How To Break In A Portable Generator - The Right Way!
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- How To Break In A Portable Generator - The Right Way!
I have built many engines over the years and I go over the proper break in procedure. This applies to all gas generators, or any small gas engines. Performing the proper break in procedure will extend the engine life and give you years of trouble free performance.
Here is a link to the magnetic dipstick on Amazon. amzn.to/3y3Ocqv
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#westinghouse #generator #invertergenerator
lol Great ending! You should also vary the load during break in 10% - 50%
Very true. Thanks for watching Bob.
I followed your procedure vs many others who say "no load". Yours seemed to make a lot more sense. I used Amsoil break-in oil for about 1.5 hours with about 20% load, then cheap conventional for about an hour, drain, conventional again for about another hour, drain, then filled with Amsoil small engine oil and ran for a few minutes to coat the parts with that. Up to about 40% load towards the end. It did get to 90% load for just a few minutes at around hour 5 because I was eager to test that my generator would run my water heater. Hopefully I did the right thing. The unit feels/sounds good.
Thank you very much for watching Dustin!
You put more care into this generator than a lot of people put in their car engines lol good video Mike!
That is probably very true! Thank you for watching 91MustangLX!
In the hot weather I use 40w and if it's over 100 I use 50w both are racing oils. I had an engine lock up on me using straight 30w lawn mower oil in 95 degree heat. So I stopped using it in hot weather and went to Valvoline VR1. !0w30 when below 60 degrees. No more problems.
VR1 is great oil👍🏻. Thanks for watching
Keep us updated on how this generator is doing. It's one of the top ones on my list to buy after Christmas.
Absolutely. Thank you for watching Tom!
I’m running my 4500 watt now just in case we get another hurricane this year I don’t want a repeat of last storm a full week without power. I’m running a few things on it but 2 fans and a heating blanket doesn’t seem to put much of a load on it I just don’t want to run my portable ac unit on it until I need to but it’s nice to know I’ll have power next time
Very nice!
Here's my two cents. Overall some good advice and nothing here is going to hurt but the factory test runs these units (it's why there was oil on the dipstick when he first pulls it) so I see very little benefit to pulling the plug and putting oil in prior to first start. The cylinders already have lubrication from the factory they are not dry.
Very true. Thank you for the comment.
My new westinghouse generator says right in the manual that it has been run tested at the factory. There was a small amount of oil showing on the dipstick. Because of this i did not see a need to pre lube the cylinder. I did pull it slowly in the off positive a few times before i started it.
Any luck with getting yours running? I have two that I still need to fix.
I probably have around 50 hrs on it. It takes a couple pulls on a cold start but not too bad. It helps to shut off eco mode while staring it so it goes to high idle.
@@dana.6695 Thanks Dana
My generator had mud or sand in it aside from metal shavings. I ram it for 45 minutes with no loads, put new oil in it an ram it with no load for an hour. Oil came out sand/mud free and with a small amount of glitter. After this it’s ready for the actual break in.
Hopefully it will work well and be nice and dependable. Thank you for watching!
You really do not want to use regular motor oil in air cooled engines. These engines get a lot hotter than vehicle engines and the heat will destroy the oil. They make an all engine oil specifically for them and the heat they produce. With the added zinc and other additives that vehicle oil doesn’t possess
@@csenior10 Completely agree 👍🏻
It'll break in faster and better on gasoline and it will propane the gasoline helps wash the oil off of the sidewall to the cylinder what's the Rings bite into the walls better.
Very true!
Such an "Expert" you don't say that you should not start a generator with a load
That is true
Have fun starting that Westinghouse!
After having 2 of them I have concluded they are a POS. When I have a chance I will do more research into the issues.
@@MikesGarageRoute66 I agree, I own a Westinghouse iGen 4500 with a bad inverter board with 42 hours on it!
@@CT9905.crap, I bought one recently and just started the break in process. Did Westinghouse replace the board under warranty? Thanks
@@xincai951 No, the inverter board malfunctioned beyond Both warranty dates, Westinghouse and Home Depot at Forty-Two hours of use. I have since purchased a GenMax 6500 duel fuel.
