James, check all the connections, specifically the neutral lug. Anytime a load on L1 drops volts but volts increase on L2 is a sign of a loose neutral lug. This is a common problem and can destroy connected equipment. I'm guessing there is high resistance building up somewhere, either in the outlet panel, end bell terminal block, or worst case the center tap in the stator is flaky. Great video as always!
I would think a load on L1 would pull voltage down on L1 and the AVR would increase power to the field to maintain L1 voltage which would then cause an overvoltage in the unloaded leg. Will have to try this on another generator. The terminals were clean, but resistance was a little high going through one of the circuit breakers.
@@jcondon1 Exactly. The AVR is using 1/2 of the split phase at 120 volts as a sense winding to adjust its current to the rotor field. It shouldn't matter which leg it is on both legs should be balanced since the returning current should go back on the neutral. High resistance will make an adverse voltage spike on one side that is not equally loaded.
@@Bassguitarist1985 Agree with that thinking, almost need a second AVR for the second leg to prevent the over voltage but stay balanced to the first leg, would have to do some thinking on how to make all that all work out , or i am overthinking all this
@@jeffclark2725 no need for a second AVR. There's definitely something going on with the neutral lug or one of the jumpers perhaps. High resistance somewhere is causing that voltage imbalance.
i wish i would have known you and James 10-15 years ago, thinking back to the generators i could have fixed and saved compared to what as not saved with the knowlege today thanks
We work on big, heavy, filthy, rusty vehicles all day every day - I always watch your videos with "workplace envy" James - small, light, nice & tidy - not fighting muck, rust, dirt, debris, big fastners that need gas-axing off, constant grinders hacking into mushed metal, working in spaces too small for any human to fit into, while wearing a welding mask, getting showered in hot metal, lol. Your version is like an oasis of calm in comparison to the utter chaos we have to work in. Watching you work is like man-yoga for the working brain. :-) Everyone here always says "If you can't function & work in utter claustrophobic chaos without your head melting, this ain't the job for you.."
Your speaking style is a pleasure to listen to, as you describe what's happening. And your expertise is recognized and much appreciated. Nicely done, James!
I found an old 7000 watt generator at the dump a few years ago, Subaru engine ran good but no generator power. It has 2 big capacitors that didn’t spec out so I gambled and installed 2 new one of similar values and now it works great. 🤠
I have a Powermate near identical to this one, and a video you did where a breaker was bad helped me out. I didn't replace it like you did, but I drilled out the rivets and opened it up to see what was going on, and it was the way the external wire was pulling on it bent it and opened up the contact and let it arc some. I unbent it, used a nail file to clean both contact surfaces at once, closed it back up with small nuts and bolts, and reconnected the wire in a way that wouldn't pull on the terminal sideways. Didn't have to spend any money. Thanks.
Since a circuit breaker is a calibrated safety device I would replace it instead of bending the internals back into shape. If it was just a switch or relay it would be fine.
If you watch his channel you will find a ton of genny repair videos. James goes into great detail on repairing generators, both motor and generator. He explains things as he goes and then does them. I have learned so much.
@@bobcarry4820 Indeed - I try not to miss any of the videos. I've learned a ton from James and appreciate his methods and tips/tricks. While I'm a pretty good mechanic and can work on any small engine, getting a theoretical understanding of how a generator works and related troubleshooting is where I fall short. I do appreciate his thorough explanations and I'm starting to pick up on basic testing. I've always wanted to learn as much as I can about the gear I have so I can properly maintain and troubleshoot when issues arise. But gennys are one piece where my baseline knowledge falls short. And as I approach my retirement, I'm working to learn as much as I can. My goal is to be the crazy old fart who fixes stuff for a dozen eggs or a chicken... ;-)
I've got this "small" generator's little brother: model PM103007 3000W generator. Picked it up from a clearance website for approx $200 after riding through hurricane Ike and 15 days of no power. Has served us well for other storms as well as the deep freeze from a couple years ago that took out the Texas grid. Only problem wit it is I let the tank rust quite a bit, and when cleaning it out, added some acid and sort of got busy: a week later, it had removed the rust, as well as a good bit of the rest of the tank bottom. I use the generator with an external tank, set up to gravity feed from a plastic lawn chair next to the generator. Makes keeping it running easy enough, since I can refuel on the fly, a couple feet away from the hot engine, instead of right on top of it.
