will it run? seized china generator 

I'm sure many of people know but if you don't, turn off the gas while the engine is running and let it die. Gets the gas out of carb and helps prevent many of the issues that mustie1 is so good at fixing.

Hi from Australia . I enjoy your videos very much My 8 kva Chinese generator seized while running . Strip down showed the valve guide had broken up and jammed the piston . Piston was found to be ok after I stripped the engine down . $30 for a new head and gasket it has been running fine for the last 3 years . People told me I should have bought a Honda at 10 times the cost but my el cheapo 6 year old generator is fine in my workshop running all my power tools including my welders ..

Hey Mustie. I have been quietly following your videos for a while, but I just wanted to thank you for the clear, relaxed videos. I just bought a 1985 Honda V65 that has been sitting for years. I would not have the confidence to take on this project or do other motorcycle and small engine repairs without your videos. Again, thank you.

I always learn a trick or two from your videos. When you fixed the garden tractor hydrostatic transmission a few weeks ago it reminded me to check the oil in my tractor transmission. When I added some oil it stopped slipping. Your trick with the small screwdriver helped me get the rubber plug out of the top of the tranny. Thanks.

The o-ring on the plastic pilot (idle) jet should be inspected or replaced when the carburetor is serviced. If the o-ring is falling apart it will run rich and drive you crazy trying to troubleshoot. I replace these all the time on Honda HS series snowblowers. I also remember to remove all rubber gaskets before it goes into the ultrasonic cleaner. I've learned the swollen rubber lesson a few times! Honda PE certified technician.

Hi Mustie got a Robin EH25 that was soaked in water. Stripped it down and washed out completely, honed cylinder and put together. Had to make all the gaskets. Got it running but wont idle. Will have to do a carb clean. You wont believe how much gunk came out of it. Your videos have been a great help.

Nice job, after 60 years of doing this kind of stuff I'm still learning. Patience, Diligence, Perseverance, Your one hell of a guy. Now you needs a 150X100 Pole building with a three bedroom house on the roof !! :-) :-). Enjoy you videos very calming...

Back in high school my friend and I would buy cars that were sitting in folks yards, fix them up and sell them... Often we would find an engine with the same issue, my fix was to fill the cylinders with Marvel Mystery Oil, let it sit for a day, then hit the crank bolt with a breaker bar... Never had it fail :)

I bought a HF 8750W generator and although it’s made in China, it starts on the first pull & ran for 12 hours straight (as spec’d in the manual) during one of this past NE winter storms. When I put it away in the garage, I first drained the tank, then drained the bowl & put the drain screw inside the tank fuel strainer so I don’t forget to put it back in the next time I need it. The theory is to leave the screw out so all of the gas can evaporate and no water can condense in there, causing a blockage.

Love your channel. I picked up a great 1968 eska golden jet 5hp outboard engine. Took me 4 hours of 10 year hibernation maintenance and $33 total including the engine. Good little outboard.😎

Excellent video. I had a similar issue with one in my shop surging, finally took out the black idle/throttle screw on top of the carb and increased the size of the little jet to the next size with a miniature drill bit, and it worked great. EPA is trying to run small engines a little to lean. Thanks for the great video's.

I really love "Will it run?" episodes. Thanks for making them!

I was a generator mechanic in the army so I know a lot about those things I would have taken the gas tank off first thing so I could get to the govinor easily and everything else .

Every time I watch your videos, I think to myself "school is in session." You teach, I learn.

