I love how a trip to the Storage Unit for parts ALWAYS happens at night, like it's some clandestine and covert operation! LOL Great job James, as always, very entertaining.
@@landiahillfarm6590 @jcondon1 I actually keep thinking about how much he’s paying for storage plus the inconvenience of driving for parts every time. I came up with the idea of building his own storage unit built well recessed into the hillside so only the entrance is visible down at slightly above street level. Make it look like a Hobbit Storage. 😉
A truly inane design by Generac. The amount of removal to access anything is ridiculous. Congrats of getting all the parts and correcting all the problems. Thanks for sharing.
the good news is their generators dont get any better as they get bigger, id say everything from 100kw and down are all made by the same clown at least!
Thank you for the time you put into these videos. You often say "I hope this helps someone" and I have to say that you absolutely have! Thanks to what I have learned from you, I was able to diagnose and fix my lawn mower when it would not start. The carb had to be disassembled and cleaned. All good afterwards! Again, thanks for what you do!
That's the spirit! Watch a video, then try the same practice such as cleaning the carburetor. You learn new skills and you benefit and so does the lawn mower.
Great. I have one of these. Bought it 11 years ago - Cost $1,500 - for my hurricane emergency perp here in Florida. Only has about 2 hours on it at this time. Just keeping it ready each season. Never needed it - yet. This was very helpful. I learned a lot about my generator. Thanks!
Wow, “not really made with service in mind” is quite the understatement! Great job in spite of the Rubick’s Cube build design and the previous owners repair attempts! 🤯
I am glad this genny worked perfectly in the end. 🎉🎉 Jim, sorry...I went to edit my original comment and deleted my thank you for taking great care of putting the tires on my snowblower. I really appreciate the hard work you put into it. 🎉
Wow!!! The variety of problems you corrected is amazing. I hope the previous owner watches how to actually assess and correct small engine problems rather than just "messing" around (including losing parts) and making things worse!!!
From the little experience I have had with Generac equipment and finding parts I don’t think I will be run to purchase one anytime soon. You are certainly well versed and your diagnostic skills far better than most. I commend your patience and perseverance drive this to conclusion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A handy tip to remove the float pin would be to use a small deep well socket secured in a vise as a backup against the pin arm when using a punch to drive out the pin
Its sad that these brand new machinese dont get proper maintenance and are fixed by anybody but luckily our guy here James does repairs and teaches us alot for generators me myself i have learned many new tips and tricks to save my generator thank you James
The good thing about your work is that you stay behind the problem until you find the solution, this method of working consistently is the right way to work, Good job.
Something I learned a long time ago while working on carbs. Trucks mainly. Coat the gaskets in either motor oil or gear oil. Itll make them seal better and when you take them off. They wont tear.
Nice! Finally a video on my exact generator! Mine is 10 years old and runs fine, but its always good to see how to get things done on it if needed. Speaking of the battery, its original believe it or not, but I've always kept it on a Noco maintainer, and its stored garaged indoors.
@@jcondon1 Yeah as long as its a good one, a friend of mine had cheapies and they fried his batteries for ATV and Lawn Tractor. Noco is not cheap, but they are quality. Also nice to see it confirmed that it is a low noise generator unit as i remember when researching it back in the day, i have a lot of UPS inside for various computers and servers and they run just perfectly when the generator is hooked up to the house. If the power wasn't clean they'd be clicking and not going off battery.
I’ve been considering get into this as a small business for myself. You are a great inspiration and source of knowledge sir. I hope that if I ever run into an issue that completely stumps me I can ask your advice on a path forward. Well done sir.
Thank you for producing such educational videos. I have been a mechanic ever since I was 5 years old, (just ask my dad). Bicycles, minibikes, gocarts, excetra, at 15 years old I rebuilt my first car engine with my own lunch money. I entered into the military at age 17 and became a diesel mechanic. It would be modest of me to say, i know a little bit about engines. Watching your channel has been very educational. Now, at age 62, you taught me that good enough isn't good enough. Thank you. You have learned me well. Lol
Wow, I wouldn't have thought that little difference in hole position would have made that much difference.!! Well done. Most small engine videos do not cover the small details like governor theory, operation and adjustment. Thanks for all you do here. I'm learning so much. Thank you.
Years from now, James, you will be revered as the founder of a new faith... Any kidding aside, your videos have great potential for philosophical instruction. Anyone who needs a word of encouragement can find faith here. As a young person, I sometimes gave up when I could not find a workaround for one of life's puzzles. Your kids have a great dad and the rest of us have a great instructor. I am enjoying hobbies and work at home again, I think, in part, due to your videos. Thanks again for continuing your work.
I'm 62 and I loved this video! I may never be this talented but somehow this makes me feel good just watching and learning. Thank you so much for posting this.
Another amazing video which demonstrates how important attention to details is of critical importance. One big problem seems to be the amount of extra time required to dismantle and then have to re-mantle parts/overcome design issues. Also, you reveal "engineering" issues which seem to turn up over and over again. Your PATIENCE is incredible. Many thanks!! Again!!