James, I recently got a free Ryobi RYI4022X inverter generator that was being put out to the curb for disposal. It was practically in new looking condition even though it had came out as a new model in 2019. The owner was quite sure he didn’t want it and said it wouldn’t start no matter what he did. He also broke the pull rope on the recoil starter from trying to start it so much. Anyway, the ultimate cause of it not starting was the low oil level sensor doing its job, and the owner (I’m guessing) not knowing the correct way to check the oil, as well as overall letting it get too low. On this model the dipstick plug should be unscrewed, the stick cleaned, and then the plug just set back in to measure the level, not screwed back in. On this engine, when I checked it, the oil level was just visible at the bottom of the stick, but only when the stick was screwed in all the (incorrect) way. Checked correctly, the oil didn’t even appear at all on the stick until I added over 8oz of oil, where 18oz is the correct capacity when full. So it was the low level sensor keeping the engine from starting and running. I also replaced the torch (junk) spark plug with an NGK, and the carburetor also needing cleaning as it would surge after starting. I added a good amount of Redline fuel system cleaner to the gas and after 30 minutes of running, the surging stopped. Now it starts and runs on the first or second pull.
@@jcondon1 Cause, of this ? NOT enough farms, for BOYS TO GROW UP TO BE real MEN. Farm life - naturally teaches ' all kids - about most everything ''. City life = no ' hands - on '' experiences......hence.....when something doesn't w o r k.......throw away. They don't realize, that ' learn by doing '' is A MODERN NECESSITY. ....anyway....(old farm kid)
very interesting analysis Jim on the AVR and How it monitors the load ,balancing the load a important factor ,and that sign wave was ugly and seriously clipping under load
I think I've watched most of your videos and I love all of them. The tear downs and reapirs is facinating to me. The generators are really great when they get looking almost new. Thank you Jim!
That was another good save. It's funny, but I've never thought about the "legs" needing to be balanced, in all of the videos you've shown here. That may partly be because on this side of the world, we only use 240V so even if the generator internally uses two 120V "legs," they'd always be used together with an equal load on both. My generator repair is (I hope) in the final stages. I pulled the carb off again and checked the fuel line for blockages. No blockage so it just about has to be the main jet which is too small, so I drilled it out one more size. I noticed that one of the carb mounting bolts got its threads stripped (must be my fault, I guess - no way to measure and set the force I use to tighten the nuts) and one bolt would no longer tighten. In the end, I purchased a "vice clamp" and used that to unscrew the mounting bolt, then reversed it and screwed it back in so that I'd have clean threads to allow me to tighten both bolts properly. Unfortunately, by the time I got done with all of that, it was already getting late into the evening and because I don't want to bother the neighbours, I'm leaving it until tomorrow to see how it runs now (and hoping it runs properly at last). It's ironically amusing that you couldn't get that jet out even with the impact, since I had the same problem with the original carb and so in the end had to buy a new one since the old one was so badly gummed up that it couldn't be cleaned. It's even more ironic because the carb is exactly the same as the one on the genny in this video. Keep on keeping on, James. You have many people here who love watching your videos, and they definitely "help someone" like me. 😄
It definitely would not be an issue if only pulling 240v. Some of these generators are made with a switch to put in 120v only mode. Its great because it automatically balances the load and distributes the load evenly across the legs. Of coarse then you have no 240 :(. Hope your generator is fixed. Sometimes they can be a challenge.
