I appreciate this and every break-in tip for a generator. But holy moly, everyone's got a way to do it. I'm just going to add oil, run the thing for an hour, change the oil (add synthetic like the manual says) and then be done with it
It doesn't help running an engine for more than an hour in idle. It's better to gradually cyclically increase the load up to full load (no load, some load, more load, some load,no load,. etc.) after about half an hour in order to get the rings to seat properly. Oil changes never hurt - do it as often as you like. I think a single oil change after the first 1,5h with some minutes of full load at the very end is perfectly fine. Once broken in I do oil changes every 20-30 hours.
Pro tip :) Use the emtpy pre-measured oil container they include and after filling the engine with that, refill it with your favorite oil- it's already sized with the right amount of oil, so much easier to just dump the whole bottle in each change and not have to measure or keep checking. I will also store the included funnel in a ziplock bag to keep it clean
Step one- Throw the Lucas in the trash. Its snakeoil garbage. Step two, don't bother taking the spark plug out unless you want to throw the Chinese plug away and replace it with an NGK. Step three- Buy and use non ethanol fuel if they have it in your area. Add Stabil fuel stabilizer to the fuel can. Label and date your fuel can and dump it in the car when the fuel gets 6 months old. Step 4- Run the tank empty and drain the carburetor with the drain screw on the side of most carburetors. Step five- Change the oil every 50 hours. Step six- Dont use the dipstick on these style engines. They are designed to be filled all the way to the top. You fill it up with as much as oil will fit until it start leaking out. There, your oil level is perfect. Some people prefer to run the engine on convectional oil for the first 10-20 hours to help with break in, then switch to synthetic if you want. I don't think it really matters.
Briggs says to run conventional for the break-in... because it's less expensive. Then switch to synthetic. If you don't care about the extra $2, I think you can run synthetic all the time.
Definitely replace the plug! I bet they come with the well known chinese plug brand that must be the cheapest in the world , the "torch" brand LOL!! I always use NGK
Scott knows what he is talking about. The video mentions using the highest grade octane fuel you can find. You know how they increase octane? Percentage of ethanol.
New, in the factory box Champion 8750 / 7000 open frame inverter: Checking everything out before first start up, I noticed oil residue on the dipstick prior to adding oil plus it would not take the full number of ounces to completely fill. Point of this is I believe these are started up and run / tested at the factory, oil and fuel drained, then packaged for shipping.
As of 2023, no ethanol gas is non existent in Canada where i live. My specific region, actually every single droplet of gas has 10% ethanol. It even seems by 2030 it's going to climb to 15%.
No load for two hours? Interesting. They actually recommend this? Most manufactures of ANY ENGINE recommend you vary the rpm of the motor to seat the rings during the break in period.
You cannot vary the rpm on a generator! The throttle is set at one specific engine speed! Only eco throttle will lower the rpm! Please know what you are talking about!
You need to put the engine oil in 1st then remove the spark plug and add a few drops of upper cylinder lubricant. Then you can make a couple slow crank turns To get oil all around the piston rings + cylinder walls.
a few drops of regular SAE 30 will work just as well without having to buy a container full of "upper cylinder lubricant", after all- the whole engine, including the upper cylinder is lubricated by whatever oil you install. I had some seafoam on hand for my moped, so I put a few drops of that in the generator's upper cylinder that just came to-day
This is not a high compression engine and therefore DOES NOT require high octane fuel. Low octane fuel will get more power than high octane. High octane gas burns slower, so as to not knock in high compression engines. Using higher octane fuel in a low compression engine such as this one simply makes the fuel continue to burn as it is leaving the cylinder, causing higher exhaust valve temps, wasted fuel and lower power.
Something not pointed out in the general manual but If you read the specific engine manual for all these generator, mowers, and small 4 stroke motors they say not to use synthetic oil for the first 50 hours, because it restricts piston ring break in! Then after 50 hours you can change to Mobil 1 or whatever!
Probably a valid point. We have a mid-size diesel tractor that came new with a special "break-in" oil installed. Only after the first 100 hours of operation is that oil drained and a "good" oil added to the engine.
Might not be in the owners manual, but these engines use such a tiny amount of oil, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I did this with my 2200W generator (ran an hour, no load, changed oil. Ran an hour under load, changed oil again). The first oil drained was full of metal shavings and very dark. The second oil changed was lighter colored but still had shavings. Still have the oil samples to prove it. Even if it’s not necessary, you’re talking about less than a quart of oil for the entire process.
That's the proper way to do it, run it under load second time. Doesn't have to be, nor should it be full load, but run it up from 30% then 60% or so and change oil. Him running it no load a second time is not the right way, gotta seat those pistons, which requires some load.
I bought an I-Power Generator from Sams club a month ago, I put the oil in it came with. I never drained the oil at all. Just added some yesterday because it shut off. This thing runs every single day with no issues. I just shut it off and add gas every 4 hours. I just bought a Champion 4250 because of the running time, I hate to get ride of this one but wow what a great little Generator.
It's best to run it for the first time at least 30 minutes and drain the oil. Because it has no oil filter metal shavings will collect inside the crankcase. This is bad for the long life of the engine. After the initial oil change do it again after 30 to 60 minutes and your little power plant will keep choogling along for the rest of your life.
The key to breaking in an engine is to not run it full throttle at first and not under a heavy load. Personally, I start them then put it on eco mode no load for about 20 minutes. Most of the wear happens then. Then I change the oil and run it 40 more minutes with some of the time being full-speed. Then I run it under economy at 1/4 load for a couple hours, change oil half load for a few hours, and 3/4 load for about 4 hours. At this point you have 10 hours on the machine. At this point I put a good quality synthetic oil in and load it to its maximum continuous run wattage and push it for 10 hours bringing the clock to 20 hours. 1+2+3+4+10... then I go 30 hours of use and have 50 hours on the Hobbs. After this every 50 it gets an oil change.
