Generac Generator Dropped a Valve - Will It Run and Make Power Again?
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- čas přidán 17. 04. 2024
- This Generac GP6500 Generator was given away for free. According to the owner, she was running it when it abruptly shut down and locked up. A friend took it apart and discovered a valve dropped out of the head and fell into the cylinder punching a hole in the piston and destroying the head. This machine was given away for parts. Can it be rebuilt? Or should I just swap out the engine? Things were going well with the repair until the load test.
Generator Model: G0076700
Engine Rebuild Video: • Honda Clone (GX390) En...
I no longer use Harbor Freight Super Heavy Duty Degreaser in my ultrasonic cleaner. Harbor Freight changed the recipe. The bottle previously stated "NON-CORROSIVE". Now it says "CORROSIVE", "do not user on Aluminum". It now damages most carburetors. Recently I have been using Simple Green PRO HD with good results.
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#Generac #GeneratorRepair #Generator #SmallEngineRepair #SmallEngine #DIY #Fixed #Troubleshooting #HowTo
389cc, 420cc, Alternator, Backfiring Under Load, Backfiring, Bad Spark Plug, Broken Choke Plate, Broken Valve, Clean Slip Rings, Dropped Valve, Engine Swap, Exhaust Valve, Fixed, G0076700, GP5500, GP6500, GP7500, Generac, Generator, Hertz, Hole in Piston, Honda Clone, How To, How-To, Ignition Coil, Load Test Fail, Load Test, Low Oil Sensor Bypass, No Spark, Overrevving, Repair, Small Engine, Spark Plug, Troubleshooting, Valve Adjustment, Water in Engine, Water in Oil, Will Not Start - Jak na to + styl
I can't believe how excited I am seeing that James Condon just put up a new video. Love it! Thanks.
James, I am 82 years old and am going through a difficult time in my life. Your videos have helped me bridge this time and distract me from negative thoughts. I have watched over 100 and have only made a couple of comments because so many other clearly capable viewers have said so many good and useful things. Ironically, too, I live in Germany where we virtually never have loss of electricity or blackouts due to our modern and advanced infrastructure (all cables underground). I don't know anyone with a generator aside from a few folks with RVs. Nonetheless, I watch your videos, as I am sure many others due, as a source of peace and calm. Thank you kindly for all of the efforts you make to share your expertise and experience in this therapeutic manner.
Thanks I appreciate the feedback. Glad I can help in some small way. I wish you the best. -Jim
@@jcondon1 when you starting a engine is better if you open garage door garage door that takes you outside
@BruceBoschek Stay positive! I was in bad shape 3 years ago (MDS) but thankfully, a countryman of yours was a match for me and provided the stem cells I desperately needed. I'm nearly back to normal now. Miracles happen!!!
@@timd1833 Thanks for the kind words.☺
@@jcondon1 the bonded ground, why didn't you move the neutral back to a new 3 pole block?
Protip James: Anytime you get a bad coil like that and have to change it, make it a default to also replace the plug. A bad plug can destroy a coil - this advice is also valid for cars especially most modern ones with separate coils for each cylinder. Change out a bad coil, replace the plug at the same time. Can't hurt and saves revisiting a bad coil again which I have seen happen due to a bad plug with really low resistance due to being faulty. Cheers 🙂
Never thought I'd see an engine on this channel that would qualify to appear in an engine teardown on the I Do Cars channel...!
I will tear it fully down next week and try to rebuild it.
Like you often say...."this engine has earned an oil change".....You have earned MANY, MANY more subscribers and views! Your style and teaching methods are remarkable....I enjoy and always look forward to every new video.
I've been watching your videos for a couple of years now and they are the most professionally, well articulated repair videos out there! No need for me to take Dramamine to be able to watch your videos, like so many of the other channels that use the head-bob-cam!! Thank you for your efforts and I look forward to your next video!
Thanks 👍
James, great videos. My older brother is 81 now. He is one of the only small engine mechanics in our small community. He got is his start as a large aircraft mechanic in the Air Force in the 60's. If and when he closes up shop, he will be missed.
Hope your O'scope isn't permanently damaged!
You beat me to it lol I was gonna say this 😂
Nice to see you work it out logically. Being able to not enter "wrench throwing mode" is a good thing. We also learned why the first carb was missing the choke plate.