@@jcondon1 Update: Hooray! It seems to finally be running correctly, with no die-out when the choke is turned off, and running okay even under a 1000W load (it's rated for 1500W continuous). There's some slight surging, but not too bad. The only thing I'm not sure of is the frequency. I have no way of checking if it's going over, under or right on the correct frequency. My frequency meter doesn't seem to like counting the pulses on the 12V DC output (flickers constantly through values as low as 33 and as high as the 300's, when I'd expect it to be 100Hz at our 50Hz mains frequency). It would be a bad idea to connect the meter directly to the 240V output since it's only rated for something like 30V, so I might need to try putting a 240V-12V step-down transformer in there and see if that gives me any joy. I'm now in the middle of changing the oil. The old oil doesn't look bad (still has a hint of the original colour) but I'm changing it anyway because it's been years, even though it's low-hours. Edit to add: I got a sound frequency app for my phone and it's showing around 1300Hz. Since this is a 4-stroke engine, that means it fires once every 2 rotations, which means that it must be running at around 2600 RPM. Checking the speed of generators on this side of the world, it seems that they need to run at 3000 RPM to get 50Hz so I need to bring that frequency up to 1500Hz. I'll do that a bit later, though. (Ugh! I do not like being older and disabled)
Hi James, good video. for loosing bolts and screws I was instructed to place an appreciate bar or screwdriver on the fastener and strike with a hammer, that drives it into the threads enough to loosen it enough for removal. I mostly used that for bleeders on brake cylinders. Rich
James, just a quick note on THD and sensitive electronics, and this comment comes with a strong caveat, which I will get to in a moment. First, most NEWER electronics use switching power supplies. The first thing that a newer switching power supply does is rectify the AC into DC before inverting it back to the proper DC voltage for the electronics. Power supplies of this design are impervious to the quality of the sine wave, since they rectify it immediately. It's pretty easy to tell if the electronics uses a switching power supply because on it's label, it will specify that the input voltage can be anything within the rage of 100-240v (or similar). Second, the caveat; if the device calls out 120v, or if it has a switch to select between 120v & 240v, or if it has a power transformer at all, then it is likely NOT a switching power supply, and would be highly sensitive to dirty power. When plugging devices like this into a non-inverter generator, one should always use a UPS (inline battery backup, the always-on type, not the consumer grade "standby" UPS) or a line conditioner. In summary, you're definitely not wrong; dirty power poses a huge risk to some sensitive electronics, just not ALL sensitive electronics. If your electronic device uses a universal (100-240v) power supply, it's perfectly alright to plug it into dirty power. I love our videos. It's one of the highlights of my week. I look forward to Thursday mornings, because I can watch your newest video!
I agree with your description of SMPS. However I want to add a caveat, most high wattage SMPS now include power factor correction. I don't know how sensitive they are to poor poor factor. Also some small supplies (LED lights etc) use a capacitive dropper so are sensitive to high frequency noise. Being a capacitor the higher frequency results in higher output voltage. That being said so far have not had a problem using our old school HF Predator genie but then we do not have a lot of hours. Buying a generator seems to have kept power failures at bay.
This is mostly guessing in a mostly incorrect comment. It's silly, really. Just google this stuff. It's okay to not know. It's not okay to act like you do. Power supplies that have a voltage selection switch are almost always switching power supplies but lack active power factor correction. Active PFC uses a boost converter to maintain a constant voltage on the high voltage DC side. It doesn't need a selection switch because the circuitry can accept the entire range of 100-240VDC. It will care about the input waveform, but only if it's extreme like a dirty square wave or just straight DC. Modified sine wave is built into the design considerations because of UPSs becoming popular. When there is a 115/230v (or similar) switch on it, the power supply does not have active PFC and at best uses passive PFC. Generally something like coils. While these care about the voltages, they don't really care about the waveform. Transformer power supplies care about both and consumer devices don't have a voltage switch. If it's made for 120 volts at 60 hertz, it can't be run at anything else without side effects.