The fact it's an inverter generator has nothing to do with a proper break in. Its still an internal combustion engine. I agree with varying the rpms by varying the load.
Jack, the Chief just requested you turn in your badge and gun. Your too old to be messing around with internal combustion engines at 101. Both of your daughters Stacy and Lisa agree. 10-4?
Before you turn the engine over using the pull start, you have to put oil it it. Also, there is no need to remove the spark plug when changing the oil.
My 80cc generator had a lot of metallic glitter in the oil after only 5 hours of breaking in, with little to moderate load. I suggest don't wait too long, drain some oil maybe after 2-3 hours of use, see the condition, drain again after 2-3 more hours. Be sure to use mineral oil during break in but also pay attention to the weather temperature : use the correct oil if the outside temp is well above 70F (20C), mineral W30 is not recommended in hot weather because these engines are only air cooled.
I broke mine in at 25 percent load for 10 hours before changing oil for the first time, after 1 hour is a little ridiculous. Not necessary that soon. I've been a mechanic for 30 years and know what I'm doing. Why pull the plug at brand new, not necessary, just fill the oil and start it, and run a bit of a load. Thats it.
This guy in the video doesn't know what he is talking about. Break in oil should be low or no detergent, low or no moly, and have a zinc component in it to wear the piston and ring in so that mate up perfectly. Adding a lubricate like Lucas is what not to do....SMH!!!
@@petedetraglia4776 I used a gallon of cheap rotella during the break in period. After that I used a blend of special hi performance oil and called it good.
I broke in my 212cc Honda clone engine extensively, with probably 5 oil changes the first ten hours. All but the last oil change had a very noticeable amount of silver glitter on the surface of the oil. When you still have visible metal in oil change #4, that tells me that you don't need to be running the first batch of oil for ten hours.
just got a AIVOLT 1200W Petrol Inverter Generator, filled with oil, petrol, started up first pull, gave it 15mins to warm up, them put a 50w fan on it for 5 hours, then stopped it, changed oil, started up on 3ed pull, forget to turn on :)1 more hour, with fan, now ready to use fall time,
No, you need to run it under some load the second time (not full, but start at about 30% load and go to about 60 or so). And don't use synthetic until run for about 50 hours or the pistons will resist break in. Running it for an hour no load is unnecessary, half an hour is plenty.
Always fill the oil to the top of the threads or the motor will starve for oil on extended runs! We learned that running them during the hurricane! The engines we filled to dipstick mark ALL FAILED!
Don, think about putting an hour meter on your shit and changing oil every 2-3 days during an extended run. It's a ten minute process. No dipstick marks for me.
I've got a crafts man 2500 generator that lives on the side of my 18 wheeler car hauler, its strapped to the battery box with 2 semi truck load straps , its exposed to wind rain dust and oil , extreme cold and extreme hot temperature, I live in Arizona I have been to south Dakota in January where it's been -25F , and 120F in summer in Phoenix, Arizona The generator is powering a 1000w 55 amp battery charger to charge all the truck batteries and I have a 2500 watt inverter powering a coffee machine, microwave, fridge, and also a 1500 watt air conditioner, in summer and a 750watt heater in winter, I have the battery charger and air conditioning/ heater spit on the 120v circuit, so it's pulling about 1750 watt all the time , I have a small 250 Watt heater and small 200watt ac unit that plugs in to the inverter via the batteries it changes for when the gas runs out but I have 6 fully charged batteries so I use my low power air conditioner and heater when I'm sleeping at night ,I always have cars on the truck, that generi is running almost every night , and uses a gallon every 6 hours when it's on full load it will last all night just changing batteries,, all I did was change the oil after 50 hours of first use under light load , then I tried change the oil every 10 gallons of fuel but it's more like every 20 gallons of fuel when it's hot or cold , it's 2 years old and still is running, I've never had the spark plugs out it's dirty and grubby but works , I use 0/20 fully synthetic oil every time I change the oil. it seems not to burn much oilt all over a month period of running every 🌃
@@danfuller9196 Accidental firing? 50 years of servicing all kinds of gas engines and I've never removed a spark plug boot just to change the oil. Perhaps it was a request by the cat?
I always broke in new rings/cylinders with mineral oil for new engine rebuilds. In those days it was available at the airport shop hangers. Times change.
Drives me nuts when people fall into the marketing ploy that higher octane fuel is better. It’s not. Higher octane, higher super fancy I’m cool cuz I run premium fuel burns slower. If your engine isn’t timed for that and has high compression then you are literally spitting unburied fuel out the pipe and it’s actually running less efficiently.
The Generac manual for the portable 3300i says nothing about introducing oil conditioner into the pistons via the removed spark plug. Does this matter?
I would skip the upper cylinder lubricant, just fill the oil and pull the engine over a dozen times or so before adding fuel. there is no oil pump in these small engines they are splash lubricated. Dont forget you are bedding the engine in, you dont want to glaze the bores or it will drink oil. Use mineral oil at first & change it after a hour or so Then i would start putting a load on it, dont go straight to full load, vary it to give it chance to bed in. Once you get to about 50 hours running time you should be good to go. Mine has about 250 hours on it & runs well without burning oil.
P.S Buy a spare spark plug as the original will likely be a chinese "torch" brand and will pack up quickly. The other thing to look out for is the mesh spark arrestor on the end of the exhaust, they clog up fast. i took mine off after about 20 hours run time as it was clogged !
Use the original oil, use a 30/60/90 load at 5 min intervals cooling with no load in between and change oil 1 time when finished. Congrats, you're done ...
I don't think idling an engine for hours early in its life is a proper break in, it should be under some light load, medium load, heavier load and then repeat the cycle. Use a plug in heat of 100 w, then a 750w , then 1500w for full load
None of this makes a generator last longer. If new to this kinda stuff an amateurish thing would be to do anything outside the manufacturer directions. Not to mention voiding the warranty. Less is more. Aces' on the kitty cat.
