I was a car wash mechanic for over thirty years ! I had to retire due to severe arthritis. Now a few operations later along with a stroke,I view the world on a wheel chair. Thank you for posting your videos because for just an hour on u-tube I feel at home in the garage. I miss the creativity only found in a garage and you show that in every video you make! Thank you for inviting me to wrench with you. Your show makes my day and makes a really tough situation for me way better!
@@Driftdavillian I remember helping out as a driver just before getting into the trade and one of the long-time stockmen was in that exact position. He was quite a challenge to work with but I knew it wasn’t him; it was the pain talking. I saw him again about 8 months later after having both hips replaced and he was a totally different man. It’s so rewarding to see someone transformed like that; I can only imagine what it would be like to be IN THOSE SHOES(!!!). Stay strong, friend (if you’re still waiting); or hopefully you’ve gotten fixed up. Cheers! 🖖😎👍
So True! I drive for a ride share for the last 3 1/2 years and l am Constantly on the look out for ANYTHING of value or interesting. But it's just old furniture, beds, baby strollers, car seats and bags of old clothes. I would be thrilled to find something like this! I love new projects! Oh wait, I did find one of those razor mini electric motorcycles. But the tires are bad and the battery was toast. They did include the charger though. That always seems to be missing. I want to see if l can make an electric bike using the parts.
At 73 years old I've worked on a lot of engines but I've got lazy in my old age. I have 2 units that haven't run in at least 5 years... A Troy built 5500 watt gen and a Stihl 028. Today I got both of them running and tuned up, it took me about 4 hours but I had to do them on the garage floor, my legs are killing me. Thanks for the education and inspiration.
My takaway from watching every one of Mustie's videos, is I need a mechanical lift table.... like stat. Not much in this world I hate more than having to bend down and get on the ground. Any suggestions as to a good value?
I’m fixing to hit 73 old mechanic and I know how you feel I will have to hurt all night and most of tomorrow But I just rebuilt a GX 390 and it sounds great 😊😊😊
Went to Home Depot to buy a generator....they had a couple re-conditioned ones that had been sent back to the factory....still looked like brand new. There was a 5000 that was big enough to run the AC on the Toy Hauler. I told the manager "This thing could have been re-possessed" with the small dent in the plastic spoke of one wheel. Sold it to me for half price. Has a removable gas tank. The guy who originally bought it took the tank to the gas station and never re-hooked up the fuel line. I checked the plug before I started it (first pull) and it had never been started. My gain.
Love it I was needing a saw Something told me to stop at this pawn shop They had a stihl 026 that said "busted tank" on it $139 included an oem case I bought it 130 out the door and stopped by the stihl dealer and grabbed a new gas cap... runs perfect 🤣 That was a steal btw Later on my local hardware store had a pile of markdowns 3 x 74 link stihl chains $15 ea,I offered $30 all 3 and the guy said sure, those are $30 EACH 😁
I don't have any mechanical skills whatsoever, but I've watched countless videos on Mustie's channel. I splashed some cash last week and bought a petrol (gas) pressure washer. Unboxed it today and built it up - surprisingly easy. Filled it with oil & fuel, and it started on the 3rd pull (choke out), I was pleased with that. After about 30 secs it cut out. Started it again but cut out after about 10 secs. Did this several times and was about to phone the shop to come & collect it and refund my my money. I thought back to the videos I've watched. It obviously had spark, air filter was good, plenty of fuel, oil right where it should be on the dip stick. Must be fuel right? Cracked the drain on the carb - nothing. Checked the fuel line. It was too long and kinked. Cut an inch off it, and it's all good now. Watching these videos had given me the confidence to trouble shoot & attempt a repair. Cheers Mustie!
Former Briggs tech here. Come winter, get some pump saver or rv antifreeze and run it through that pump or else you are looking at 150-300 for a new pump. Even if you claim to have it in a heated basement or garage, I've seen them crack all the time. It's not worth the risk.
After Hurricane Irma last year, I picked up a few generators left along the road that people were unable to get to run and I fixed them and resold them. I taught my 17-year-old son how easy it is to make a few bucks on easy fix stuff and now he is going to school in January 2019 to be a mechanic!
