine repair.

Saved another one from the scrap pile great job keep them coming

Great troubleshooting James 😊

I watch these beginning to end. I enjoy the problem solving style that James has. Its hard to find someone who knows what theyre doing and cares about their work. Good Job James, Good Job!

Excellent video. Very well done. I wish all utube videos had this much detailed information.

best blog I've seen in a long time coming from your channel. I like longer bogs and keep me interested longer and you taught me something

Awesome video+presentation well done mate! thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙏🏻

I like the fact that you don't skip details when you get towards the end. So many cut out details as they get close to the end and if your trying to do something the way they do it doesn't work. I really enjoy your channel James. Keep it up.

Thank you again sir for another interesting video.

Thank you for all your videos! Really informative. You are an important reference for all of us. Thanks again ! I'm already looking forward to your next videos to learn more. 🍺🍺🍺

I worked on a friend's WGen9500df. The electric start wouldn't work and the pull cord was broken. He had bought a new battery, expecting that was the problem. The underlying cause was a failed compression release on the camshaft. The high compression combined with the wireless remote electric start repeatedly cranked the engine until the starter burnt out. The broken cord was from him trying to pull start it. The starter rotor wasn't just a little toasted, it was fully charred with a strong smell. In my case the compression release wasn't simply jammed. It was horribly mangled, with broken pieces beating up the oil level float frame, breaking the tip of the oil splash fin, and leaving plenty of gouges elsewhere. Every part that needed to be replaced was out of stock from Westinghouse, while most other parts were listed as available. I suspect that this wasn't a one-off failure.

Nice work. Its fascinating how such a small plastic part can gum up the works. Great job!

I have seen many stuck decompression weights and have never conclusively seen the actual cause. this is a bonus! I always felt odd putting it back together and never knowing. I never got a call back for it. So I assume cleaning them, fixed them. :-) If I needed I genset and lived in your area, I would easily pay more than market value for one of yours. I would never underestimate the value you put into these generators to make them the best!

Wow I really enjoyed watching every minute of this precise trouble shooting video! you have tons of patients and you really get into every aspect of every component of the motor! I love the details, they are an intricate part of putting everything into its own place and the calibration is so well explained too!

I watched the whole video. Great find.

Great video! Looks like a new machine, not a throwaway! I thought the oil plug looked funny when you checked the oil. Your videos are so good I could almost see the plastic dipstick was broken. Enjoyed the video, keep it up!

Without the video no one will believe you about the broken dipstick! Great job as usual.

Great save James even at 7k, watching late wife not feeling well and better that I'm not on RU-vid. Keep posting as everytime I learn something new. Tks Michael

Watching from South Africa loving your work

Another Thursday generator gets saved,very enjoyable video

Another beautiful rescue, James. That bit about the contaminant being a part of the dipstick is almost baffling. The only way I can see that happening is outright carelessness on the part of someone operating that generator, and it reminds me of something which happened quite a few years back. A large (15KW iirc) generator had been loaned by a church group to a Boy Scouts group, but came back not working correctly. I was asked to have a look at it. I found that it started but would only idle after starting, which was baffling to me at the time. It took me a while and a few tries before I finally realised that there was "something screwy" about the throttle control. It looked almost... backwards. After further investigation, I realised that it looked to have been pushed all the way past the full throttle position and right around to the idle position again, and was jammed there by a metal bar which should have fouled it on the way through and prevented that from happening. With a lot of effort, I managed to force the idle control back past the bar and when I started the engine again, the generator came up to speed and regulated correctly. So it was fairly obvious that someone had abused the generator and maybe even deliberately fiddled around with it in a way which wouldn't be too obvious and which they thought would be very hard to discover. I'm pleased that it proved not too difficult for me to discover and fix. 😄 I still don't know how it actually happened, and I'm glad that it wasn't my job to find out. My little generator repair seems to be finished (need to double-check when I start it next time). I got it running, I confirmed that it would hold the right speed supplying 1000 Watts to a heater (it's rated for 1500 Watts maximum continuous load), and with the help of a frequency analysis app on my phone, I set the speed as close to correct as I could. The speed is supposed to be 3000 rpm for my country's 50Hz power supply, so since it's a 4-stroke engine which fires once every 2 rotations, I set it so that the frequency the analyser could "hear" from the exhaust was a tad over 1500Hz. I'll give it a final test along with my regular monthly "maintenance run" of the other two generators I have, then decide if it's worth selling or not. I'd guess I'll only get back about what I've put into repairing it. Maybe a bit more if I'm lucky.

Nice one, James

That starter sounded like the Tardis (Dr Who) getting ready to time jump😂

Awesome video!! 🤗... We have this exact generator! Same make, model and watts!! I learned a lot!! Ours is nearly new with only about 15 hours of use (I didn't check it yet). But lots of valuable information. Thanks 😊

Given the crusty exterior look I am surprised this machine didn't fight you more. Good lesson today on how the smallest bit of debris in the wrong place can cause foreign object damage (FOD). Good video James.

perfect restoration :)

Erase that FIVE and change it to a ZERO... Voil`a 7000 watt generator. You do admirable work and put together an enjoyable video to boot. Much appreciated..