About 2 years ago I had bought the I gen 2200c inverter generator and I was really happy with it it was extremely fuel efficient and would run quite a lot of things I was surprised I'm really impressed with it it also did not weigh much
I ended up selling it because I wanted to use the money for something else although I wished I would have kept it as good of a generator as it was thinking about replacing it with this model because it has a couple of features that my other one did not have that would come in handy and I definitely so far like the Westinghouse brand
Very good tips about breaking in that makes good sense on all that because a lot of people probably take a generator put their gas and oil in it start using a regularly right out of the box and you can't do that or shouldn't anyway until after break in
Ok, I can’t find in the description where you listed the part number for the magnetic dipstick. I just want to make sure one I order fits properly. Nice video, I followed your break in method with my WH 3700 and I am expecting years of great use with it.
Apologies for the delay. Here is a link to the dipstick on Amazon. It is under 10 dollars. amzn.to/3y3Ocqv
I haven't seen one of these videos yet that knows how to break in a generator right probably seen 15 videos
Yep it's important to break in the rings before the cross hatch pattern wears down the cylinders. The only way you can do that is with a load on the engine.
So I've actually been doing a lot of research into this and it seems that changing your oil early on may actually hinder the break in process does having some grit in your oil it's actually useful during this time.
The grit will occur from the piston rings seating against the crosshatch pattern on the cylinder walls.
Awesome video brother MIKE. Very informative. Thanks for sharing. Keep the content coming. Hope you have an incredible night. Much love and RESPECT
Thank you very much Tim!
How about a follow up? I think your Mystery oil is the problem with starting issue.
Hi Rod, the issue is with the linkage itself. I will work on it once I move and get my shop setup. Thank you for watching!
Mike, love the video have the same issues. As soon as I turned from choke to run, it does. It restarts easy but it’s real rough…any advice
@@betaxi997 I am in the process of moving to a new house and haven't had much time to play with it. I have a theory on it though. When moving from choke to run I think it is killing the ignition. I need to hook up a NOID light to confirm. If that's the case then the linkage needs to be adjusted. I'll try to find some time to test it. Thanks for watching Chris!
Well said good sir!
Thank you for watching!
Great advice as always Mike
Thank you very much Paul and Sally!
I did all pretty much exactly as you described to break in my new wen df250i gen, except I used royal purple break in oil the first 2 hours, then switched to castrol gtx,for the next 3 hours. I also did not put oil in the spark plug hole. After that point i plan on using amsoil 5/30 signature series. This was done before I found your vid. I used a 750 watt rice cooker that switches on and off many times during cooking process during the first couple hours of break in.
I'm curious how yours is now running. Both of mine die when I move it from choke to run. I still need to troubleshoot it further...
Mine still runs as good as always. Have you ran them with gas that contains ethanol? If so that could be your problem.@@MikesGarageRoute66
still runs like new after 25 hours.@@MikesGarageRoute66
Can i use regular 10w30 or whatever for the spark plug. I don't have oil conditioner or lucas
That should be fine.
Let me know if you ever need another portable generator. I can get Firman's direct shipped at cost!
Thanks!
Are you going to do the follow up of why it didn't run right?
I will, but I have been in the process of moving cross country.
I hope you wash your hands before you touch your generator
Good Point
Excellent Video, do you have the part number for the magnetic drain plug by any chance?
Here is the link Alberto. Thank you for watching.
www.amazon.com/dp/B07WZDWK7T?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
@@MikesGarageRoute66 Thanks so much!
Can propose be used when breaking in?
What happened?? Did u do a another video lol
Apologies, been building my garage. I have one lift in and installing my second one. Lots of projects lined up.
Great Video, Mike. Just curious, during the initial break in 1st & 2nd hours do you cycle the load or is it constant?
