Surging and Stalling Ryobi Inverter Generator Fixed - RYI2300 

Purchased this ru-vid.comUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y after researching several brands.Reasons for picking this one was, dual fuel, I don't have to carry gasoline and stink up my truck bed!Propane is so much cleaner.Quiet 62 db, won't piss off neighboring campers!Less than 100 lbs, can lift in to truck bed.I can run my 30 foot Transcend 261BH, AC among other appliances.

Just bought this generator yesterday 2nd hand, was showed it worked and took it home. I fired it up and pluged in a light and a car fridge/freezer and left it running to see how the "gas mileage" was going to be. Started to play up surging after a few minutes and naturally I thought I had been conned and payed good money for a pile of ****. Then I looked on RU-vid and found your post of this issue/fix. Turned the knob towards choke and found the sweet spot for the unit and now no surging. Thanks mate from the land down under.

I've had mine for 7 months (180 hours logged, maintenance done as specified). I had noticed the surges on a regular basis, but they had never affected me until yesterday (the generator would constantly shut off after 10-30 seconds, no matter what the load). I purged a quart of gas down from the carburetor and noticed what seems to be carbon deposit coming out of it. More importantly, I also noticed that the gas flow is not even when the knob is on RUN (as you show it). I now set the knob between C and H (of CHOKE) and there are no surges at all!. Thanks a lot!

Dude I've been having issues with these ryobis and you just solved my issue. My most recent was brand new but came with fuel in it which implies someone returned it. It ran great for 30 min then started surging. I tried your method and the surging immediately stopped. I feel so dumb, ryobi has probably lost so much money due to this

Great video!!! I bought two of these and reading about this issue had me a bit concerned, I think you nailed it ! good job Great demo !!

This is one the best troubleshoot videos I have seen. Same thing was happening to mines. I live in Puerto Rico so its very important for me to have my generator working good due to how vulnerable we are to Storms and Hurricanes. I had figure out the knob thing by accident actually. But your video helped me understand the reasoning of the gas flow. It also will prevent me for going to buy a Carburator or the plug. Since now I know seeing your video and reading the comments that this is normal for these generators.

To save people 30 mins check and adjust the choke. Too much chock cuts the fuel off completely

Most amazing “trouble shooting” video I’ve ever seen. Your attention to detail is unmatched. Thank you for the time you put into making this video! Great job. 👍🏽

Great video......up to the point of the readjustment near the end of the video, it would have been nice to see how you adjusted the knob that was the ultimate issue. I guess the first test should be fuel flow and adjusting that knob correctly. You provided excellent instructions on how to remove the carb and that gives me confidence to work on mine.

You just saved my life, been having this issue!! Thanks for taking the time

LoL...............how many thousands of customer complaints has that cost Ryobi...............

This guy is so easy to listen to... his voice is not grating... great vids... very knowledgeable.. an excellent presenter.. and best of all... NO DAMNABLE MUSIC WITH VIDS !!!!!

I wonder if the original carb was in fact OK? If so you have a spare.

I have a neighbor here in PR with the same problem the thing is his does the surging even with out power connected to the generator . We changed spark plug added stabilizer and fuel filter . The generator was working just fine for a couple of months during after math hurricane Maria . I'm going to try out the fix presented here to see how it goes even though we have all ready played around with the choke and did not have much results I will let you guys know how it goes . Thanks for the tutorial.

Fun fact, you can also turn the knob half way to off... It will let the gen run until it is out of fuel... Good to store or without needing to remove the side cover and drain the bowl manually.

You probably need a new petcock valve. Also your gasoline is very yellow. Reason it ran better with the new carb is the low speed jet on the old one is clogged

Way to power through the issues. I have watched dozens and dozens of your videos. I'd almost rather do my own vasectomy than work on a Ryobi after watching the struggle.

This video was extremely helpful. I first ran a window AC 5000, 400 watt load with gen. Pulse. Tried lots of things. Then found it likes heavier loads runs smooth. I ran a 10,000 btu on this without any surge pulse but got way too cold in cabin so was overkill. The digital settings seemed to not fit well somehow with running on a gen. I put it back to the 5000 btu manual switch unit adjusted the choke switch as you showed. Running for hours now. Thanks.

