The main failure point of any inverter module is usually the The capacitors and the output transistors as they see the most stress. I have a dealer account with Champion as well. You can call them and easily get the parts that you need in addition there are engineers who actually designed the machine to begin with that can answer specific questions over the phone email etc. Firman is another brand based in Arizona that I have a dealer account with and they are similarly equipped and reasonably priced for parts. Engineer support is also available. Now the inverter itself because it's potted in epoxy they do not provide schematics for that part internally but the cost is not prohibitive like a Honda.
I see comments here that you could possibly repair these inverters. Is this true? If so what would it cost. I could find out if the customers would want to have them repaired.
@@TarylFixesAll Hey Taryl! Unfortunately Honda and Yamaha inverter schematics are "proprietary" and they do not provide those to service dealers to attempt repair. James Condon and I have tried on a few occasions and no success. The epoxy resin is also a challenge to remove without damage, especially with SMD components. Champion and Fireman inverter modules are far more reasonably priced making it not economical to repair. Thank you as always for the amazing content!
@@TarylFixesAll they can be tested with oscilloscope and ohm meter if you know the values of a known good capacitor, transistor, resistor etc. Here lies the problem though that without having schematics you have to test each individual component and have known good readings to find the bad one(s) that can take a long time and time is money to the customer
@TarylFixesAll as you there is no quick or profitable solution. even on some that you can come up with something to make it work half a$$ and people don't want to Frankenstein there generator so they can use it . not worth the headache I've been there .
Hi Taryl. I am a 13 year old and I have an obsession with small engines. So far I haven’t got anything running but I’m getting something new tomorrow. Thank you so much for all your amazing videos. I get all my inspiration from you.
I was the same when I was your age 30 years ago. I really think that's what gave me knowledge of now working on all my old trucks tractors and equipment now. I got a few of my old engines stored away now my 10 year old is starting to tinkering with them to
Get a repair book or a few, the right tools you might have better luck at getting them running vs just guessing at it... I know so much about small engines, I don't need a book to say what's wrong! I just use the repair books for tork specs
Don’t stop reading! UA-cam is amazing. If I had the internet 35 years ago when I was your age I’d be a millionaire x10 by now. Now I just am lazy and only x5. Good luck young fella!
One of the reasons these regulators fail is due to shutting down the generator with a load on it, or letting it run out of fuel under load. The regulator senses the voltage dropping due to the rpm decreasing and it ramps up significantly to try and compensate. This blows up the capacitor(s) on the regulator rendering it useless. Always remove the load from the generator prior to stopping the engine and don’t let it run out of fuel under load either.
Or maybe don't buy generators built to die / designed like crap / made by idiots. You'd be surprised at how well generators can be when built the right way. A few people out there get sick and tired of all these mass produced ones - and just build their own lol... Or spend more money on products that are actually built to last.
Only problem is that when it is used as an emergency backup power it is inevitable it would run out of fuel under load eventually, not everyone are that observant._
I have a 5KW Coleman 10 HP Breaks and Scrap'em that's about twenty years old and I desperately needed it this weekend because of ice storms knocked out power for three days straight! I try to start it every year or so to keep it in good shape. I have to say that it ran all weekend flawlessly and powered the important stuff, no problem! It used a lot of fuel, but it real saved my bacon!. Thanks Taryl.
I got a coleman i bought back in the mid 2000's. I have used it alot after hurricanes and odd jobs where i need power away from the house. Last time i ran it was when Irma hit in 2022 its starting to make a noise sounds like a bearing on the generator side is going bad. Other than that its still going.
Love your videos. Starting a business was a good series,hit the nail right on the head. I drove truck for over45 years. I used to run to St Louis ,Cincinnati,Louisville, Indianapolis Jersey,Philly,etc.. I considered buying my own truck, but too many hours for no pay. I studied auto mechanics in high school,but got into transport company at 19 years of age. I always fixed my own cars, built a race car, worked on others race cars After I bought a house, i learned to fix everything Septic system, electrical, and plumbing,including a deep well. I finally got a new lawn tractor in 96, and again in 2001, which I still have. L130 JD with a 23 hp, Kohler. We seem to have similar abilities in repairing small engines, of course you have more experience I wish I lived close, because I think we could become close friends I am 74 years old, so too old to start a new business. A neighbour gave me an old lawn tractor Yard Machine, 15.5 hp,42 in deck. The steerin was screwed up, no battery,4 flat tires.I dragged it home behind my Gator. Hooked up a jumper battery, added gas, checked the oil level , and cranked it over. The thing started, but it hammered and banged terrible. The crankcase vent tube to the carb was kinked, and looked like the oil was coming out of the lower crank seal. The air filter was soaked in oil. Turned out, the motor was loose on the frame, making the banging noises. The oil drain tube was screw up and dripping oil into the pulley on the crankshaft, and flinging it onto the belts. I got new belts, battery, air filter,tire sealer,oil, light bulbs, and with tlc, this machine is presentable again. Just another example of people willing to give things away, and we are able to bring things back to life. I,ll try to send a clip of the little tractor as Im proud of it Thanks for all your videos.. I live 100 miles north of Toronto, Ontario on Lake Simcoe
Have had Honda equipment for close to 40 years and have only had minor simple fix problems. However, I am sure that if I ran into some more complicated problems I would run into the very same issues that were in the video. Like anything, if you find that replace parts are NLA or if they ore out of this world expensive, they are junk. I have various pieces of farm equipment that are over 40 years old that I can still get repair parts. Although they might be quite expensive, they are never the less still available and compared to the price of a new piece of equipment, well worth the price.
My old accord feels better than my new accord in many aspects. A couple bucks fixes that thing up good. Im going to change the oil, install a button and list it for sale. I dont drive much, I need a motorcycle.
Several years back, I had to choose between a Honda EB6500 generator and a EU6500 inverter generator for construction. Glad I went the non inverter EB6500. It might use a little more fuel as it doesn't rev for the specific amp draw like the inverter one, but rather idle (when not in use/standby) or 3600RPM no matter how big or small the load is. But it sure is a more rugged design! And it's working at 90% load most of the time anyway. I run non ethanol fuel, and do oil change intervals 2X more frequent than Honda recommends, and with 5w40. 1000+ hours on the meter so far, never had an issue. I also have a 37 year old, self propelled Honda (SX-70 model, I think?) mower, that I used as a kid to buy my first dirtbike at 12 years old and car at 14. It cut 10+ lawns a week for 15 of those years, still alive and cutting today.
I really like how you guys highlight the diagrams in the book. Most guys don't, they just talk about it and I get all flustered because I don't know what in the heck they want me to see. Great idea guys..
I bought a champion generator a couple years ago. Been very pleased with it. I use it for power outages and power my camper. Honda has lost its mind the last 20 years or so. The cars are the same way. They used to build simple, super reliable transportation vehicles but now they seem to want to compete with bmw or something. Not the same company they used to be.
Nothing big against them... but the new ish Honda suitcase generators? Yeah i wouldn't snap the pull cord. It's not the simple 5 minute max repair like most generators or machines. Tear more than half the thing apart to even see the damn thing, then struggle to get it out, unbolting everything, a giant disaster. Some generators sure take off a panel, then its a bit tough to get at, but still get it out no worries.
Planned obsolescence is out of control as is the decline on quality control. Everything "Modern" is really junk so don't overpay, especially so called flagship company items. Go somewhere in the middle so it's less panful if it fails or the company lets you down with obsolete parts. Shame on them all. I hope Honda watched this video and hang their heads in shame.
As someone that maintains Toyota/Lexus and Honda vehicles, they make excellent engines and transmissions. Now, Honda had some issues with their CVTs but within a couple of years of production, made significant changes. Maintenance is the key, but the Japanese have a much different mentality than American auto manufacturers.
I bought a Champion generator about 13 years ago because it was a great deal. It gets used during power outages, usually at my sister's place. The only repair I've done is to install a new carb because she used crap gas, left the fuel cock on and didn't run the gas out. By the time I got to it, the carb was trashed. I don't let her keep it for any length of time anymore. I go and get it so I can do the right thing. She had to buy all new battery equipment because she did the same thing with all of them.
I bought an off-grid cabin that came with a Champion generator, and a Troy-built. The previous owner spoke well of the Champion, and it worked well for me. The Troy-built did as well. I had heard good things from a neighbor about his Honda generator - it must not have required service. It is a darned shame our society is changing to throw away as far as appliances of all kinds.
You are right. Just like that generator, new household appliances are junk. Accept for very high end products. A lot of circuit boards that can't be repaired, only replaced.
@@scottjohnson4910 I can remember when Troy-Built was one of the top brands but that has long since been gone! I don't like working on them or even using them for parts! Thats a shame about Husqvarna. I have an old Husqvarna chainsaw that I love. Best chainsaw I have ever owned. Wouldn't trade it for a new one thats for sure!
I inherited a Honda EU3000is. It had been abused. The previous owner retired it due to its age. The hour meter stopped working so I can't be certain how many hours it actually has on it. One thing Is for sure: It's worked absolutely flawlessly for me. It doesn't burn any oil. I have been careful not to overload it. If you take care of a Honda product, it will serve you well. Thanks but I will keep my Honda.
A Honda engine won't typically burn oil. They're great small engines, we all know this. He was talking about part pricing/availability and the complex electronics in some of these gennys.
I have a Champion 75531i Inverter Generator, 3100-watt since 2015 living on the back of my fifth wheel. The first season using it, I was actually kinda pissed. Had problems with it staying running, sometimes not running at all. Took it to 3 different Champion warranty shops in Florida. The first replaced a coil and "fixed it". Shut down 2 hours later. The 2nd shop looked at it and said they won't do work on Chinese made Honda knockoffs. At the 3rd shop, Champion had them ship the genset back to Champion in California. I didn't get much use out of it that first season. Champion opened the crankcase and replaced the low oil cutoff, then shipped the unit back to me in PA. From that point on, the genset has worked flawlessly. The engineers I talked to at Champion where great. Ever since, I have recommended the Champion product to anyone looking for a genset. Very very pleased, other than my first season. All the repairs, shipping etc. covered under warranty.