@@pootispiker2866 My point about those power supplies with a voltage selector is that they WILL likely be more sensitive to a dirty waveform, because the high frequency component could affect the primary rectified voltage and result in an over-voltage condition at the switching device (SCR/MOS/Transistor/Etc). To say that my comment was "mostly guessing" seems a bit harsh and personal. I spent the better part of my career in electronics and computer hardware (12 years at RCA and 25 years at HP) so I do know a fair amount about the behavior of switching power supplies. You're correct in that some power supplies with input voltage selector switches are switching type power supplies, but not all of them are. In any case, they are far more sensitive to a dirty waveform than a power supply that accepts the full range 100-240v. In the end, my comment is still true that a modern switching full-range power supply that accepts 100-240v, will not likely be affected by a dirty waveform, and even if it is, not by much. EDIT: As I reread my post, I want to add this. Dirty power is NEVER as good as clean power, no matter what design or technology the device being powered is using. Even the best full range switching power supply will work better if it has clean power. PERIOD! Dirty power contains frequencies and waveforms that are not supposed to be there, and CAN affect even the best designed power supplies. I never intended my original post to spark a debate. I only intended to point out that a well designed power supply is better at handling dirty power, and is more impervious to these little portable generators. It is still (and always has been) a risk to run sensitive electronics on a generator that produces dirty power!
@@anthonysummy6944 I see where you are coming from, I remember when these little 2k suitcase generators came out 20 years ago, the inverter as highly advertised as to make the generators safe to run electronic stuff on without issue,that dirty power as a big selling point, then the AVRs came out and was the second solution, he still fixes a lot of these gen sets, thumbs up, that yellow Kipor he just got going was one of those inverter models, would like to see more testing with that one
The replies to your comment are funny. I would just add that in real life our sensitive electronics not only use switching power supplies but they come with a "bad power" signal that notifies our device when they need to shut down. All computers include this and have for many years. I'm glad you commented about this because it applies to more than 95% of people out there. The theorists and people who buy weird cheaper equipment can have their fun with you but you are correct for the real world.
I would like to do that. Hopefully it eventually ships. I would think the same 10 volts swing would be there. Instead it would be distributed better. When L1 was loaded the output was L1: 119v and L2: 130v. Would think with an AVR that monitor the 240 it would look more like L1: 115v and L2: 125v.
Hi James, thanks for another great video. Interesting point on the AVR monitoring, in the UK 110v is for site equipment so not so critical but non the less a valid point. I like the compact form factor of that machine.
@@jcondon1 It's all 50 hertz here, legs 1&2 switched to be connected series for 230VAC and in parallel for 115VAC seems to be a common small generator setup. As i wrote this the 'penny dropped' and i realised that as legs 1&2 can't be exposed to different loads then taking the AVR sense from one leg wouldn't present the same issue as you are seeing.
Just noticed that power head has an interesting frame mount set up. Never seen one like that before. Seems like an option for how to mount a different power head for future reference.
Did not notice that. Have seen that on a few older generacs in the past. Definitely a good option if more height is needed when mixing and matching parts.
@@jcondon1 agreed. I’ve mentally tried to figure out a “universal” or at least a multi power head bracket to retrofit different power heads. Probably just as much work to just cut the bracket and reweld it or a new one on anyways. Great vid and now I know why Predator wants the plug use sequence.
@@philliphall5198 that is what happened when I rebuilt the ttr125. Closer to 2k in parts. Most arrived within a week. The rest showed up 3+ months later :(
I have a similar genny...behaving the same way as yours. Thanks for the information as always. Your videos are very helpful. Curious if you found a wiring diagram or schematic for this one.
I have been sick for 3 days, laying in bed watching RUclips all day/night. Found your channel, subscribed, and went down the rabbit hole. You've given me ideas of buying up cheap, busted generators, then renting them out. Can you make a video that, instead of showing a repair, showing how a generator actually works? Maybe with some graphics? You've shown how to test, and replace parts, but I'm embarrassed to say that I really don't know how a generator generates?