James - you found those valves at almost zero clearance! I was recently working on a John Deere 135 Automatic lawn tractor with 330 hours on the meter. Among other issues it had a slow/difficult time turning over to start. When I had the valve covers off to replace gaskets (bolts under-torqued causing leaking onto exhaust and resultant smoking) I checked the valve clearances. I found the Rights at .019 and the Lefts at .017 & .025 (instead of the spec .004-.006 for both)! I guess you just never know what you're going to find! In the end the FaceBook group experts suggested that it was bolt stretch over time, although I'm not fully convinced that's the correct reason. Pretty sure, though, that nobody had done the 200 hour check. Owner drove home with a smile on his face after the tractor started immediately. :)
Another great analysis of a non running machine w a LOT of pathology. Step by step and extremely thorough. As a trained ear physician and surgeon, I also have come to appreciate the IMPORTANCE of being able to hear and "analyze" the sounds of the engine. Without good hearing the mechanic would be at a substantial DISadvantage. And, there is SO much information provided by the sounds of the running engine. Many thanks!!
Thankfully my hearing is good. Eye sight not so much :(
My sister in law is an ENT that specializes in ears also. Cochlear's and baha's seem to be her groove. Their father was also an ENT. My wife is the black sheep. She's a dermatologist. :)
@@jcondon1HUH?
Ditto on all the comments thus far. I'm 87 and in the same boat as BruceBoschek from Germany. (wish I could connect with him - if I knew how?) I love your videos. I used to teach "Small Gas Engines" in a Middle School. Best students that I ever had - and most fun/satisfying (if I had known then what I learned now from you!)
Wish I had you as a teacher. I did not learn about small engines until later in life. I was missing out. If you reply on Bruce’s comment he might see it and respond.
I try to channel my inner James Condon calm rebuilding things. One day it would be great to have your frustrated out takes just so the rest of us can save face. Seriously though, it seems you take care in places I’d guess most of us just forge forward without forethought. Thanks for all these rebuilds and if you ever question “doing another generator rebuild” or mower or… the answer is do it. And these detailed restores (the neutral, slip ring clean, etc…) are always useful.
Yeah, they’re good videos to fall asleep by
Somewhere there has to be video of him kicking a gen off his cool lift and some loud swearing. :)
I work at an equipment hire company, and you can guess the damage done to some of the returned equipment. I love working to repair these broken machines. Your videos have helped so much. Thanks.
For years I've been hearing a "rattling" sound in my Generac. Thank you very much for telling me the sound is probably normal. Thank you James. You sure are worth subscribing.
James, I hate to argue with you, but...the plastic 'screw' on the pilot jet actually slows the engine as it is screwed in. I had a Duromax that a fellow had screwed it all the way in and it only ran around 2000 rpm. The generator actually had an electrical problem with the carbon monoxide sensor that caused it to run for 15 seconds and die (I'm not sure why he adjusted the screw!)
On another note: I had a Generac (GP5500) that came in with this EXACT issue (dropped valve, ruined piston.) The 6 bolt valve-cover heads are a MENACE. I believe the valve springs are too strong and cause excessive wear on the valves and seats. When the standard clone heads wear, the pressure-relief system begins to fail, and then it gets attention (or the user eventually ruins the rewind-starter.) The 6 bolt heads fail!
Wow that a serious compression issue 😆. Get after it James!!
when I was younger I had a job with a general maintenance guy who gave the same sense of reassurance. no matter what the issue was he was calm, and always had another plan if that didn't work. As long as I knew he was there, or at the other end of the phone, we were all fearless and would attack every job with confidence. After he retired we all fell to pieces for an embarrassingly long time. We were afraid to start anything out of the norm without our safety blanket.
I smile every time the lifter gets used. Best thing you ever bought for the shop, a back saver.
Yes. A gift to the Channel as I recall, along with many other gifts feeding our pleasure. Thanks to all, in All!
What a pleasure it is to watch someone who love what they do for a living it rubs off on all of us. I can’t thank you enough we are blessed by your videos 👍🏼
Thanks
A good day combined with a lucky day - which you richly deserve. Thanks for making my day!
Another great video. Watching all your videos again, for the 3rd time. Best entertainment on TV!
Are you serious? The best video in TV user the best videos to fall asleep I are you kidding me what’s wrong with you?
A complete teardown is always informative. Thanks for your experience.
The information on when to ground the neutral was one of the best explanations i have heard, thank you.
I was very pleased to hear it explained in simple terms 😊
Same here.
Great fix and troubleshooting James, can't wait for the engine rebuild from that generator 😊
Always a pleasure to watch you work.
Thanks for responding to my email with the advice on how to fix my generator!!!!