Thats a great story. You always have to remember that thousands upon thousands of different products are being produced and sometimes you might get one with a defective part. Glad to see it had a positive outcome.
It's always good to have a breeding pair of machinery! When one of your honda generators craps itself, you've got a whole supply of parts! (well... except for the inverter)
My EU2000i was a reliable Gen. Upgraded to the EU2200 so I could run my RV air conditioner, runs awesome. Most people bashing Hondas usually lack funds.
I was going to buy a Honda a few years ago but bought a Champion instead. For roughly the same wattage the Honda was $2000.00 more in Canadian dollars. So far i really like the Champion . Watching Taryl's videos i learned how to maintain all my small engines.
@@davevaneck6026 Yes, but like all things built in China, they can be built to various levels of quality based on what you are willing to pay. Champion is a quality company with quality equipment so I have to assume they are built to higher standards in China based on the companies standards.
Oh man I have one of those but mine is still running good 😬but if the inverter part ever goes out do you think it will be possible to turn it into just a regular generator without the inverter?
Taryl, I saw one of these at the scrap yard, a few months ago, and wondered why it was there. Having had no experience with them, I left it there. I'm glad I did.
Never pass up a freebie, it could've been a simple fuel, broken pull cord or other simple problem; that's why most of them are tossed out (bad fuel, gummed carburetor).
I have not had experience with Honda's but have seen the champion generator, my father-in-law uses one with his motor home, and has had no issue expect the occasional plug cleaning. I myself bought the 3000w Predator generator from Harbor Freight, and do NOT regret it. it has not let me down once, it starts, and I go out once a month and run it like they suggest, the battery for the electric start has not even failed going on 3 years now. I know someone else that bought the same unit, and left it over the winter, never started it, did not drain the fuel, or change oil, and they had a dead battery, and I wound up having to take the carb apart and clean it. Point being, maintain your equipment, and it will last with very few issues. Taryl, thanks for this video, iit proves what I have been telling others about the honda's they are overpriced on parts and do not last.
There's a huge number of Honda EU200i / EU2200i generator owners who are completely satisfied after years of running them ragged. How many? Don't know, but good luck finding a used one for under $700, even though new are only about $1200. This particular unit coughed up a little smoke on startup, which suggests someone ran it long and hard. Tough to dismiss an entire brand based on a few failures. The units that hold up admirably aren't the ones that make it into your shop. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Honda, except that my Yamaha EF2400is hasn't missed a beat in its first ten years.
Reminds me of what happened to power converters in RVs. At one time I could repair or replace any component in the power converter. I had troubleshooting manuals and a stock of replacement parts. They were all the same brand so when one failed, I would swap it out with one that I previously repaired, took that old one home to repair for the next job. That all came to an end when the RV industry, in their infinite wisdom, decided to go with electronic power converters with complicated circuit boards. But not only that, they encased them in resin so that even if you knew how to repair them, it was impossible to get to the components. So, much for simplicity, so much for the repairman. Now instead of a $100 repair, it's a $300 replacement.
You have to understand, that the old ones were based on heavy power transformers that were designed to work with a low frequency of 60hz. The newer designs don't work that way, as a result are much lighter, cheaper to manufacture. They run at higher frequency and make use of modern technology to still manage to output a clean 60Hz Single Phase AC output, from a battery. The difference in the end is a really complicated power supply, but with a much better Power Factor than the old Transformer based units. Don't get me wrong, I love the old Transformer stuff and prefer it for it's simplicity, but these days heavy transformers are very expensive, and you can do a lot more with a modern Inverter type supply than you ever could with an old Transformer/Cap Filter/Rectifier/Regulator type simple unit.
Yup, that goes for major appliances, now it is all electronic, 50$ for the service call and 280$ for a new circuit board, whereas at one time maybe a 30 $ relay did the same thing. . .Frankly I think the new service techs are nowhere as good as they used to be, just expensive part/s changers.
@@xxcrazy_critr6661 The heavy power transformer ones are also very inefficient, too much heating losses in the transformers. Most likely because the laminations were not made of good high silicon low eddy loss 'transformer' grade steel, and poorly designed. Modern extra high voltage transformers are extremely efficient, so much so that the large oil cooled ones the fans don't even hardly run except when overloaded and extremely hot weather (from everyone's AC working to the max, maxing out the grid). In the old days, they used to have huge oil tanks, many large loud fans, and filled with PCB's. Yeah, no thanks. Sometimes I'm thankful some things "aren't made they way they were used to".
@@xxcrazy_critr6661 " ... and you can do a lot more with a modern Inverter type supply than you ever could with an old Transformer/Cap Filter/Rectifier/Regulator type simple unit." What more can you do?
Interesting troubleshooting video. Our backup generator is an old school non-inverter Harbor Freight electric start Predator with a Chihonda clone engine I purchased in 2016. So far I have not had any problems with it. All our lawnmowers have had Honda engines that I really like. The issue I have with Honda is their stuff is extremely expensive compared to the competition.
I have a Champion 9000, dual fuel genset. We run that thing for over a year supplying power to our 50amp fifth wheel and our well pump while living in the RV, clearing and prepping our property. They make a great product and have excellent customer service. Only issue I had during the whole time, was the safety plunger sticking in the carbatrator. Called them up and they sent me a brand a complete new carb for FREE, that was after they spent an hour on the phone troubleshooting the problem with me. I was able to run on propane while waiting for the new carb, which only took 3 days to receive. Eventually the thing started sticking again, so I just clipped the tip off the plunger. We still have that genny in the shop as a backup storm outages. We have a transfer switch wired into the main panel box for our new home.
I ran into this very same kind of thing with a Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 81 Plasma Cutter; a supposedly high end plasma cutter manufacturer that can't supply parts. It saddens me to do it but my solution is to now buy a cheap Chinese plasma cutter than I throw away in a few years when it breaks. Sometimes when you try to buy what is considered "the best" you don't get your money's worth. It's a real shame because you can still get parts for a lot of things made over 30 years ago.
Hi from Willow Alaska Tarly..What’s your thoughts on the Honda EU 3000is ? I did quite a bit of research and just bought one a couple months ago although I haven’t used it yet. I bought enough spare spark plugs, air filters and oil to keep this thing running for many many years, or so I thought ?
Glad to hear you are a champion service center. I have a brand new champion I bought in 2021 it's still in the box in my garage 🙄. So if I get around to unpacking it and doesn't run I know where to go
The constant interruptions by Andy is a genius move to keep minds piqued; minds that would otherwise lose interest in the teacher's voice and wander such as it is with the 10 minute or less attention span of the modern human.
Planned obsolescence. You're right, Honda generators are junk and it's too bad the manufacturer is so greedy. They wanted over $30 for a simple carburetor needle. I got my Troy Bilt/Briggs & Stratton generator in 2008 and it's been through four hurricanes and still serves me well. Oh, and it starts on the first pull, go figure. Nice job on the vid.
@@ruchknruchkn6575 Likewise but I had to add electric (12 volt) start. It's a 98 also and runs like a sewing machine. Also added a throttle so it can warm up and cool down idling. Pulls a 220 well pump mostly.
Same thing happened to me and they wanted $40 up in Canada for a needle I got the whole clone carburetor for like $15 it's bolted up and work just fine
In the UK the Honda Izy steel deck mowers are junk because the steel they use for the cutter deck dissolves terribly if they aren't cleaned yearly. Some of the models we see are only ten years old and are already fit for the scrap yard. Mad thing is people pay a premium for the Honda name and the mowers aren't that great.
I just came across a Honda eu7000is that only has 49 hours on it. I was just about to buy it until i saw this video. I don't need a generator that's too expensive to fix or one that you can't get parts for. Thank you so much.
For battery charging, an off the shelf wind turbine battery charge controller would do it. They're designed to take the 3 phase AC from the wind turbine and dump it into 12/24v batteries (or other voltages if you look around).
We used to use these as power supply back up generators, ours kept dropping down to output only 60v, bought them because they were fairly lightweight and cheap but when they failed they became parts only.
Thanks for the heads up on the Honda generator. I’m glad I only paid $20.00 for my Generac 4000XL generator. if it breaks then I’m not losing much at all. the only thing it needed when I got it was a carburetor and a oil change and a good cleaning. I even put wheels and handles on it. runs like a champ now.
Funny that you mentioned the fire department generator. I'm on the department that you talked about and we've been discussing what to do with it. It is very upsetting that it is junk because it does not have very many hours on it.
Compare the power head output to a normal power head (non inverter) and see if you can adapt a different power head or stator and voltage regulator. I haven't researched this yet but would be surprised if there isn't a solution that might save the county/state dollars.
If you found someone that was good at doing component level repair, you could probably get the inverter fixed. If it's potted in epoxy though, that certainly makes it really difficult to work on. I've fixed specialty electronics (think farm equipment, CNC machines, etc etc) when parts are not available or replacement parts or systems are outrageously expensive. It is possible, just that there aren't many competent repair engineers around, because almost no one is willing to pay the rate required for the skill level required to go blind into something and repair it without schematics (which are never available)
Great video Taryl! You can remove the bad inverter and replace it with a 200 amp bridge rectifier to make a DC charger. The bridge rectifiers used to cost around $20 on the bay place but I think they're about twice that now. You'd be converting over from the 3 AC phases output to a positive and negative DC output. It would work great for those with a 48 volt solar battery storage system as a backup charging system.
