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Posted: 11/17/2012 10:16:03 PM EDT
[#1]
Originally Posted By batmanacw:
My hf genny decided it won't run unless it has a little bit of choke. At no choke it loses power and dies. With a little choke it runs very nicely. The air filter is clean as a whistle. Any ideas? The fuel in it is pretty old. Probably a year old. I believe it was synthetic with fuel stabilizer but its been a while. I know I used good oil. Requiring some choke in order to keep the engine running is a textbook symptom of fuel varnish in the carb. You could try running the generator with some Sea Foam added to the gas. If the problem still persists, removing and cleaning the carb might be your only recourse. |
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Posted: 11/17/2012 10:31:36 PM EDT
[#2]
Originally Posted By batmanacw:
My hf genny decided it won't run unless it has a little bit of choke. At no choke it loses power and dies. With a little choke it runs very nicely. The air filter is clean as a whistle. Any ideas? The fuel in it is pretty old. Probably a year old. I believe it was synthetic with fuel stabilizer but its been a while. I know I used good oil. definantly fuel. these like higher octane blends to begin with, if your gas was a year old and an ethanol blend your starving it. |
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Posted: 11/18/2012 8:02:42 AM EDT
[#3]
Originally Posted By The_Beer_Slayer:
Originally Posted By batmanacw:
My hf genny decided it won't run unless it has a little bit of choke. At no choke it loses power and dies. With a little choke it runs very nicely. The air filter is clean as a whistle. Any ideas? The fuel in it is pretty old. Probably a year old. I believe it was synthetic with fuel stabilizer but its been a while. I know I used good oil. definantly fuel. these like higher octane blends to begin with, if your gas was a year old and an ethanol blend your starving it. I will pick up some seafoam and dump the gas and try some fresh stuff. Now that you mention it I think I did use 93 octane for the mixed fuel, but it is a year old. |
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Posted: 11/18/2012 5:34:19 PM EDT
[#4]
This is the post where Batman admits he's an idiot. I was putting the choke on instead of off. It runs fine. Perfect. Smooth. Even easier to start with the new spark plug.
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Posted: 11/18/2012 6:45:28 PM EDT
[#5]
I would go very easy on the Sea Foam as that might tend to strip the oil film from the cylinder walls and other critical areas. Sea Foam was intended to clean valves and combustion chambers - one of the primary missing items in a 2 stroke engine design.
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TX, USA
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Posted: 11/18/2012 8:01:43 PM EDT
[#6]
just wanted to share some real world experience with the little generator and sea foam. I've been running sea foam with every tankful and mine is still going strong after maybe 250 hours spread over a couple years now. I think one of the keys with sea foam is to not assume if a little is good... then alot is even better. I follow the recommendations on the bottle and mix my fuel a gallong at a time to make it simple. Other than changing out the spark plug, my little generator has worked like a champ.
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Posted: 11/18/2012 8:17:04 PM EDT
[Last Edit: WhyTanFox]
[#7]
I picked up a bottle of Husky 2 cycle oil and it says "with fuel stabilizer" on the bottle –– can I mix up a gallon or two at a time and keep them for a year? My main thought is to pre-position a couple of these small generators with family and would like to keep them as ready-to-operate as possible.
ETA Is there a superior 2-stroke oil or gasoline stabilizer out there that I should be using in lieu of what I find on the shelf at Lowe's? |
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Posted: 11/18/2012 8:28:58 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Skibane]
[#8]
There are some "fuel stabilizers" that don't deal with the ethanol problem. For example, the red Sta-Bil version doesn't, but the blue "Marine" version does.
Unless your stabilizer specifically says that it prevents corrosion and moisture accumulation problems caused by ethanol, I wouldn't trust it (unless you're using ethanol-free gas). |
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Posted: 11/18/2012 9:30:41 PM EDT
[#9]
Originally Posted By Skibane:
There are some "fuel stabilizers" that don't deal with the ethanol problem. For example, the red Sta-Bil version doesn't, but the blue "Marine" version does. Unless your stabilizer specifically says that it prevents corrosion and moisture accumulation problems caused by ethanol, I wouldn't trust it (unless you're using ethanol-free gas). Are you sure about that? I bought some the other day and the label said it protected against ethanol. |
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Posted: 11/18/2012 9:58:03 PM EDT
[#10]
Originally Posted By far_right:
Originally Posted By Skibane:
There are some "fuel stabilizers" that don't deal with the ethanol problem. For example, the red Sta-Bil version doesn't, but the blue "Marine" version does. Unless your stabilizer specifically says that it prevents corrosion and moisture accumulation problems caused by ethanol, I wouldn't trust it (unless you're using ethanol-free gas). Are you sure about that? I bought some the other day and the label said it protected against ethanol. I have bottles of both kinds sitting around, and only my blue bottle is labeled as being for gas with ethanol. However, they may have changed the formula of the red version since I bought mine. |
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Posted: 11/19/2012 9:29:02 AM EDT
[#11]
This really frustrates me. I really want one of these but couldn't get two of them to run right.