Nice video and presentation. Since these generator operates a single correction loop on single field coil to drive two independent output coils A and B. It is unreasonable to expect balance coil voltages. Unless we have independent field windings to drive each output windings.
@14:24 you tested L1(Red) to ground. Then @ 14:38 to tested COMMON to ground. Thought you should have tested L2 (Black) to ground. ??? Just thinking what I would do and you kind of threw a curve ball at me. Got confused. Could you clarify?
Hi, thankyou for all the education. I have a Suzuki SE 3000 AD . Yellow, older model. Was working good, then started to kinda growl - like it was overworked. i unplugged the rectangular, AVR from the brushes - the 3-4 pin connector. Started to pickup RPM to 3600 again. ? Question . Is something shorted (rotor - stator ? ) or is the AVR gone ka-put ? Thanks, for all you do.....(brushes in good condition, no burning/rotten egg smells coming from it ).
I'm 99% sure that wouldn't work. The AVR's input impedance is probably a few hundred kiloohms at most. Your divider's impedance would need to be many times less than this for proper functionality. A pair of 10k resistors would probably work but they'd be dissipating a few tens of watts.
James, Would you consider doing a short video explaining the differences between inverter, brushed and brushless generators - particularly the advantages and disadvantages of each type? And what applications each is suitable for? Thanks
To be a bit more technical, 1 amp at 120V is 120VA of apparent power. The actual wattage depends on the power factor. For a resistive load like a space heater the PF is 1 so 120VA is 100W. Motor-based appliances or older electronics have a distorted current waveform so the PF is lower. This means it draws more current and VA for the same number of watts. Conversely, it consumes fewer watts per amp.
very well done informative video... .. I'm having issues with a brand new 11,000w dual fuel generator not making any power.. I've already ordered a new AVR hopefully that takes care of my issues.. just don't understand why I have a bad AVR on a brand new generator. generator had sat in a garage in its shipping crate for a few years until a few weeks ago.. never had fuel or oil in it.. we took it from the crate added engine oil and gas.. it started right up.. plugged in some tools to check its power and it had nothing.. called manufacture tested everything and the only thing that doesn't test correctly is the avr..
Leg two went to 119 volts after a load was placed back onto leg one. The only time it read 130 volts was when only leg one was in use, and no load was on leg two. This setup should be fine as long as leg one has a load before using leg two. The AVR is affecting both legs because of why James said: increased power to the field
Finally been able to do some maintenance on my generator after a few 🌪 tornadoes come through Ohio. It was over due after the 1st one but been so busy with cleanup. We had 49 within a month. Lots of trees in the road and i lost count on how poles that were damaged. And when the last one hit i was out in the woods riding my 4 wheeler and had a hard time trying to ge back up the one hill. Looked like a small river with how hard it was raining and lightning struck a tree 40 foot from where i was stuck at because of no 4 wheel drive
You may have already done this, but could you explain what a good sine wave should look like verses a bad one and why that should be of concern? Isn’t it enough to have the proper voltage and correct Hz (cycles)?
The proper voltage and hertz are important. THD is the measure of other frequencies in the output besides the primary. In this case we want 60 hertz. 0% THD would mean that only 60 hertz is in the output. In this case we maxed out at 27% THD. That indicates that 27% of the output were other frequencies (harmonics) beside 60 hertz. Devices cannot use that power and instead dissipate that unwanted energy as heat. It can lead to failures in sensitive electronics.
@@jcondon1 great explanation. I didn’t know about the excess heat and fully understand how if the heat has to be dissipated and a computer or other small devices would have trouble with that. Thank you!!
@@aleblanc3547 Different devices care about different parameters of the waveform. Most things you might think are "sensitive" like computer power supplies and phone chargers actually care very little about the power quality. Things you think won't care (like a cheap LED light bulb) care about slew rate so the higher harmonics will cause extra current flow. Other things like motors only care about lower harmonics.
It always amazes me how much water you find in the fuel. I've never had that occur with my equipment. How does it happen? Do they leave the equipment out in the rain?