When tapping on the pin, you may want to use a small long barrel socket to support the tabs on the carb. This should greatly reduce the risk of breaking them.
Great Job Jim, your experience is showing through. Your lessons is to Never give up and be creative until you’re sure it’s not worth fixing. It becomes more economically viable when you do it yourself if you have the knowledge and skill. Thanks
James...I've been watching a lot of your videos and have hearned many good things. I wanted to pass on a hack I've used as a gunsmith working on AR-15s that may help with removing pins from the bowl float. The AR15 trigger guard has two thin tabs that you have to drive a roll pin through to attach the trigger guard arm. A constant hazard is breaking off one of the tabs, always the lower tab, which ruins the AR lower. I have discovered that using a piece of Delrin behind the tab when driving through the pin eliminates the tab from breaking off. For removal of the roll pin I have drilled an appropriately placed and sized hole into the Delrin for the pin to be driven into. A 1" by 1" cross section or 1" by 2" piece about 6 inches long can be clamped in a vise to provide the support. I admit it is a bit awkward balancing the item on the end of the Delrin and holding a hammer and a punch but it can be done. The Delrin is available from McMaster-Carr. I hope this helps or gives you an idea of your own to prevent breaking of the ears that hold on the bowl float and losing a perfectly good carburetor.
This was so enjoyable, and educational/helpful, to watch. Thank you for making this available to the public! I recognize there are the complete range of trained / experienced / inexperienced operators and mechanics watching your videos, and at the risk of potentially causing a few of the old professionals to pfff & raise their eyebrows, would you consider occasionally offering observations for prevention of common issues? That would help us novices avoid making the mistakes that may have caused some of the engine damage you observe & repair. Things like gas tank rust may be reduced or prevented by keeping the tank full of better quality gasoline because a full tank reduces or prevents the chance of water condensing out of the air onto the inside of the metal tank during cold weather. Just like a glass full of ice & water will condense moisture on its exterior from the outside air, so will air inside a gas tank condense moisture out onto the inside tank walls during cold weather. A note about fuel additives like Sta-Bil or HEET or Sea Foam & their competitors would be so useful to those of us who haven't heard of any of their benefits or drawbacks or of the special purposes each is designed to fill. Advice about completely draining a tank AND a carburetor before storing it is not out of order, either. Your best practices are always much appreciated, and just a word or two about why you do them, and what likely caused some negative issue that was preventable through whatever you observe, would go a long way towards guiding others to use best practices and enjoy longer trouble-free generator or engine/motor operation. If it's not in the cards to offer your suggestions or advice about causes & their preventions instead of only their corrections, that's OK, too. Your style & expertise are always appreciated. All my best to you!
Got to be careful with carburetor cleaner/brake cleaner. They can swell rubber gaskets. (Some time you can shrink them back by washing in hot soapy water and letting the air dry.) I still have not been able to justify buying an ultrasonic cleaner. Especially since the last 2 jobs I just bought Hippa replacements !
Thanks for this video James. I wanted to share I not enjoy learning the technical bits from your video, but also the way in which you approach these challenges. In my day to day futzing in the workshop, whenever I run into a situation that requires a more measured approach (i.e. don't rush and make things worse), I ask myself "What would James Condon do?" And I slow down and make better choices (sometimes) :) Anyway, thanks for helping us "learn something."
Thank you once again James, I always learn something new. your methodical approach has been a lifesaver for me, can't tell you how much easier small engine repairs are for me now. Don't do many but those I do have worked out well after watching these vid's. Thank you for posting
In 2011, I purchased a Generac GP 5500 to get us through a storm that left us without power for over seven days. Today, with your help, I was able to clean the carburetor, and now it’s running like new again. Thanks to your knowledge and videos, what seemed like a daunting task turned out to be an easy challenge. I really appreciate your guidance!
I have had this issue since buying this exact generator several years ago. I did buy a clone carb but never installed it. I now know which way to go. Thank you. I needed this.
I want to thank you James, you consistently deep dive into the finer details of what makes generators misbehave, I look forward to learning something and very often do, another excellent video with the added bonus of a not maintenance friendly generator
As a tinkerer myself, my jealousy of that load bank is... well, its up there haha! Fantastic find on James' part. Sure beats a whole platoon of space heaters and adaptors
James, thanks for all your great content. I was watching a video from 2vintage, Joe was working on a carb with the same issue of a stuck float pin like you have. One of his subscribers suggested to use a small spring loaded punch. He got one off amazon and on the first click it released the pin. Just thought I would share that with you. Oh by the way I have seen Joe break off the post trying to hammer the pin out…..the punch worked on the first try. Thanks again…
From the video I saw where the new fuel line interfered with the heat shield on the engine housing. It was crimped before you put the air box on. Glad you got it working and fixed. Thanks for all the fault demonstrations.
Thank you so much! I really like the honesty in your videos; you could have never told us about the gas line you broke to look good and we would never have known why gas was leaking from a new carburetor. It would have looked like the dealer was shipping poor quality parts. But no, now we know the carburetor was good and can be used for something else.