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TX, USA
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Posted: 11/19/2012 8:43:08 PM EDT
[#12]
Dace, if it makes you feel any better... the first little HF genny I bought was messed up. I ran it about an hour and had to return it. No problem at all with the store and the second one has been a great little genny. Just the 2 or 3 camping trips we do per year have been great with the addition of the little genny. Add to that the fishing trips to the coast where we run the genny from sundown to sunup night fishing and it has more than earned the cheap price of admission. Maybe you should try a third one? Sometimes third time is a charm.
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Posted: 11/19/2012 9:41:50 PM EDT
[#13]
Originally Posted By oldrock:
Dace, if it makes you feel any better... the first little HF genny I bought was messed up. I ran it about an hour and had to return it. No problem at all with the store and the second one has been a great little genny. Just the 2 or 3 camping trips we do per year have been great with the addition of the little genny. Add to that the fishing trips to the coast where we run the genny from sundown to sunup night fishing and it has more than earned the cheap price of admission. Maybe you should try a third one? Sometimes third time is a charm. Just buy half a dozen of 'em, test-run 'em, and keep the best one of the bunch. Given your previous luck, it'll save you a lot of time.
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Posted: 11/20/2012 12:26:41 AM EDT
[#14]
Originally Posted By batmanacw:
This is the post where Batman admits he's an idiot. I was putting the choke on instead of off. It runs fine. Perfect. Smooth. Even easier to start with the new spark plug. HA! I've done that. |
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TX, USA
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Posted: 11/20/2012 10:04:12 AM EDT
[#15]
just reading this thread and giving some thought into the variables with those cheap little gennys and had a couple of thoughts. The variables that I can think of that come into play are:
1. gas octane - I use only mid or high 89/91 octane 2. gas treatment - I use sea foam + stabil in red bottle (both at amount recommended on bottle) 3. oil mix - I use only mercury premium outboard 2 stroke oil 4. spark plug - I use NGK I carry my little genny in a tupperware tote when we go camping or fishing which keeps it clean and also out of sight. When I run the genny, I place the genny on a piece of 3/4" plywood that I keep in the bottom of the tote. When the genny is set up 25' away, it is actually fairly quiet and the plywood gives the genny a nice base to sit on and keeps it out of the dirt or sand or whatever. I still am amazed that my little genny keeps on running but it does. I'm going to be buying one of the 4k champion gennys on black friday so might not be using my little genny much in the future but it sure was a good buy for me. |
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Posted: 11/21/2012 3:57:18 AM EDT
[#16]
Originally Posted By oldrock:
just reading this thread and giving some thought into the variables with those cheap little gennys and had a couple of thoughts. The variables that I can think of that come into play are: 1. gas octane - I use only mid or high 89/91 octane 2. gas treatment - I use sea foam + stabil in red bottle (both at amount recommended on bottle) 3. oil mix - I use only mercury premium outboard 2 stroke oil 4. spark plug - I use NGK I carry my little genny in a tupperware tote when we go camping or fishing which keeps it clean and also out of sight. When I run the genny, I place the genny on a piece of 3/4" plywood that I keep in the bottom of the tote. When the genny is set up 25' away, it is actually fairly quiet and the plywood gives the genny a nice base to sit on and keeps it out of the dirt or sand or whatever. I still am amazed that my little genny keeps on running but it does. I'm going to be buying one of the 4k champion gennys on black friday so might not be using my little genny much in the future but it sure was a good buy for me. In true ARFCOM fasion I got both - Trust me you will keep using the lil HF unit when space and weight are an issue. The Champion 4K is a great unit but it is bigger and heavier by a fair margin, I don't lug it around much but use the HF unit all over. My biggist disappointment on the Champion was its lack of a 220V outlet. I still need a bigger genny just to run my well pump. :( |
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Posted: 11/21/2012 4:13:11 AM EDT
[#17]
Originally Posted By ProfGAB101:
My biggist disappointment on the Champion was its lack of a 220V outlet. Some Champion 4KW models have a 220V outlet. Example here. |
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Posted: 11/21/2012 6:42:43 AM EDT
[#18]
Originally Posted By Skibane:
Originally Posted By ProfGAB101:
My biggist disappointment on the Champion was its lack of a 220V outlet. Some Champion 4KW models have a 220V outlet. Example here. Yep! That is what I bought. |
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Posted: 11/21/2012 2:38:19 PM EDT
[#19]
Check your genny instruction manual for the schematic.