Your both a teacher and a easy to listen to RU-vidr. As this is my first video ive watch of yours. But I definitely plan on seeing more

Hi, and no you are not the only one having this issue. I am hoping i will not have to replace my carburetor like you did. Wish me luck.

Same problem, work fine on choke. Did or this (4hrs) to fine out it was the cable and the label

Have the same generator, actually my second (first returned to the store within a couple days due to it seizing up/shutting off + gas getting into the oil), but mine has the exact same issue in this video. THANK YOU for helping out with this. I've been so frustrated trying to figure out what the problem is. In the past I had gas somehow get into the oil and thought it was toast, after that happened to my original one within days of buying it so I brought it back to HD for a replacement. Changed the oil on my 2nd unit and I haven't had that since, but I still get the surging/stalling issue your video starts off showing. Appreciate you showing how to fix this, now I at least have something to try: turning the damn knob a couple degrees more toward start/choke. 😅

Friends. Changing carb is an easy button but I just watched another video that fixed same problem by cleaning a tiny jet/orifice that most miss. It unscrews from top of carb through the hole in the top plastic. Its basically in the back side of the carb looking at it when it is mounted and it faces straight up. Once removed, the hole to clean is tiny one on it's bottom. Need a tiny wire from stainless steel brush for example. Here is the link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yY-GMFDY9LY.html

Forgot to add opened up the front panel to check the circuit breaker one time looked over at the LCD display. there are four screws that hold the LCD display on three of them we're out one being broken all by itself. Add a light thread lock to every screw

The new carb you order is an older version of the one you replaced, u can easily identify it by the float bowl which is made of brighter aluminum material, the one with the alloy bowl is a troblesome counterpart, so ryobi start using again the revised old desing, you must check for fuel flow trough the fuel line hose in the running position as it flow a lot in choke position but tends to cut flow to no flow on running position. Older valves can be disassemble but not the one you have, eaven new valve/ on off switch were problematic, 70% of this gens that I fix, has the fuel flow valve problem.

Great vid!!! Mine had the same issue. All the detailed work you did and troubleshooting was fantastic. Apparently it's a misaligned sticker. Mine runs great now.

Ryobi quality has gone to pot across the board on all their products in the last few years imho. Good video.

Thanks for doing the deep dive and posting your findings, I've had the same surging issue with my brand new Ryobi 2300 Generator.

Same problem, I purchased it the past year

Easy fix.by honda.no drama cane farmer.had Honda's 30yrs. No probs.T800Aust

I just bought this generator and saw that most of them have this issues. It comes in tomorrow. Hopefully I wont have this issue. But nonetheless you are a god for walking through the various steps to diagnose the problem. Thank you for doing this!

Here's a suggestion: Flip the clear plastic carburetor drain tube up so its end is elevated above the carburetor, then open the drain screw. You now have a sight gauge that shows you the level of fuel in the carburetor bowl. If the level drops when running (particularly when under heavy load), then there is something restricting fuel flow into the carburetor. In my case, the bowl remains full under all conditions, even as I turn the fuel valve toward the off position while under heavy load. I do observe some mild surging when the unit has little or no load on it. I suspect that to be a design issue in the feedback loop of the generator's speed control. It might be possible to smooth it out by increasing the idle speed a little bit on the carburetor, but I usually have enough load on the generator to where it's not idling anyway.

Thanks for the video, I have been an owner for a little over a year and have come across this issue as well. Well I actually bought the generator at the time the guy who resold wholesale returned merchandise said it would start the first time and just wouldn’t restart again, so I assumed the carburetor as well. Funny thing after I got the carburetor cleaned and checked fuel flow the problem ended up being the gas top did not let the machine breath fuel flow was restricted. When I have these issues of surges I usually open gas top and the problem goes away, weird but simple.

To simplify things, save up and spend the extra money on the Honda or as a second option, the Yamaha. This unit was a nightmare for us. It spent over a month in and out of the service center with this issue. They could never fix it and refunded my money which I put toward the Honda EU2200i. Lesson learned.