Swings in temperature will suck air in and out of the tank. Moisture in the incoming air will condense in the tank. Plus the ethanol, because most people don't hunt for ethanol-free gas.
Please explain what the AVR stands for or means. Many thanks!! More technical electrical issues this time but shows again how important the carbs are in keeping a good engine running properly!!
An interesting little video to me because we don't have 110v in Australia whereas I'm usually trying to understand your system. Ours is 220-240v at 50Hz. We were 240v which has been lowered to 230v to comply better with European standards. My house has 3 phase at 415v and we derive the 240 from one phase and nutral. Basically I have 3 power circuits ⅓ of a phase apart.
The standard American supply is two legs which are each 120v to ground. They are 180 degrees apart so you get 240v across both phase lines. In reality it's a single phase transformer with a center-tapped output. In larger buildings you will get true three phase power which is still 120v to ground but phase-to-phase is 208v. Then in industrial settings you will find 277/480v three phase (or 347/600 in Canada).
About seven years ago, I bought a Harbor Freight 4kw genset off craigslist that was "new in box, damaged" for about a hundred fifty bucks. The box had water damage, and the exterior lower chassis bolts had rust visible but the oil looked fresh so I went ahead and purcahsed it. Got home, filled up with some non-ethanol gasoline, checked the oil which was clean, and proceeded to run the break in period. After that, ran it out of fuel and squirreled away in my garage for a rainy day. That day came last week, in 2024. Dad called me and told me his power got taken out by a storm, and its rather warm right now... This would be the third time this calendar year he had to throw out the contents of his fridge and freezer. Naw. Told him I'd drop my genset off which he could run for a few hours to "recharge" his fridge and save his food. Figured before I Loaded up the genset in the car and headed his way, I should make sure it runs.... Spoiler: It didn't. Apparently running its tank dry didn't do didley squat to drain the carb. Oops. Thankfully, I'm not only a long-term subscriber of this channel, but Mustie1 and knew exactly what needed to be done in order to get this engine up and running at 100 percent. Twenty-five minutes of work later and my genset was running TIP TOP. Took it over to dads place and saved the day. His neighbors were none too happy, but that's their problem.
Main function of AVR is to compensate for engine RPM drop and fluctuations under load (or load release, along with mechanical governer which is not always sufficient, flexible, fast enough). Having non original AVR monitoring one phase is adequate enough. When engine is loaded AVR will compensate for RPM drop for both phases, loaded and unloaded one. If you don't want to waste money on new AVR and still monitor both phases just throw in a 50/50 resistive voltage divider - 2 resistors 50kOhm each rated at 1W, you will monitor 2 phases difference (240V) but scaled down to acceptable by AVR level of 120V. I bet monitoring circuit don't need much current, so 50kOhm should do the trick, if not - make resistance a bit lower, 30kOhm or so.
Do you think the capacitor on the original AVR unit can be desoldered and replaced with an identical new capacitor? That might not fix the problem though. I shall have to search around for old generators that are thrown out....
What would be the reason to monitor only one winding knowing most uses are 120v loads, and a few 240v ? Build cost? Results would end up over loading one half of powerhead if the rated wattage was reached on the half. In my opinion, monitoring both would be a plus for the manufacturer for dependability. I see many labeled with watts but unless it is listed in the manual, we can only take the safe choice as that number being the surge or peak startup rate. James, another good video.. As my father used to do, cotton ball in a funnel, screen fuel going into any tank !
Monitoring the 240 would be more accurate. Still though there would be a 10 volt difference. When loading L1, we saw L1 voltage go to 119v and L2 130v. If it monitoring the 240 output, then would expect to see the same 10v difference but distributed more evenly across the legs. Something more like L1: 115v, L2: 125v.
The ethanol fuel is causing the water in the tank, not usually from the gas station. Ethanol pulls the moisture from the air as the temp changes from day to night, the tank expands during the warm day and as the night air cool the tank pulls in the humid night air and the tanks ends up with lots of water in it.
