Generator Hard to Pull Start? Check These 5 Things to Fix!
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2024
- This video covers 5 common reasons that a generator might be hard to pull start.
Video on how to fix a recoil start assembly: • How to Fix a Recoil St...
The most common reason a generator is hard to pull start is hydrolock, which is where liquid gas or oil is sitting on top of the piston and cannot be compressed when you try to pull the cord.
Removing the spark plug, pulling the cord a few times, and replacing the spark plug should clear this problem up.
As a general rule, a generator will be hard to pull start due to hydrolock in the cylinder, a malfunctioning recoil start assembly, a damaged flywheel or flywheel keys, the piston is seized, or the compression release is broken.
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Thanks for the video. Your hydrolock diagnosis and tip quickly solved what I thought was a big problem.
Same for me! Thanks so much!
Great video. For the possibly partially seized cylinder (corroded) I have found putting in a little oil as suggested and then using a screwdriver in the pull start slotted cup (remove recall starter), I could work that gently round clockwise + counter until it became more free. Once free-ed up sufficiently it was easy to start. You are right that once started that oil with produce some smoke for a short time!
WOW!! Your intelligence is very attractive, and your video helped start my generator when I thought there wasn't any chance of it ever starting again....Thanks
Thank you for this video. I have a pulsar 6500 dual fuel which is a few years old with under 50 hours on it. Few weeks ago had a hard pull couldn't get the flywheel to move without coaxing it as soon as I got a turn it started right up. Same thing just happened again after a few weeks. Would appreciate any thoughts or advice. Thank you again!
Hi,
Have an almost new gx200 clone. Started running rough. There is leakage on the exhaust valve. Any attempt to set the backlash (even at zero), negates the compression release and I cannot pull the rope. Can't find a sweet spot.
Thank you so much for explaining the remedies to starting issues. I have a Duramax 4000 generator from 2019 with a 208CC engine that starts so much easier than my auger with a 52CC engine. Is there a better recoil starter in the generator? Will I be able to replace the older recoil on the auger with an easy start recoil?
Alright, so I have an almost new westinghouse generator that I usually turn the gas off and let the gas run out to kill the generator not leaving any gas set besides the tank. While doing this one day I had a backfire and every since it's been hard to pull start it. Figured gas might be leaking into it even though I had the gas turned off so I pulled the plug and gave it a few pulls in case but when I put the spark plug back in it when straight back to hard pull. This generator can't have but maybe 20 hours if that. I use it just about every weekend since I got it for a hour sometimes maybe 5 hours at the most. To run my camper just until I get my power plug put in. Any ideas?
Generator hard to pull start problem sorted! Thank you!😀
You have help me out so much thank you 😊
My pleasure!
Hi, I have a Predator generator that has less than 20 hours, about 3 years old. We had a blackout the other week and my powerstation ran out of juice so I thought I'd bring out the Predator. It would not crank so I added new oil which did start but it died within a few seconds. The pull cord then locked up and I couldn't even pull it to start. I drained the oil but I think I may have flooded the motor with too much oil. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I recently acquired six generators for free. Three of them are now operating properly and I only put a total of $1.99 for parts. One of them I have not finished the diagnosis yet but two identical duromax xp13000eh units were both impossible to pull start and even the electric starter was not able to turn the engine with a fully charged battery and jumper cables attached from my pickup truck. Only tried that with one of the POS duromax generators. Then I removed the cylinder head and found that the exhaust valve broke and ended up in the piston sideways. Then took the cylinder head off the second durocrap and found the same thing. I'm happy they were both free lol. After attempting to contact the manufacturer by email to get replacement parts, never got a response. I have found a suitable replacement valve that is for an automotive engine and am going to attempt to repair the hole in the piston with an oxyacetylene torch and some aluminum stick welding rod. If it works out, that would be cool as whale shit. If not, I don't really have much to lose other than some time. Either way it should be a good learning experience. So the point is that a broken valve jammed into the piston could be another reason why a generator would not pull start, and in my opinion, duromax generators are fucking junk. The strange thing is that one of the duromax engines looked like it had many many hours of run time, but the other one looked as if it was almost brand new. For a company that touts how great their products are and how they are so proud of them being engineered and supposedly manufactured in the USA, I find that extremely difficult to believe. Looks like some Chinese junk to me. From the lack of response to my email and no availability of parts that I could find online I am certainly glad that I am not the original purchaser of those generators and hope that the people who did pay money for those were refunded or supplied new products from a different manufacturer.
Thank you so very much all very well worded. Definitely had hydralock. All fixed now
My Craftsman Briggs 7kw used to just knock or click couple times when I hit the starter but then start .now it just knocks cant pull start either. Ideas?
You blew my mind. God bless you
Thanks for the video, I think it going to help me, thanks
it'd be great to see these examples
I assume a critter lodged something in the fan behind the recoil wheel but I can't remove the recoil start assembly because some genius at Briggs & Stratton used rivets! Any ideas? I can't imagine why they wouldn't use hex screws or something that would allow you to remove/replace the pull cord assembly.
You can drill out rivets. Drill straight through the center of the rivet (hopefully smaller drill bit than the size of the hole the rivet (or bolt) would thread through).
Thanks learn something everyday would over never figured out hydrolock
Thanks I had a hydro lock for some reason I have to turn off my fuel it keeps dripping idk
I have a eu3000is that is very hard to tryband pull the recoil even with the plug removed. The valves are moving fine and the piston isn't seized.. it ran great a few months ago when I serviced it for the customer but he said it started smoking and then quit. They had put too much oil in it and the gas is bad but even after changing the oil and removing the spark plug it is still way too hard to pull start and the electric starter can baring turn it over
It started out i was able to pull the rope then a few minutes later it wouldn't pull would it be because i tilted it up to see how to drain the gas
My ryobi generator pull handle will pull and retract, but it won’t turn the engine and has no resistance really at all… any ideas??