Your a champion. I just fixed my weed trimmer after 3 years of not working. Needed a new carb and high and low tuned on the new carbon. Wouldn't have had the knowledge or motivation to fix it if I hadn't spent hours watching you. Thanks.
Over the years, after watching several Generac repair videos, I would be very hesitant on purchasing one for myself. I could be wrong but they just don't seem to be made with quality components nor designed for ease of servicing. Another excellent video though. Thanks for creating them.
This one is made in the USA and is of high quality, but I swear they designed it to be as difficult as possible to service. Who puts the battery under the gas tank?!?!?
Although I've never owned one, I've been asked to fix quite a few of them - often with low hours on them. It's hard to be sure how representative they are, because obviously I only see the bad ones, but my feeling is that they seem to suffer a disturbingly high rate of early onset issues for a premium priced machine. The obvious comparison would be with the Honda generators - although I have seen quite a few of those that were broken they were generally either really old or obviously abused, while I've seen a bunch of Generacs that were low hours and looked clean and well treated, but were busted anyway.
Hello James: I cringed when I saw the bridge leg of the carburetor break off. I have had the same thing happen more than once. To prevent a further occurrence I now do 2 things. 1) take a small file or emery paper and remove some material from the pin end before trying to tap it out. It does not require much filling or Sanding just enough the the diameter is slightly reduced to provide clearance for the hole in the bridge post. 2) place the carbureator in the vice so the rear bridge post is parallel with the vice jaw. Using a small wood shim support the back side of the post against the vice jaw. Then tap the pin out. Once the pin moves do not remove it completely if it will not pull out easily. Just tap it flush with the bridge post to allow removal of the float. Emery or file the protruding portion of the pin before replacing the float to prevent breaking the post on reassembly. I have unfortunately also had them break reassembling. Good luck in your future carb pin removals. A bit of set up maneuvering to get the post supported but we'll worth the time.
I certainly enjoyed this episode like many of the others you've recorded. It's amazing. One of many reasons I continue watching is your shop and work area is organized and not filled full of junk . Cleaned and easy to observe what your doing. It's so great 😃👍..
Great job, Jim! It's always difficult troubleshooting anything when it's got multiple issues, but you tracked 'em all down. Great job. Also - don't know if it's my ears, but the audio on this one sounds particularly good. Us elders appreciate your unusually fine production quality - a pleasure to watch and so seldom found on youtube. Watching your videos is fun because so few engines nowadays can be worked on without a laptop. Keep up the good work!
With former owners who shouldn't be working on their own equipment, it's a blessing in disguise 1000.00 Generator for 100.00 bucks minus some missing parts. You should be able to make a nice profit on this Generator that only has 77 hrs on it. As always Great Job James the Master Gen guy!
Well James, I'm usually impressed with most of your repairs... but this one My hats off to you, Truly IMPRESSED!! Bravo I would have needed professional help if I did this job myself as well as questioning my sanity. Lol
Hi James, I've been a follower of your videos since you started this channel. I must say, through your videos, I've learned a lot about small engines and generators. I'm super excited today because you are working on a generator that I have an issue with, that is the generac xg8000e. I can't get the voltage to stay at 120v when load is applied. It doesn't have a avr.
I had this exact generator. It came with a dead battery. The amount of screwing around just to replace the battery told me much. I promptly sold it to my in-laws.
@@gumbykevboIt’s like an albatross around my neck….now I get to field phone calls describing what’s not working, and then I get to come over and fix it. Karma at work.
An absolutely helpful video. It was also quite entertaining. We almost always learn a bit of something from your videos, but for me this time, it was a better understanding of the sensitivity built into the governor system. 👍👍
Your such a perfectionist..My my..& their is nothing wrong with that...Anything u repair is like brand new when your done.... better then new ...Good job bud
Beeen a subsrciber for a couple months. Really enjoy your talent. It is most impressive the way you use logical dianostics to determine the real problems and remedies. You are a true Pro! Thanks...oh yea...they are enteratining too!
As i have said i praise you for your extra perfect job and every job that you do is over the sky 100% better than fabric made the only problem that i would have buying an engine from you is maybe getting parts if it should go bad some day
Yep, I've always wondered why a support isn't used, easy to get a bit of appropriately sized steel bar and drill a hole in it, tapping those float pins out with no support is just asking from trouble.
I have an XP8000E same issue. I did the same things you did. Ended up replacing carb with a direct replacement and made a small adjustment to the governor and it fixed it.
My take away on this one is that the previous mechanic was a bit inexperienced. The slip up on breaking the carb was a bit amusing but I'm sure you didn't think so. Good movie James.
1:19:25 - 1:21:53 I could see, while you were moving the governor spring, that the hole you ended up successfully using has a ridge the other holes, besides the one the spring was in, didn't have. To me, it looks like it was the original home for the spring. Thanks for the video. 👍😊
You have helped me a lot. I just wish I could bring my generator had have you fine tune it. It would be good to find someone with your knowledge locally. Thanks for the videos!
45:50 I love when you put in text comments of mistakes that you catch later. That really ropes in my interest to see how far you got before actually finding the mistake!