Wow! I had this problem and you’re definitely right! Was worried I would have to take it back but works fine with just pointing the knob to that “H”. Thanks so much!

Bought this same model brand new. Used it to power my RV at a campground. It was way noisier than similar inverters near me, and it started the surging and stalling out you are showing immediately. Had it 3 days and returned it. Getting a Champion instead.

Just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU, we are in Florida and without power after Ian blasted through. We were having the surging problem and were getting really frustrated when it kept stalling out. Just adding a little choke to it and we are up and running smoothly. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this.

Unfortunately will not buy any ryobi tools / again seems they have missed the "boat" or something with tools ect

Mine does the exact same thing and it's been driving me crazy! Thanks for all the trouble shooting. So just how did you adjust the fuel cable? Thank you

Yes sir James,. My 2300 surges at all load . I'm not as meticulous as you. I'm gonna throw some sea foam at it, change the plug and mess with the detente. Get back to you.

I'm curious why replace the carburetor, instead of just rebuilding the one that is in there?

Great video, as always. When you showed the surging issue I was thinking fuel straight away, and the minute you got that plug out of the engine my first thought was that the plug had all the signs of a lean mix. Never, ever trust some plastic knob and a stick on label combo to set something, always check the Fuel, Air, Compression, & Spark, or FACeS...

Dude! Outstanding video. I have the same issue. I’ve seen in the comments below. I’m already excited to fix the issue tomorrow. Thanks again. 💪🏼

Same problem, doesn't run without surging heavily in run position and gas trickles out when loosening screw for fuel drain. Turn to choke get full flow of fuel out the line. Bypassed fuel selector and went direct to carb from tank. Same surging. Ordering stepper motor to check that.

Excellent work. Thanks for showing in detail how you troubleshoot the generator

Spoiler Alert! I think we learned something today. Surging is a function of fuel delivery. Or can be. I saw a test on 10 engines using different fuel stabilizers and they all surged on cold start, except for one. I believe they were taken off choke too quickly. (instantly) Again, too lean a mixture. Your machine was surging because of fuel starvation. Or fuel reduction causing a lean mixture again. Now every time I see surging, I'm going to remember this. I think it makes sense. Great videos and channel.

Dude you rock man ..thumbs up. You fix mine i was going to return after plug in a drill it will shut down.. Now it the choke... thanks bro HUGGs

Thanks for posting this James! I believe the issue is with the valve in the fuel switch. Unlike most other brands of inverter generators out there, Ryobi’s don’t have an in tank fuel strainer, and the fuel filter is after the fuel switch assembly. This allows debris to travel from the tank to the switch, and gets lodged in there, clogging it. These generators are very temperamental. I was repairing my *new* Firman 2000 and realized it has strainer in bottom of the tank, in the line, as well as the input strainer on the top. Definitely room for improvement Ryobi. My family owns 2 of these since 2017, and they have never worked right. Very sad.

When a generator is not used for weeks or months, the gasoline residues fall to the bottom and at the time of putting it to work, these concentrated residues many of them pass the gasoline filter and remain stagnant in the carburetor plugging the system and the tiny holes that a carb of that size has. Before starting the generator that has not been started for weeks, I advise you to drain a little of the gasoline so that this sediment does not enter the carburetor. If you already have the problem mentioned in the video, you should remove the carburetor and remove the gold parts and clean them with carburetor cleaner. In the case of the Rioby Yo, remove the cardboard gasket and clean it through all the holes with the product. In particular, you must clean the air and gasoline inlets which are what you will see as two small holes at the ends of the central hole, these are part of the housing and are not gold pieces.