These generator videos are super helpful with learning how to fix engines

Down Cape May NJ holiday weekend Mustie rang, we watch, while family still sleeping, all those little carb parts would be all over the floor, never would figure out how to put it all back, your a legend Mustie, have a great holiday

Many thanks for your many videos. It takes me back over 60, ears, when as a 7 year old, I use to inquire what my Dad was doing in h if s workshop. He was not formally trained, but could do everything. He had alsorts of pullers to take off magneto, to get to points. I remember the screw in pullers of assorted sixes, he had made himself. He I often worked on B & S, Villiers and Anzani engines. He use to rebuild Howard Bantam rotlvators. I vividly remember the parts washer. In those days a tin with paraffin (kerosine) and a small brush. Thank you for bri ging my childhood rushing back

thank you for this video, you just saved me a new chipper. My chipper was frozen after hurricane Irma and Maria , I didn't know what to do and was about to chunk it in the trash pile and buy another one, I followed your instructions and it freed the piston and I think it will sart when I try it. thanks once again for the secret.

A Friend's "pull start" generator saved my family by allowing us to heat the house after Hurricane Sandy... after that, my home, and my parent's home got a 24HP briggs generator outside that runs on Natural Gas. Love that thing! And I remember to service it every November.

Just before you started it, I said OIL? Right then you said "Yes I added oil" felt like I was right there buggin' you. COOL

You my friend have mastered the art of "make it run" once again. Your skills are above what we see today in engine repair. Congratulations on a job well done!

I just realized, since watching Mustie over the past few years I am no longer guilty of the sometimes 5, 10, or 30 years goes issue by anymore. Oh, I was guilty in the past. Thanks for showing me how to unseize a motor that seized while sitting. Had a riding mower do that to me and I did not know what to about it so I pretty much gave it away. Never again.

Your neighbor is lucky you're his neighbor. Quite a lot of work you did, all said and done. Thanks for sharing!

Great videos. I think everyone needs to learn small engine repair instead of throwing everything away

It's Friday night, sitting here on the coast of Central Florida awaiting the arrival of hurricane Dorian.. I dragged out my generator. Perhaps 7 or 8 years old, but never used. As an avid watcher of your channel I felt I was prepared to do battle with whatever ailments this old gal might have in store for me. It is a BlackMax 6560 bought at Sam's. I checked the oil and about 1/8 inch showed on the very tip of the dipstick. I added nearly a quart more and it seemed full. Added half a gallon of gas, switched on, gave her full choke and yanked the cord. She coughed, once, farted once and took off running. The only fix I had to make was removing the wheels, and filling with air - easier than dragging it to garage or dragging compressor to the backyard. Wish us all luck in the coming days. Dorian's track keeps changing - the best would be if she creeps east out over the ocean as she makes her way north toward us.

Nicely recovered :-D, yes its cheap but it's a shame to let any generator die. Your ultrasonic bath is a handy tool, cleaned that carb a treat :-D

I was given a generator that I was told was seized. My first instinct was to check the oil. Oil looked new, and was at the proper level. Could not pull the recoil. I removed the recoil.The bolted on cup was too fragile to use a screwdriver. I used an 1/16 deep socket and breaker bar. I pushed down, to my left. I had movement. I took the breaker bar to the right. More movement. I turned a few more right hand circles and installed the recoil. The engine turned over when I pulled on it. I scared up a spark plug and installed it.After setting the choke properly, the motor started on the third pull. The volt meter showed 120 volts. I plugged in my hand sander, and it had power. I plugged in my jigsaw and it worked. A running generator and power output! Gotta love it!

I got an 11 hp honda welder/generator of a guy for a bottle of rum as eight months ago he had taken the carby off of it to fix it but left with the carby off. So for eight-month moisture got into it had seized solid. when I saw this I did the same thing as you did and it seems to have worked I have ordered and other carby off-of eBay only cost 18 dolors but won't know if its qoing to then. Thank you so much for this.

Looks like one of those Huyei carbs. Clone of a Honda. They use those things on most of those Chinese engines. Biggest thing to watch on those carbs is the plastic idle jets. They have an extremely tiny orifice that plugs easy and is hard to clean. Sometimes they will surge and the problem is that low speed jet. I’ve even heard of drilling them out slightly to fix the surge.