A good one Jim this one had many quirks ,and missing parts to deal with ,but in the end the machine tested to it's rated output ,and the surge problem was fixed good deal
Got one of these a few days ago. Did the oil, plugs, filters, and cleaned the carb. When I tore the carbs apart, I realized the main jet was broken. It ran kinda rough with choke fully off, hoping this fixes it. Now to find a main jet! Update: I couldn’t figure it out, the generator started to run out of control, sent it to my small engine shop.
Thursday morning - check. Cup of coffee - check. Sausage, egg and cheese biscuit - check. New James Condon video - check. All systems are go! It's gonna be a good day! Thanks for the video. 👌👌👍👍
I get more out of these videos that have the unexpected. I feel like, 'Ok, now. Welcome to my world'. lol And you didn't disappoint in getting it properly fixed. Great video.👍😊
I love watching these videos , generators are not really a thing in the UK yes I have one for portable power tool use but power cuts here are rare (except some remote areas in vary bad storms) Thanks.
They are rare here too, but we get the occasional hurricane, tornado or ice storm and thats when everyone buys them. Then they sit and get neglected since it can be many years or a decade before the next big storm.
great Mr James fix the issue my friend and that’s cool 😎. this is why love this channel you goo exactly to the problem on this generators. so thank you for sharing always good and helpful things about this machine ☝️👍great job.
James, When you are trying to drive the float pin out you need to support the opposite side with a block of wood with a hole drilled in it a little larger than the pin diameter. That will keep from putting so much stress on the tab. You could also JB weld the the tab back on also to salvage the carb. Just my 2 cents.
I moved my battery on my XG8000e to the normal place on the frame. Other than this design flaw this particular Generac is an excellent machine. Pressure lubricated with oil filter and a very low THD generator head. One of the best Generac portable gen sets
WHAT ENGINEER came to the conclusion that making the battery inaccessible, needing the fuel tank to be removed to even get access to, deserves the Engineer-Derp 🏆 award.
I thought that was absolutely ridiculous as well! The only (somewhat) saving grace for that choice is there's a charging port on the front, so they intend for you to use the power supply it came with to keep it float charged and maintained while not in use. And of course you can still pull start it. But if you know how fickle, especially cheap, AGM batteries can be.... still a silly design haha!
@@Wiresgalore the age old phrase "Not everyone in the boat is rowing your direction and some are drilling holes" comes to mind. Manufacturers do this to encourage paid service under the guise of "cosmetics" and "protecting people from themselves".
Hi, Jim. Just wanted to mention that it would be handy to have one of those mini butane torches. You can get in a tight spaces without melting stuff? Heat up the stud to get the carburetor nut off or vice versa. I have one in my shop and 1 in the generator service vehicle.
I love how a trip to the Storage Unit for parts ALWAYS happens at night, like it's some clandestine and covert operation! LOL Great job James, as always, very entertaining.
I love how thorough he is with everything but can't pronounce ESPECIALLY 😂😂😂😂 not making fun I just lmao every time he says it 😂😂
Maybe a new YT-series "Storage Unit By Night With James" 👍
@@landiahillfarm6590
@jcondon1
I actually keep thinking about how much he’s paying for storage plus the inconvenience of driving for parts every time. I came up with the idea of building his own storage unit built well recessed into the hillside so only the entrance is visible down at slightly above street level. Make it look like a Hobbit Storage. 😉
This assumes it is James’s storage unit!
@@alanstalker5499 😂
A truly inane design by Generac. The amount of removal to access anything is ridiculous.
Congrats of getting all the parts and correcting all the problems.
Thanks for sharing.
the good news is their generators dont get any better as they get bigger, id say everything from 100kw and down are all made by the same clown at least!
Thank you for the time you put into these videos. You often say "I hope this helps someone" and I have to say that you absolutely have! Thanks to what I have learned from you, I was able to diagnose and fix my lawn mower when it would not start. The carb had to be disassembled and cleaned. All good afterwards! Again, thanks for what you do!
Glad to hear!
That's the spirit! Watch a video, then try the same practice such as cleaning the carburetor. You learn new skills and you benefit and so does the lawn mower.
Great. I have one of these. Bought it 11 years ago - Cost $1,500 - for my hurricane emergency perp here in Florida. Only has about 2 hours on it at this time. Just keeping it ready each season. Never needed it - yet. This was very helpful. I learned a lot about my generator. Thanks!
Lucky! My 7 year old portable generator gets regular use here in Houston! Glad we have it! 11 days without power after Beryl recently.
Wow, “not really made with service in mind” is quite the understatement! Great job in spite of the Rubick’s Cube build design and the previous owners repair attempts! 🤯
I am glad this genny worked perfectly in the end. 🎉🎉 Jim, sorry...I went to edit my original comment and deleted my thank you for taking great care of putting the tires on my snowblower. I really appreciate the hard work you put into it. 🎉
Wow!!! The variety of problems you corrected is amazing. I hope the previous owner watches how to actually assess and correct small engine problems rather than just "messing" around (including losing parts) and making things worse!!!
