Your recent repair? - 2021 to ?

[doneat54]

Went into the barn to make sure the generator would start, remembering that it took a lot of pulling the cord last time. Big snowstorm on the way and the power goes out here often. Checked fuel, set choke, pulled the cord 10-12 times, switched to left hand, pulled 10-12 times. Back to right hand, pulled 15-20 times. Cussed. Left, 10 pulls, right 15, <gasp> pull more, cuss more, check choke again, cuss pull.... not a sputter.



Go back in the house and search YouTube for "Predator 2000 Generator won't start" (this thing is only 3-4 years old and I have never so much had the cover off). Watch 3-4 videos, learn about a low oil false shutdown issue, see where you can get to the carb inlet to spray starter fluid.


Put gloves on, go back into the 23 degree barn, flip on lights in the shop then go to get gen from other room and bring it in....figure I'll give the pull start one more try....


...and it fires right up.



So that is my "repair" LOL....

(Hey, at least I saw where the oil dipstick is on a video, didn't even know it was there!!)

[bjorn2bwild]

Quote:

Originally Posted by doneat54 Went into the barn to make sure the generator would start, remembering that it took a lot of pulling the cord last time. Big snowstorm on the way and the power goes out here often. Checked fuel, set choke, pulled the cord 10-12 times, switched to left hand, pulled 10-12 times. Back to right hand, pulled 15-20 times. Cussed. Left, 10 pulls, right 15, <gasp> pull more, cuss more, check choke again, cuss pull.... not a sputter. Go back in the house and search YouTube for "Predator 2000 Generator won't start" (this thing is only 3-4 years old and I have never so much had the cover off). Watch 3-4 videos, learn about a low oil false shutdown issue, see where you can get to the carb inlet to spray starter fluid. Put gloves on, go back into the 23 degree barn, flip on lights in the shop then go to get gen from other room and bring it in....figure I'll give the pull start one more try.... ...and it fires right up. So that is my "repair" LOL.... (Hey, at least I saw where the oil dipstick is on a video, didn't even know it was there!!)

You may already know this, but is worth repeating -
After the last use, drain most of the fuel from the tank and run the generator dry. Add a little gas treated with preservative to the tank and repeat, then drain the carb fuel bowl.
I use white gas instead of the treated gas with excellent results - one or two pulls next use with fresh gas in the tank.

[doneat54]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjorn2bwild You may already know this, but is worth repeating - After the last use, drain most of the fuel from the tank and run the generator dry. Add a little gas treated with preservative to the tank and repeat, then drain the carb fuel bowl. I use white gas instead of the treated gas with excellent results - one or two pulls next use with fresh gas in the tank.

Good tip. I should probably do that with my big generator at the other house, it gets us seldom. This one here is a little "suitcase" gen and really gets used intermittently all year, as the power goes out almost as much in the summer with storms as it does in the winter.


So you use white gas for the last run-dry? Where can you buy that?

[euro]

Looked up "white Gas" and found a number of products:

@doneat54: what gas do you use? Just ethanol free or something else?


""""White gas is a common name for a number of flammable substances:

- As a generic term for camp stove and lantern fuel, its most popular current usage, also called Naphtha, 100% Light Hydro Treated Distillate, or Coleman fuel[1]

- Pure gasoline (without additives), commonly used when leaded gasoline was the norm to prevent fouling in situations where the properties of the lead additive were not required

- Un-dyed gasoline """"""

[bjorn2bwild]

Quote:

Originally Posted by doneat54 Good tip. I should probably do that with my big generator at the other house, it gets us seldom. This one here is a little "suitcase" gen and really gets used intermittently all year, as the power goes out almost as much in the summer with storms as it does in the winter. So you use white gas for the last run-dry? Where can you buy that?

Walmart etc... Camp stove fuel.
It is formulated with low residue qualities and similar combustibility to motor fuel.

Use just a little for short run times, as it lacks the additives found in regular gas. I have been using this method for over thirty years with no problems.
If the small generator will be used on a regular basis, you could use Sta-bil or a similar product, and leave the tank full.
I don't like the exhaust odor with Sta-bil.
P.S. With the white gas method, I empty the carb bowl twice - after the first and second run til dry routine.

[Walt34]

Another more recent fuel is Trufuel and some fuels labeled by some tool manufacturers such as Stihl. It has no alcohol in it, comes in both 4-stroke and two flavors of 2-stroke fuels, and is sold by Home Depot, Lowes, and I think Menards, and other larger hardware stores. Is is supposed to be good for five years in the sealed can and two years after opening.