You used the wrong Lucas product. You want the white bottle (oil saver) for what you did here. The clear bottle is fuel saver designed for stabilizing fuel and cleaning fuel systems not oil.
Make sure you use the dogshit oil that comes with it for the first time. It'll help stuff wear in. You go putting fancy boutique oil in I would think it could glaze the cylinders. I would want something that burns off quick in the top end. Maybe a little diesel would work.
@@gregs8606 Keep telling yourself that. My late brother delivered gas. Stations order more gas than will fill up the regular and mid grade tanks, the leftover goes into the premium tank because it's a Take or Pay for it anyway situation, that's beside the ethanol that was already in the premium to boost the octane.
Why are you removing the spark plug before 2nd and 3rd oil changes? Also , are you adding Lucas oil to spark plug on the 2nd and 3 rd changes? Thanks for the video.
It’s actually not required to remove the plug between each additional change, but some view it as a safe best practice so we included it here. You do not need to add any additional Lucas to the spark plug chamber after the initial, you can continue to add it to the oil reservoir though for improved lubrication.
IMO, it's not required. The unit does not have electric start and will only start if you mechanically pull the rip cord. Even though it is considered a "safe practice", no one would actually do this in real-life - especially on a unit w/o electric [and namely] remote start. There is no way for the gen to start inadvertently while you attend to it solely. If you leave the unit unattended, I can see the revelance with this step. Thanks for the informative vid, HIP. Cheers.
I know this is a old video but I disagree with most of it. #1 you should of filled the crankcase before pulling the start cord. #2 a few drops in the sparkplug hole does absolutely nothing. #3 you should never break in a motor on synthetic oil. I guess you get what you pay for.
Briggs recommends you break in a small engine with conventional oil. Why? Because it's less expensive. So if you don't care about the $5, you can run synthetic from the start.
I agree with all but the synthetic oil myth. I just broke in my Honda gen set with Rotella T6, high load right out the gate. Within the first 15 seconds of run time there was 100% load for 20min strait. I consider that a proper break in. This gen won't eat oil, or suffer from low compression. The rings have a small time frame to seat. Idle and low loads will not accomplish this. Run it hard right off the bat. Or you'll be re-ringing and honong to do it again. Ally and others small engines get this treatment, and have never had a problem in 25 years of doing it. I learned this building performance two stroke engines, and it's worked every time, back to back, hundreds of times.
I really like your cat. However, I don't think indicated break-in procedure is correct. I'd suggest a different procedure for those who are very anal about their small internal combustion engines. As shown in video, put upper cylinder lubricant. Then fill engine with special break-in oil (low detergent, high ZDDP). Start the engine, run it for 2 minutes with no load. Shut it off, let it cool down naturally for 20 minutes. Start the engine again, run it 3 minutes with no load. Shut it off, let it cool down naturally for 25 minutes. Start the engine again, let it run 5 minutes with no load. Shut it off, let it cool down naturally for 25 minutes. And now, start the engine, let it run with no load for a few tens of seconds, then put 20-30% load on the generator, depending on its output power rating. If possible, vary the load but do not exceed 30%. Run it for approx 1 hour. Switch it off, let it cool down completely naturally. Afterwards, start the engine, apply electric load approx 40-60% of rated output power. Run for about 1 hour varying the load. Again, shut it off, let it cool naturally. On final run, start the engine, put 60-90% load of rated output power, vary the load. Run for 1 hour. At this point, drain your break-in oil. Pour it fresh oil which you're going to use and add about 30% of break in oil to it. Start using your generator for normal duties but remember to change the oil after 5 hours of use. After you change the oil, put the regular oil you're going to use without adding any additives to it. By this time, your engine will be almost fully broken in, saying you 'thanks' by providing long service life. Having magnetic fill plug really helps. And of course, use highest octane fuel you can reasonably get. Ethanol free. Good luck.
Yes you can if it's 230 volts. It should draw around 6 amps of power and on start up for a split second maybe 8 amps. 8 x 230 is 1840 watts. After initial start it will drop back down to 1380 watts. Your gen will probably only be good for about 1800 or 1900 watts. You can run the a/c as long as it's 230v and not 120v. But don't run anything else except a small light. Better off getting 3500 watt gen that way you can run a tv and a few smaller items like a few lights.
Why the hell would you want the highest octane fuel available. What rubbish, no need. Give me a reason. The only thing worth mention about these engines, is to avoid leaving e10 in them, as ethnol is hydrophilic and absorbs water, which can lead to rust. However e10 fuel does help cleaning them.
putting oil in the combustion camber does nothing for longevity that just snake oil or old tales.. small enigine need abit of load to really seat the rings plus some run time to get the clearance of the new part to even out so run that thing put a little load on it then change the oil a little metal in the oil is Normal for those engines no need to get scared changing the oil 3 to 4 times..
Umm, why not just follow instructions in the owner's Manual. After all, they manufactured it, so they know how to properly break in your new generator. 😉
Toyota says the oil only needs to be changed every 10,000 miles, but then the engine lasts 200k miles and not 300k + miles. They also say the transmission fluid is good for the life of the car...if you are only keeping it 150k miles.
@@RaulMarin501 I was using toyota as an example of manufacturers suggestions that aren't actually in your best interest, but you knew that...or you really aren't that smart in which case my advice is wasted and please do carry on the way you are going. How many booster shots have you had?
@@robertkubrick3738 I've gotten ALL the COVID Shots to date. I guess that's the price I pay for being a human Guinea Pig - Made me too stooopid to understand your Toyota comment. LOL! 🐹😝
We have used the ruclips.net/user/postUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!
Please tell me what small engine manufacturer suggests no load for 2 hours. I think you just made this up. Not impressed at all. Prove me wrong & answer my question.
