That last battery sounded quite tired. Wash the top of the battery, as a dirty battery helps with creep power. (Drains your batteries over time). Also if the starter motor cannot spin the motor fully, it needs charging, or replacing. I have a 8kW generator with the 192f engine in it and the starter is a 1,9kW unit, and it has a 95Ah Gel battery for starting. (See my video for the first run..) The starter howls when engaged, and spins my engine at 3 times the speed (without pressing the decomp-lever) faster than I can pull the pullstart (with the decop-lever held down).. I will make a cold-start video of my generator and upload this weekend.. Good quality fully synthetic engine oil is also a must for these small air cooled diesels. They run great on HVO or RME.
Decompression lever is there when you are using recoil start not Necessary for electric start however he went from one bad battery to another bad battery.
I bought a used Yanmar clone, and it came without the recoil starter. I bought one for it, but I haven't installed it yet. It also came from a generator. The engine was otherwise complete except for the muffler. I'll make one work on it.
Around 15 minutes into the video you mentioned a corroded circuit board, well this is the very thing I would like to know about. It is the oil alert which stops the engine if it detects low oil pressure. I have two generators and both have had issues with this circuit caused by dry joints or wires falling off with all the vibration. I would be very grateful for a circuit diagram or an explanation of how this system works if anyone knows.
This is nerve wracking. Ether can start but a gas engine sized blast can blow up inside like a grenade. No more ether/heptane. Your battery is insufficient. In cold weather, you pour hot water on the engine. Clean injector? Like surgery clean. Change the oil. Downthrottle it. It never needs a blast. In two three cranks, it should be starting up. A high idle is normal.