@@ChicagoMillingCo. Or, i salvaged a 1500 watt inverter, from a UPS, the cheap brands, that our local drugstore throw away, when the battery / (or two, in this case ) goes dead, Find them in their dumpsters;
ive worked on the older honda generators and even the exciter/regulator moduals are very expensive around 250$ us .love their engines but you are correct.
i guess i better buy a used one for parts to keep mine going. it small, starts every time, makes a great little work table, decent run time for light strings and other equipment. i like this one better than the suitcase ones for the power. ive seen used ones in my area for $400-$500. better snatch them up now. thanks for the heads up, taryl.
Hey taryl I have an tecumseh oh160 engine on a miller bluestar 2e welder and I cant get no spark on it I change the ignition module, change the stator and ni spark what can I do. Help!!!
Many years ago, my boss at the time needed his honda mower rebuilt. We needed a rod and piston. We got parts at dealer cost, and it was still more than buying another brand mower. Parts for all their power equipment are crazy expensive.
Honda you get what you pay for....(3) gens - 2 eu2000’s and a 7000wt. All are going on 13+ years old and running like a top. I’ll be buying their products again......if these ever quit,in my lifetime.😎
I’m glad my EB 4000 was given to me. It’s either a late 70’s or early 80’s model. A contractor had it before & gave it to Dad in the 90’s. Only thing Dad had fixed on it was the automatic idle switch that came with a nail in it. Dad started using it when living out of town in his RV doing road construction. He would slide it out of the back of truck & let it drop breaking an engine mount. It’s aluminum & I used JB Weld to fix it. I had it sit in shed for 5yrs with fuel stabilizer in it & started on 3rd pull. Can’t beat those engines. I have smaller Honda generator that was given to me & I bought an old 80’s Honda snowblower on tracks that runs better than the craftsman snowblower that needs work. I even have a Honda ATV.
I have no use for a home or emergency generator. But I do have a little 900 watt 2 cycle one from Harbor Fright that I really like. I have had it about 10 years. I use it to operate power tools in remote places and instead of a drop cord. I've used a Skilsaw, a small 8 gal compressor, drills, electric impacts, electric chainsaw, grinders, etc. I had to clean the carb once and you need to use fresh mix but it's a great little portable tool for me.
I’ve had good luck with Honda power equipment parts over the years. Long term parts availability is actually a main reason I would recommend Honda to people. I’m sure there comes a time of parts no longer being built. Oh the other hand, I’ve had quality issues with Champion gens right out of the box. Like basic assembly done wrong. Great troubleshooting video!!
I was able to get a complete carb for my 40 year old honda walk behind mower for less than 15 dollars at my local honda power equipment dealer. The original carb was fine except for the internal part that i lost during cleaning.
I have two Hondas, and 2200eu and an 8000 w contractor generator. Both start first pull and have hundreds of flawless hours. Luckily I've never had any issues up to this point.
Great vid(as usual).I had a Honda generator back in the mid 80"s.Used it alot.,never a problem.But probably like everything else.The older it is,the better it was made.
I see a capacitor on the inverter there, I wonder if that is bad. On a Kenowa 4500 generator I have, the exciter coil capacitor kept going open when a heavy load was applied to it. I opened the plastic block case on the last one up, dumped the sand out, and found there were 4 separate capacitors in there hooked in parallel, and one lead to an outside terminal was burnt open. Looking on the case, it said it was supposed to be 24ufd, but the capacitors inside only added up to 16ufd. I searched ebay and found a high quality nos 24 mfd Mallory capacitor, installed that, and no more problems.
Ive heard the main fail point of inverters is often the capacitors in them. 19:58 the large circle shaped parts on that one. If they didnt seal them normal they are cheap and easy to replace by themselves. It’s a shame Honda didn’t make them serviceable.
Nice to know and I do have a Champion Generator I run the carb out of gas and fill it up with stable at the end of summer this will be the third year im sure it will start rite up in the spring gets a oil change every 100 hrs and ive ajusted the valves once
Wow I thought for sure that someone would built that part as an OEM, amazing, I have an 8000w Briggs & Stratton (craftsman) generator and it’s fantastic. Has a flat looking B&S OHV valve engine. It’s plenty loud but it works! We ran the whole downstairs with it for 5 days last year after a big storm. It starts right up, has carbon monoxide detector & has electric start, etc.
Hate to say it but myself and friends have noticed Honda quality going downhill the last fifteen years. They're doing what other companies do--cheap out and hope customers think of your past reputation of quality.
With replacement inverters unavailable the only possibility of a repair would be by a component level fault finding exercise on the inverter for which a schematic diagram would be needed and of course an un potted circuit board. By providing neither of these things it's as if Honda were deliberately setting out to frustrate attempts to repair their equipment.
Schematics shouldn't be needed for such a simple thing like an inverter. A competent repair person doesn't need a schematic for everything (though sometimes it makes it a lot faster). The potting is an issue though - that's a real pain to deal with
What is the part number of the CYCLOCONVERTER that is the nla part, 31320-Z04-C35 seems to be available there is even a seller (Parts PAC) on Walmart. However 04301-Z04-C30 seems to be NLA.
Exactly! The inverter module is still available. 04301-Z04-C30 is a "kit" that includes the inverter and a small jumper harness, which of course you probably don't need. Hopefully Taryl will publish a correction.
I worked on Honda generators for several years, and this is a typical result when one breaks...you troubleshoot it, find the part numbers you need, and then you see the price (!) assuming it is available. Rarely fixed any of them for the exact reason you're talking about here. They are amazing machines...as long as they keep running. Inverters are the worst for price and availability of parts. The old-school types without the inverter are way more reliable and parts are available in a much more reliable way. I think Honda is trying to get out of the outdoor power equipment business, for example, they are discontinuing their lawn mowers next year. OPE for Honda has always been sort of the "lower left corner of the big picture" and it seems they want to just get out of it completely soon.
Honda is not exactly discontinuing their mower production. They are moving the manufacturing plant from South Carolina, I think, to France. Whether they continue to import them to North America remains to be seen.
@@tomrogers9467 It takes an exceptional company to build a quality product with South Carolina non-union work ethic. Although to be fair, Boeing isn't a good example, after all, the reason Boeing located in South Carolina in the first place was a lack of ethics... Boeing's planes from their South Carolina factory have a bad reputation...
Just buy a standard Champion generator head and make it into a conventional generator. not as good as an invertor generator with high THD but it will generate good enough for construction tools. I deal with a lot of those engines and most of the backplate mountings are universal. Somebody might design a replacement controller but what is the point. I would just junk it and convert to standard readily available units. You can even buy them from Ali Express for even less.
Just out of curiosity, how old was that unit? It looked like one of the older ones and doesn't look anything like the current version model that took it's place. I guess I look at a generator as being a 15-20 year device if you take good care of it and only use it sparingly each year and during power outages. If they are getting used 8-10 hours a day 5 days a week on a job site I would guess you can't really expect more than 3-5 years out of them these days. These days it's getting harder and harder to find parts for a lot of the stuff that is greater than 10 years old and even some stuff that is only 3-5 years old already is sent to an early grave since companies don't want people fixing anything which is really annoying.
I have a two year old EU 3000 Honda inverter generator where the crank case bolts came out and trash the motor they were never torque from the factory properly. Lucky for me. It was still under warranty or that would’ve been $3000 down the drain.
Sounds like a money making opportunity for someone. Inverters aren't terribly complex .. they are filled with large inexpensive components, etc. Chances are there is a capacitor or two that has gone bad. $1 of parts and 3 minutes time (soldering) could bring that inverter back to life.
James Condon uses a guy that's already depotting and fixing generator voltage regulators. Seems like he was 'bassman' or something like that. James' web is just James Condon.
Been a Honda only advocate for eons esp three wheelers and quads and bikes, but since I been working in the power equipment repair business going on a year now for the public I have demoted Honda to way low on the totem pole of greatness. The engines are ok to mediocre but they aren't the IT as I once thought of them as.
Good move getting into the Champion brand Taryl at Eliminator Performance we have had nothing but good results dealing with Champion dealers. As an example some of our customers with the Champion Generators were having issues with the shut off switch and as we researched the issue we found there was a recall warranty on the switch. Once we contacted our Champion dealer they immediately at NO CHARGE shipped us the switch for replacement and even included a brand new recoil starter even though we did not request that part. Over the years we have to say that the Champion customer service and availability and cost of replacement parts are excellent at real 10 out of 10 rating.
Thanks for the info. In 2022 I bought a Champion 4550-Watt/3650-Watt Electric Start Gasoline and Propane Powered Dual Fuel RV Ready Portable Generator with CO Shield, from Home Depot, for $586, to power my RV Toy Hauler, it has a 120V AC 30A RV plug right on the generator. It runs great with non-ethanol gas, I even runs my air-conditioner & refrigerator at the same time. I haven't tried it on Propane yet. This generator is great for boondocking In remote places, except in California where it is banned. One last thing I can buy 3 of these for the same price as 1 similar Honda.
I have a little 900w Kubota re-badged Honda genny. Damn thing smokes like a train and it doesn't have many hours on it but it is an older unit. It is an older Honda L head engine. The rings are shot and valve guides are extremely worn. It is very hard to find parts for alot of the Honda stuff especially if it's a bit older. If you do manage to find parts they are ridiculously expensive.
I’m retired now but as carpenter for years we used all brands of generators. Ya better take care of them ( oil changes etc) . But the Hondas were about even with all of them. We beat the crap out of them and got our moneys worth for sure. The best one we had was a diesel one, can’t remember the brand although it was smelly. Someone put gasoline in it and ruined it!🤪
I purchased a Honda EM3500SX in 1992. It is not a inverter model. It has run perfectly to this day. It has a great voltage regulator, and the output specs are exactly on the money. This unit has served me all these years on electrical jobs and thru power failures at home. This Honda still starts on the first pull. I would never trade it for anything...
Thanks Tyarl...good video. My only concern with champion is that the last time I checked, the THD for their non inverter type generators was high...on the order of 25% range. This is not good for anything electronic. Generators should be
Good information... I was looking at backup generators lately for when the power goes out... I'll avoid Honda... thank you... P.S. please take it easy on Andy... thanks again....