Might not be in the owners manual, but these engines use such a tiny amount of oil, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I did this with my 2200W generator (ran an hour, no load, changed oil. Ran an hour under load, changed oil again). The first oil drained was full of metal shavings and very dark. The second oil changed was lighter colored but still had shavings. Still have the oil samples to prove it. Even if it’s not necessary, you’re talking about less than a quart of oil for the entire process.
All need to due is; Add good oil not what comes with the genset. Pick up generator and turn it up side down and roll it a round. Now everything is covered in oil. Add gas and run no more than 5 minutes then change the oil. Repeat 5-6 more times.
I agree for the most part. I would oil the cylinder because I don't know what assembly lube they used. I also change the oil after one minute because if anything is going to break off, it's going to be in the first 3,000 revolutions and there is no need to leave it in there for 15,000 revolutions. Then I would run it under a load for about an hour and change the oil again and I'm done.
why did you put Lucas cleaning additives in to the oil and cylinder??? your're nuts. instead should of went and bought a good synthetic oil and that's all you need instead you put in a cleaning additives and cheap oil. good job.
Hey Vito! The reason for adding Lucas before the first run is properly lubricate the cylinder and to not have a “dry fire” the first time you run the engine. After the initial oil change using the manufactures oil, were using Mobil1 Fully Synthetic motor oil. Let us know if you have any questions!
...if you saw the amount of shavings that come out in that oil in the first 20-40 mins it would blow you away. I've broken in multiple generators. Glitter every time in the oil. Even after the 3rd oil change... glitter. Those metal shavings scratch up the cylinder walls.
i had to buy one for work because the one we had broke down, put oil in it and started it up and basically ran it at full load for 10 hours no break in, changed the oil after 30 hours and it was slightly darker than usual but not as dark as a very run car engine, after 300 plus hours no issues. but all being said its not mine, its the bosses so if it breaks it breaks ahah
I broke in my 212cc Honda clone engine extensively, with probably 5 oil changes the first ten hours. All but the last oil change had a very noticeable amount of silver glitter on the surface of the oil. When you still have visible metal in oil change #4, that tells me that you don't need to be running the first batch of oil for dozens of hours.
Changing the oil twice like you did seems counterproductive and wasteful. If the engine has a pressurized oil system, you're dry starting it each time you change it as it has to re-prime itself. If its splash lube, the engine couldn't care less.
You're missing the point, he's changing the oil rapidly to clean out the metal shavings that collect very fast within those first few hours. It's splash system with no filter.
I appreciate this and every break-in tip for a generator. But holy moly, everyone's got a way to do it. I'm just going to add oil, run the thing for an hour, change the oil (add synthetic like the manual says) and then be done with it
It doesn't help running an engine for more than an hour in idle.
It's better to gradually cyclically increase the load up to full load (no load, some load, more load, some load,no load,. etc.) after about half an hour in order to get the rings to seat properly.
Oil changes never hurt - do it as often as you like. I think a single oil change after the first 1,5h with some minutes of full load at the very end is perfectly fine. Once broken in I do oil changes every 20-30 hours.
I agree, running engine on idle with no load is normally not the way to break in, should have some variable load
Yeah, an hour is just wasting gas for no reason and unnecessary.
Pro tip :)
Use the emtpy pre-measured oil container they include and after filling the engine with that, refill it with your favorite oil- it's already sized with the right amount of oil, so much easier to just dump the whole bottle in each change and not have to measure or keep checking. I will also store the included funnel in a ziplock bag to keep it clean
Step one- Throw the Lucas in the trash. Its snakeoil garbage. Step two, don't bother taking the spark plug out unless you want to throw the Chinese plug away and replace it with an NGK. Step three- Buy and use non ethanol fuel if they have it in your area. Add Stabil fuel stabilizer to the fuel can. Label and date your fuel can and dump it in the car when the fuel gets 6 months old. Step 4- Run the tank empty and drain the carburetor with the drain screw on the side of most carburetors. Step five- Change the oil every 50 hours. Step six- Dont use the dipstick on these style engines. They are designed to be filled all the way to the top. You fill it up with as much as oil will fit until it start leaking out. There, your oil level is perfect. Some people prefer to run the engine on convectional oil for the first 10-20 hours to help with break in, then switch to synthetic if you want. I don't think it really matters.
Now this is some great information
Briggs says to run conventional for the break-in... because it's less expensive. Then switch to synthetic. If you don't care about the extra $2, I think you can run synthetic all the time.
Definitely replace the plug! I bet they come with the well known chinese plug brand that must be the cheapest in the world , the "torch" brand LOL!! I always use NGK
@@joncrall4628 As a fuel additive yeah, NAW but as a cylinder lube for an almost dry start why not? word
Scott knows what he is talking about. The video mentions using the highest grade octane fuel you can find. You know how they increase octane? Percentage of ethanol.
New, in the factory box Champion 8750 / 7000 open frame inverter: Checking everything out before first start up, I noticed oil residue on the dipstick prior to adding oil plus it would not take the full number of ounces to completely fill. Point of this is I believe these are started up and run / tested at the factory, oil and fuel drained, then packaged for shipping.
they sure are
Not so much the highest octane, but try to get ethanol-free. Edit: thumbs up for the cat.
Always thumbs-up for a cat.
Always use ethanol free fuel in any small engine.
As of 2023, no ethanol gas is non existent in Canada where i live. My specific region, actually every single droplet of gas has 10% ethanol. It even seems by 2030 it's going to climb to 15%.
I feel so much smarter being here with all the people who know everything. If theres a “right” way to do it, post your own videos people
No load for two hours? Interesting. They actually recommend this? Most manufactures of ANY ENGINE recommend you vary the rpm of the motor to seat the rings during the break in period.