That's the smart route to take nowadays. I am a woman but I grew up a major tomboy in the 70's. My dad & uncles were into fixing things and I learned. I raced and built/fixed go carts, I later raced & built a desert car. lol Nowadays, very few people learn how to fix stuff, especially more complex things like engines. The ability to troubleshoot and then fix something is so rare nowadays, it's almost like a superpower. I joke but it's kind of true. That kind of job is going to be very lucrative over the next 20 or 30 years. They are manufacturing most things overseas now but, when those things break down, they have to be fixed. It's simple supply & demand. We have more & more cars and fewer & fewer people are becoming mechanics. When most of the population doesn't even realize they have fluid in their transmission, they have no choice but to pay to get it fixed.
@@timothyhays1817 Agreed. Proper mechanics aren't paid what they are worth but as the older mechanics start to retire, they aren't being replaced fast enough. When that shortage starts to pinch, pay will start to go up. If you get in front of employment trends, you end up doing very well long term. A good mechanic starting today can make a fair living. They aren't going to get rich but it pays better than lots of things. In 5 years, they will have that experience and there will be fewer mechanics out there. In 10 years, the mechanic starting today will be at the peak of their career when there is a real shortage. That will be a very lucrative time, especially if you open a shop. Then it will take another 10 years or so for younger people to realize that being a mechanic is pretty lucrative. By the time that generation makes up for the shortage, the experienced mechanic is well established and won't be competing with the new guys. If you go into something right as a shortage is starting, you can be in high demand for most of your career.
Just found your channel a few weeks ago, wish I had this when I was 15 (1963). I bought a 1960 Matchless Pinto 150 cc) from a Harley dealer that didn't run. I fixed the light &, painted it, before I got it to run. Turns out the key way on the crankshaft was warn flat. I welded the flywheel to the crankshaft, got it started and rode it about 1/4 mile before the end of the crankshaft broke off. I ended up giving it away about 10 years later after I was married. I've learned a lot listening to your videos, keep them coming. Alan
Oh man... This brought up nearly exactly what I just did for a friend. Almost the perfect situation you had with this one. Difference was that he bought a new carb for it. We also had a bad coil because the spark was randomly there then not. It was almost like watching me work on his. You impressed me because you used the Frequency counter like I did on the one I fixed for him. I can't believe how much the same scenario this generator was to the one I just fixed. I always love when you do all this work, clean carb and then it won't run at all. Frustrating, but a learning experience. Great video, and very informative!! I learned some nice little tricks from you as well. Thanks for sharing this!!!
I can watch this guy for hours he's great he always gets them running, great video's like the way you explain every thing. Thanks for putting them on utube.
Looks very much like the Chinese-made "Homelite" I bought from Home Dumpo in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. It was very fuel-efficient ( idling 12 hours overnight on a full tank, running the furnace etc,,) and surprisingly quiet. It worked great for intermittent use, typically two or three times a year (frequent extended-period power outages here in southern New England), but I did have to have the carburetor replaced a few years ago; and when I last tried to start it I couldn't get it running. I'd happily get it repaired but at this point I have back and shoulder problems and so I need a battery-start generator. It did work quite well when I really need it, I back fed it into the house and it ran the furnace, well pump, fridge, TV and lights. I ran it for 5 days straight one time, no problem then! Whatever I replace it with, I can only hope for that kind of usefullness.....
I just got a Nikkota? From someone for free. Same generator. Quick bowl clean and she started. Quarantine watching Mustie videos ive seen two or three times! Cheers!
good, one for u. if you can afford it, get a Cummins diesel genset. 1800 rpm diesel, built like a tank, with all kinds of excellent features. Our town, has one, for a backup at the town offices.....
@@petersack5074 , I bought a Honda EU5000 last fall. Pricey, but has battery start, runs quietly, and is very fuel-efficient (especially with the auto-idle feature that revs it down when the electrical load is minimal and revs it up when the load increases). Easily runs 13 or 14 hours on a tank of gas. I've used it several times this winter, Including just a few days ago when it was 10 degrees outside and we lost power for 12 hours because of high winds. Not only does it run the furnace/boiler, well pump, fridge, duct blower, lights, TV, microwave (though the microwave sounds like it struggles a bit), and an electric fry pan, it will even run the dishwasher in "eco" mode. Can't run the electric stove or clothes dryer, but I have a propane camping stove and I can cook pretty good with the electric fry pan and campstove. I made a delicious roast with veggies in the slowcooker while the power was out; good to keep one of those around, they're way more efficient than the electric frypan. I bet I could get away with washing a small load of clothing too, but with no easy way to dry them, there's not much point. If I used a diesel generator I might be prone to having problems with the fuel in the machine gelling during cold weather; my garage is unheated and so I would have to store spare diesel in the basement crawlspace, not really a good idea; but spare gasoline doesn't mind the cold and can stay outside.