Perzonal experience with several Champion generators and parts availability/cost. Excellent on all counts. I've worn 3 out, were still working, engine wore out. Recent engines even better. New/improved constantly usually means parts for older models not available, generally...
I bought one of the champion 2000w dual fuel inverter generators. It has issues. I bought it from a liquidation place so no warranty. Ran it for like 20 hours after breaking it in by changing the oil 3-4 times in about 3 hours. After it ran for the 20 hours it no longer had compression release. I think it is eating the cam or lifter. Ton of metal in the oil. Adjusted valves because they had excessive clearance and compression release works again. I stole the carb off it and converted my other generator to propane with it. It is a generac that is also a clone of the same Yamaha but different manufacturer. It burns more propane than the champion did as it had a different rpm program on propane vs gas and the generac was never ment for it.
I'll have to disagree with the statement that all Honda generators are junk. I come from a huge Honda power equipment dealer who sells thousands of Honda generators locally. Very, and I mean VERY, seldom has a unit come back with Honda issues. And I'm going back to 1986 when we first became a dealer!! Granted, those Cyclo Inverter's were not the best Honda models made.... One thing Honda provides is a great shop manual! What other generator company offers that?!? I'm retired now and heading for the garage....to fix a customers Champion with no output 👀😁🤣
sucks when this happens, especially if its a relatively simple diag and repair. we are seeing more and more of this in the golf cart world. so many suppliers dried up that they arent restarting production of parts for older carts and when the supply dwindles the price becomes stupid
I’ve had two Honda eu2000’s both had problems. Had an old Honda 2200x rand good but was heavy for its output so o traded it for a .22 rifle. Since then I have purchased a Champion 3100 two 2500 duel fuels with parallel kit and a 8.5kw whole home unit. So far the only problem I’ve had is one the of the 2500 started to smoke with only 160 hours. I don’t run them hard mostly charging batteries just off idle. Hooked it up to something big the other day and ran it @ full load for about an hour. Smoking problems went away.
Here's an idea, use a bridge rectifier and filtration system on the generator output wires, feed that into a store bought power inverter, and voilah! You have made AC power again from one of these generators. A bit of a ghetto solution but it should work with a bit of tinkering as long as you figure out a good way to rectify and filter the ac coming from the generator.
The generator is outputting 3 phase AC so you do need to use a 3 phase rectifier. Probably other brand inverters would be electrically compatible with the honda generator. I'm just not clear what the sub winding does. I'm looking at the schematic for a EU2200i, where I see the exciter is driven by the spark computer, so yeah, that sub winding might be optional...
Love watching ur videos Taryl ive Been playing with small engines since I was 10. My first tear down was a briggs 5hp. With the carb mounted to the top of gas tank. Silly design. But I got it free and rebuilt it to run my go kart. Love small engines
I have an older Predator from harbor freight that has been used, abused and run for days. You can’t kill it, and it’s classified as crap by most people. I’ll keep my “crap” Predator and you can have your “premium” Honda!
you can buy 2 to 3 Predators for the Price of one Honda and there cars are not that great neither when they break down your going to get the WOW factor for a Price for repair
I have a newer 8k HF Predator generator, it starts up everytime and so far has worked as it should (but doesn't have much time on it). However, a friend brought me his 3500 that stopped running. Now this generator was used to run a water irrigation system during the summer for his large garden. I thought it was gonna be a simple carb issue, turns out the exhaust valve stem wore right through the valve spring retainer. Therefore, the valve wouldn't close and the engine didn't have any compression. Tried to find a part or a serving dealer, no chance. Called the local store and was told no engine parts are available. I asked why? Was told most people buy replacement warranty or buy new one. A perfectly good generator NG for a .50 part. 🤷♂️
@@13panda13 yes they copy everything and make in forced labor prisons admitted. Blame wall street lobbiests not good Chinese people. Sick of it. I went to CAT to get parts for my Excavator and bag says " made in China" with American flag on CAT dealership.. I almost threw part through their window.
I couldn’t disagree more. I run a generator repair shop and Honda units are simply the best. Yamaha, Kawasaki just as good. It’s very, very infrequent I get a Honda unit in with a bad stator/rotor. Usually it’s carb/fuel problems which are quick, easy fixes. These units will run thousands of hours. Can’t say the same for Generac, Chinese clones etc. Briggs units not too bad but they don’t compare to Honda quality
@larry, I don’t have any problems getting Honda parts. In fact, there’s a very robust aftermarket of Honda generator parts. You just have to know how to source them. I have never had a problem getting parts. Furthermore, I deal with Champion generators. They are ok for the occasional homeowner use. I will not sell a champion to anyone who needs reliable power, off grid etc. I would be doing them a disservice. Lastly, inverter generators are generally not needed. High end Honda, Yamaha produce a nice clean sine wave.
Yup, new is not necessarily better! Once the high technology fails, and the cost is too high 🤷🏻♂️. But now you’ve got an engine for another project. You could make a video on repurposing the engine and “learn us” on how to use that tapered cranking shaft. 😉
I’ve got a Honda and it has taking one hell of a beating and still going. It’s not an inverter machine so it doesn’t have any extra electronics besides the automatic voltage regulator. When you need reliability simpler is better. The more electronics you put in ANYTHING the more liking it is to fail.
Hello Taryl, is having a fob to start a generator from 80 feet away a good idea? Frankly, I am old school and would rather check the oil level in the engine first, besides for a generator you have to plug in a cord to it...right?
Cant go wrong with a champion, generac, or Westinghouse all similar. I think generac is slightly higher quality due to it usually being a simpler design, alot of Westinghouse and champions use auto choke models which require the battery to be working and sometimes the stepper motor fails, I'd rather have a manual choke
would be a hit or miss situation , but i've heard that acetone will dissolve the resin (careful , it'll dissolve coating on wires too) . with knowledge of electronics , someone with lots of time might possibly repair inverter . maybe just see the layout and build a new one .
I've used Nitromors paint stripper to remove the potting compound from electrical components, but it can remove part numbers and information from the chips and what have you.
Eucalyptus oil will dissolve the resin. Use a small syringe to put it where you want, so it doesn’t get all over the place.Then you take a dental pic and a empty syringe and suck up the jelly.
The main failure point of any inverter module is usually the The capacitors and the output transistors as they see the most stress.
I have a dealer account with Champion as well. You can call them and easily get the parts that you need in addition there are engineers who actually designed the machine to begin with that can answer specific questions over the phone email etc.
Firman is another brand based in Arizona that I have a dealer account with and they are similarly equipped and reasonably priced for parts. Engineer support is also available.
Now the inverter itself because it's potted in epoxy they do not provide schematics for that part internally but the cost is not prohibitive like a Honda.
I see comments here that you could possibly repair these inverters. Is this true? If so what would it cost. I could find out if the customers would want to have them repaired.
@@TarylFixesAll Hey Taryl! Unfortunately Honda and Yamaha inverter schematics are "proprietary" and they do not provide those to service dealers to attempt repair. James Condon and I have tried on a few occasions and no success. The epoxy resin is also a challenge to remove without damage, especially with SMD components.
Champion and Fireman inverter modules are far more reasonably priced making it not economical to repair.
Thank you as always for the amazing content!
@@TarylFixesAll they can be tested with oscilloscope and ohm meter if you know the values of a known good capacitor, transistor, resistor etc. Here lies the problem though that without having schematics you have to test each individual component and have known good readings to find the bad one(s) that can take a long time and time is money to the customer
@TarylFixesAll as you there is no quick or profitable solution. even on some that you can come up with something to make it work half a$$ and people don't want to Frankenstein there generator so they can use it . not worth the headache I've been there .
you can just build the inverter
Hi Taryl. I am a 13 year old and I have an obsession with small engines. So far I haven’t got anything running but I’m getting something new tomorrow. Thank you so much for all your amazing videos. I get all my inspiration from you.
I was the same when I was your age 30 years ago. I really think that's what gave me knowledge of now working on all my old trucks tractors and equipment now. I got a few of my old engines stored away now my 10 year old is starting to tinkering with them to
I was that age too when I started
You'll get it. There is a lot of junk out there. Don't trash anything out though you might figure it out later.
Get a repair book or a few, the right tools you might have better luck at getting them running vs just guessing at it... I know so much about small engines, I don't need a book to say what's wrong! I just use the repair books for tork specs
Don’t stop reading! UA-cam is amazing. If I had the internet 35 years ago when I was your age I’d be a millionaire x10 by now. Now I just am lazy and only x5. Good luck young fella!
One of the reasons these regulators fail is due to shutting down the generator with a load on it, or letting it run out of fuel under load. The regulator senses the voltage dropping due to the rpm decreasing and it ramps up significantly to try and compensate. This blows up the capacitor(s) on the regulator rendering it useless. Always remove the load from the generator prior to stopping the engine and don’t let it run out of fuel under load either.
Excellent info. Thank you.
Or maybe don't buy generators built to die / designed like crap / made by idiots. You'd be surprised at how well generators can be when built the right way. A few people out there get sick and tired of all these mass produced ones - and just build their own lol... Or spend more money on products that are actually built to last.
I install and repair LP standby generators for a living.
You are 100% correct !!
Never start or shut down a generator under load !!!!!!!
Only problem is that when it is used as an emergency backup power it is inevitable it would run out of fuel under load eventually, not everyone are that observant._
Sc xx l
I have a 5KW Coleman 10 HP Breaks and Scrap'em that's about twenty years old and I desperately needed it this weekend because of ice storms knocked out power for three days straight!
I try to start it every year or so to keep it in good shape. I have to say that it ran all weekend flawlessly and powered the important stuff, no problem!
It used a lot of fuel, but it real saved my bacon!. Thanks Taryl.