You cannot vary the rpm on a generator! The throttle is set at one specific engine speed! Only eco throttle will lower the rpm! Please know what you are talking about!
@@donraptor6156 WITH A LOAD!
Maybe "no load" works for first one hour or else but after that you should put some loads increasingly.
@@donraptor6156 not true for inverter generators.
@@donraptor6156 With a load on and off, perhaps you should know what you're talking about.
You need to put the engine oil in 1st then remove the spark plug and add a few drops of upper cylinder lubricant. Then you can make a couple slow crank turns To get oil all around the piston rings + cylinder walls.
a few drops of regular SAE 30 will work just as well without having to buy a container full of "upper cylinder lubricant", after all- the whole engine, including the upper cylinder is lubricated by whatever oil you install. I had some seafoam on hand for my moped, so I put a few drops of that in the generator's upper cylinder that just came to-day
This is not a high compression engine and therefore DOES NOT require high octane fuel. Low octane fuel will get more power than high octane. High octane gas burns slower, so as to not knock in high compression engines. Using higher octane fuel in a low compression engine such as this one simply makes the fuel continue to burn as it is leaving the cylinder, causing higher exhaust valve temps, wasted fuel and lower power.
Something not pointed out in the general manual but If you read the specific engine manual for all these generator, mowers, and small 4 stroke motors they say not to use synthetic oil for the first 50 hours, because it restricts piston ring break in! Then after 50 hours you can change to Mobil 1 or whatever!
Probably a valid point. We have a mid-size diesel tractor that came new with a special "break-in" oil installed. Only after the first 100 hours of operation is that oil drained and a "good" oil added to the engine.
Modern engines can use synthetic oil from birth. Modern engines don’t really break in. You can work the generator right from the start.
Ugh I saw this too late.
Might not be in the owners manual, but these engines use such a tiny amount of oil, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I did this with my 2200W generator (ran an hour, no load, changed oil. Ran an hour under load, changed oil again). The first oil drained was full of metal shavings and very dark. The second oil changed was lighter colored but still had shavings. Still have the oil samples to prove it. Even if it’s not necessary, you’re talking about less than a quart of oil for the entire process.
Mike, you couldn't be more right. It's a miniscule amount of oil. Change it several times during break-in!
That's the proper way to do it, run it under load second time. Doesn't have to be, nor should it be full load, but run it up from 30% then 60% or so and change oil. Him running it no load a second time is not the right way, gotta seat those pistons, which requires some load.
I bought an I-Power Generator from Sams club a month ago, I put the oil in it came with. I never drained the oil at all. Just added some yesterday because it shut off. This thing runs every single day with no issues. I just shut it off and add gas every 4 hours. I just bought a Champion 4250 because of the running time, I hate to get ride of this one but wow what a great little Generator.
It's best to run it for the first time at least 30 minutes and drain the oil. Because it has no oil filter metal shavings will collect inside the crankcase. This is bad for the long life of the engine. After the initial oil change do it again after 30 to 60 minutes and your little power plant will keep choogling along for the rest of your life.
Which one is great, the iPower, or the Champion?
@@jshepard152 to be honest. I don’t have a problem with Either one
@@TheEastCoastSensation
Ok. But which one were you referring to as great?
@@jshepard152 the I-power
I think the warehouse should break it in for us, before we even purchase. Push and play baby! 😎✌️
The key to breaking in an engine is to not run it full throttle at first and not under a heavy load. Personally, I start them then put it on eco mode no load for about 20 minutes. Most of the wear happens then. Then I change the oil and run it 40 more minutes with some of the time being full-speed. Then I run it under economy at 1/4 load for a couple hours, change oil half load for a few hours, and 3/4 load for about 4 hours. At this point you have 10 hours on the machine. At this point I put a good quality synthetic oil in and load it to its maximum continuous run wattage and push it for 10 hours bringing the clock to 20 hours. 1+2+3+4+10... then I go 30 hours of use and have 50 hours on the Hobbs. After this every 50 it gets an oil change.
@@BigReggie I run a synthetic, and it has been fine
@@BigReggie I have never heard of that lol. What would be worse then throwing a rod lol?
@@BigReggie I’ve never heard of oil being too slippery.
@@BigReggie Bananas logic.
The fact it's an inverter generator has nothing to do with a proper break in. Its still an internal combustion engine. I agree with varying the rpms by varying the load.
Jack, the Chief just requested you turn in your badge and gun. Your too old to be messing around with internal combustion engines at 101. Both of your daughters Stacy and Lisa agree. 10-4?
@@mrradio2187
Well actually no! First I’m not 101, second I don’t have daughters, third one can NEVER be too old to mess with engines!!🤪
Before you turn the engine over using the pull start, you have to put oil it it. Also, there is no need to remove the spark plug when changing the oil.
I think he was removing the spark plug to drain the oil faster. But I dunno if anybody would want to do that standing in the snow.
My 80cc generator had a lot of metallic glitter in the oil after only 5 hours of breaking in, with little to moderate load. I suggest don't wait too long, drain some oil maybe after 2-3 hours of use, see the condition, drain again after 2-3 more hours. Be sure to use mineral oil during break in but also pay attention to the weather temperature : use the correct oil if the outside temp is well above 70F (20C), mineral W30 is not recommended in hot weather because these engines are only air cooled.
I broke mine in at 25 percent load for 10 hours before changing oil for the first time, after 1 hour is a little ridiculous. Not necessary that soon. I've been a mechanic for 30 years and know what I'm doing. Why pull the plug at brand new, not necessary, just fill the oil and start it, and run a bit of a load. Thats it.
This guy in the video doesn't know what he is talking about. Break in oil should be low or no detergent, low or no moly, and have a zinc component in it to wear the piston and ring in so that mate up perfectly. Adding a lubricate like Lucas is what not to do....SMH!!!