Hello, i bought a Ryobi 5500 watt brand new two years ago then been used once under 5 hours and has been seat over a year then two weeks ago i was used it about 5 hours and then i want to use it again when i pull it the engine is very hard to turn, i broked two pull cord now. and i watch youtube about it and i bought a marvel mystery oil put into cyclinder and still do the same. Can you help me Please,
Super easy to assemble and start up for quick efficient use
Thanks. I think I know the problem now
Valves are out of adjustment.. could cause motor to be hard to pull.. say like what mine just did to me. The exhaust valve got tightened some how so you could pull to a point and hear the intake suck a bunch of air in then as soon as you hit that rotation for exhaust stroke it would stop and make you have to put a leg on it.. then once your over the hump it would get easy again. But if she fired after that exhaust stroke shes taking your arm back with the pull string.. so adjusting the valves did it for me. Got me thinking when you said compression release.. was at a head scratching time and hurt arm, hurt wrist with a broken drill.. fyi use an adapter clutch if your gonna try to start a motor with a drill..
My loncin gf200 pullstart will not work. Take spark plug out and pullstart works as it should. Put spark plug back in and cord will not pull out.There is no fluid on top of piston. I'm at a loss. Any ideas?
Good question that's where I am at
How do I fix the compression release
I can't even find any kind of part like this for mine.
Good information.
My generator starting kick cord is also very hard.I removed the spark plug and then tried to pull it.It was ok or normal to pull .I tried multiple times without plug.When I installed the spark plug back ,again I witnessed the same problem i.e hard start recoil cord.
What will remedial action?
Is anything wrong in head tappet adjustment? Or anything else?
Mine is like that too. Did you solve the problem if so how did you solve it?
I am having the same issue with mine. Have you figured it out yet please help.
What can the problem be if the rope isn’t pulling back on its own after you pull it? Need help
Maybe valves need to be adjusted
I had found that my problem was that one of the brushes had some how moved and was fully on the commutator.
When i put back in my spark plug it locks again..
Help what to do?
So my NEW generator pulls fine when the spark plug is out. I thought it was hydro lock, but every time I put the spark plug back in, the damn thing locks up again! Any more suggestions?
Did u resolve this? Im dealing with this right now
Some times a small mouse makes a nest in the exhaust muffler which also can cause a hard start
What if the generator was over filled with oil.. and when it was running it randomly shut off and spit out a bunch of white smoke.. and so I removed the oil cap with the oil dipstick and a bunch of oil spilled out but since then it's hard to pull the pull start string
Thats called hydrolock.. what dude talks about in the beginning of the video..
I have done just about everything I have a pulsar duel fuel I got it used it started right up first time with starting spray. But it was always hard to pull but now it kicks back so I adjusted valves and still pulls back
Then I have a duro max gen 12000 eh and I did everything u could imagine to gen then I went to adjust valves and guess what one of them was completely off the rod on the intake side so I put it back on adjusted clearance and still nothing
Would a wrong gapped spark plug stop a gen from not starting ?
So for sure if you see oil on top of piston that's definitely the problem
A piece was broken and stuck inside the pull start area
I wonder if the lobe being bad would cause my Wen to kick back. It rips the cord right out of my hand.
Your table leg looks kinda crooked! Could make table fall...
Probably just need to be tightened inside there...
Maybe it's just the camera
Thank you for the video!
I'm suspecting I have some piece of flaky rust or something inside under the head of this OHV Briggs 5500 Storm Responder.
First time starting in years, and it went through Hurricane Ida flooding here in NJ Sept 2021.
Cycled some water out of exhaust, changed oil, cleaned carb (which was a mess), and now suddenly hard to pull. Pulled plug and no change. Next step looking under head.
Edit: Or perhaps what Donyboy is talking about here: czcams.com/video/nLDPoKqEb94/video.html
Hhhhmm, interesting. Our Coleman Powermate 6875 takes about 35 pulls to start it and it gets easy to pull just before it will start. So that would be a the compression release isn't opening the exhaust valve properly then, okay. Thanks!
saved me a hell lot of money and stress, thanks boss man
Happy to have helped!
My 4000 watt generator takes me like 20 pulls of choking it then not choking…? What ya think
Generac IQ2000 spark plug out and still won't turn
Why does nobody mention the valve play in these videos?
Kept me 3 days effing around with my engine pulling it in parts and reassemble it two times 😂
In the end, after doing some serious research reading it was too much play in the exhaust valve. And it was not only difficult to pull, it literally ripped the cord out of my hand
How were you able to fix the kick back from too much of compression on the gen? Am presently dealing with one right now
@@michaeloyekan9078 In my case it was too much play in the exhaust valve which results in high compression. Not more to do than to adjust the valves to the correct play
Maybe I'm doing it wrong
I'm still having cord being ripped out of hand sometimes I wish the electric start worked what causes the electric start not to work
Is any ones electric start not working ?
Gas trapped in the carbeurator bowl
I still cant pull start my generator when I put the spark plug back in.
Adjust the valves
You look like your about to start laughing the entire time.. like youre telling a joke..
Master of the never let them know your next move 😂
Maybe he is feeling self conscious. I know when I'm nervous I'm pretty sure I'm making weird faces. Not to mention the fact that I'm a mouth breather.