It's very possible your genny head has two 110 windings in parallel that can be rewired to a series 220 config and you can add a 220 recept. Keep in mingd your 110 amperage will be halved. |
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Posted: 11/21/2012 3:24:05 PM EDT
[Last Edit: criley]
[#20]
If you don't want to fight the Black Friday crowds, check current issue- make that Nov '12 - of American Rifleman.
$89 coupon. |
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NC, USA
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Posted: 11/21/2012 4:29:10 PM EDT
[#21]
If you join their Insiders Club, you get $89 price and a $10 gift card.
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AR, USA
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Posted: 11/22/2012 12:31:10 PM EDT
[#22]
On sale Thursday for $88 - http://www.harborfreight.com/800-rated-watts-900-max-watts-portable-generator-66619.html
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Posted: 11/22/2012 2:35:47 PM EDT
[#23]
I was kinda hoping the local HF store was open today.
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Posted: 11/25/2012 10:34:20 AM EDT
[#24]
Last day of the HF sale on this generator. $88.88!!!
Don't forget the 2-year extended warranty, which will bring it up to about $100. |
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Posted: 11/25/2012 4:12:50 PM EDT
[Last Edit: CLICKBANGBANG]
[#25]
Originally Posted By LOW2000:
If I wanted to use it to spin my electric meter backwards by plugging it into a wall socket, would that work? How much gasoline would you go through to break even on the price of the gen vs. $80 worth of electricity? Assume I get gasoline for free. Why do questions like this have come from Ca? |
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Posted: 11/25/2012 4:46:10 PM EDT
[#26]
I was set to buy it on Saturday, but between when I added it to my cart and when I went to check out, they changed it to "in store only". Hour drive each way.
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Posted: 11/25/2012 5:14:33 PM EDT
[#27]
Ooh, the blue ones are in-store only, but the identical red ones (marked "certified for California") are still available to ship. I'm looking to see if there is any substantial difference between the blue and red ones...
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CA, USA
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Posted: 11/25/2012 6:38:07 PM EDT
[#28]
My little guy is running strong during its break in
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Posted: 11/25/2012 11:42:17 PM EDT
[#29]
I was able to pick up a 1200 peak watt geni for 89 at menards on Saturday. labeled eagle river but looks exactly like the all-american geni's. I will try to give a review on here.
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Posted: 11/27/2012 2:17:04 AM EDT
[#30]
If you missed the sale this weekend, the current issue of Motor Trend has a $89.99 coupon on page 112.
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FL, USA
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Posted: 11/27/2012 7:19:06 PM EDT
[#31]
have been on hiatus for awhile, just found this thread again that i started back in jan of 2010! so no one has modfied one of these things yet? no frankenstein honda eu series monsters with the exhaust all jacked up
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need to take my two out of the shed, they have been in there for over a year....stored dry with no gas, hopefully i will not have any issues\. |
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IA, USA
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Posted: 11/27/2012 11:45:14 PM EDT
[Last Edit: dawg69]
[#32]
Originally Posted By JDtalon:
I was able to pick up a 1200 peak watt geni for 89 at menards on Saturday. labeled eagle river but looks exactly like the all-american geni's. I will try to give a review on here. Picked up one as well. I was going to get the HF genny, but Menard's was closer. Runs pretty good so far. Seemed like everyone in the store on black Friday had one in their cart. |
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Posted: 11/28/2012 4:27:06 PM EDT
[#33]
Originally Posted By dawg69: Ran it for a couple hours today. Started up no problems. Ran my chest freezer on it for a while and boiled water with an electric tea kettle at the same time. Then plugged a blender in and the thing still did not kick off. ran all three. Need to do some more testing but I was very impressed what this little guy could do. Nice thing is that it has an 1 AC and 1 DC outlet. It was what I expected for noise . Not terribly loud but not super quiet either. Originally Posted By JDtalon: I was able to pick up a 1200 peak watt geni for 89 at menards on Saturday. labeled eagle river but looks exactly like the all-american geni's. I will try to give a review on here. Picked up one as well. I was going to get the HF genny, but Menard's was closer. Runs pretty good so far. Seemed like everyone in the store on black Friday had one in their cart. |
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Posted: 11/29/2012 3:26:52 PM EDT
[#34]
Took a chance... there's a guy on ebay selling these as open-box returns. Hoping that they wound up getting returned for simple things like the gas cap issue or hard starting due to the spark plug, I took a chance on one for $50 shipped.