@@petedetraglia4776 I used a gallon of cheap rotella during the break in period. After that I used a blend of special hi performance oil and called it good.
I broke in my 212cc Honda clone engine extensively, with probably 5 oil changes the first ten hours. All but the last oil change had a very noticeable amount of silver glitter on the surface of the oil. When you still have visible metal in oil change #4, that tells me that you don't need to be running the first batch of oil for ten hours.
I'm with you Daniel, some of these multi oil changes seem a bit excessive
just got a AIVOLT 1200W Petrol Inverter Generator, filled with oil, petrol, started up first pull, gave it 15mins to warm up, them put a 50w fan on it for 5 hours, then stopped it, changed oil, started up on 3ed pull, forget to turn on :)1 more hour, with fan, now ready to use fall time,
No, you need to run it under some load the second time (not full, but start at about 30% load and go to about 60 or so). And don't use synthetic until run for about 50 hours or the pistons will resist break in. Running it for an hour no load is unnecessary, half an hour is plenty.
Always fill the oil to the top of the threads or the motor will starve for oil on extended runs! We learned that running them during the hurricane! The engines we filled to dipstick mark ALL FAILED!
Don, think about putting an hour meter on your shit and changing oil every 2-3 days during an extended run. It's a ten minute process. No dipstick marks for me.
Why unplug the spark plug each oil fill??
Did you remove the plug or just unplug it?
I've got a crafts man 2500 generator that lives on the side of my 18 wheeler car hauler, its strapped to the battery box with 2 semi truck load straps , its exposed to wind rain dust and oil , extreme cold and extreme hot temperature, I live in Arizona I have been to south Dakota in January where it's been -25F , and 120F in summer in Phoenix, Arizona
The generator is powering a 1000w 55 amp battery charger to charge all the truck batteries and I have a 2500 watt inverter powering a coffee machine, microwave, fridge, and also a 1500 watt air conditioner, in summer and a 750watt heater in winter, I have the battery charger and air conditioning/ heater spit on the 120v circuit, so it's pulling about 1750 watt all the time , I have a small 250 Watt heater and small 200watt ac unit that plugs in to the inverter via the batteries it changes for when the gas runs out but I have 6 fully charged batteries so I use my low power air conditioner and heater when I'm sleeping at night ,I always have cars on the truck, that generi is running almost every night , and uses a gallon every 6 hours when it's on full load it will last all night just changing batteries,, all I did was change the oil after 50 hours of first use under light load , then I tried change the oil every 10 gallons of fuel but it's more like every 20 gallons of fuel when it's hot or cold , it's 2 years old and still is running, I've never had the spark plugs out it's dirty and grubby but works , I use 0/20 fully synthetic oil every time I change the oil. it seems not to burn much oilt all over a month period of running every 🌃
Helpful video, thanks. And I had to watch a second time to see your beautiful kitty!
Moi aussi j'ai bien aimé le chat =^.^=
Upon changing the oil, why would you pull the spark plug..???
I believe he was referring to removing the spark plug boot to avoid any chance of accidental firing
@@danfuller9196 Accidental firing? 50 years of servicing all kinds of gas engines and I've never removed a spark plug boot just to change the oil. Perhaps it was a request by the cat?
I always broke in new rings/cylinders with mineral oil for new engine rebuilds. In those days it was available at the airport shop hangers. Times change.
Drives me nuts when people fall into the marketing ploy that higher octane fuel is better. It’s not. Higher octane, higher super fancy I’m cool cuz I run premium fuel burns slower. If your engine isn’t timed for that and has high compression then you are literally spitting unburied fuel out the pipe and it’s actually running less efficiently.
The Generac manual for the portable 3300i says nothing about introducing oil conditioner into the pistons via the removed spark plug. Does this matter?
I would skip the upper cylinder lubricant, just fill the oil and pull the engine over a dozen times or so before adding fuel. there is no oil pump in these small engines they are splash lubricated. Dont forget you are bedding the engine in, you dont want to glaze the bores or it will drink oil. Use mineral oil at first & change it after a hour or so Then i would start putting a load on it, dont go straight to full load, vary it to give it chance to bed in. Once you get to about 50 hours running time you should be good to go. Mine has about 250 hours on it & runs well without burning oil.
P.S Buy a spare spark plug as the original will likely be a chinese "torch" brand and will pack up quickly. The other thing to look out for is the mesh spark arrestor on the end of the exhaust, they clog up fast. i took mine off after about 20 hours run time as it was clogged !
Use the original oil, use a 30/60/90 load at 5 min intervals cooling with no load in between and change oil 1 time when finished. Congrats, you're done ...
I don't think idling an engine for hours early in its life is a proper break in, it should be under some light load, medium load, heavier load and then repeat the cycle. Use a plug in heat of 100 w, then a 750w , then 1500w for full load
Is there an owner manual come with generator?
That looks identical to my Westinghouse generator
Generac makes those generators for a lot of companies. I have a Craftsman and it is identical to that too.
Yes! I have the same Westinghouse! I was like what the hell?! That looks exactly like mine. lol
Do you recommend using a dielectric paste into the boot before replacing on the spark plug?
None of this makes a generator last longer. If new to this kinda stuff an amateurish thing would be to do anything outside the manufacturer directions. Not to mention voiding the warranty. Less is more. Aces' on the kitty cat.
You used the wrong Lucas product. You want the white bottle (oil saver) for what you did here. The clear bottle is fuel saver designed for stabilizing fuel and cleaning fuel systems not oil.
Whoops, good catch.
Make sure you use the dogshit oil that comes with it for the first time. It'll help stuff wear in. You go putting fancy boutique oil in I would think it could glaze the cylinders. I would want something that burns off quick in the top end. Maybe a little diesel would work.
The ONLY reason to get high octane gas is of you have a high compression engine that needs it. The ONLY reason.
no the ethanol creates a white residue on the carb, trust me anything carb run premium.