Are you that way with all old people
It's called satire,.......It's a comedy skit and a lot of us are amused. Lighten up sir.
@@howardgarrett4104 just the dumb ones or family ! same thing ! lighten up Frances !
I got a coleman i bought back in the mid 2000's.
I have used it alot after hurricanes and odd jobs where i need power away from the house.
Last time i ran it was when Irma hit in 2022 its starting to make a noise sounds like a bearing on the generator side is going bad. Other than that its still going.
Same I have a 4000W Coleman with a tecumseh. Mine was out in Michigan for 3 days
Love your videos. Starting a business was a good series,hit the nail right on the head.
I drove truck for over45 years. I used to run to St Louis ,Cincinnati,Louisville, Indianapolis Jersey,Philly,etc..
I considered buying my own truck, but too many hours for no pay.
I studied auto mechanics in high school,but got into transport company at 19 years of age.
I always fixed my own cars, built a race car, worked on others race cars
After I bought a house, i learned to fix everything
Septic system, electrical, and plumbing,including a deep well.
I finally got a new lawn tractor in 96, and again in 2001, which I still have. L130 JD with a 23 hp, Kohler.
We seem to have similar abilities in repairing small engines, of course you have more experience
I wish I lived close, because I think we could become close friends
I am 74 years old, so too old to start a new business.
A neighbour gave me an old lawn tractor Yard Machine, 15.5 hp,42 in deck. The steerin was screwed up, no battery,4 flat tires.I dragged it home behind my Gator. Hooked up a jumper battery, added gas, checked the oil level , and cranked it over. The thing started, but it hammered and banged terrible. The crankcase vent tube to the carb was kinked, and looked like the oil was coming out of the lower crank seal. The air filter was soaked in oil.
Turned out, the motor was loose on the frame, making the banging noises. The oil drain tube was screw up and dripping oil into the pulley on the crankshaft, and flinging it onto the belts.
I got new belts, battery, air filter,tire sealer,oil, light bulbs, and with tlc, this machine is presentable again. Just another example of people willing to give things away, and we are able to bring things back to life. I,ll try to send a clip of the little tractor as Im proud of it
Thanks for all your videos..
I live 100 miles north of Toronto, Ontario on Lake Simcoe
My restoration
Trucking here in michigan..for 38 years retiring in upper peninsula of michigan in 2 years..trucking not the same
Have had Honda equipment for close to 40 years and have only had minor simple fix problems. However, I am sure that if I ran into some more complicated problems I would run into the very same issues that were in the video. Like anything, if you find that replace parts are NLA or if they ore out of this world expensive, they are junk. I have various pieces of farm equipment that are over 40 years old that I can still get repair parts. Although they might be quite expensive, they are never the less still available and compared to the price of a new piece of equipment, well worth the price.
My old accord feels better than my new accord in many aspects. A couple bucks fixes that thing up good. Im going to change the oil, install a button and list it for sale. I dont drive much, I need a motorcycle.
Several years back, I had to choose between a Honda EB6500 generator and a EU6500 inverter generator for construction. Glad I went the non inverter EB6500. It might use a little more fuel as it doesn't rev for the specific amp draw like the inverter one, but rather idle (when not in use/standby) or 3600RPM no matter how big or small the load is. But it sure is a more rugged design! And it's working at 90% load most of the time anyway. I run non ethanol fuel, and do oil change intervals 2X more frequent than Honda recommends, and with 5w40. 1000+ hours on the meter so far, never had an issue.
I also have a 37 year old, self propelled Honda (SX-70 model, I think?) mower, that I used as a kid to buy my first dirtbike at 12 years old and car at 14. It cut 10+ lawns a week for 15 of those years, still alive and cutting today.
I really like how you guys highlight the diagrams in the book. Most guys don't, they just talk about it and I get all flustered because I don't know what in the heck they want me to see. Great idea guys..
I bought a champion generator a couple years ago. Been very pleased with it. I use it for power outages and power my camper. Honda has lost its mind the last 20 years or so. The cars are the same way. They used to build simple, super reliable transportation vehicles but now they seem to want to compete with bmw or something. Not the same company they used to be.
Nothing big against them... but the new ish Honda suitcase generators? Yeah i wouldn't snap the pull cord. It's not the simple 5 minute max repair like most generators or machines. Tear more than half the thing apart to even see the damn thing, then struggle to get it out, unbolting everything, a giant disaster. Some generators sure take off a panel, then its a bit tough to get at, but still get it out no worries.
Planned obsolescence is out of control as is the decline on quality control. Everything "Modern" is really junk so don't overpay, especially so called flagship company items. Go somewhere in the middle so it's less panful if it fails or the company lets you down with obsolete parts.
Shame on them all.
I hope Honda watched this video and hang their heads in shame.
As far as vehicles/motorcycles, Honda still makes some of the most reliable, always neck and neck with Lexus/Toyota.
As someone that maintains Toyota/Lexus and Honda vehicles, they make excellent engines and transmissions. Now, Honda had some issues with their CVTs but within a couple of years of production, made significant changes. Maintenance is the key, but the Japanese have a much different mentality than American auto manufacturers.
@@TheKurtTribute NO WHERE CLOSE TO A LEXUS!!! YOU CRAZY?
I bought a Champion generator about 13 years ago because it was a great deal. It gets used during power outages, usually at my sister's place. The only repair I've done is to install a new carb because she used crap gas, left the fuel cock on and didn't run the gas out. By the time I got to it, the carb was trashed. I don't let her keep it for any length of time anymore. I go and get it so I can do the right thing. She had to buy all new battery equipment because she did the same thing with all of them.
Classic
Where are they made ?
Great show, just getting to old and dumb to keep up
@@cliffordbowman6777 I think champion is an american brand.
I bought an off-grid cabin that came with a Champion generator, and a Troy-built. The previous owner spoke well of the Champion, and it worked well for me. The Troy-built did as well. I had heard good things from a neighbor about his Honda generator - it must not have required service. It is a darned shame our society is changing to throw away as far as appliances of all kinds.
Every troy-built piece of equipment I've ever had I've had problems with!
@@_RocketRooster they are owned by Electrolux now and 10x worse same with Husqvarna!
You are right. Just like that generator, new household appliances are junk. Accept for very high end products. A lot of circuit boards that can't be repaired, only replaced.
@@scottjohnson4910 I can remember when Troy-Built was one of the top brands but that has long since been gone! I don't like working on them or even using them for parts! Thats a shame about Husqvarna. I have an old Husqvarna chainsaw that I love. Best chainsaw I have ever owned. Wouldn't trade it for a new one thats for sure!
And being throw away, doesn't make it any cheaper!
I inherited a Honda EU3000is. It had been abused. The previous owner retired it due to its age. The hour meter stopped working so I can't be certain how many hours it actually has on it. One thing Is for sure: It's worked absolutely flawlessly for me. It doesn't burn any oil. I have been careful not to overload it. If you take care of a Honda product, it will serve you well. Thanks but I will keep my Honda.
A Honda engine won't typically burn oil. They're great small engines, we all know this. He was talking about part pricing/availability and the complex electronics in some of these gennys.
I have four compressors that run everyday long hours and run hard all day … still going .Honda generators never go bad as well
I have a Champion 75531i Inverter Generator, 3100-watt since 2015 living on the back of my fifth wheel. The first season using it, I was actually kinda pissed. Had problems with it staying running, sometimes not running at all. Took it to 3 different Champion warranty shops in Florida. The first replaced a coil and "fixed it". Shut down 2 hours later. The 2nd shop looked at it and said they won't do work on Chinese made Honda knockoffs. At the 3rd shop, Champion had them ship the genset back to Champion in California. I didn't get much use out of it that first season. Champion opened the crankcase and replaced the low oil cutoff, then shipped the unit back to me in PA. From that point on, the genset has worked flawlessly. The engineers I talked to at Champion where great. Ever since, I have recommended the Champion product to anyone looking for a genset. Very very pleased, other than my first season. All the repairs, shipping etc. covered under warranty.
Thats a great story. You always have to remember that thousands upon thousands of different products are being produced and sometimes you might get one with a defective part. Glad to see it had a positive outcome.
If the stator really is burnt🔥 then it's usually not worth fixing. Part it out for good components.
I am not familiar with newer honda generators , they may be junk.....but my 1985 Honda EM650 has been a very good machine for almost 40 years
Ive been running a pair of 2000 coupled, for 15 years. Never a single problem. Kept them serviced. Faithful service.
It's always good to have a breeding pair of machinery! When one of your honda generators craps itself, you've got a whole supply of parts!
(well... except for the inverter)
@@annpeerkat2020 Is that all you got?
@@OOOOOO12345 Well said.
My EU2000i was a reliable Gen. Upgraded to the EU2200 so I could run my RV air conditioner, runs awesome. Most people bashing Hondas usually lack funds.
I was going to buy a Honda a few years ago but bought a Champion instead. For roughly the same wattage the Honda was $2000.00 more in Canadian dollars. So far i really like the Champion . Watching Taryl's videos i learned how to maintain all my small engines.
QUICK, GET IT TO THE PAWN SHOP!!!,4 SOME BODY FINDS OUT!...
@@patrickstockton2091 - you do know that the Champion generators and in fact ALL of the other Chinese generators are clones of the Honda generator?
@@davevaneck6026 Yes, but like all things built in China, they can be built to various levels of quality based on what you are willing to pay. Champion is a quality company with quality equipment so I have to assume they are built to higher standards in China based on the companies standards.
Champion are JUNK
@@noteworthy227 The three I have with a combined total of almost 500 hours tells me they are NOT...
Oh man I have one of those but mine is still running good 😬but if the inverter part ever goes out do you think it will be possible to turn it into just a regular generator without the inverter?
Taryl, I saw one of these at the scrap yard, a few months ago, and wondered why it was there. Having had no experience with them, I left it there. I'm glad I did.