Thanks. Let me know how you make out. I am curious if the wrong capacitor is in there.
I like your helpful hints that you give while you're working. That is truly the voice of experience. Thanks for all your tips.
Excellent instructional video, as always!
I am impressed with your knowledge of these repairs you do.
James, your rendition of Dr. Frankenstein is always so rewarding and entertaining. The tripod falling over after your remark about the wind had me laugh out loud for some reason. Looking forward to the original engine rebuild. As always, taking notes and thankful for your efforts.
Thanks
Always watching you and learning. Regards from the Philippines..
Nice going James
Always enjoy your videos Jim, this one was certainly no exception! Great job making a useful generator out of two broken ones, hopefully you can get the original engine rebuilt and use it on another generator.
Loving your new purpose-suitable hammers. The old days with a broken claw hammer were a bit scary. 🙂
Think the engine was just running too fast. The springs could not close the valves in time and the piston started making contact.
Love the fast forward segments. As long as you keep giving your thorough insights for the technical stuff.
Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing
What a fun video, I don't even have a generator. I just love the calm methodical process you use to diagnose the problem. Best production on you tube. Thanks, James.
Your patience in adversity is remarkable! Wow!
The engine rebuild looks to be as enjoyable as this. Thank-you!
Excellent job James: I occasionally find bad plugs in engines and now have a habit of changing them even is they look o.k. Thanks for the video.
Terrific video! A bad plug ? Wow,wow,wow.
Thank you James for another good video
When the coil went out I was impressed how fast you can move when you're not taki g time to explain things!
Another tutorial video - Love it. Thanks for sharing this James. I got a little lost when you decided to change engines. My clue was the oil change again.
Another interesting video, thanks Jim👍
I definitely learned something today...thank you!
Nice...that looks brand new
I very much enjoy these videos. It's nice to get some instruction on how to do a thorough job on these machines with tools and techniques that can be afforded often by an average or non-professional. Thank you so much!!
Once again thank you for your instructions and examples. I just fixed my fifth generator.
Excellent!
Nice work Jim!!! Sometimes it takes a little bit to work out the bugs! Hope you rebuild the other engine. Thanks!
Another great video James
Great post James,
have had the same thing happen when coil is working one day then the next no worky as well as plugs with resistors inside the plug they'll be ok one then the next time you use it your chasing rabbit's.
You really help those of us that DYI our equipment and where to look and solves the problem.
Tks, Michael
Keep a spare spark plug that you have tested and run under load for some time taped to the generator frame.....
Then you have a known "good" plug to insert straight away in an emergency.
there are fake NGK sparkplugs on the internet market....
It looked to me that you installed the choke plate differently from the orientation of when you removed it. I could be wrong, but that struck me in the moment and when I saw the plate later inside the air box, the thought occurred to me again. Anyway, I always enjoy watching the content you create, James.
I didn't catch that, but was curious if the engine ate the little piece of plastic that broke off and may have cause the misfire, and possibly damaged/fouled the plug in the process.
I'm not sure I'd be throwing the head away. Take of the high spots and smooth it out and replace the valve seats. That head in my opinion will do another turn James. Great video once again and thank you James🙂
I have a bin of Honda clone heads. They are not hemi heads like this one, but bet I can convert it.
@@jcondon1 That would be very interesting to watch if you plan on making a video on it James.
Wow, so much good info in this one
I'm watching the entire video as I post this. Got a chuckle at the beginning when you said it should be an easy one, but the video is an hour long so assume I'm in for a treat this rainy Thursday morning.
Interesting cost reduction to save a few pennies on the neutral connection making it very difficult to use this genie as a home backup generator for the reason you mentioned. Bonding and grounding are difficult concepts for many folks to wrap their head around so it is disappointing when OEMs make it even more difficult..
It is possible to change the bonded arrangement on this. Disconnect the red black and white wires. Remove the connection block and replace it with one with spaces for three posts. The black and red then go on their individual posts. The two white wires then remain connected together and are connected to the third post. The ground link is then removed. Why did they design it like this? I reckon to save pennies on using a two post block rather than a three post block,
Great video , always learn something new👍
Hey Jim, welcome back 😁
another nice video, THANKS
Good troubleshooting on this one
Very interesting video!
Muchas gracias James por tus vídeos que nos enseñan tantas cosas. Algún día tienes que explicar que valores de distorsión harmónica son aceptables y porqué. Gracias!!!