I just started buying it late last summer mostly to "flush out" the fuel system of the evil alcohol and parafins that are in regular gasoline. Then I drain the entire fuel system including the fuel lines and carburetor bowl and store it dry. Some equipment, like the snow blower, can go for several years with no use if we don't get any appreciable snow so I don't like just using stabilizer with regular gasoline. The downside is that it's about $20 gallon, but if it saves me the hassle of one carburetor cleaning I'll consider it worthwhile.

[REWahoo]

Walt, it may not be as good as your $20/gal fuel but I purchase ethanol-free gas to hopefully accomplish the same thing (I do add Sta-bil). Several stations here sell it, priced about $0.50/gal above regular. This website will tell you where it is available in your state: https://www.pure-gas.org/

I purchased a new portable inverter generator a couple of months ago that automatically runs all the fuel out of the carburetor when shutting off. I had to do it manually by disconnecting the gas line, but that worked really well with my 20 year old construction-grade generator, which still starts on the first pull (but is obnoxiously loud!).

[Koogie]

I've switched to using ethanol free gas in our small engines as well. Seems better.

And Stabil, etc.. may not be doing much of anything anyway...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chsGBhB5g7o

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Walt, it may not be as good as your $20/gal fuel but I purchase ethanol-free gas to hopefully accomplish the same thing (I do add Sta-bil). Several stations here sell it, priced about $0.50/gal above regular. This website will tell you where it is available in your state: https://www.pure-gas.org/

Thank you. I've seen that site before and the nearest alcohol-free gas is a pretty good hike, far enough that the $20/gallon stuff doesn't seem that much in comparison. And since I only use it at the end of the season for lawn stuff and what little the snow blower uses, I use one or two gallons a year so it's not that bad.

[travelover]

DW wanted the carpet swapped out for laminate flooring in a spare bedroom, so I foolishly agreed. Upon removal of the carpet, I realized this room was an add-on and the first 4 feet slope down about 3/4 of an inch, which is just not going to work with the new flooring. No problem I thought, I'll just buy leveling compound and pour my way to level. But, no, the asshats who did the prior work installed a particle board underlayment and the leveling compound is water based, so that is a no go.

My current plan is to build up the low area with incremental thicknesses of plywood so I only have to totally remove the particle board in the last foot wide strip. I'll install plywood to replace that last section of particleboard underlayment and caulk all the seams generously. That should allow me to pour the leveling compound and created a flat surface across each plywood step.

I should know by now that no project is as easy as it looks, but this has turned into a ridiculous exercise.

[mountainsoft]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover My current plan is to build up the low area with incremental thicknesses of plywood so I only have to totally remove the particle board in the last foot wide strip. I'll install plywood to replace that last section of particleboard underlayment and caulk all the seams generously. That should allow me to pour the leveling compound and created a flat surface across each plywood step.

I ran into something similar when we were fixing up my mom's old house a few years ago. It was a combination of sagging particle board, a settling foundation, and mismatched repairs. There were a few small areas around the house like that, so I just used ready-mixed floor patch like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Custom-B...-FP1/100678058

In some of the deeper depressions I ended up doing two or three coats (letting dry between coats) but it worked out well and was easy to do. I used this method to screed her laundry room floor level with the dining room floor. It took a few applications, but turned out nice.

There was a bigger area in her back bedroom where the foundation had settled (weird foundation setup). I did something like you where I filled the majority of the dip with layers of plywood scraps. Then I troweled over those shims with the floor patch. It wasn't pretty, but it turned out nice in the end.

[mountainsoft]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koogie I've switched to using ethanol free gas in our small engines as well. Seems better. And Stabil, etc.. may not be doing much of anything anyway...

Same here, though I add Stabil just in case.

However, I've replaced most of my small engine tools with EGO battery powered tools. No gas, no maintenance, no noise, no smell. Just pop in the battery and go. My tiller and snow blower are the only gas engines I have left now.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover DW wanted the carpet swapped out for laminate flooring in a spare bedroom, so I foolishly agreed. Upon removal of the carpet, I realized this room was an add-on and the first 4 feet slope down about 3/4 of an inch, which is just not going to work with the new flooring. No problem I thought, I'll just buy leveling compound and pour my way to level. But, no, the asshats who did the prior work installed a particle board underlayment and the leveling compound is water based, so that is a no go. My current plan is to build up the low area with incremental thicknesses of plywood so I only have to totally remove the particle board in the last foot wide strip. I'll install plywood to replace that last section of particleboard underlayment and caulk all the seams generously. That should allow me to pour the leveling compound and created a flat surface across each plywood step. I should know by now that no project is as easy as it looks, but this has turned into a ridiculous exercise.