@@McNea Ethanol increases octane. Premium could have more alcohol than regular.
@@robertkubrick3738
Not Shell Premium gasoline
Not a drop of ethanol in it
@@gregs8606 Keep telling yourself that. My late brother delivered gas. Stations order more gas than will fill up the regular and mid grade tanks, the leftover goes into the premium tank because it's a Take or Pay for it anyway situation, that's beside the ethanol that was already in the premium to boost the octane.
Why are you removing the spark plug before 2nd and 3rd oil changes? Also , are you adding Lucas oil to spark plug on the 2nd and 3 rd changes? Thanks for the video.
It’s actually not required to remove the plug between each additional change, but some view it as a safe best practice so we included it here. You do not need to add any additional Lucas to the spark plug chamber after the initial, you can continue to add it to the oil reservoir though for improved lubrication.
House In Progress thank you. Appreciate the video.
IMO, it's not required. The unit does not have electric start and will only start if you mechanically pull the rip cord. Even though it is considered a "safe practice", no one would actually do this in real-life - especially on a unit w/o electric [and namely] remote start. There is no way for the gen to start inadvertently while you attend to it solely. If you leave the unit unattended, I can see the revelance with this step. Thanks for the informative vid, HIP. Cheers.
Fill the engine with oil and start it, no need for what he's doing.
Where did you learn this procedure?
why the fuck are we removing the plug lead to drain oil 🤣🤣🤣
Does it hurt the motor if I put regular 10w30 oil in spark plug hole ? Because I just out some in. About a spoon full.
That is too much and can hydro-lock it. If you dump a spoonful, give it a hard rip with no plug present to spray some of it back out.
Guess it's ok. It smoked for a few seconds and cleared right up. I ran it a couple times for an hour or so each time. So far so good.
@@ernestwalden3894 okay. Next time do a few drops maybe a milliliter at most
I know this is a old video but I disagree with most of it. #1 you should of filled the crankcase before pulling the start cord. #2 a few drops in the sparkplug hole does absolutely nothing. #3 you should never break in a motor on synthetic oil. I guess you get what you pay for.
I break in on synthetic, works great. Old wives tale...
Briggs recommends you break in a small engine with conventional oil. Why? Because it's less expensive. So if you don't care about the $5, you can run synthetic from the start.
I agree with all but the synthetic oil myth. I just broke in my Honda gen set with Rotella T6, high load right out the gate. Within the first 15 seconds of run time there was 100% load for 20min strait. I consider that a proper break in. This gen won't eat oil, or suffer from low compression. The rings have a small time frame to seat. Idle and low loads will not accomplish this. Run it hard right off the bat. Or you'll be re-ringing and honong to do it again. Ally and others small engines get this treatment, and have never had a problem in 25 years of doing it. I learned this building performance two stroke engines, and it's worked every time, back to back, hundreds of times.
Whats the purpose to use the highest octane gas you can get?
I really like your cat. However, I don't think indicated break-in procedure is correct. I'd suggest a different procedure for those who are very anal about their small internal combustion engines. As shown in video, put upper cylinder lubricant. Then fill engine with special break-in oil (low detergent, high ZDDP). Start the engine, run it for 2 minutes with no load. Shut it off, let it cool down naturally for 20 minutes. Start the engine again, run it 3 minutes with no load. Shut it off, let it cool down naturally for 25 minutes. Start the engine again, let it run 5 minutes with no load. Shut it off, let it cool down naturally for 25 minutes. And now, start the engine, let it run with no load for a few tens of seconds, then put 20-30% load on the generator, depending on its output power rating. If possible, vary the load but do not exceed 30%. Run it for approx 1 hour. Switch it off, let it cool down completely naturally. Afterwards, start the engine, apply electric load approx 40-60% of rated output power. Run for about 1 hour varying the load. Again, shut it off, let it cool naturally. On final run, start the engine, put 60-90% load of rated output power, vary the load. Run for 1 hour. At this point, drain your break-in oil. Pour it fresh oil which you're going to use and add about 30% of break in oil to it. Start using your generator for normal duties but remember to change the oil after 5 hours of use. After you change the oil, put the regular oil you're going to use without adding any additives to it. By this time, your engine will be almost fully broken in, saying you 'thanks' by providing long service life. Having magnetic fill plug really helps. And of course, use highest octane fuel you can reasonably get. Ethanol free. Good luck.
When running for first hour, do you set it on the economy mode for lower engine speed?
Yes, economy mode is lower RPMs.
How long can you used the genent
can i ask if this 2200 watts inverter generator can run a 1HP Split type aircon? TIA..
You have to really look into draw rates on your equipment you want to power to make any educated decisions.
Yes you can if it's 230 volts. It should draw around 6 amps of power and on start up for a split second maybe 8 amps. 8 x 230 is 1840 watts. After initial start it will drop back down to 1380 watts. Your gen will probably only be good for about 1800 or 1900 watts. You can run the a/c as long as it's 230v and not 120v. But don't run anything else except a small light. Better off getting 3500 watt gen that way you can run a tv and a few smaller items like a few lights.
Why the hell would you want the highest octane fuel available. What rubbish, no need. Give me a reason.
The only thing worth mention about these engines, is to avoid leaving e10 in them, as ethnol is hydrophilic and absorbs water, which can lead to rust. However e10 fuel does help cleaning them.
no reason to remove the plug to change the oil.
Not the plug, the boot only and why I have no idea.
Folks, Lucas Oil is not necessary here. Especially putting it in the oil fill.
Just follow whatever the manual/procedures says for the product. If it breaks - RETURN IT! This only means the product is not that RELIABLE. Simple!
Can a portable generator power a whole house?
yes
It depends how many watts you're wanting to run.
Usually a 7000-10,000 watt generator will do a nice size home.
Incomplete process. No load added during break in to seat rings.