Never pass up a freebie, it could've been a simple fuel, broken pull cord or other simple problem; that's why most of them are tossed out (bad fuel, gummed carburetor).
I have not had experience with Honda's but have seen the champion generator, my father-in-law uses one with his motor home, and has had no issue expect the occasional plug cleaning. I myself bought the 3000w Predator generator from Harbor Freight, and do NOT regret it. it has not let me down once, it starts, and I go out once a month and run it like they suggest, the battery for the electric start has not even failed going on 3 years now. I know someone else that bought the same unit, and left it over the winter, never started it, did not drain the fuel, or change oil, and they had a dead battery, and I wound up having to take the carb apart and clean it. Point being, maintain your equipment, and it will last with very few issues. Taryl, thanks for this video, iit proves what I have been telling others about the honda's they are overpriced on parts and do not last.
There's a huge number of Honda EU200i / EU2200i generator owners who are completely satisfied after years of running them ragged. How many? Don't know, but good luck finding a used one for under $700, even though new are only about $1200. This particular unit coughed up a little smoke on startup, which suggests someone ran it long and hard. Tough to dismiss an entire brand based on a few failures. The units that hold up admirably aren't the ones that make it into your shop. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Honda, except that my Yamaha EF2400is hasn't missed a beat in its first ten years.
Reminds me of what happened to power converters in RVs.
At one time I could repair or replace any component in the power converter. I had troubleshooting manuals and a stock of replacement parts. They were all the same brand so when one failed, I would swap it out with one that I previously repaired, took that old one home to repair for the next job.
That all came to an end when the RV industry, in their infinite wisdom, decided to go with electronic power converters with complicated circuit boards. But not only that, they encased them in resin so that even if you knew how to repair them, it was impossible to get to the components.
So, much for simplicity, so much for the repairman.
Now instead of a $100 repair, it's a $300 replacement.
You have to understand, that the old ones were based on heavy power transformers that were designed to work with a low frequency of 60hz. The newer designs don't work that way, as a result are much lighter, cheaper to manufacture. They run at higher frequency and make use of modern technology to still manage to output a clean 60Hz Single Phase AC output, from a battery. The difference in the end is a really complicated power supply, but with a much better Power Factor than the old Transformer based units. Don't get me wrong, I love the old Transformer stuff and prefer it for it's simplicity, but these days heavy transformers are very expensive, and you can do a lot more with a modern Inverter type supply than you ever could with an old Transformer/Cap Filter/Rectifier/Regulator type simple unit.
Yup, that goes for major appliances, now it is all electronic, 50$ for the service call
and 280$ for a new circuit board, whereas at one time maybe a 30 $ relay did the same
thing. . .Frankly I think the new service techs are nowhere as good as they used to be,
just expensive part/s changers.
@@xxcrazy_critr6661 The heavy power transformer ones are also very inefficient, too much heating losses in the transformers. Most likely because the laminations were not made of good high silicon low eddy loss 'transformer' grade steel, and poorly designed. Modern extra high voltage transformers are extremely efficient, so much so that the large oil cooled ones the fans don't even hardly run except when overloaded and extremely hot weather (from everyone's AC working to the max, maxing out the grid). In the old days, they used to have huge oil tanks, many large loud fans, and filled with PCB's. Yeah, no thanks. Sometimes I'm thankful some things "aren't made they way they were used to".
@@xxcrazy_critr6661 " ... and you can do a lot more with a modern Inverter type supply than you ever could with an old Transformer/Cap Filter/Rectifier/Regulator type simple unit."
What more can you do?
Interesting troubleshooting video. Our backup generator is an old school non-inverter Harbor Freight electric start Predator with a Chihonda clone engine I purchased in 2016. So far I have not had any problems with it. All our lawnmowers have had Honda engines that I really like.
The issue I have with Honda is their stuff is extremely expensive compared to the competition.
I have a Champion 9000, dual fuel genset. We run that thing for over a year supplying power to our 50amp fifth wheel and our well pump while living in the RV, clearing and prepping our property. They make a great product and have excellent customer service. Only issue I had during the whole time, was the safety plunger sticking in the carbatrator. Called them up and they sent me a brand a complete new carb for FREE, that was after they spent an hour on the phone troubleshooting the problem with me. I was able to run on propane while waiting for the new carb, which only took 3 days to receive. Eventually the thing started sticking again, so I just clipped the tip off the plunger. We still have that genny in the shop as a backup storm outages. We have a transfer switch wired into the main panel box for our new home.
I ran into this very same kind of thing with a Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 81 Plasma Cutter; a supposedly high end plasma cutter manufacturer that can't supply parts. It saddens me to do it but my solution is to now buy a cheap Chinese plasma cutter than I throw away in a few years when it breaks. Sometimes when you try to buy what is considered "the best" you don't get your money's worth. It's a real shame because you can still get parts for a lot of things made over 30 years ago.
Every time I've ever bought new stuff I've always been disappointed ☹️
Thank you for the video. Does the Champion have a kit to swap it over to run on Propane?
Glad I have a Champion generator now! At the time I bought it I wasn’t sure it was any good, but I’ve had it at least five years now with no problems.
Hi from Willow Alaska Tarly..What’s your thoughts on the Honda EU 3000is ? I did quite a bit of research and just bought one a couple months ago although I haven’t used it yet. I bought enough spare spark plugs, air filters and oil to keep this thing running for many many years, or so I thought ?
Glad to hear you are a champion service center. I have a brand new champion I bought in 2021 it's still in the box in my garage 🙄. So if I get around to unpacking it and doesn't run I know where to go
The constant interruptions by Andy is a genius move to keep minds piqued; minds that would otherwise lose interest in the teacher's voice and wander such as it is with the 10 minute or less attention span of the modern human.
Planned obsolescence. You're right, Honda generators are junk and it's too bad the manufacturer is so greedy. They wanted over $30 for a simple carburetor needle. I got my Troy Bilt/Briggs & Stratton generator in 2008 and it's been through four hurricanes and still serves me well. Oh, and it starts on the first pull, go figure. Nice job on the vid.
My Coleman power mate 5000 with Briggs bought in 1998 icestorm is going strong for 25 years now still...going....
Correct!! Honda is getting out of the gasoline engine market.
@@ruchknruchkn6575 Likewise but I had to add electric (12 volt) start. It's a 98 also and runs like a sewing machine. Also added a throttle so it can warm up and cool down idling. Pulls a 220 well pump mostly.
Same thing happened to me and they wanted $40 up in Canada for a needle I got the whole clone carburetor for like $15 it's bolted up and work just fine
In the UK the Honda Izy steel deck mowers are junk because the steel they use for the cutter deck dissolves terribly if they aren't cleaned yearly. Some of the models we see are only ten years old and are already fit for the scrap yard. Mad thing is people pay a premium for the Honda name and the mowers aren't that great.
I just came across a Honda eu7000is that only has 49 hours on it. I was just about to buy it until i saw this video. I don't need a generator that's too expensive to fix or one that you can't get parts for. Thank you so much.
You could run the output from the stator through a bridge rectifier and use a dc to dc converter to charge solar batteries.
The Stator is 3 Phase.. Freeze Frame and look at the Schematic.
Rectifying 3-phase to DC is not a problem; schematics are readily available. Heat dissipation may be an issue, but it's not hard to solve.
@@Urugami45 Yes but not a standard bridge Rectifier I thought You might have been thinking about LOL...
For battery charging, an off the shelf wind turbine battery charge controller would do it. They're designed to take the 3 phase AC from the wind turbine and dump it into 12/24v batteries (or other voltages if you look around).
@@m9ovich785 Yes that's perfect single, 3 or even 6 phase will be just fine.
Could that genset be reconfigured as a non-inverter generator or is that 72vac all that alternator can output?
We used to use these as power supply back up generators, ours kept dropping down to output only 60v, bought them because they were fairly lightweight and cheap but when they failed they became parts only.
Thanks for the heads up on the Honda generator. I’m glad I only paid $20.00 for my Generac 4000XL generator. if it breaks then I’m not losing much at all. the only thing it needed when I got it was a carburetor and a oil change and a good cleaning. I even put wheels and handles on it. runs like a champ now.
Funny that you mentioned the fire department generator. I'm on the department that you talked about and we've been discussing what to do with it. It is very upsetting that it is junk because it does not have very many hours on it.
Maybe you can convert the generator into a diesel powered water pump
Compare the power head output to a normal power head (non inverter) and see if you can adapt a different power head or stator and voltage regulator. I haven't researched this yet but would be surprised if there isn't a solution that might save the county/state dollars.
There are pto generators that may bolt right up
If you found someone that was good at doing component level repair, you could probably get the inverter fixed. If it's potted in epoxy though, that certainly makes it really difficult to work on. I've fixed specialty electronics (think farm equipment, CNC machines, etc etc) when parts are not available or replacement parts or systems are outrageously expensive. It is possible, just that there aren't many competent repair engineers around, because almost no one is willing to pay the rate required for the skill level required to go blind into something and repair it without schematics (which are never available)
@Walter Tarchala: Have a look at a suggestion / comment made by Kentucky Fried Fixes. JAT. Regards.
Small engine repair AND consumer advocacy -- Taryl is the GOAT.
Great video Taryl! You can remove the bad inverter and replace it with a 200 amp bridge rectifier to make a DC charger. The bridge rectifiers used to cost around $20 on the bay place but I think they're about twice that now. You'd be converting over from the 3 AC phases output to a positive and negative DC output. It would work great for those with a 48 volt solar battery storage system as a backup charging system.
@@petersack5074 Thanks Peter! 300 amps is much better than 200! There's a lot of uses for high amp DC stuff for sure.
You can then take that rectified power and convert it back to AC using a store bought power inverter like those sold at walmart.