My snowblower has a 179cc China Engine, looks like the same carb. It hunts until it warms up and has been reliable for the past ten years. The primer bulb rotted and last year was the first carb cleaning because it was running rough (lean) and the surge never went away. I have really done nothing to the engine besides change the oil and I have run it hard during winter storms.

Definitely been standing for more than a year. Nicely done bud.

I've got a pulsar 3200 and i drain the gas out while not in use, it's the only genset I've got to run my camper off of, I was told to drain the fuel out if not in use for some time. Very useful information great video! I certainly appreciate it

It's kind of important if you want to run electronics or something motorized off of it to set the RPM close as possible to what it should be. Hook a kill-o-watt or similar to it and make sure you get the hZ as close to 60 as possible by seeing the RPM. Some micrometers have a frequency function too but the kill-o-watt is safer.

A friend of mine bought a used motorcycle. Started and idled fine. She asked me to ride it home for her. It would not accelerate unless I had the enrichner (choke) pulled out. Got it to her house (luckily on back roads where I did not need much speed) and started to work the problem. Fuel flow was good. Spark was good on both cylinders. Finally pulled the carb and the main jet was caked with black crud. Cleaned all that up and it runs smooth now. So often just a rudimentary cleaning of the carb will resurrect an engine. I think there is this mythical belief that a carburetor is a no go zone and beyond complex when really the basic parts are easy to disassemble and clean. I remember the disappointment on my roommates face when I pulled apart the carbs on my 82 Virago and he was I guess expecting faeries and rainbows to come out. "Is that it?" he said. Yup, a few tiny holes and some basic scientific principles...

AC Delco... wow there's a name I haven't seen or heard (well, in my country/city) of in many years... I can still recall the adverts on radio / TV with the lyrics (To Chuck Berry's "Riding Along In My Automobile") going... Riding along in my automobile, my baby beside me at the wheel, AC Delco's where its at, for plugs 'n points 'n thermostats... The only place you need to go.. AC Deelcooo" Hahaha great old school ad!

Glad you got it running! Sounds like it's running lean at low loads, causing the surging. These carbs have an idle / low-load circuit with a fixed jet. It's very sensitive to anything making it run lean, since they were worried about emissions and made it as lean as possible from the factory. The air filter acts as a choke and helps to enrich it a little. Raising the float level can help a little, as well.

Found a disposal point for your bad gas/oil that you don't want to keep around. You may have a Bulk terminal near you (I have several) (big town), and they will take it usually as long as it's gas or oil. They usually have a waste tank for reworking bad gas pumped from the bottom of underground tanks. They have to do this when they get too much condensate water in the tanks. Bad gas goes back to the refinery to be reworked back into fuel.

Good fix and good video. Years ago I used to use a 2 part epoxy coating on the inside of, mostly, motorcycle tanks that had gotten rusty. You had to mix the 2 parts, pour it in the tank, then rotate the tank for a while to get the coating all around and let it set up. As I remember, it wasn't that expensive.

5 years go by - -10 years go by - - 30 years go by - - I feel like I'm having breakfast every ten minutes!

While i´m watching your videos, it made me realize that searching for other videos depicting the problem i want solved in my particular engine is useless, i better just watch all of your videos, it is a much more better learning experience. it has helped me many times. A deeply thank you!!!

As a kid, we had a neighbor who was always tinkering in the garage. With no kids of his own, he was the favorite of the neighborhood kids. He was 82nd airborne and had jumped into Normandy on D-day. If only I had known what we had there !! But we were too little to appreciate. Except he made us all laugh.

Thank you for explaining how gas gets into the oil. I've had this happen on two Ryobi engines- one is a power washer, and the other is my Ryobi inverter generator. In the power washer, the air filter was completely soaked with what appeared to be gas and maybe oil, and in both cases, the engine actually seized up while running. I fixed both the generator and power washer by draining all of the oil and changing it and both engines seem to have fixed themselves & they both work great now. I also now make sure to run the engines periodically just to make sure it works fine, as well as shut off the fuel on the power washer (generator doesn't have a specific fuel shut off, but I think the "stop" position on the only control they give you does shut off fuel). I thought it had to do something with the crankcase breather tube, but the idea that gas draining from the carb into the cylinder and into the crankcase seems to make more sense. And in the case of the power washer, the gas probably did make its way from the carb down into the air filter, so bad carburetor to some degree seems logical. I'm lucky more damage wasn't done and that simply changing the oil was all it took.