I found a Craftsman rototiller at the local transfer station for free. I figured I could bring it back for scrap once I grabbed anything useful off of it if it was in too bad of shape to get going again. The first thing I checked was the oil - it had 2 quarts of an oil/water mix in the crankcase! The carb was in bad shape too, but I was able to clean the tank "bowl" & check for holes in it. Someone had made a makeshift gasket for the carb as well, but I was able to get it going again. The tines and transmission appeared to be in good shape which I thought was a plus. I tilled the ground where I was putting an underground cable which saved a bunch of hard digging. I broke down & bought a new carb for it for $17 - with gaskets - and will install it next season. I have Mustie1 to thank for sharing his knowledge with us otherwise I wouldn't have been up to the challenge. Thank you Sir!
Ok ... you have me hooked ... as I mentioned in another post.. love troubleshooting with you ... since I found you on RU-vid I have have a 35 year old Honda HS55 snowblower engine up and running... my 35 year old Generac generator and power washer serviced and running ... a complete service on my Honda HS928 snowblower ready for winter... a 40 year old Homelite blower rebuild and running... a very old Toro weed wacker engine ready for rebuild ... a Mantis tiller on the list to fix and a 30 year old Husky chainsaw also on the list ... I'm a carpenter by trade and have owned a computer repair business ... running for 16years ...thanks for the videos ...keep them coming!
I love resurrecting old machines. This was a great video showing EXACTLY how it goes. I've had to do it twice multiple times as I learn how each new piece of gear works. Thanks for bringing us along with you.
I've been repairing things like your generator all my life. Growing up poor we had to learn to fix things ourselves or do without. It's great seeing someone keeping up the tradition.
I'm 14, 13 when I fixed it. We have a 1986 Suzuki four wheelers I spent over 200$ on it and many hours going thru the engine and cleaning the carb on it it now runs really great.
Fair play to you Eli. 👍 Keep up curious and fixing stuff and doing practical things.. and you will learn a lot. You are the future and maybe young folks like you will fix this fu**d up world,... because this generation right now... Naaahh... wasted.
This reminds me of the time I was driving to the store and came across a Honda generator that was in someones driveway with a sign on it that said "FREE" written in black crayon, I loaded up in my VW micro bus (that I also found for free, another story) I got it home, cleaned the carb and plug and it ran like a champ! It's at the point now where people in town will just drop off all the stuff that can't get to start knowing my mad skills. I am thinking about starting a RU-vid channel and quiting my job.
That's a good idea, but most RU-vidrs will tell you not to quit your job. Because with RU-vid you never know, and besides you need millions of viewers to make any considerable amount of money.
I was cutting the grass,my neighbor asked if I wanted his line trimmer, I figured why not. He gave me a goddam Honda straight shaft 4stroke! New primer bulb and carb kit and still going strong a year later.
I like seeing videos where things dont go just as planned and they work around it and figure it out. So many just cut to the end and you didnt see the stuff it actually took to get it going. Nice job!
I found a little 1300 whatt Coleman generator in the trash yesterday. I put some gas in it and it started right up in the second pull and runs great. The things people throw away.
Husbands die and men able to do repairs are not around. This is going to happen as less people are handy and in general most women would not care to repair nor know how!
I taught small engines in shop in a junior high setting for 18 years and can totally relate to your tube channel. I enjoy what you do...you are very good at what you do.
Yes I learned that a long time ago “ if it ain’t broke don’t fix it “. No disrespect but I would have dumped the old fuel, changed the plug & oil, good as new.
I'm 50 and can honestly say I've never seen Free items in someone's yard. You find stuff all the time. I must live where people just keep there crap instead of setting it outside, lol. I do have a zoom bottle from Amazon, cause of your videos. Thanks again for the lesson on fixing old stuff.
Same in my area but I've found my local landfill has some good stuff they sell. I got a push mower last year for $5 that was self propelled with electric start and all it needed was a flywheel key.
I've found most just stow their problem machines in a corner or behind the shed. Word of mouth spreads and folks will bring in stuff they find. I've gotten free garden tractors, tools, weed trimmers, etc after a few brought back from the dead fixes for people. Mustie1 enabled a lot of that.