From the little experience I have had with Generac equipment and finding parts I don’t think I will be run to purchase one anytime soon. You are certainly well versed and your diagnostic skills far better than most. I commend your patience and perseverance drive this to conclusion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Some people shouldn't own equipment or a set of wrenches.
A handy tip to remove the float pin would be to use a small deep well socket secured in a vise as a backup against the pin arm when using a punch to drive out the pin
Thanks for the idea
@@jcondon1 Is there any chance the pin was tapered?
Great video again, pleasure to watch and learn
Thank you so much!!
Great Video.. you do great Presentations always...
Its sad that these brand new machinese dont get proper maintenance and are fixed by anybody but luckily our guy here James does repairs and teaches us alot for generators me myself i have learned many new tips and tricks to save my generator thank you James
The good thing about your work is that you stay behind the problem until you find the solution, this method of working consistently is the right way to work, Good job.
Something I learned a long time ago while working on carbs. Trucks mainly. Coat the gaskets in either motor oil or gear oil. Itll make them seal better and when you take them off. They wont tear.
Nice! Finally a video on my exact generator! Mine is 10 years old and runs fine, but its always good to see how to get things done on it if needed.
Speaking of the battery, its original believe it or not, but I've always kept it on a Noco maintainer, and its stored garaged indoors.
I believe it. A battery maintainer will keep a battery good for a long time.
@@jcondon1 Yeah as long as its a good one, a friend of mine had cheapies and they fried his batteries for ATV and Lawn Tractor. Noco is not cheap, but they are quality. Also nice to see it confirmed that it is a low noise generator unit as i remember when researching it back in the day, i have a lot of UPS inside for various computers and servers and they run just perfectly when the generator is hooked up to the house. If the power wasn't clean they'd be clicking and not going off battery.
Ever growing list of missing parts dang you are polite and patient undoing a mess
I’ve been considering get into this as a small business for myself. You are a great inspiration and source of knowledge sir. I hope that if I ever run into an issue that completely stumps me I can ask your advice on a path forward. Well done sir.
Nice job of diagnosing, James. Another one saved from the scrap heap.
This is the first time I’ve come across adjusting out the surge with the governor spring, so thanks very much for that, Jim! 🔧👍
Thank you for producing such educational videos. I have been a mechanic ever since I was 5 years old, (just ask my dad). Bicycles, minibikes, gocarts, excetra, at 15 years old I rebuilt my first car engine with my own lunch money. I entered into the military at age 17 and became a diesel mechanic. It would be modest of me to say, i know a little bit about engines. Watching your channel has been very educational. Now, at age 62, you taught me that good enough isn't good enough. Thank you. You have learned me well. Lol
Wow, I wouldn't have thought that little difference in hole position would have made that much difference.!! Well done. Most small engine videos do not cover the small details like governor theory, operation and adjustment. Thanks for all you do here. I'm learning so much. Thank you.
I really appreciate your tenacity to get to the bottom of the problems!
Years from now, James, you will be revered as the founder of a new faith... Any kidding aside, your videos have great potential for philosophical instruction. Anyone who needs a word of encouragement can find faith here. As a young person, I sometimes gave up when I could not find a workaround for one of life's puzzles. Your kids have a great dad and the rest of us have a great instructor. I am enjoying hobbies and work at home again, I think, in part, due to your videos. Thanks again for continuing your work.
I'm 62 and I loved this video! I may never be this talented but somehow this makes me feel good just watching and learning. Thank you so much for posting this.
You are so welcome!
Another amazing video which demonstrates how important attention to details is of critical importance. One big problem seems to be the amount of extra time required to dismantle and then have to re-mantle parts/overcome design issues. Also, you reveal "engineering" issues which seem to turn up over and over again. Your PATIENCE is incredible. Many thanks!! Again!!
Your videos certainly help me create solutions to my portable generator issues.
When tapping on the pin, you may want to use a small long barrel socket to support the tabs on the carb. This should greatly reduce the risk of breaking them.
Appreciate your ability to work on these things. I did learn something. What I learned is that I don't want one.
You make it look so easy mate... Well done on getting that machine to purr correctly! Thanks for the video
Great Job Jim, your experience is showing through. Your lessons is to Never give up and be creative until you’re sure it’s not worth fixing. It becomes more economically viable when you do it yourself if you have the knowledge and skill. Thanks
James...I've been watching a lot of your videos and have hearned many good things. I wanted to pass on a hack I've used as a gunsmith working on AR-15s that may help with removing pins from the bowl float. The AR15 trigger guard has two thin tabs that you have to drive a roll pin through to attach the trigger guard arm. A constant hazard is breaking off one of the tabs, always the lower tab, which ruins the AR lower. I have discovered that using a piece of Delrin behind the tab when driving through the pin eliminates the tab from breaking off. For removal of the roll pin I have drilled an appropriately placed and sized hole into the Delrin for the pin to be driven into. A 1" by 1" cross section or 1" by 2" piece about 6 inches long can be clamped in a vise to provide the support. I admit it is a bit awkward balancing the item on the end of the Delrin and holding a hammer and a punch but it can be done. The Delrin is available from McMaster-Carr. I hope this helps or gives you an idea of your own to prevent breaking of the ears that hold on the bowl float and losing a perfectly good carburetor.