 New spark plug is sitting in the garage waiting... say a prayer for me and hope that I didn't screw up! |
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Posted: 11/29/2012 8:04:12 PM EDT
[#35]
Originally Posted By mr_camera_man:
Took a chance... there's a guy on ebay selling these as open-box returns. Hoping that they wound up getting returned for simple things like the gas cap issue or hard starting due to the spark plug, I took a chance on one for $50 shipped.
New spark plug is sitting in the garage waiting... say a prayer for me and hope that I didn't screw up!
Let us know how it turns out. |
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Posted: 11/29/2012 9:41:32 PM EDT
[#36]
Originally Posted By mr_camera_man:
Took a chance... there's a guy on ebay selling these as open-box returns. Hoping that they wound up getting returned for simple things like the gas cap issue or hard starting due to the spark plug, I took a chance on one for $50 shipped.
New spark plug is sitting in the garage waiting... say a prayer for me and hope that I didn't screw up!
Tadd Wholesale? They have tons of them. I just bought one too. Its in pretty decent shape but I haven't fired it up yet. |
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Posted: 11/29/2012 10:49:47 PM EDT
[#37]
Originally Posted By dbrowne1: Originally Posted By mr_camera_man: Took a chance... there's a guy on ebay selling these as open-box returns. Hoping that they wound up getting returned for simple things like the gas cap issue or hard starting due to the spark plug, I took a chance on one for $50 shipped. New spark plug is sitting in the garage waiting... say a prayer for me and hope that I didn't screw up! Tadd Wholesale? They have tons of them. I just bought one too. Its in pretty decent shape but I haven't fired it up yet. Yep... Tadd Wholesale. Get yours running tomorrow so I feel better about my purchase!  |
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Posted: 11/30/2012 7:32:04 PM EDT
[#38]
Did anyone ever figure out the difference between the blue and red units?
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Posted: 11/30/2012 9:27:04 PM EDT
[#39]
Originally Posted By Powerkicker: Did anyone ever figure out the difference between the blue and red units? It was mentioned a few pages back that the red one will run on 87 while 89 is recommended for the blue one. |
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Posted: 12/1/2012 7:37:15 AM EDT
[Last Edit: draver]
[#40]
I bought one from HF and have good results also. I have about 8-10 hours on it and it runs very smooth under a 600 watt load from a portable vacuum cleaner. Not too much noisier than the vacuum either!
I'm interested in hearing any simple ideas for an exhaust routing/muffler system so I can keep it in my garage, and run the fumes and some of the noise outside. Are there small mufflers for go carts, or large model aircraft that might work well without being too bulky? Seems like this should be a popular project with all the new genny's out there. I just did a quick search and found this scooter muffler for $25 that seems like it's close to what I was looking for. Scooter Muffler Any other opinions or suggestions? |
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Posted: 12/1/2012 3:44:19 PM EDT
[#41]
Frankly, I've had less than good luck trying to quiet small engines with external and additional muffliers.
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Posted: 12/4/2012 8:40:55 AM EDT
[Last Edit: dbrowne1]
[#42]
Originally Posted By mr_camera_man:
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
Originally Posted By mr_camera_man:
Took a chance... there's a guy on ebay selling these as open-box returns. Hoping that they wound up getting returned for simple things like the gas cap issue or hard starting due to the spark plug, I took a chance on one for $50 shipped.
New spark plug is sitting in the garage waiting... say a prayer for me and hope that I didn't screw up!
Tadd Wholesale? They have tons of them. I just bought one too. Its in pretty decent shape but I haven't fired it up yet. Yep... Tadd Wholesale. Get yours running tomorrow so I feel better about my purchase!