I picked up this unit brand new non-working for $200 earlier today. Half an hour later it was running and I verified it had .1 run hours on it. It looked like someone bought it, tired it with gas, drained the tank but didn't drain the carb bowl and it plugged the jet. I never was a huge Ryobi fan but I'm pretty happy with it, especially for $200.

my dad is to lazy to fix it

Seems to be running good now, good job figuring it out. This is a perfect example of why you should not mix ignition on off, fuel on off, and choke on off into one control. Much better to keep them separate, the biggest advantages it allows you to turn the fuel off and run it out of fuel so the carburetor stays dry. this is especially useful if the generator doesn't get used very often. Which is the situation for most people. I've got a harbor freight 2500 watt inverter generator that I bought several years ago. Fortunately it does have a separate ignition fuel and choke. I've never had any issues with it failing to start. The only real negative is it has a vacuum pulse fuel pump. doesn't really seem to gravity feed fuel into the carburetor very well. So since the bowl is empty it requires several pulls of the recoil starter to get the fuel flowing. Once it does it starts right up. I think if I ever buy another generator, I will definitely pick one that's electric start and electronic fuel injected. That will eliminates most of the issues.

Loosen the plug and put a piece of tubing on the end and it will spin it right out. 👍👍

I just watched your wife's trouble shooting video where she's trying to figure out why her coffee tastes like gas.... great video, thanks for the tips.

I had the same problem and it's fixed thank you! I also have the choke cable a small amount of slack. To keep the choke completely off.

Some one deleted my comment so here we go again. I had all of the problems below so I went through all of the remedies that James offered. watched the video a few times. All of the suggestions helped a little bit at a time but the biggest improvement came from pulling the OEM fuel filter and replacing it with a piece of 1/4 inch copper tubing. No surging at idle or full speed. Load or no load. The big difference is now it won't run the micro wave, the lights and the refrigerator at the same time. It use too. Any suggestions for a new fuel filter? I don't want too run it with out one for very long. Thanks to all and specially to James Condon for making this video and giving advice and suggestions.

why you replace the whole carburator? all you had to do was clean out the 3 brass spray parts , the tiny one in the cup, the long one that goes up the center and the one under the servo with a pin and a wire brush strand for the top nut, i also used 14K acid tester to clean out the tiny holes, the choke cable was good to adjust

Add fuel stabilizer and it will fix the problem btw. Try it out and make another vid! U have to run it with stabilizer every time u run it.

I just love what you do James

Open up the screw to your carburetor to get more fuel. I did it with mine and it helped.

Many thanks for the time you spent on this, I was excited I just bought two of these to link and use separately. I feel like I should call Ryobi now and just send them in to fix before I even unbox them. I wonder how common this is... seems pretty common. Again many thanks for the time you spent on this!

I've had the same generator for about a year. I use it every week. Last night at quit working. When I restarted it it said overload. It was charging a battery not sure that ever had an overload. But they're over love won't go away. I check the oil. Sometimes if the oil gets low it will just die. Do you have any ideas on the overload issue?

I think in this case, "Ryobi" is just a name here. That generator is purely chinese, design and all. The plate above the service access gives it away.

Glad I found your video. Mine does the same thing. Thank you.

Only 12 hours on mine and it started doing this. Mine is only used for power emergencies though, so it's stored a lot with Stabil and about a half gallon of gas. In my case, it seems to run the smoothest with the choke closer between the O and the K and a load on it (the sticker is not algined straight...). Played with it between 750 and 1,500 watts using a space heater. Thank you for saving me from tearing into it. Not gonna bother tuning it up when i rarely use it.

Hi, I admire your attention to detail, quality of workmanship and your trouble shooting methodology . I have a feeling that you do this as a hobby and not for living, am I correct? Do not get me wrong, I never would have thought in my life to buy a repaired equipment, but your repaire method have changed my thoughts.

No the pull start is garbage. Note the gas lines are frail note they're both made a very cheap material would replace when you get the chance. I own and have taken apart to unit approximately 20 times to repair certain issues the copied Honda technology dealing with the motor does a good job and runs about 15 to 17 hours no load. Unit would work better with form of internal small fan to Force move air. Unit is a value at around $300 not for 600 you'll pay. Bluetooth makes it great for turning the unit off not to turn it on. Fuel gauge reads accurate. There are about three different models of the same model if you need parts FYI.

I can see the sticker is misaligned with the knob pointer. Wowzers, is that all it was? Amazing, thanks!

Nice video. I have one and you've given me a pretty good tour of my unit under the hood. Having no issues with mine though but time does take it's toll.