Started by doing favors for neighbor's and now I'm sorta the guy here. Currently have 72 CL350, 19' G3 Duck Hunt boat, Scag zero turn, numerous chainsaws, and string trimmers in the shop for fix'n and upgrades.
@@baggins1 If I find an old mower or a generator, I could fix the carb because of Muste1. I've learned so much from him and I've never taken an engine apart but I could now.
Ezydusit And his stuff is so much better than the many cop shows and such we have to watch on the babble box. Most all my viewing is fixit dudes on RU-vid.
I Really like this channel, I’m no mechanic but I do like this troubleshooting and repair with all the explanations. Thanks for making these videos. You sure know what you’re doing and I find it entertaining along with educational.
Tom's Tinkering and Adventures there's still a bunch of us around. The sad part is that so much new equipment is now coming with sealed plastic unserviceable carbs. Thankfully many of us have our own little "hoardes"(to use musties terminology) of carbs & complete engines set aside. Hopefully some time in the next decade or so I'll have some grandkids to start passing knowledge on to.
@@ROTAXD some of the Chinese toys (quads, mini-bikes, etc) have sealed carbs on the Honda clone engines. I've had good luck grinding a slot into the heads of the fasteners, opening them up and getting the carbs working. But the again, replacement carburetors are $12......I just don't like to wait.
Us guys that even work on stuff. People say its too costly to fix, so they put out by the road. Its unusual to see someone just dump a good unit like that by the road, but hey! Freebees are BEST!
Working on my sons generator, same design different colour. Thank you so much for your instructional videos. You've given me confidence to attempt that which I never would have. Cheers.
I love watching you find stuff and bring it back to life, especially these fairly easy ones. I often wonder if any of the folks who you pick stuff up from watch these and realize the value they were throwing out, not to mention the loss of an opportunity to learn. Keep these coming. It was also nice to see I am not the only one who can make things worse, but I don't have a horde to save my bacon. Great vid.
I worked for a company that imported these same exact generators. I did a lot of the work you did on this one. These gen sets can be reliable if taken care of just like the name brand ones but are notorious for the carbs getting dirty. The gens would burn through AVRs due to incorrect shut downs. Within the last couple of years, this company switched to Kohler engines on all of their equipment and had their old equipment going on CL for dirt cheap. I bought this generator for $10, 8k for $30, ten 6.5 HP engines for $50 and was given a 10K gen as a gift when I decided to move on from the company. I just sold this gen you fixed this week and the guy I sold it to couldn't be happier with it. My other two gens are working perfectly fine. I just love watching these vids. Keep up the great work you are doing.
@@MC-hs4mf Yer always supposed ta shut off the electric load before turning off the engine. Failure to do so causes damage. That's what the owner's manuals all say.
@@Cougar1212 so unplugging it from generator? That seems obvious, but does running it out of fuel with no load plugged into it hurt it, which empties the carb and seem to be less carb issues
The reason this was a great video is you also show what really happens on these missions. Things do not go as planned and you worked it out nicely. I learned some things... thanks.
One broken bolt away from a 15 minute job taking 3 hours. In my case, usually, one broken bolt away from a 15 minute job taking 3 days. Love your vids Mustie!
*Just an FYI...* the hole that had the piece of gasket torn out goes into the *outside* of the emulsion tube to help it atomize the fuel better via the tiny holes in the side of the emulsion tube. If you happen to block it off, it will run rich because the vacuum created by the venturi will want to draw more fuel up. My guess is it still had a tiny piece of crud in the main jet (making it run lean) that inadvertently fell out when you took the bowl back off.😉 Nice job Mustie, keep 'em coming! You oughta be able to turn that generator over for a couple hundred bucks for your trouble. Most of these suffer from 'sititis' because no one ever remembers to drain the fuel out when they're not being used. They're especially bad if they only had a half tank or less of fuel in them, since they draw moisture in the top of the tank which falls into the tank when the outside temp changes, and eventually into the carb.😁
I have one of these which had sat for a couple of years. I cleaned the carb and had exactly the same problem you had. 😊 Now I know how to fix it. Thank you.
It's nice to see a man that knows what he's doing.... You can always make a living, if you can do what you can do. I should know, I 'v done it sixty five years...