These AVRs are potted modules. It's nearly impossible to get the circuit board out without causing extensive damage to the board such as ripping off SMD components.
This is one of those situations where the end result could have been better..... but it could have been way worse. That particular generator design isn't the cleanest power.......but it is still capable of getting someone through an emergency. No complaints.
Didn't think about the AVR monitoring only one leg! Your explanation makes perfect sense. Do 240V capable inverter generators have an inverter for each 120V leg?
I've swapped out the battery because it was three years old. Cost as much as a good car battery. I change the oil once a year & put Mobil 1 in mine. I clean it twice a year & syphon the gas out every year & put in fresh fuel with Star Tron fuel enzyme & Marine grade Stabil. I never have stale fuel but to be safe I put gas a year old in my vehicles. I bought a gallon of straight gas for my gas powered Honda ground rod driver. It's a 4 stroke. I added both preservatives three years ago & it's still good. It only drives ground rods. Costs $3000 new.
I’m having trouble with a Honda clone. Do u have a list I can go from on checking everything. I can’t find a problem and I bought a new avr but still not making power.
Hey James, I have a Generac 3200 power washer with the 196cc engine that runs but goes to immediate wide open throttle. The governor arm doesn't move at all when the engine starts but does move when I try to move it by hand. Is that an internal problem? Will I have to pull the cover off of the crank housing? Is this a Honda clone engine?
@@jcondon1 The governor arm and shaft both move when I move it by hand. The engine will idle down when I manually operate the governor arm but goes instantly to WOT as soon as I let it go. I guess I will have to crack the case and see if the plastic gear is broken. I have a good idea on how to do it thanks to watching your videos. It's not an expensive part.. Thanks for the response!
I've got a B&S Gen, think it's a 10000 , what would you suggest is the top 5 in order of failure would be the parts to fail? I'm thinking IF I can still get those parts maybe I need to get them to shelf for possible future use, & I mean the electronic parts only because I converted to propane so I have no carb issues
Hello again, I have an older Generac 5500XL. It was only making power in 1 of the 2 120v sockets( nothing in the 240v socket) so I pulled the electric panel cover and found a broken 120v socket broken with the lean completely separated from the socket. So I took a picture bought a new one and installed it exactly as the broken one was wired, now I get 0, no voltage from any socket. They all have continuity all the breakers have continuity but no voltage anywhere. Any ideas? There was around 20 ohms through the brushes which looked fine, windings looked fine from what I could see ,but it's older and completely different from anything I have seen you working on, no avr, no terminal block wires all just push connectors that run back into the generator head...
I have looked at Powermate as a budget option with plastic fuel tanks, incredibly basic alternators that have a plastic end bell and this thing seems to show similarities.
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James, check all the connections, specifically the neutral lug. Anytime a load on L1 drops volts but volts increase on L2 is a sign of a loose neutral lug. This is a common problem and can destroy connected equipment. I'm guessing there is high resistance building up somewhere, either in the outlet panel, end bell terminal block, or worst case the center tap in the stator is flaky. Great video as always!
I would think a load on L1 would pull voltage down on L1 and the AVR would increase power to the field to maintain L1 voltage which would then cause an overvoltage in the unloaded leg. Will have to try this on another generator. The terminals were clean, but resistance was a little high going through one of the circuit breakers.
@@jcondon1 Exactly. The AVR is using 1/2 of the split phase at 120 volts as a sense winding to adjust its current to the rotor field. It shouldn't matter which leg it is on both legs should be balanced since the returning current should go back on the neutral. High resistance will make an adverse voltage spike on one side that is not equally loaded.