Couldn't you paint the particle board with 2 coats of oil based paint.
Then apply the water based leveler.
I'm actually wondering if anyone knows if that would work.

I'd probably still add underlay to build up the very low areas, just to save on leveler.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunset Couldn't you paint the particle board with 2 coats of oil based paint. Then apply the water based leveler. I'm actually wondering if anyone knows if that would work. I'd probably still add underlay to build up the very low areas, just to save on leveler.

I don't know if oil based paint would be adequate. I thought of painting it with fiberglass resin or RedGuard but even those still seem like a risk given how particle board swells, not to mention the cost and smell.

[1242Vintage]

Replaced a rotten 25 year old fence yesterday that was blown down a couple weeks ago. Fixed up the gate too. Now I can put the critters back in the field and be assured that they won’t wander away in the middle of the night.

[ncbill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjorn2bwild You may already know this, but is worth repeating - After the last use, drain most of the fuel from the tank and run the generator dry. Add a little gas treated with preservative to the tank and repeat, then drain the carb fuel bowl. I use white gas instead of the treated gas with excellent results - one or two pulls next use with fresh gas in the tank.

I nominated myself "lawn boy" which primarily entailed mowing the lawn weekly at a dead relative's house over a couple of summers before it sold.

Even running their lawnmower dry in the fall on ethanol-free gasoline I found I couldn't get it started until I removed the float bowl and cleaned it and the jet (conveniently cut into the bolt that held on the float bowl) with automotive carburetor cleaner.

Then once re-assembled & filled with fresh ethanol-free fuel the mower would fire right up...engine was one of the newer, choke-less designs.

Never had a need for expensive, canned fuel...I always used ethanol-free gasoline which is still only ~$3/gallon here locally for (93 octane) premium.

[bjorn2bwild]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ncbill .........Even running their lawnmower dry in the fall on ethanol-free gasoline I found I couldn't get it started until I removed the float bowl and cleaned it and the jet (conveniently cut into the bolt that held on the float bowl) with automotive carburetor cleaner.

The gummy residue left behind after the volatiles have escaped is the problem here.
Any common engine fuel, including ethanol free, will have this issue.
Conversely, 100% pure ethanol would be excellent* for the final purge as it leaves no residue.
That is the logic behind using white gas, e.g. - Coleman fuel, prior to longer term storage.

* Some rubbers and plastics used in (mostly older) fuel systems are not adequately resistant to ethanol.

[ncbill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjorn2bwild The gummy residue left behind after the volatiles have escaped is the problem here. Any common engine fuel, including ethanol free, will have this issue. Conversely, 100% pure ethanol would be excellent* for the final purge as it leaves no residue. That is the logic behind using white gas, e.g. - Coleman fuel, prior to longer term storage. * Some rubbers and plastics used in (mostly older) fuel systems are not adequately resistant to ethanol.

I've found fuel tanks are not sealed on lawnmowers...so even if you don't run it dry everything evaporates over the winter anyway...though I'm sure there's less residue with ethanol-free gasoline and even less with white gas/Coleman fuel.

I'm not sure small engine internals would withstand pure or nearly pure ethanol, e.g. E85 from the local gas station...I bet they're only tested with standard E10 gasoline.

[Freedom56]

I replaced the battery in my wife's Nissan 370z. The starter was hesitating so I put a trickle charger on the battery and noticed that battery was drawing 4 amps during charging. It started without issues after charging but we decided to leave it for a week. One week later the battery again caused the starter to hesitate so I removed the battery and took it to Autozone for a load test. It failed the load test and the battery was last changed in 2015 according to their records. I bought a new one ($165 including tax with a 7 year prorated warranty) and installed it an the car runs fine. The Nissan dealer charges $375 plus tax for a battery replacement.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freedom56 I replaced the battery in my wife's Nissan 370z. The starter was hesitating so I put a trickle charger on the battery and noticed that battery was drawing 4 amps during charging. It started without issues after charging but we decided to leave it for a week. One week later the battery again caused the starter to hesitate so I removed the battery and took it to Autozone for a load test. It failed the load test and the battery was last changed in 2015 according to their records. I bought a new one ($165 including tax with a 7 year prorated warranty) and installed it an the car runs fine. The Nissan dealer charges $375 plus tax for a battery replacement.

Nice.

I'm avoiding replacing DW's battery right now as it's below freezing these days. I hate working on a car in the cold.
I have it on a trickle charger right now.

My "trick" with batteries is to measure the physical space for the battery and then buy the one that has the best characteristics like cold cranking amps, etc that will fit in the space. Currently that is 24F for both vehicles.

We force ourselves to driver her car, only put 500 miles on it 2 yrs ago. So no danger of getting stuck somewhere.