I have had one of those bottles for years and I can tell you where they come from. The bottle does come with oil in it. They are from a company called Markal or Laco depending on where you get it. The lubricant is used by technicians that work on circulating pumps like heating contractors. Mustie1 is right they call them Zoom spouts. A lot of plumbing supply houses have them on their counters in the fall.
Lethal-Bacon I made mine out of a .50 squirt catchup bottle from the dollar store. Nip the end off the spout just enough to push your choice of small 2 cycle line thru it. You’re done. I used a small piece of coat hanger wire as a plug in its end. Works fine for me!
Lethal-Bacon I made mine out of a .50 squirt catchup bottle from the dollar store. Cut the end off the spout just enough to push your choice of small 2 cycle line thru it. You’re done. I used a small piece of coat hanger wire as a plug in its end. Works fine for me!
The little oil bottle is a "Zoom Spout". Mine was filled with turbine oil used in appliance repairs with sintered steel sleeve bearings. It is a very high grade oil. The zoom spout pulls out and you can squeeze the bottle forcing the oil upwards, handy it in accessible places. Most hardware stores have them, or get it on Amazon. I enjoy all of your videos, Well done ... Howard.
Hey mustie1 I found a snowblower on the curb getting thrown away and I picked it up and fixed it and runs like new thanks for making these amazing videos
a good tool for testing if there's spark, to hold the plug where you can see it is just a little neodymium magnet. Stick it to a bolt and then the plug, and it holds and conducts good enough for testing.
I have no idea why I watch the whole video. I got caught up with this smart man dissecting each problem. Suggestion for next video, please give us a tour of your garage. Your organization is amazing.
Re: Draining the float bowl. HEY!! That's the Claxton Fruitcake Company coffee cup I sent you for Christmas last year! Hahahahahaha! Glad to see it make an appearance in the garage! I love giving a gift that keeps giving!
I have the exact engine on my Champion generator and after fighting with it, I had to slightly drill out the holes in the emoltion tube and put in a fuel filter. Been starting first pull for over a year now.
2 observations.. first, you broke the tech's golden rule. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" 2nd, once it *was* broken I would have sealed that hole with a little blob of JB Weld.
I take great care of the three gensets I've got, two as backup and one in use when electric goes out, living in an rv requires having a generator as backup once electric power fails. I watch many RU-vid videos as to lookout for or watch for as well as regular maintenance, my pulsar 3200 runs like a champ due to you and those like you that give us very helpful information concerning generators. Thanks! It's much appreciated
This is one of my favorite videos of yours. Your reaction when the damn thing just starts and generates power is priceless! You deserve a win once in a while, although the $200 Ford F-150 has to be the all-time winner.
I'm a first time watcher. I love how you didn't edit out your mistakes. It makes the video enjoyable funny as we can all see ourselves doing the same stuff, and still learn from it! Keep up the good work!
Hey Mustie1, Love the free road side stuff and have had issues with those carb gaskets on the Baja minibikes... Looks better with the black gas tank anyway....
After building dirt bikes for a while I realized that sand blasting, even with my weak setup, wasn't a reliable and safe way to clean carbs.. That metal is just too soft and it seems like when they get porous they just become more prone to cracking and holding gunk. I've always had great luck soaking them and then use a brass wire cone to clean everything.
I really appreciate all your great work. can we get some camera close ups of hooking up carb linkages along with audio tutorials on how it all works when you assemble? I'd love to learn more from you Thanks
Me: " Awe crap, Got take the engine out" Mustie: "Awe crap, I don't have to take the engine out" You're teaching more than just repair and rebuild skills.
What I have found is the little screen in a lot of petcocks is restrictive to the point where any crud at all will cut off the fuel flow. To solve that issue, I remove the screen and reassemble the bowl with just the rubber seal and install a B&S inline screen (the cylindrical red ones) which seems to resolve the problem and makes it a lot easier in future to solve blockages.
Man I about fell over when I saw you getting ready to use that map gas on that cast aluminum bowl. I thought you going to have a puddle of aluminum in the matter of seconds. That solder don't have to get anywhere near that hot. Little Coleman butane or propane tanks work much better. But glad you got her going and good job!!
It's funny. I like watching these videos even though I am mainly a motorcycle guy. My in-laws had a Chinese generator that they needed and I was able to get it running because of watching these videos. It had a petcock that was riveted together. Because time was running out I drilled out the rivets and once I had cleaned it out I riveted it back together. Then I ordered a new one for $8.