Nice job, and funny to find that for once it actually was the plug at fault! Looking forward to the rebuild of that blown engine, what an odd failure at such low hours.
Thank you for posting this excellent video. When I saw the title of the video, I got excited and hoped to see a full engine rebuild. This was good to watch, however!
The rebuild attempt will be this weeks video.
@@jcondon1 I will watch for it. 🙂
👍👍👍👍👍🤜🤛 I am glad to see that you did not fry your machines.
Wow thats a new one for me. I have never seen a plug do that. Nice work. Great video as always!
Thanks. Does not happen often, but it does on occasion. Had the same issue with this Honda EX1000 at the 1:04:48 mark. Denso plug. czcams.com/video/X2GIvqJTJ7E/video.htmlsi=PkSEIdgdDtUSooxU
Great video, lot’s of challenges and a little scare!👍👍👍👍
Great job James again on something free. You should do ok on this.
As usual I learned something !!
Good one
Hi James, you gave a very good explanation of the neutral connection, many people have no idea the house needs to be the only thing that is bonded to the neutral.
the old engine looks to be very repairable, also the head although may be beat up, the valve seat looks to be intact.
Without your load bank most technicians would have thought the generator was repaired. 😁
Rich
I going to try and rebuilt the trashed engine. The issue is cost. I have extra clone parts for a standard head engine, but this one is a hemi.
@@jcondon1 that what I would do and try to use the head as well. parts are reasonable.
Rich
A very interesting video and a great job
Awesome video and job. Thanks 🙌🙌👍👌😊🍀
Good lessons learned here! Spark plugs are cheap, it makes sense to swap them out when servicing and changing the oil.
You would have to have a "new" plug that you had run hard and long to test it to make sure it was indeed "good" as well as new.
Otherwise you are just introducing a variable...
it could be good or it could be bad right out of the box.
There are many fake NGK sparkplugs being sold on the internet.....
that was a rocky road .. scary backfires . a real dream machine one pull starts .
I always wondered why you never started out with a new plug in the beginning of your sorting out these Gensets you work on it takes out one factor less to deal with . your Videos are always great and very informative and your diagnosis are typically spot on ,awesome work Jim .
You would have to have a "new" plug that you had run hard and long to test it to make sure it was indeed "good" as well as new.
Otherwise you are just introducing a variable...
it could be good or it could be bad right out of the box.
There are many fake NGK sparkplugs being sold on the internet.....
Usually I keep the plug in if working properly and just keep an extra in the event a plug fails. It does not happen often, but it can and does happen. I have never had a plug fail on any of my personal equipment. Also with so many fake plugs out there. There is no guarantee that the new plug is going to last.
That genny looked so clean on disassembly that I would be asking questions about the original warranty.
EDIT : Oh, I just saw the 2018 tag. Well it was exceptionally well stored!
Hello James, I love your videos! Would it be possible, to show us around your workshop or show us the way you buy and sell your generators? I bet many young people could get inspired by this to start their own side hustle and learn something useful.
I have the habit of checking new plugs not just the gap but it's resistant as well, granted you don't know for sure it's going to be good until you start the unit and put a load on you can identify plugs that are faulty before installing them, great job
Plugs are cheap. It would probably be worthwhile to just go ahead and put a new plug in every one.
You Da Man James
Thanks James.
I noticed right below the Hour Meter it is printed right on the Panel that the neutral is connected to the Frame.
Usually it is indicated on the frame and the manual.
Note of caution: Do not keep beating on the rotor bolt if the rotor doesn't come off. You could bend the bolt or break the crankshaft. Try the water method if a couple good whacks doesn't work. See other videos of James' to see how the water method works.
Another interesting and informative video.
I've bought carburetor kits that had new plugs. I found the hard way, many times the cheap new plugs are bad. So I use name brand plugs and stay away from the oddball stuff. That was a good call on the plug being bad. Maybe the coil isn't bad.
Fake NGK plugs are sold on the internet...
I always keep the name brand used plug in and toss the plugs that come in those kits.
entertaining and enlightening
Spark plug experiment, How about testing the Hi_Pot resistance on your Megger? Great video as always. Great sound and video quality. Thanks
It may have passed. Seemed to only break down under heat and pressure.
Hello James,
Another excellent autopsy of the blown up engine. When you got the other engine running I was really surprised.
The purpose of the solenoid on the carb, on every engine I have ever worked on, is to stop fuel without power. ie the key turned off.
Usually called an anti-diesel solenoid, it prevents run on and without power it blocks the main jet from receiving fuel.