I'm disappointed in mine. I bought one that supposedly had all its parts, but the gas tank is leaking (apparently from a seam, not the petcock) and it's missing a fuel tank bolt (1 of 4, not a big deal). The engine runs well but it's not producing any AC power, and the breaker is loose inside the panel. I'm debating whether to try to salvage it. |
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Posted: 12/4/2012 8:53:06 AM EDT
[#43]
Originally Posted By dbrowne1: Originally Posted By mr_camera_man: Originally Posted By dbrowne1: Originally Posted By mr_camera_man: Took a chance... there's a guy on ebay selling these as open-box returns. Hoping that they wound up getting returned for simple things like the gas cap issue or hard starting due to the spark plug, I took a chance on one for $50 shipped. New spark plug is sitting in the garage waiting... say a prayer for me and hope that I didn't screw up! Tadd Wholesale? They have tons of them. I just bought one too. Its in pretty decent shape but I haven't fired it up yet. Yep... Tadd Wholesale. Get yours running tomorrow so I feel better about my purchase! I'm disappointed in mine. I bought one that supposedly had all its parts, but the gas tank is leaking (apparently from a seam, not the petcock) and it's missing a fuel tank bolt (1 of 4, not a big deal). The engine runs well but it's not producing any AC power, and the breaker is loose inside the panel. I'm debating whether to try to salvage it. That's not what I wanted to hear... try again.  Sorry yours didn't work out... mine will arrive later today, I'll report back once I get it running.As far as the gas tank leak, I've used Kreem successfully in the past on motorcycle tanks with similar problems, but it may be more money than you want to throw at this. For the lack of AC output, have you tried field flashing? |
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Posted: 12/4/2012 10:09:10 AM EDT
[#44]
Originally Posted By mr_camera_man:
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
I'm disappointed in mine. I bought one that supposedly had all its parts, but the gas tank is leaking (apparently from a seam, not the petcock) and it's missing a fuel tank bolt (1 of 4, not a big deal). The engine runs well but it's not producing any AC power, and the breaker is loose inside the panel. I'm debating whether to try to salvage it. That's not what I wanted to hear... try again. Sorry yours didn't work out... mine will arrive later today, I'll report back once I get it running.
As far as the gas tank leak, I've used Kreem successfully in the past on motorcycle tanks with similar problems, but it may be more money than you want to throw at this. For the lack of AC output, have you tried field flashing? I sent a message to Tadd and asked them to send me a new gas tank. That shouldn't be a problem as they have tons of these laying around in various states of disrepair. I'll see what they say. I doubt the generator head has any magnetic issues. That is quite rare. I suspect it's a wiring issue and I'm going to pull it apart and inspect/test it with a meter to see if I can fix that. I should have just bought one new at HF for $89 on black Friday. |
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Posted: 12/4/2012 11:15:50 AM EDT
[#45]
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
I doubt the generator head has any magnetic issues. That is quite rare. It's the most common cause of no AC output, by far. |
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Posted: 12/4/2012 11:23:17 AM EDT
[#46]
Originally Posted By Skibane:
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
I doubt the generator head has any magnetic issues. That is quite rare. It's the most common cause of no AC output, by far. Interesting. Well, in that case maybe I'll give it a shot. The 7A breaker tests OK, resistance on the alternator seems to be correct (infinite) from what I can tell. No obvious wiring faults. |
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Posted: 12/4/2012 11:32:17 AM EDT
[#47]
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
Originally Posted By Skibane:
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
I doubt the generator head has any magnetic issues. That is quite rare. It's the most common cause of no AC output, by far. Interesting. Well, in that case maybe I'll give it a shot. The 7A breaker tests OK, resistance on the alternator seems to be correct (infinite) from what I can tell. No obvious wiring faults. 
Infinite resistance means open circuit. Sure you don't mean zero resistance? |
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Posted: 12/4/2012 12:28:10 PM EDT
[#48]
Originally Posted By R2point0:
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
Originally Posted By Skibane:
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
I doubt the generator head has any magnetic issues. That is quite rare. It's the most common cause of no AC output, by far. Interesting. Well, in that case maybe I'll give it a shot. The 7A breaker tests OK, resistance on the alternator seems to be correct (infinite) from what I can tell. No obvious wiring faults.
Infinite resistance means open circuit. Sure you don't mean zero resistance? No, I mean infinite. Which is what it should be. Low resistance from one alternator terminal to ground indicates a short. |
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Posted: 12/4/2012 12:29:28 PM EDT
[#49]
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
Originally Posted By R2point0:
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
Originally Posted By Skibane:
Originally Posted By dbrowne1:
I doubt the generator head has any magnetic issues. That is quite rare. It's the most common cause of no AC output, by far. Interesting. Well, in that case maybe I'll give it a shot. The 7A breaker tests OK, resistance on the alternator seems to be correct (infinite) from what I can tell. No obvious wiring faults.
Infinite resistance means open circuit. Sure you don't mean zero resistance? No, I mean infinite. Which is what it should be. Low resistance from one alternator terminal to ground indicates a short. Across the terms??? |
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Posted: 12/4/2012 12:34:55 PM EDT
[Last Edit: dbrowne1]
[#50]
Originally Posted By EXPY37:
Across the terms??? No, from one and each terminal to the chassis. |
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