Tempus Fugit. Just the other day we were talking about when we had installed a certain machine at work and we agreed it had been three years, we looked up the paperwork on the installation...6 years, lol.

The boat fuel tank idea is the right way to go. Take the old tank off and make a shelf for the removable tank to sit on.

Excellent work, Mustie1. Thank you for the video. Being that gasoline is a ultra light oil- that flood condition saved the crankcase internals. That heated ultrasonic parts cleaner continues to save the day, and is perfect for situations like this. ATF is the #1 choice for freeing a seized engine or electric motor.

thanks to your videos on generators, i took a gamble with a $100 on a 5k watt gen that wouldnt start, was told it ran the last time. long story short is the fuel tank and carb are very clean but the oil pressure sensor didnt let it send spark. oil level is good, disconected it, starts right up 😎😎 thanks for your great videos and explaining with detail what your doing!!!

Some guys get to play all the time. Thanks for letting us watch.

For 4 years, I did small engine repair for a company. We did warranty repairs mostly but we'd get some walk in stuff too. The most fun I had was with lawnmowers that seized due to oil starvation. Customer would buy a mower, assume there was already oil in it.....despite the bottle of oil that came in the box..... and mow, god only knows, however much of their lawn before the engine just ceased to rotate anymore. I had darn good luck with them too. They would blame the equipment. The problem description was always "Recoil is not working" or something to that effect. I would find oil so clean, you'd think I had just poured it in. That's because the customer tended to find the error of their ways (after it seized) and put the oil in that came with the brand new unit. I would then call them and say "This can go one of two ways. I can tear this engine down and find the scored surfaces. Based on what they look like, I'll know that it was operator error and not manufacturing defects. It wont get warrantied and you'll have a tore down pile of junk. The other option is I can free it up. If it goes smoothly, you pay me 40 dollars and walk out with a running mower." Sounding defeated, they always picked option two hahahaha Id work the blade/crank back and forth until it got smooth, then I'd let it rip. I only ever had one engine that didn't survive the revival process. The connecting rod was stuck way too good to the crank and it snapped off. I saw alot of Husqvarna mowers with stuck valves too, Exhaust valve if I remember correctly. Pull valve cover, smack the valve stem with a hammer, good as new.

Wish I have a neighbor just like you.

A work ethic without thinking about it for helping a neighbor....Bravo.

To repair rusty gas tanks I use that eco friendly rust remover and then seal the tanks with "red kote". It's meant for motorcycle gas tanks, but the gas tanks don't care. Just let it cure for a week.

A lot of older small engines have carburetors which were not intended for use with gasoline containing ethanol. When gas is left in them for a long time the ethanol eats away the seat for the needle valve letting gas leak right into the engine. That happened in my neighbor's snow blower after fixing the carburetor I use the fuel shutoff valve and let the engine run itself out of gas instead of just killing the ignition. After several years it still runs well with no problems.

This Gen looks almost like the HF 3000 watt I have. This is a good reminder video not to leave the gas valve on and leave your fuel untreated or in the tank at all.

One of the things I like about your videos is that you utilize compressed air to clear out your carburetors. I cannot think of a single carburetor that I have worked on and not use my compressor. If a family member or a good friend ask me to come over to their house to look at something for them, I made sure I bring my 10-gallon air can. I enjoy watching your videos. I'm hoping soon as things get back to normal. I cannot even get anyting I normally order before spring kicks in. Most of the vendors I deal with are on eBay and none of them are shipping parts. They're taking orders but not making deliveries quite yet. I don't know about you but I'm surely not going to pay for something when somebody tells me I cannot tell you when you're going to get it. He'll the things I've ordered could fit in an envelope. I like to make sure I'm prepared. I still have a small supply of things but that's for my stuff or family.