@@ChicagoMillingCo. Or, i salvaged a 1500 watt inverter, from a UPS, the cheap brands, that our local drugstore throw away, when the battery / (or two, in this case ) goes dead, Find them in their dumpsters;
Isn't that a waste of gas?
ive worked on the older honda generators and even the exciter/regulator moduals are very expensive around 250$ us .love their engines but you are correct.
i guess i better buy a used one for parts to keep mine going. it small, starts every time, makes a great little work table, decent run time for light strings and other equipment. i like this one better than the suitcase ones for the power. ive seen used ones in my area for $400-$500. better snatch them up now.
thanks for the heads up, taryl.
Hey taryl I have an tecumseh oh160 engine on a miller bluestar 2e welder and I cant get no spark on it I change the ignition module, change the stator and ni spark what can I do. Help!!!
Many years ago, my boss at the time needed his honda mower rebuilt. We needed a rod and piston. We got parts at dealer cost, and it was still more than buying another brand mower. Parts for all their power equipment are crazy expensive.
Note: Honda announced in 2022 that they were getting out of the mower business.
@@keithstudly6071 my guess is their long term plan is to completely exit the internal combustion engine market.
Honda you get what you pay for....(3) gens - 2 eu2000’s and a 7000wt. All are going on 13+ years old and running like a top. I’ll be buying their products again......if these ever quit,in my lifetime.😎
I’m glad my EB 4000 was given to me. It’s either a late 70’s or early 80’s model. A contractor had it before & gave it to Dad in the 90’s. Only thing Dad had fixed on it was the automatic idle switch that came with a nail in it. Dad started using it when living out of town in his RV doing road construction. He would slide it out of the back of truck & let it drop breaking an engine mount. It’s aluminum & I used JB Weld to fix it. I had it sit in shed for 5yrs with fuel stabilizer in it & started on 3rd pull. Can’t beat those engines. I have smaller Honda generator that was given to me & I bought an old 80’s Honda snowblower on tracks that runs better than the craftsman snowblower that needs work. I even have a Honda ATV.
Uncle Andy is the coolest dude on this channel hands down!!!!
Got a good laugh when he went to take it back once it started
He's cool because he is hydrated by toilet bowl water.🤣
I have no use for a home or emergency generator. But I do have a little 900 watt 2 cycle one from Harbor Fright that I really like. I have had it about 10 years. I use it to operate power tools in remote places and instead of a drop cord. I've used a Skilsaw, a small 8 gal compressor, drills, electric impacts, electric chainsaw, grinders, etc. I had to clean the carb once and you need to use fresh mix but it's a great little portable tool for me.
I’ve had good luck with Honda power equipment parts over the years. Long term parts availability is actually a main reason I would recommend Honda to people. I’m sure there comes a time of parts no longer being built.
Oh the other hand, I’ve had quality issues with Champion gens right out of the box. Like basic assembly done wrong. Great troubleshooting video!!
I was able to get a complete carb for my 40 year old honda walk behind mower for less than 15 dollars at my local honda power equipment dealer. The original carb was fine except for the internal part that i lost during cleaning.
I have two Hondas, and 2200eu and an 8000 w contractor generator. Both start first pull and have hundreds of flawless hours. Luckily I've never had any issues up to this point.
Hey Taryl, what do you think of the Champion dual fuel generators?? Am really considering buying one for my rv.
Great vid(as usual).I had a Honda generator back in the mid 80"s.Used it alot.,never a problem.But probably like everything else.The older it is,the better it was made.
I see a capacitor on the inverter there, I wonder if that is bad. On a Kenowa 4500 generator I have, the exciter coil capacitor kept going open when a heavy load was applied to it. I opened the plastic block case on the last one up, dumped the sand out, and found there were 4 separate capacitors in there hooked in parallel, and one lead to an outside terminal was burnt open. Looking on the case, it said it was supposed to be 24ufd, but the capacitors inside only added up to 16ufd. I searched ebay and found a high quality nos 24 mfd Mallory capacitor, installed that, and no more problems.
Ive heard the main fail point of inverters is often the capacitors in them. 19:58 the large circle shaped parts on that one. If they didnt seal them normal they are cheap and easy to replace by themselves. It’s a shame Honda didn’t make them serviceable.
Nice to know and I do have a Champion Generator I run the carb out of gas and fill it up with stable at the end of summer this will be the third year im sure it will start rite up in the spring gets a oil change every 100 hrs and ive ajusted the valves once
Wow I thought for sure that someone would built that part as an OEM, amazing,
I have an 8000w Briggs & Stratton (craftsman) generator and it’s fantastic. Has a flat looking B&S OHV valve engine. It’s plenty loud but it works! We ran the whole downstairs with it for 5 days last year after a big storm. It starts right up, has carbon monoxide detector & has electric start, etc.
I'd rather have an old Briggs than a new Honda. All my 50 and 40 year old Briggs still don't burn oil.
Honda inverters might not fail often enough to create enough demand for them to make it worthwhile to clone them. I dunno.
Hate to say it but myself and friends have noticed Honda quality going downhill the last fifteen years. They're doing what other companies do--cheap out and hope customers think of your past reputation of quality.
My 20 year old Honda gen still purrs like new. I see equivalents go for around $4-5,000 today. So my $2,000 investment is working out fine.
@@WJCTechyman I'm seeing more Generacs on sites now,too..
I'm surprised there isn't a market for universal inverters that could be used to repair these otherwise bricked generators.
With replacement inverters unavailable the only possibility of a repair would be by a component level fault finding exercise on the inverter for which a schematic diagram would be needed and of course an un potted circuit board. By providing neither of these things it's as if Honda were deliberately setting out to frustrate attempts to repair their equipment.
Schematics shouldn't be needed for such a simple thing like an inverter. A competent repair person doesn't need a schematic for everything (though sometimes it makes it a lot faster). The potting is an issue though - that's a real pain to deal with
What is the part number of the CYCLOCONVERTER that is the nla part, 31320-Z04-C35 seems to be available there is even a seller (Parts PAC) on Walmart.
However 04301-Z04-C30 seems to be NLA.
Exactly! The inverter module is still available. 04301-Z04-C30 is a "kit" that includes the inverter and a small jumper harness, which of course you probably don't need. Hopefully Taryl will publish a correction.
I worked on Honda generators for several years, and this is a typical result when one breaks...you troubleshoot it, find the part numbers you need, and then you see the price (!) assuming it is available. Rarely fixed any of them for the exact reason you're talking about here. They are amazing machines...as long as they keep running. Inverters are the worst for price and availability of parts. The old-school types without the inverter are way more reliable and parts are available in a much more reliable way. I think Honda is trying to get out of the outdoor power equipment business, for example, they are discontinuing their lawn mowers next year. OPE for Honda has always been sort of the "lower left corner of the big picture" and it seems they want to just get out of it completely soon.
The EU2000 and EU7000 and 6500 sure are popular and well loved around here, though.
Honda is not exactly discontinuing their mower production. They are moving the manufacturing plant from South Carolina, I think, to France. Whether they continue to import them to North America remains to be seen.
@@tomrogers9467 It takes an exceptional company to build a quality product with South Carolina non-union work ethic. Although to be fair, Boeing isn't a good example, after all, the reason Boeing located in South Carolina in the first place was a lack of ethics... Boeing's planes from their South Carolina factory have a bad reputation...
@@BobBob-nr1ztunion workers code word for communist democrats
I've had this same issue before. I just cut the kill wire from the inverter. The low oil light shows on the panel but it still runs.
Just buy a standard Champion generator head and make it into a conventional generator. not as good as an invertor generator with high THD but it will generate good enough for construction tools. I deal with a lot of those engines and most of the backplate mountings are universal. Somebody might design a replacement controller but what is the point. I would just junk it and convert to standard readily available units. You can even buy them from Ali Express for even less.
I'm glad I didn't buy a Honda and very pleased I bought a Champion all before seeing this.
Just out of curiosity, how old was that unit? It looked like one of the older ones and doesn't look anything like the current version model that took it's place. I guess I look at a generator as being a 15-20 year device if you take good care of it and only use it sparingly each year and during power outages. If they are getting used 8-10 hours a day 5 days a week on a job site I would guess you can't really expect more than 3-5 years out of them these days. These days it's getting harder and harder to find parts for a lot of the stuff that is greater than 10 years old and even some stuff that is only 3-5 years old already is sent to an early grave since companies don't want people fixing anything which is really annoying.
I haven't been impressed by Honda small engine equipment last 20 years.
I'm a Briggs Vanguard fan😉
Maybe James Condon would like to add this "junk" Honda to his parts inventory...
That's what I was thinking and he already has a pal that depots the regulators and fixes them.
I have a two year old EU 3000 Honda inverter generator where the crank case bolts came out and trash the motor they were never torque from the factory properly. Lucky for me. It was still under warranty or that would’ve been $3000 down the drain.
Sounds like a money making opportunity for someone.
Inverters aren't terribly complex .. they are filled with large inexpensive components, etc. Chances are there is a capacitor or two that has gone bad. $1 of parts and 3 minutes time (soldering) could bring that inverter back to life.
James Condon uses a guy that's already depotting and fixing generator voltage regulators. Seems like he was 'bassman' or something like that. James' web is just James Condon.
I have learned allot about small engine repair from watching a few of your videos Thanks 4 The Great Videos!!!!
Been a Honda only advocate for eons esp three wheelers and quads and bikes, but since I been working in the power equipment repair business going on a year now for the public I have demoted Honda to way low on the totem pole of greatness. The engines are ok to mediocre but they aren't the IT as I once thought of them as.
I agree, stick to cars and bikes
Just like Mobile 1 oil, Honda generators are over-rated and are really no better than most of the other brands out there.
Uncle Andy steals the show. He's like a 108 year old Dennis the Menace! Great video as usual, Taryl and Co!
HAHAHAHHAHHAHA.....