Thanks for the tip
Thank you for the explanation of the governor. Watching that engine just about walk off when you took the load off was crazy. Awesome video! .
This was so enjoyable, and educational/helpful, to watch. Thank you for making this available to the public! I recognize there are the complete range of trained / experienced / inexperienced operators and mechanics watching your videos, and at the risk of potentially causing a few of the old professionals to pfff & raise their eyebrows, would you consider occasionally offering observations for prevention of common issues? That would help us novices avoid making the mistakes that may have caused some of the engine damage you observe & repair. Things like gas tank rust may be reduced or prevented by keeping the tank full of better quality gasoline because a full tank reduces or prevents the chance of water condensing out of the air onto the inside of the metal tank during cold weather. Just like a glass full of ice & water will condense moisture on its exterior from the outside air, so will air inside a gas tank condense moisture out onto the inside tank walls during cold weather. A note about fuel additives like Sta-Bil or HEET or Sea Foam & their competitors would be so useful to those of us who haven't heard of any of their benefits or drawbacks or of the special purposes each is designed to fill. Advice about completely draining a tank AND a carburetor before storing it is not out of order, either. Your best practices are always much appreciated, and just a word or two about why you do them, and what likely caused some negative issue that was preventable through whatever you observe, would go a long way towards guiding others to use best practices and enjoy longer trouble-free generator or engine/motor operation. If it's not in the cards to offer your suggestions or advice about causes & their preventions instead of only their corrections, that's OK, too. Your style & expertise are always appreciated. All my best to you!
Ooh a new degreaser in the ultrasonic cleaner. I can't explain why I get so much joy watching a carb go in there lol
It's pretty hard to find degreaser that won't eat aluminum. Pretty surprised he doesn't have a new one every time.
Got to be careful with carburetor cleaner/brake cleaner. They can swell rubber gaskets. (Some time you can shrink them back by washing in hot soapy water and letting the air dry.)
I still have not been able to justify buying an ultrasonic cleaner. Especially since the last 2 jobs I just bought Hippa replacements !
@@jackpatteeuw9244I have one but small. Only use it for jewelry and small electronic things. Works well for that.
Thanks for this video James. I wanted to share I not enjoy learning the technical bits from your video, but also the way in which you approach these challenges. In my day to day futzing in the workshop, whenever I run into a situation that requires a more measured approach (i.e. don't rush and make things worse), I ask myself "What would James Condon do?" And I slow down and make better choices (sometimes) :)
Anyway, thanks for helping us "learn something."
I appreciate the VGG call-out for the carb repair chapter. Fuel make it happener!
Thank you once again James, I always learn something new. your methodical approach has been a lifesaver for me, can't tell you how much easier small engine repairs are for me now. Don't do many but those I do have worked out well after watching these vid's. Thank you for posting
nice work James. You taught us a lot about gens. Things I'll take with me with my new gen. Thank you!
In 2011, I purchased a Generac GP 5500 to get us through a storm that left us without power for over seven days. Today, with your help, I was able to clean the carburetor, and now it’s running like new again. Thanks to your knowledge and videos, what seemed like a daunting task turned out to be an easy challenge. I really appreciate your guidance!
I have had this issue since buying this exact generator several years ago. I did buy a clone carb but never installed it. I now know which way to go. Thank you. I needed this.
I want to thank you James, you consistently deep dive into the finer details of what makes generators misbehave, I look forward to learning something and very often do, another excellent video with the added bonus of a not maintenance friendly generator
You are very welcome
Just being able to identify and fix one problem at a time to make a complete repair. Nice work Jim.
That load tester pulled its weight in this video, the issues only were surfacing under load
As a tinkerer myself, my jealousy of that load bank is... well, its up there haha! Fantastic find on James' part. Sure beats a whole platoon of space heaters and adaptors
Awesome video thanks for staying with it. 👍
James, thanks for all your great content. I was watching a video from 2vintage, Joe was working on a carb with the same issue of a stuck float pin like you have. One of his subscribers suggested to use a small spring loaded punch. He got one off amazon and on the first click it released the pin. Just thought I would share that with you. Oh by the way I have seen Joe break off the post trying to hammer the pin out…..the punch worked on the first try.
Thanks again…
From the video I saw where the new fuel line interfered with the heat shield on the engine housing. It was crimped before you put the air box on. Glad you got it working and fixed. Thanks for all the fault demonstrations.
Thank you so much! I really like the honesty in your videos; you could have never told us about the gas line you broke to look good and we would never have known why gas was leaking from a new carburetor. It would have looked like the dealer was shipping poor quality parts. But no, now we know the carburetor was good and can be used for something else.
You are so welcome!
Your a champion. I just fixed my weed trimmer after 3 years of not working. Needed a new carb and high and low tuned on the new carbon. Wouldn't have had the knowledge or motivation to fix it if I hadn't spent hours watching you. Thanks.