I had an issue with my generator which is made by Champion. I believe it's assembled in Canada from Chinese made parts. They were kind enough to send me a new tank and carburetor free of charge.

Mustie you are one resourceful dude! My younger brother and I would probably hang out with you way too often wrenching on stuff like this and learning the tricks.

I really enjoy all your video's particularly the generator one's. That might be a little boring for you but I think they're interesting . Never had a problem with your'e lighting and sound is good. Been watching you for some time and long may you continue. Very best wishes to you and your family...

Everyone needs a neighbour like you Mustie

Flush the tank, then fill the tank with muriatic acid, do that a couple times, then put some rustoleum rust reformer in it slosh that around, replace the cap. On some engines that idle hunting means your idle is set to low.

Tank looks like my durostar. I bet a replacement is fairly easy to find and cheap.

Saved another one from the scrap yard

I picked up the same generator out of a friends junk pile, told me the engine is trash and take it if you want. Turned out that for some reason the coil was hitting the flywheel, it was weird cause it wasn't rusty or swollen, reset the air gap and almost 10yrs later it's still going.

Modern fuel is such crap. ALLWAYS drain and run dry. Thanks

I have no real interest in these things and I know very little about them but it was a pleasure to watch. Really good to see someone who knows their stuff at work :)

Sunday school with Mustie!!! Got the spirit of machanical enlightment flowing this morning !!!!

Thanks for another video. I noticed my predator gen hunted to this spring when I first got it, but started it yesterday for its quarterly run and it ran fine. It liked the warm weather. TIP: I got tired of switching tips on my air nozzle and swiped the inflator off of one of those disposable helium tanks. Works great for blowing out passages. It threads right on to a quick connect and has a nice variable air flow.

Looks like a “huayi” carb. Pretty available and not a lot of money. Pretty common carb but you probably know that already.

I especially like the t shirt. I had a green one like that it was almost clear due to wear. Wife made me get rid of it as it was going to get the washer drain clogged at some point. Started a new collection. So many issues could be corrected with proper maintenance-job security! Thanks Bro love the videos!

I was just looking through old vid waiting for another video 👍👍😂

Another reason to always turn your fuel off. I would have never thought about the fuel going all the way into the oil and cause the piston to freeze. Nice. It’s good to have added more trouble shooting knowledge to my arsenal 😆👍🏻

New to commenting on vids! Love your vids kinda caught up on all you have made. very good stuff.. Great job.. Thanxs again for great stuff..

Looks EXACTLY like my Generac Centurion with blue paint and an AC Delco sticker. It's surprisingly a good generator although I generally start it once a year so crap like that doesn't happen. We don't need those much in the south.

Another save by the Mustie1, good job.

Well done. Regarding the stuck throttle, I would have tried spraying carb cleaner through the carb throat and letting it soak a minute or so to see if that would free up the throttle plate. If so, that would avoid the disassembly of the governor linkage.

Sunday, waiting for the upcoming hurricane. Now I have to get my generator out and checked. Looks like Alberto is now taking dead aim my area in Florida.

Cleanest hands I have ever seen on a real mechanic

The "cold hunting" issue sounds like my POSgen project generator, just needed the governor adjusting to the right frequency and it stopped being a PITA... :) Not actually used it for any serious purpose to date though, just used it as a learning project... :P

I have a leaf blower, pretty much brand new. Used it enough to break it in, then let it sit. It's been sitting a good two or three years. No idea how difficult it's going to be to get running. Also have a weedeater that has been sitting just about as long, but it has carb issues (floods to the point gas comes out the air intake, despite rebuilding it). I also have a push mower that has been sitting for just about as long in the weather. It overheats hence why I stopped using it. Plastic carb so probably junk. Then I have a riding mower with carb issues that's been sitting a good four or five years. It ran when it was parked but flooded. I've not touched it because I just haven't. Not sure if it's worth the trouble because a lot of parts have to be replaced and it might just be cheaper to buy a used working riding mower. Currently I have someone mow my yard for me. I got tired of fooling with it. One of these days I'm going to at least get the blower and weedeater running.