Ryobi makes a decent power tool but their outdoor power equipment ar poorly designed. I've been doing small engine repair for about 40 years. The best Generators are Honda. Ryobi, Firman and some other brands can't compare to honda. Ryobi makes it too difficult to work on these generators. They could have made them so much better but someone in their manufacturing overlooked so many little things. Getting the airfilter out, spark plug and carburetor are just a few issues. I would not recommend Ryobi

Excellent video. It described, exactly, the problem I have on two of these generators. The fuel on/off valve is out of alignment with the rest of the functions on the control knob, like the choke, and the electrical cut off switch, and there is no way to adjust it. The fuel valve does not open fully, until the knob is half way to the fully choked position. This is a sad reflection on the build quality, and very disappointing, considering the current price, at HomeDepot, is almost $900. A real shame, because the generator is, otherwise, rather nice. As explained in the video, you could adjust the choke cable, so that it doesn't choke the engine, when the control knob is in the half choke position, allowing full fuel flow. This may be OK, but the misalignment is still present. Purchasing a new control assembly, and hoping that it doesn't have the same problem, is another route. Or, if you think it is worth the effort, and are willing to do some drilling and filing, it is possible to reposition the fuel valve. The control knob, and the small cover, behind it, can be removed. Then the mechanical control assembly can be removed, and disconnected. The fuel valve, at the back of the assembly, is held in position by a screw, which can be repositioned, thereby rotating the valve, relative to the knob, and the other functions. It is also necessary to file away some material, from another part of the assembly, to make space for the repositioned fuel valve. A lot of work? Maybe.

Good fix!.. Not sorry that i walked right on past it due to the price though... Im sure its good for some situations but i went with the Champion 4375 dual fuel... Loving it so far! Smaller gas tank then id like and super touchy on the choke at startup.. (Just crank until it pops over then go full open choke to run on gas, and NO choke on propane, seems to work EXCELLENT.. Even at 7°f

This helped so much. I was having a problem with it stalling under a load. I've barely used it up till now. It turns out it was the fuel dial just as it was in your video. Thanks!

Where did you order your new carb from? Bypassing the fuel shut off valve only partially fixed my issue, the generator still seems to run better with the choke slightly on. I’m thinking the new carb may get it to 100%.

Think you made a lot of people happy with this one. Any experience with RADLEY brand sold by HOME HARDWARE, Canadian, so you may not be familiar. Radley has an extensive line of products, a Chinese product, but maybe a copy of something. Looks vaguely like ryobi stuff

These things no longer available in Australia. Must have been too many problems with them.

What I would do is bypass the fuel line from switch. Run directly with manual shut off and fuel filter. Directly to carburetor. I done to my Honda generator.

I’ve had this same generator for a few years but rarely used. Had starting issues recently when I wanted to use it. After resolving them (cleaned carb, etc) it started and ran with the same surging. When I used it for drilling holes, large rotary hammer (15A, 120v) the breaker kept tripping and we didn’t really hear the engine ramp up when the load was on. I’m thinking it’s the same issue. Will check and let you know. Thank you for the video. TM

Mine is doing the exact same thing into the shop twice they did nothing but I paid I'm going to try what you did thanks had it almost a year it have never used it

Mine works slightly better like this... but still sucks. This is my second after returning and getting another. Could be the coolest little generator with the Bluetooth stuff and ergonomic design, etc... but... it sucks big balls.

So you film everything except the actual fix? Wow!

hope thi s helps someone my ryobi 1800 watt generator was running rich, fouling the plug and would stall out when I put a load on it,, like the high setting on an 1875 watt hair dryer.. what it was is one on the air jets in the carburetor was blocked. the jets are near the face and throat of the carb.. just remove airbox rubber ducting, remove carburetor and turn it so the front is facing you,, you will see the large throat opening and two tiny jet holes to the left and right of the jet.. take some 14 kt gold acid test solution, and put one drop in each hole.. the solution will boil any gunk out of the hole quickly.. then spray some brake or carb clean in the holes.. you dont even have to remove the bowl... just reinstall carb, and air duct, and enjoy a good running generator... safety note.,. wear eye protection and rubber gloves while handling the 14kt gold acid testing solution and while spraying the carb cleaner or brake cleaner to flush the solution from the holes. .