Over the years, after watching several Generac repair videos, I would be very hesitant on purchasing one for myself. I could be wrong but they just don't seem to be made with quality components nor designed for ease of servicing. Another excellent video though. Thanks for creating them.
This one is made in the USA and is of high quality, but I swear they designed it to be as difficult as possible to service. Who puts the battery under the gas tank?!?!?
It is actually a well made machine, just a little more challenging to service. Working on a Honda now that makes this one look easy.
Don’t buy one, they are junk now and service is terrible 😢
Although I've never owned one, I've been asked to fix quite a few of them - often with low hours on them. It's hard to be sure how representative they are, because obviously I only see the bad ones, but my feeling is that they seem to suffer a disturbingly high rate of early onset issues for a premium priced machine. The obvious comparison would be with the Honda generators - although I have seen quite a few of those that were broken they were generally either really old or obviously abused, while I've seen a bunch of Generacs that were low hours and looked clean and well treated, but were busted anyway.
I fixed my brush trimmer because of the things I’ve learned from you. Keep up the good work. Thanks
When smashing out float pin , support the post via tube in vice and knock pin into tube, love your work
Another great video. Good call on the governor spring.
Glad you enjoyed it
Hello James: I cringed when I saw the bridge leg of the carburetor break off.
I have had the same thing happen more than once. To prevent a further occurrence I now do 2 things. 1) take a small file or emery paper and remove some material from the pin end before trying to tap it out. It does not require much filling or Sanding just enough the the diameter is slightly reduced to provide clearance for the hole in the bridge post. 2) place the carbureator in the vice so the rear bridge post is parallel with the vice jaw. Using a small wood shim support the back side of the post against the vice jaw. Then tap the pin out. Once the pin moves do not remove it completely if it will not pull out easily. Just tap it flush with the bridge post to allow removal of the float. Emery or file the protruding portion of the pin before replacing the float to prevent breaking the post on reassembly. I have unfortunately also had them break reassembling. Good luck in your future carb pin removals. A bit of set up maneuvering to get the post supported but we'll worth the time.
Thanks for the tip!
It’s great how you stay calm when you find stuff missing and bits fall off. Really enjoy these generator videos, I’m learning stuff from you 👍
I certainly enjoyed this episode like many of the others you've recorded. It's amazing.
One of many reasons I continue watching is your shop and work area is organized and not filled full of junk . Cleaned and easy to observe what your doing. It's so great 😃👍..
I love the load tester, it’s a great tool for really knowing what it’s doing and why😊
Great job, Jim! It's always difficult troubleshooting anything when it's got multiple issues, but you tracked 'em all down. Great job. Also - don't know if it's my ears, but the audio on this one sounds particularly good. Us elders appreciate your unusually fine production quality - a pleasure to watch and so seldom found on youtube. Watching your videos is fun because so few engines nowadays can be worked on without a laptop. Keep up the good work!
Great job isolating and correcting the issues!
Thanks!
JAMES you are a generator magician. congratulation.
With former owners who shouldn't be working on their own equipment, it's a blessing in disguise 1000.00 Generator for 100.00 bucks minus some missing parts. You should be able to make a nice profit on this Generator that only has 77 hrs on it. As always Great Job James the Master Gen guy!
Well James, I'm usually impressed with most of your repairs... but this one My hats off to you, Truly IMPRESSED!! Bravo I would have needed professional help if I did this job myself as well as questioning my sanity. Lol
An absolute gem for technical issues problem solving. Thank You James😊
Hi James, I've been a follower of your videos since you started this channel. I must say, through your videos, I've learned a lot about small engines and generators. I'm super excited today because you are working on a generator that I have an issue with, that is the generac xg8000e. I can't get the voltage to stay at 120v when load is applied. It doesn't have a avr.
I believe this one has a capacitor. Likely down by the generator end cover or in the control panel.
I had this exact generator. It came with a dead battery. The amount of screwing around just to replace the battery told me much. I promptly sold it to my in-laws.
And now you wonder why your in-laws don't treat you nice.
@@gumbykevboIt’s like an albatross around my neck….now I get to field phone calls describing what’s not working, and then I get to come over and fix it. Karma at work.
James to wife: "Another one followed me home"!
Wife to James: "Imagine that"
Id love to see James do a little skit with his wife playing out this comment. hahah
An absolutely helpful video. It was also quite entertaining. We almost always learn a bit of something from your videos, but for me this time, it was a better understanding of the sensitivity built into the governor system. 👍👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Your such a perfectionist..My my..& their is nothing wrong with that...Anything u repair is like brand new when your done.... better then new ...Good job bud
Beeen a subsrciber for a couple months. Really enjoy your talent. It is most impressive the way you use logical dianostics to determine the real problems and remedies. You are a true Pro! Thanks...oh yea...they are enteratining too!
Thanks
As i have said i praise you for your extra perfect job and every job that you do is over the sky 100% better than fabric made the only problem that i would have buying an engine from you is maybe getting parts if it should go bad some day
I back up the arm for support when tapping pins out. Also, once pins move, cycle them in place with solvent to clear varnish.
Yep, I've always wondered why a support isn't used, easy to get a bit of appropriately sized steel bar and drill a hole in it, tapping those float pins out with no support is just asking from trouble.