That the engine ran was shocking and apparently I don't know as much as I thought.
What kind of solenoid is used on that carb, and what is its function?
Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge.
Same function as the carbs you work on. A lot of generator have the solenoid and are pull start only or electric start with a pull start option. The solenoid is normally open so you can pull start even with a dead battery (or no battery). When you click the ignition switch to off, generator power is sent to the solenoid through a rectifier to close the solenoid. It remains closed as the engine spins down and the generator stops making power. At that point it opens and stays that way until the ignition switch is turned off again with the engine running at speed. Generators without the pull start option (like the Generac XG10000e) work like a tractor as the carbs you normally work on.
Another great learning experience from Dr. GENERATOR 😂 I was going to guess that it was a Torch plug you were going to pull out. NGK....it happens to the best of them.
There are a lot of counterfeit NGK plugs out there. No telling if this one was real.
Because the valve stem is always under tension and in combination with heat, I suspect the valve stem actually stretches over time and the the rocker arm clearance decreases.
For the type of spark plug failure you had, I’d take a magnifying glass and bright light and have a real good look down inside and also on the porcelain outside, looking for a tiny crack.
Fake NGK plugs are only too available on the internet...
For a second there , I thought I was watching ‘I do cars’ YT…. Except his site guts expired car engines
I'm always happy to see a new James Condon small engine repair video, but I'm happier than usual this time because the engines in this video all use exactly the same type of carburettor as the generator which I'm trying to fix. It's marked as a "Ruixing 127 Engine" carburettor. Even the air filter looks practically identical.
So, where I'm up to is that I got the engine running, but it still has problems. Firstly, it seems reluctant to start even on choke. Secondly, once it's started, if I immediately open up the choke, it starts to surge. If I let it run for several seconds before opening the choke, it doesn't seem to surge. But when I put it under a 1000W load, it started surging again even though it's rated for a continuous 1500W output.
Where do I go to from here? The new carburettor came with a replacement spark plug (and a power switch which is identical to the ones on the engines in this video, but the generator uses a completely different design of switch), so what I'm thinking is that I'll just try changing the spark plug next and see if that makes any difference.
The only other thing I can think of off-hand is that maybe I somehow made a mistake during the installation of the carburettor and I need to take it off again and check everything I did to make sure I did it right. The generator hasn't been run often enough or for long enough for wear in the valve seat to be a problem.
So, am I on the right track, or is there something else which I should check? I'm reluctant to attempt to drill out any of the jets since that's a non-reversible change which may turn out to be the wrong thing to do. Unfortunately, the jets in the old carburettor are so badly stuck that they can't be removed, at least unless I can find something to dissolve the gunk which won't damage anything else.
Surging = lean.
Open up the idle jet with a fine drill one size larger as shown by James many times in his videos...
@@JohnSmith-pl2bk That might be what I need to do, but I first need to get the appropriate drills since even my smallest seems to be too large. And I'm not sure that it's the idle jet which needs to be made larger. I'd think that it's the main jet which would need to be drilled out. The engine will run on choke, but I need to let it run for around a minute before I can take it off choke, otherwise the engine dies around 2-3 seconds after taking it off choke.
Thanks for another good video, James. Not sure about gasoline engines, but in electornics repair if I replace some component which shows no signs of damage and device starts working, I put that component back, maybe repeat replacement procedure for a few times. Sometimes it is just a coincident. However, I definitely have no your experience in gasoline engines, maybe such spark plug failure is common.
It's a long shot, but perhaps your tablet for showing the sine wave has built-in protection for surges and just needs to be reset. Those pinhole reset switches have saved me a time or two from throwing away something that I thought was broken but just needed to be reset.
You touched on the bonded ground in a previous video but really didn’t explain it as clearly as this time, thanks.
I've been watching some of your older videos while i'm healing up from having teeth pulled then after i heal enough i need to do some work on my 4 wheeler that needed to be done when i 1st got it but never had the time to
It's like watching a ballet, or listing to Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5. It's magic!!
I recently bought a Generac power boss 4500 with a Honda engine. The p.o. said it quit running. It started right up and after about 2 or 3 minutes it acted exactly like this one did. A new plug fixed it as well. I have a Generac just like the one in this video. If the power boss would have been bigger I would have kept it.
I often overlook the plug.
👍up James
Great video! Interesting how the engine grenades. Warranty should be on how many hours is run not how long you've had it, but then its another bunch of problems!
Talking about the valves they can stretch over time also.