That's a shame you had to go to this extreme for a new machine.

after you found the Fuel Flow Problem to Completely Stop the Small Surging Drill out the Main Jet 0.02 - 0.03 They come Very Lean from the Factory to Meet EPA Standards

I have the same problem with one I bought just before hurricane Ion hit us. It finally started but your right, the control knob on mine is way off. My Honda Gen, about 30 years old, had a small hole in the tank when I dragged it out before the hurricane hit so I went to HD and that was the only gen on the shelf and I bought it...WAY too much money for what I consider to be a oiece of junk. My old Honda still starts on the first or second pull. No more Ryobi for me, Vietnam crap, no excuse but poor workmanship. You want a good generator buy a Honda or MultiQuip. Worked construction for 49 years and everything we bought for compactors pumps generators anything with a small motor we spec Honda. Thanks for the tutorial, I'll fiddle around with it and dump it in a yardsale!

I've had that issue with a predator, the rubber disk in the fuel shutoff on the carb. It seems that our crappy fuel causes it to swell, so when you turn the fiel on the rubber dragged/distorts and the holes don't line up. I sanded the parts down with 600 grit and so far so good.

It's the pilot orifice, if it's surging. It can be cleaned with one bristle from a wire brush. But it sounds perfectly fine to me.

I'm kinda stumped on mine. The machine works but briefly If I'm in auto idle rpms will go up to match my load ( hand drill) After about the 3rd time of powering the drill the auto idle will not pick up and the drill runs at lower speed. Now I have a load warning on screen. Same thing happens if I turn auto idle off. After about the 3rd time of powering the drill the idle will drop and overload flashes on the screen. I

The tight space to work within to get access to the spark plug is frustrating and if you have any issues with arthritic limitation of manipulating your finger tips... Well just forget managing this task unless you have the patience of a saint or vocabulary of a sailor.😮

Knob calibration probably cost you the price of a carb. But you have a sore carb now. And a spare torch plug. And a plug wrench. 😊

Heat the decal with the hair dryer and move it upward. 👍👍

Sir, I have the same generator, and after letting run for about twenty minutes, the generator would shut down. There was no surging at all. I would then let it cool off for about 5 minutes, and I would re-start it again, but it would die again after some twenty minutes. It has plenty of clean fuel. Could this also be a gas issue as you did with your generator? Thx.

I have the same generator manufactured in July 2018. Was having similar issues with stalling under load, followed your instructions to find the knob position to deliver max fuel flow to the carb, then adjusted choke cable. The result was perfection! Thank you so much your video saved me so much frustration.

Have the same generator. Its showing overload even when i dont have anything plugged in. Why would it be doing that?

I have 2 of these and figured out the issue when my first one was very difficult to start because the choke linkage didn’t work properly at choke setting. My label is higher but the sticky label system is poor, you get lucky or you don’t.

Do you think it may be the little electronic motor governor that sits on the carby. I replaced mine on my Honda EU20I carby and that completely changed the way it ran???

I was having an issue with mine suddenly where it kept coming to a near stall then coming back. No surging, just dying and restarting. I’m trying this now, seems to have solved it…. But we will see in a while if it changes

I believe these carbs are Honda knockoffs? If that's true then there is also a pilot jet under the low idle set screw on top of the carb and under the servo? They have no filter and can get clogged. You're supposed to pop it out, check the O ring and clean out the jet. I had to do that when I bought mine in a pallet load of returns. But thanks to you, I think this is what's going on with mine? I'll do this test on it.

7 It's because these machines have a fixed jet carburetor that you can just it's factory preset so when you when you choke it riches the fuel mixture up and then it runs right the same as a lawn tracker a modern lawn tracker or anything else with that Nicky carburetor they're all that way anymore EPA regulations so I said drill the hole out in the main jet and tell it quits surging

What is the output frquency and voltage when surging, it should not be affected with an inverter.