Yes if it’s not free sonic cleaner and then back up arm for sure 😊
@@572BtriodeI made a back up for them, hate breaking stuff 😊
Nice job! Love the sequential problem solving!!
Thanks!
Good job Doc, nice little generator
I have an XP8000E same issue. I did the same things you did. Ended up replacing carb with a direct replacement and made a small adjustment to the governor and it fixed it.
Great video and very nice work bringing this generator back to life James!
Glad you enjoyed it
That design is a fuster cluck. Imagine the power goes out and ya gotta deal with getting that generator running? Excellent video James!
The frame design is so bad, like they intentionally made it difficult to work on.
For the price of a clone compared to one, the issues seem surmountable and minor
My take away on this one is that the previous mechanic was a bit inexperienced. The slip up on breaking the carb was a bit amusing but I'm sure you didn't think so. Good movie James.
You really know your stuff! Thank you for sharing all your knowledge and experience with all of us, it's greatly appreciated sir 👍
Excellent video that covers what could end up as an awkward situation.
Beauty job James. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Great job with the video. Lots of great trouble shooting done. I enjoy your videos and have learned much.
1:19:25 - 1:21:53 I could see, while you were moving the governor spring, that the hole you ended up successfully using has a ridge the other holes, besides the one the spring was in, didn't have. To me, it looks like it was the original home for the spring.
Thanks for the video. 👍😊
Thanks for the tips James. Great job as always.
You have helped me a lot. I just wish I could bring my generator had have you fine tune it. It would be good to find someone with your knowledge locally. Thanks for the videos!
Glad I could help
45:50 I love when you put in text comments of mistakes that you catch later. That really ropes in my interest to see how far you got before actually finding the mistake!
A good one Jim this one had many quirks ,and missing parts to deal with ,but in the end the machine tested to it's rated output ,and the surge problem was fixed good deal
Got one of these a few days ago. Did the oil, plugs, filters, and cleaned the carb. When I tore the carbs apart, I realized the main jet was broken. It ran kinda rough with choke fully off, hoping this fixes it. Now to find a main jet!
Update: I couldn’t figure it out, the generator started to run out of control, sent it to my small engine shop.
Great job, James.
Pure perfectionism.
Love your videos, educational and informative. The troubleshooting is a great help. Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
Thursday morning - check.
Cup of coffee - check.
Sausage, egg and cheese biscuit - check.
New James Condon video - check.
All systems are go!
It's gonna be a good day!
Thanks for the video. 👌👌👍👍
Great fix. Runs great.
I get more out of these videos that have the unexpected. I feel like, 'Ok, now. Welcome to my world'. lol And you didn't disappoint in getting it properly fixed. Great video.👍😊
I love watching these videos , generators are not really a thing in the UK yes I have one for portable power tool use but power cuts here are rare (except some remote areas in vary bad storms) Thanks.
They are rare here too, but we get the occasional hurricane, tornado or ice storm and thats when everyone buys them. Then they sit and get neglected since it can be many years or a decade before the next big storm.
I have the same generator. You are so correct. The generator was designed on purpose to be a pain in the butt to work on.
Thank you for showing so many reasons as to why the XG series is such a pain to service and maintain. I'll be sure to avoid ever owning one.
great Mr James fix the issue my friend and that’s cool 😎. this is why love this channel you goo exactly to the problem on this generators. so thank you for sharing always good and helpful things about this machine ☝️👍great job.
James, When you are trying to drive the float pin out you need to support the opposite side with a block of wood with a hole drilled in it a little larger than the pin diameter. That will keep from putting so much stress on the tab. You could also JB weld the the tab back on also to salvage the carb.
Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for the info
I moved my battery on my XG8000e to the normal place on the frame. Other than this design flaw this particular Generac is an excellent machine. Pressure lubricated with oil filter and a very low THD generator head. One of the best Generac portable gen sets
It is one of the best portable generators. It offers more than most.
Running really late today. I really can't believe that it's Thursday again. As usual, enjoyed the video, James. See you next week.
Thanks again!
WHAT ENGINEER came to the conclusion that making the battery inaccessible, needing the fuel tank to be removed to even get access to, deserves the Engineer-Derp 🏆 award.
I thought that was absolutely ridiculous as well! The only (somewhat) saving grace for that choice is there's a charging port on the front, so they intend for you to use the power supply it came with to keep it float charged and maintained while not in use. And of course you can still pull start it. But if you know how fickle, especially cheap, AGM batteries can be.... still a silly design haha!
@@Wiresgalore the age old phrase "Not everyone in the boat is rowing your direction and some are drilling holes" comes to mind. Manufacturers do this to encourage paid service under the guise of "cosmetics" and "protecting people from themselves".
🤣
Hi, Jim. Just wanted to mention that it would be handy to have one of those mini butane torches. You can get in a tight spaces without melting stuff? Heat up the stud to get the carburetor nut off or vice versa. I have one in my shop and 1 in the generator service vehicle.
I have one. Should have tried it. Melting the float would have been a better option than trashing that carb body.