Rebranded pulsar
putting oil in the combustion camber does nothing for longevity that just snake oil or old tales.. small enigine need abit of load to really seat the rings plus some run time to get the clearance of the new part to even out so run that thing put a little load on it then change the oil a little metal in the oil is Normal for those engines no need to get scared changing the oil 3 to 4 times..
Umm, why not just follow instructions in the owner's Manual. After all, they manufactured it, so they know how to properly break in your new generator. 😉
Bingo!
Toyota says the oil only needs to be changed every 10,000 miles, but then the engine lasts 200k miles and not 300k + miles. They also say the transmission fluid is good for the life of the car...if you are only keeping it 150k miles.
@@robertkubrick3738 Umm, A Toyota generator? Never heard of one. 🤪
@@RaulMarin501 I was using toyota as an example of manufacturers suggestions that aren't actually in your best interest, but you knew that...or you really aren't that smart in which case my advice is wasted and please do carry on the way you are going. How many booster shots have you had?
@@robertkubrick3738 I've gotten ALL the COVID Shots to date. I guess that's the price I pay for being a human Guinea Pig - Made me too stooopid to understand your Toyota comment. LOL! 🐹😝
We had one too and mine husband very much?
Just stop at a minimum having liquid out of cycle on the cylinder head is never good. If they wanted top end additives they would have said so.
We have used the ruclips.net/user/postUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!
Have you break your wife like that when you met her for first time😆
I broke in my last one, but she still failed at only 34 years old.
I would have added the oil first and then cranked the motor over. Then I would have just shot some fogging oil into the upper cylinder.
Don’t think you need to change the oil after one hour or use the highest octane possible but thanks!
no no not the torch plug replace that right away with an ngk
i think thats overkill, waste of time and oil. My generac is the exact same machine and says nothin about breakin.
That doesn't say good things for Generac. Most brands include a break-in procedure.
03:07 CAT scan prior to main usage is not required but still highly recommended.
Please tell me what small engine manufacturer suggests no load for 2 hours. I think you just made this up. Not impressed at all. Prove me wrong & answer my question.
We have a link in the video description where we link to the guide we based the video instructions from.
Rick the dick
Might not be in the owners manual, but these engines use such a tiny amount of oil, I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I did this with my 2200W generator (ran an hour, no load, changed oil. Ran an hour under load, changed oil again). The first oil drained was full of metal shavings and very dark. The second oil changed was lighter colored but still had shavings. Still have the oil samples to prove it. Even if it’s not necessary, you’re talking about less than a quart of oil for the entire process.
Champion recommends load of no more than 50% for 5 hours. Straight from the manual.
All need to due is;
Add good oil not what comes with the genset.
Pick up generator and turn it up side down and roll it a round. Now everything is covered in oil.
Add gas and run no more than 5 minutes then change the oil. Repeat 5-6 more times.
Wouldn’t that get oil on the spark plug contact?
I agree for the most part. I would oil the cylinder because I don't know what assembly lube they used. I also change the oil after one minute because if anything is going to break off, it's going to be in the first 3,000 revolutions and there is no need to leave it in there for 15,000 revolutions. Then I would run it under a load for about an hour and change the oil again and I'm done.
@@J_Trask If oil can get past the piston rings that quick, your engine was broke when you bought it.
That generator will use oil the rest of its life. There was no break-in.
What do you mean? I just got mine today so what would you suggest?
why did you put Lucas cleaning additives in to the oil and cylinder??? your're nuts. instead should of went and bought a good synthetic oil and that's all you need instead you put in a cleaning additives and cheap oil. good job.
Hey Vito! The reason for adding Lucas before the first run is properly lubricate the cylinder and to not have a “dry fire” the first time you run the engine. After the initial oil change using the manufactures oil, were using Mobil1 Fully Synthetic motor oil.
Let us know if you have any questions!
Never run synthetic in a new engine! The rings will never seat!
Conventional oil for break-in... Always!
@@donraptor6156 what about putting full synthetic in after a 2 hour break in period?
Don't really need Lucas if you're worried about dry run .
A little engine oil will do the same.
Too much work and too much Bull shit.
Just tell them to Add oil, Put Gas in it 100% run it about 5 hours and them 100 hours after that.
...if you saw the amount of shavings that come out in that oil in the first 20-40 mins it would blow you away. I've broken in multiple generators. Glitter every time in the oil. Even after the 3rd oil change... glitter. Those metal shavings scratch up the cylinder walls.
@@gulfstormreadiness2928 Exactly right. I've done the same.
Completely unnecessary!
i had to buy one for work because the one we had broke down, put oil in it and started it up and basically ran it at full load for 10 hours no break in, changed the oil after 30 hours and it was slightly darker than usual but not as dark as a very run car engine, after 300 plus hours no issues. but all being said its not mine, its the bosses so if it breaks it breaks ahah
I broke in my 212cc Honda clone engine extensively, with probably 5 oil changes the first ten hours. All but the last oil change had a very noticeable amount of silver glitter on the surface of the oil. When you still have visible metal in oil change #4, that tells me that you don't need to be running the first batch of oil for dozens of hours.
Literally everything he said was wrong.
Wtf js lucas and what eose can i use bc im not buying extra shit
Use regular motor oil. Change it several times the first ten hours and you'll be fine.
Changing the oil twice like you did seems counterproductive and wasteful. If the engine has a pressurized oil system, you're dry starting it each time you change it as it has to re-prime itself. If its splash lube, the engine couldn't care less.
You're missing the point, he's changing the oil rapidly to clean out the metal shavings that collect very fast within those first few hours. It's splash system with no filter.
@@gulfstormreadiness2928 Yes, and the engine I broke in recently had a LOT of metal in the oil, until oil change #5.
Buy a Honda, dude.
I think you're supposed to use Lucas oil stabilizer and not Lucas fuel injector cleaner.