Even though being Chinese made it's a neighbors so a man should give it a good shot,, "awesome fix" there Mustie'.

I bought one of these and it hunted like that right out of the box especially at low load. With the choke 1/4 closed it would smooth out. I figured it was running lean so I filed the main jet one size bigger with a MIG tip cleaning file. Now she runs like a swiss watch at any load level. I heard something about these EPA rated carbs being too lean.

best thing about doing a video of it happens again just send your neighbor a video of the fix

Hey Mustie1. I’m truly a fan. Just now beginning to fix stuff on my own and i can say i really only watch two of you (donyboy73 and you). You guys have shown me how “I can do it”. One of your videos cuts to a boat ride on Lake Winnipasauke and another you referred to going for a motorcycle ride and when NH registrations are due. (And your truck has NH plates). Being from NH myself i am even more intrigued to watch. Keep up the great work

Thank you sir. Love all your videos

I have one identical to this one. Great little gennies. Runs on 6 gallons for about 14 hrs. Comes with Honda Civic muffler for noise.

I have worked on many of these with the same problems. I don't understand why GM or Snap On would license the AC Delco name or Snap On name to products like these which are not up to par quality wise to legitimate Honda or Yamaha products. These generators should be branded China Clone.

Fantastic Video Mustie. :) reminds me of the days when i worked on lawn mowers back in the '70's........ However, your very in depth video on 4 stroke engines brought back memories too. 1 year?, 5 years, 15 years? LOL.....how true Thankyou for sharing this, and i share it too. Thumbs UP!

i think thats the dirtiest carb ive seen on your channel

Adding some SEA foam after the cab rebuild always works for me! It will stop the engine from galloping by cleaning the built up varnish inside the fuel path.

That was fun what are we gunna fix next

I know this is an old video, however, another option for the gas tank is to have it "boiled out" at a radiator shop. Then, use a tank sealer kit. If there's no radiator shop in your area, the cleaning could also be done at most automotive machine shops since "hot tanking" of engine blocks, heads etc. is basically the same thing. The tank seal kits that I've used actually work quite well, and, do come with a cleaner, but, I always have them boiled first just as a precaution.

Its entertanement and learning at the same time... Hey grammar guy...Did I spell that right??

Had a customer with a PowerMate generator, basically the same thing (all these China generators pretty much are). He dropped it off with old gas in the tank. It sat around for a few years and the petcock was just packed full of old varnishy gas. The fuel screen under the gas cap was all rotted out, the screen in the pet was all rotted out. I pulled out all the old screen material, cleaned the tank the best I could, and just added an inline fuel filter. Threw it all back together and it was surging just like this. Turned out to be a plugged main jet. I've also had mowers with similar surging problems, and most of the time it's just something small. It's kind of crazy how the slightest error in adjustment or air/fuel ratio can throw governors way off.

Looking for a house in Mustie's neighborhood! !

Great job, great repair, as usual. I really enjoy all of your videos. Your gift and talent amazes and inspires me to never give up on any machinery. You really work miracles....

Fresh out of the cleaner, straight into the tray with the foul fuel...

Nice fix, Mustie...currently 'the e of bay' has several fuel tanks at about 70 bucks....your neighbour should be okay..

This generator is in good condition

Usually when I can’t get those throttle linkages undone, I’ll double nut the stud and remove both studs to get the carb to rotate how I need it to. I try to stay far far away from messing with the gov if at all possible. I’ve seen one of your other generator videos when you messed with the gov and it and totaled the project.

Thanks for the Vids Mustie1.

Extremely knowledgeable guy, you know what you are talking about.