I'm breaking in a Westinghouse WGen9500DF. I'm thinking 1/4 load during the 1st hour, 1/3 load during hour 2, and 1/2 power during the final period before putting in the running oil.
Hi Paul, during the break-in I vary the load because that changes the rpm and engine temperature which is advantageous for breaking-in an engine. Thank you very much for watching!
@@MikesGarageRoute66 Thanks Mike - I'm just wondering how often and how much I should vary the load during the break in period.
@@1951pwaitzman On a race engine it’s often. On these I would try to simulate it with a electric heater connected as a load. It will click on and off with the thermostat built into the heater. I would keep it under 1500 watts.
Did you ever figure out what was wrong with the generator? I just bought this generator and had the same problem.
My Apologies Ryan, I am in the process of moving so I haven't had a chance to.
@@MikesGarageRoute66Darn, I was hoping you had the magic answer. Well I appreciate you taking the time to respond.
@@ryanwexler8901 No problem. Thank you for watching Ryan!
Why no anti sieze on the plug?
Good point and I probably should have. Thanks!
@91MustangLX is absolutely right. Was it not starting at the end ?
you kept pulling it.
Joe Gibbs is great oil. I’ve been watching a lot of Lake Speed Jr vids. I learned a lot about oil! Thanks!
👊😎✌️
The first generator has issues. The replacement runs perfectly. I need to fix the first one but I should have two good generators when it’s all said and done. Then I can parallel them. Thanks for watching Big Stick!
You did that by leaving the choke on to long and you never start one under load and not on eco even Westinghouse says that
Hello, thanks for the video. How long do you usually break in the third time with the XP8, another hour?
An few hours should be good
So, how long did it take to get it restarted after the end of the video? I’m considering buying one of these generators, but I’ve read some really negative reviews on it. So, now I’m not sure.
The first one was bad and the second worked great. Amazon let me keep both. Next year I’ll fix the second one and parallel them.
@@MikesGarageRoute66 thanks for the reply. Good to know. Maybe I will pull the trigger on one. It looks like a well designed generator.
Did you buy the extended warranty from Amazon?
I recommend the pulsar generators. Mines been running great for almost 5 years and they seem to have more power than other ones. Cheaper too.
Hey Mike, thanks for the video! Where can I find the magnetic dipstick?
Here is the one I used
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07WZDWK7T?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image
You definitely don't need the mystery oil. Skip that part and you should be fine.
I should have a cheeseburger wrapped in tin foil inside and when it gets hot through I know my generator is broken in
Nice!
The generator was running at the factory
That’s what they claim, but I’m still scratching my head on why so many are bad from the factory.
Hi Mike, I'm hoping that after 5 months since your last post to Ryan you've figured out the problem. I found your channel after buying this exact same generator and followed your break in procedure using the same BR30 oil, and HAD THE SAME PROBLEM!! Unit dies everytime when switching from Choke to Run mode. Something has got to be up with these things. I noticed yours had a build date of 7/2022. Mine is 6/2022 so both built around the same time. Please let us know if you've found the problem! Thanks!
Guess this hasn't been important enough for you to bother with a reply. Unsubscribing and moving on. I ended up selling that POS Westinghouse 3700ixltc for a fraction of what I paid (Westinghouse Outdoor Power equipment service was pathetic) and will never buy another Westinghouse POS again. Good luck with yours and your channel.
My apologies. A lot of things have gone on over the last year... I moved to NC, built a house, and now my dream garage. I'm still working on the garage and will get back to the generators at some point. Sorry you sold it at a loss. I have a feeling it's a collapsed fuel line but still need to look into it some more.
Yep and anything over 3k is just a ripoff unless it is ported. Those are really nice!
Westinghouse states in the manual NOT to start the unit on Eco! This vid was silly.
This is true, but in the end neither generator I received were functional which was pretty sad. BTW I like the John Belushi icon.
How was customer service? Did you return both?@@MikesGarageRoute66
thats a fill plug not a drain plug
Good catch!
Dont agree with this process
What don’t you agree with? What would you do differently?