Good move getting into the Champion brand Taryl at Eliminator Performance we have had nothing but good results dealing with Champion dealers. As an example some of our customers with the Champion Generators were having issues with the shut off switch and as we researched the issue we found there was a recall warranty on the switch. Once we contacted our Champion dealer they immediately at NO CHARGE shipped us the switch for replacement and even included a brand new recoil starter even though we did not request that part. Over the years we have to say that the Champion customer service and availability and cost of replacement parts are excellent at real 10 out of 10 rating.
champion has definitely risen up to the demands of the market. a real working man's machine!
I have their big wood splitter. They use Predator motors which is fine with me. 13 horse and starts on 2nd pull, max. FINE outfit for the money.
Thanks for the info. In 2022 I bought a Champion 4550-Watt/3650-Watt Electric Start Gasoline and Propane Powered Dual Fuel RV Ready Portable Generator with CO Shield, from Home Depot, for $586, to power my RV Toy Hauler, it has a 120V AC 30A RV plug right on the generator. It runs great with non-ethanol gas, I even runs my air-conditioner & refrigerator at the same time. I haven't tried it on Propane yet. This generator is great for boondocking In remote places, except in California where it is banned. One last thing I can buy 3 of these for the same price as 1 similar Honda.
That's why Harbor Freight is now dominating the market.
@@WJCTechyman agreed
I have a little 900w Kubota re-badged Honda genny. Damn thing smokes like a train and it doesn't have many hours on it but it is an older unit. It is an older Honda L head engine. The rings are shot and valve guides are extremely worn. It is very hard to find parts for alot of the Honda stuff especially if it's a bit older. If you do manage to find parts they are ridiculously expensive.
I’m retired now but as carpenter for years we used all brands of generators. Ya better take care of them ( oil changes etc) . But the Hondas were about even with all of them. We beat the crap out of them and got our moneys worth for sure. The best one we had was a diesel one, can’t remember the brand although it was smelly. Someone put gasoline in it and ruined it!🤪
I purchased a Honda EM3500SX in 1992.
It is not a inverter model.
It has run perfectly to this day.
It has a great voltage regulator, and the output specs are exactly on the money.
This unit has served me all these years on electrical jobs and thru power failures at home.
This Honda still starts on the first pull.
I would never trade it for anything...
Andy is a good entertaining actor!
Thanks Tyarl...good video.
My only concern with champion is that the last time I checked, the THD for their non inverter type generators was high...on the order of 25% range. This is not good for anything electronic. Generators should be
Good information... I was looking at backup generators lately for when the power goes out... I'll avoid Honda... thank you... P.S. please take it easy on Andy... thanks again....
Perzonal experience with several Champion generators and parts availability/cost. Excellent on all counts. I've worn 3 out, were still working, engine wore out. Recent engines even better. New/improved constantly usually means parts for older models not available, generally...
I bought one of the champion 2000w dual fuel inverter generators. It has issues. I bought it from a liquidation place so no warranty. Ran it for like 20 hours after breaking it in by changing the oil 3-4 times in about 3 hours. After it ran for the 20 hours it no longer had compression release. I think it is eating the cam or lifter. Ton of metal in the oil. Adjusted valves because they had excessive clearance and compression release works again. I stole the carb off it and converted my other generator to propane with it. It is a generac that is also a clone of the same Yamaha but different manufacturer. It burns more propane than the champion did as it had a different rpm program on propane vs gas and the generac was never ment for it.
I'll have to disagree with the statement that all Honda generators are junk. I come from a huge Honda power equipment dealer who sells thousands of Honda generators locally. Very, and I mean VERY, seldom has a unit come back with Honda issues. And I'm going back to 1986 when we first became a dealer!! Granted, those Cyclo Inverter's were not the best Honda models made.... One thing Honda provides is a great shop manual! What other generator company offers that?!?
I'm retired now and heading for the garage....to fix a customers Champion with no output 👀😁🤣
@@WJCTechyman ditto
@@WJCTechyman agreed
Where can I get one of those manuals at
sucks when this happens, especially if its a relatively simple diag and repair. we are seeing more and more of this in the golf cart world. so many suppliers dried up that they arent restarting production of parts for older carts and when the supply dwindles the price becomes stupid
I’ve had two Honda eu2000’s both had problems. Had an old Honda 2200x rand good but was heavy for its output so o traded it for a .22 rifle. Since then I have purchased a Champion 3100 two 2500 duel fuels with parallel kit and a 8.5kw whole home unit. So far the only problem I’ve had is one the of the 2500 started to smoke with only 160 hours. I don’t run them hard mostly charging batteries just off idle. Hooked it up to something big the other day and ran it @ full load for about an hour. Smoking problems went away.
Here's an idea, use a bridge rectifier and filtration system on the generator output wires, feed that into a store bought power inverter, and voilah! You have made AC power again from one of these generators. A bit of a ghetto solution but it should work with a bit of tinkering as long as you figure out a good way to rectify and filter the ac coming from the generator.
The generator is outputting 3 phase AC so you do need to use a 3 phase rectifier. Probably other brand inverters would be electrically compatible with the honda generator. I'm just not clear what the sub winding does. I'm looking at the schematic for a EU2200i, where I see the exciter is driven by the spark computer, so yeah, that sub winding might be optional...
Love watching ur videos Taryl ive Been playing with small engines since I was 10. My first tear down was a briggs 5hp. With the carb mounted to the top of gas tank. Silly design. But I got it free and rebuilt it to run my go kart. Love small engines
I have an older Predator from harbor freight that has been used, abused and run for days. You can’t kill it, and it’s classified as crap by most people. I’ll keep my “crap” Predator and you can have your “premium” Honda!
you can buy 2 to 3 Predators for the Price of one Honda and there cars are not that great neither when they break down your going to get the WOW factor for a Price for repair
Loud but cheap and simple Chinese
I have a newer 8k HF Predator generator, it starts up everytime and so far has worked as it should (but doesn't have much time on it). However, a friend brought me his 3500 that stopped running. Now this generator was used to run a water irrigation system during the summer for his large garden. I thought it was gonna be a simple carb issue, turns out the exhaust valve stem wore right through the valve spring retainer. Therefore, the valve wouldn't close and the engine didn't have any compression. Tried to find a part or a serving dealer, no chance. Called the local store and was told no engine parts are available. I asked why? Was told most people buy replacement warranty or buy new one. A perfectly good generator NG for a .50 part. 🤷♂️
@@Nudnik1 The only thing Chinese thing about them is the ripped off designs are copied and made their.
@@13panda13 yes they copy everything and make in forced labor prisons admitted. Blame wall street lobbiests not good Chinese people.
Sick of it.
I went to CAT to get parts for my Excavator and bag says " made in China" with American flag on CAT dealership..
I almost threw part through their window.
I have a Briggs and Stratton 42 AMp generator how good are they
That's something! Honda has always had a good rep on their products. An awful way to run a business. 👍
I couldn’t disagree more. I run a generator repair shop and Honda units are simply the best. Yamaha, Kawasaki just as good. It’s very, very infrequent I get a Honda unit in with a bad stator/rotor. Usually it’s carb/fuel problems which are quick, easy fixes. These units will run thousands of hours.
Can’t say the same for Generac, Chinese clones etc.
Briggs units not too bad but they don’t compare to Honda quality
Nobody's gonna stock parts for a 20 year old generator - it'll be on ebay but expensive.
@John Rand $5k for a Honda
$1k for a Champion. For that price, they should stock parts for 30 years.
@@lciummo1 agreed
@larry, I don’t have any problems getting Honda parts. In fact, there’s a very robust aftermarket of Honda generator parts. You just have to know how to source them. I have never had a problem getting parts. Furthermore, I deal with Champion generators. They are ok for the occasional homeowner use. I will not sell a champion to anyone who needs reliable power, off grid etc. I would be doing them a disservice.
Lastly, inverter generators are generally not needed. High end Honda, Yamaha produce a nice clean sine wave.
What about Chonda parts, are those available?
Yup, new is not necessarily better! Once the high technology fails, and the cost is too high 🤷🏻♂️.
But now you’ve got an engine for another project. You could make a video on repurposing the engine and “learn us” on how to use that tapered cranking shaft. 😉
That generator uses only the flywheel side of the engine the PTO side the crank is cutoff making the engine only good for parts
There’s yur Dinner
@@TarylFixesAll that is sad!
I’ve got a Honda and it has taking one hell of a beating and still going. It’s not an inverter machine so it doesn’t have any extra electronics besides the automatic voltage regulator. When you need reliability simpler is better. The more electronics you put in ANYTHING the more liking it is to fail.
Great video, thank for the in-depth explanation.
Hello Taryl, is having a fob to start a generator from 80 feet away a good idea? Frankly, I am old school and would rather check the oil level in the engine first, besides for a generator you have to
plug in a cord to it...right?
Cant go wrong with a champion, generac, or Westinghouse all similar. I think generac is slightly higher quality due to it usually being a simpler design, alot of Westinghouse and champions use auto choke models which require the battery to be working and sometimes the stepper motor fails, I'd rather have a manual choke
Well, if Taryl can't fix it nobody can. I won't buy a Honda, I smashed the like, see you next time.👍👍👍
Your videos are so cool
Could this still be used to power a portable power station? Maybe a backup for someone with a mobile solar set up?
would be a hit or miss situation , but i've heard that acetone will dissolve the resin (careful , it'll dissolve coating on wires too) . with knowledge of electronics , someone with lots of time might possibly repair inverter . maybe just see the layout and build a new one .
I've used Nitromors paint stripper to remove the potting compound from electrical components, but it can remove part numbers and information from the chips and what have you.
Eucalyptus oil will dissolve the resin. Use a small syringe to put it where you want, so it doesn’t get all over the place.Then you take a dental pic and a empty syringe and suck up the jelly.
I thought of that, but imagine the amount of time and work, as well as could you make it sturdy/hardened enough to withstand service?