Super interesting video James thanks for sharing 🦘

James, I've watched many of your videos repairing generators and I have often had the thought that maybe star washers ought to be installed on the threaded electrical terminals to ensure the best possible connections. It would be a small thing with huge results, in my opinion.

Wow, never woulda guessed that dipstick piece👍👍👍👍

Hi James, I've watched maybe all your videos and enjoy them all. You might make mention of the screwdriver that you use to remove the main jet / emulsion tube for the benefit of those watching your videos. That's a 'special' ground screwdriver made for the purpose. Some new viewers may not realize that and try to use a regular screwdriver which will bugger up the jet for sure!

I have been using those Autozone spark plug gap tools for years, and I never thought to use the hole to widen the gap. I guess you learn something new every day, lol.

thumbs up,great video,yea i was watching for that compression release bump in the beginning,the new honda mower engines are having issues also hard starting,cam related always enjoy these videos

another great video I remember your first video

James, Love watching you. One thing I noticed is when I work on stuff that is stuck, bolts, nuts etc. Apply whatever spray you like best, but I always let it soak. Makes a world of difference. The PTO you had stuck on the Cubcadet was one example. Anyway, keep the videos coming. I still have a problem with my Cubcadet kz1042kw, hydro transmission, hangs in forward. Very annoting, reverse is ok. Sam

So easy to understand when units are litres etc.

I have fixed a generator for a friend lucky for him it just needed a coil now it runs great

👌👌👍👍 Nice work! Oddly satisfying and calming to watch work being done in an orderly manner. Maybe the 7500 watts is just the "surge load" as opposed to the running load?

wtf just a little piece from the oil cap can do this? amazed and terrified for that labor. good work.

Awesome job snd video. You are expert for this motors. 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌😊👍👌🍀🙏🙏

Great job. 👍👍

Good job keep it up my friend, 👍

With that generator being an ex contractor machine and the total hours and prior maintenance unknown the hp loss could be from normal engine wear. A new ring job and valve lapping could restore it to as new. But i agree its not worth the effort and expense. Close enough !! Great job, James !

Great watch.

Regarding the last 300 watts. Did you check to see if the throttle plate was fully open when you were calling for max power? I can imagine a situation where the linkages prevent you from fully opening the throttle. You videos are a joy to watch. You are respectful of the viewer. We can always see what you are working on. The camera is always on a tripod. The audio is clear. The boring or repetitious parts are either edited out or go at high speed. You like a tidy workspace. Thank you!

Very good video James. Thank you for the finer points of editing, it made it flow smoothly from a viewer perspective. Just a couple things I'd like to mention. 1). The carb you replaced may not be matched or manufactured to the spec's needed for that engine. So possibly there is an A/F ratio issue at max demand. 2). There are feeler guages w/ a step on them to be used as a "Go-No-Go" quick measure. And finally, 3). I own a 1970 Montgomery Wards lawn tractor (Gilson built) that has a 14 hp Briggs engine that some how my son put the engine oil dipstick in wrong and something chewed the end of it off. The dipstick tube is rigidly attached and sticks up above the main engine block making the dipstick about 9 inches long. The dipstick is metal so there are metal shavings and bits all over internally. That lawn tractor was very well built and is still on the job. Gilson designed it very robustly. Hydrostatic drive makes the rototiller work perfectly. 42" mower deck & 46" snow plow are hydraulic lift. A fine example of "proudly made in The U.S.A." FB James, tnx. ben/ michigan

Jason seems like someone you’ve mentioned before, like he’s a regular contributor of machines in need of diagnosis and treatment by Dr. Condon

Jim...love your vids! But when I started watching this one...that handle was irritating me!😂

best channel on youtube

Lovely, thank-you. Yes, if it can happen, it will happen! And yes, running any machine at its maximum rated capacity is a bad thing. As a very good friend of mine says, "Always keep a little in reserve!"

If only you had been my Power Mechanics teacher in high school. I coulda been a contender!

James, I love watching these videos. If anyone is a professional on generators it's you. I wonder if you could recommend a brand or do a Q & A on which brand to purchase, and which ones to avoid.

Heat works magic on rusty bolts... better than any canned product. I always keep my propane torch in the garage with me when working on the car.

That fuel line looks like that vulcanite they make for the black pipe stems of smoking pipes. It's hardened rubber as well.

James, if you keep loosing a .001" or 2 when adjusting the valves, start with a larger sized feeler gauge.

Hello from Australia

Nice

And by the way James I finally broke down and bought me a inch pound torque wrench finally LOL thanks for the info buddy appreciate you

Thanks!