@@Bassguitarist1985 Agree with that thinking, almost need a second AVR for the second leg to prevent the over voltage but stay balanced to the first leg, would have to do some thinking on how to make all that all work out , or i am overthinking all this
@@jeffclark2725 no need for a second AVR. There's definitely something going on with the neutral lug or one of the jumpers perhaps. High resistance somewhere is causing that voltage imbalance.
i wish i would have known you and James 10-15 years ago, thinking back to the generators i could have fixed and saved compared to what as not saved with the knowlege today thanks
We work on big, heavy, filthy, rusty vehicles all day every day - I always watch your videos with "workplace envy" James - small, light, nice & tidy - not fighting muck, rust, dirt, debris, big fastners that need gas-axing off, constant grinders hacking into mushed metal, working in spaces too small for any human to fit into, while wearing a welding mask, getting showered in hot metal, lol.
Your version is like an oasis of calm in comparison to the utter chaos we have to work in. Watching you work is like man-yoga for the working brain. :-) Everyone here always says "If you can't function & work in utter claustrophobic chaos without your head melting, this ain't the job for you.."
Cracked me up!
Your speaking style is a pleasure to listen to, as you describe what's happening. And your expertise is recognized and much appreciated. Nicely done, James!
Thanks
Truptard.... we see your comments. We can follow you anywhere.
@@FlushCut Who's 'we?'
Agree
@@FlushCut WTF ?
I found an old 7000 watt generator at the dump a few years ago, Subaru engine ran good but no generator power. It has 2 big capacitors that didn’t spec out so I gambled and installed 2 new one of similar values and now it works great. 🤠
Hurrah!
I have a Powermate near identical to this one, and a video you did where a breaker was bad helped me out.
I didn't replace it like you did, but I drilled out the rivets and opened it up to see what was going on, and it was the way the external wire was pulling on it bent it and opened up the contact and let it arc some. I unbent it, used a nail file to clean both contact surfaces at once, closed it back up with small nuts and bolts, and reconnected the wire in a way that wouldn't pull on the terminal sideways.
Didn't have to spend any money. Thanks.
Since a circuit breaker is a calibrated safety device I would replace it instead of bending the internals back into shape. If it was just a switch or relay it would be fine.
@@eDoc2020 The parts that do the breaking were not bent.
@@gantmj Then what was bent?
If you ever decide to create educational videos for genny repair, I'm all in! Fantastic videos - thank you!
If you watch his channel you will find a ton of genny repair videos. James goes into great detail on repairing generators, both motor and generator. He explains things as he goes and then does them. I have learned so much.
@@bobcarry4820 Indeed - I try not to miss any of the videos. I've learned a ton from James and appreciate his methods and tips/tricks. While I'm a pretty good mechanic and can work on any small engine, getting a theoretical understanding of how a generator works and related troubleshooting is where I fall short. I do appreciate his thorough explanations and I'm starting to pick up on basic testing. I've always wanted to learn as much as I can about the gear I have so I can properly maintain and troubleshoot when issues arise. But gennys are one piece where my baseline knowledge falls short. And as I approach my retirement, I'm working to learn as much as I can. My goal is to be the crazy old fart who fixes stuff for a dozen eggs or a chicken... ;-)
Good morning. Just found your channel. Love watching you fix stuff.
You're so sedate but at the same time thorough. Thank you James as always.
I've got this "small" generator's little brother: model PM103007 3000W generator. Picked it up from a clearance website for approx $200 after riding through hurricane Ike and 15 days of no power. Has served us well for other storms as well as the deep freeze from a couple years ago that took out the Texas grid.
Only problem wit it is I let the tank rust quite a bit, and when cleaning it out, added some acid and sort of got busy: a week later, it had removed the rust, as well as a good bit of the rest of the tank bottom. I use the generator with an external tank, set up to gravity feed from a plastic lawn chair next to the generator. Makes keeping it running easy enough, since I can refuel on the fly, a couple feet away from the hot engine, instead of right on top of it.
@ 23:26.... I like your DMM stand. Very professional.
I look forward to Thursdays because of this channel. I have learned a lot. Thankyou, from England.
James, I recently got a free Ryobi RYI4022X inverter generator that was being put out to the curb for disposal. It was practically in new looking condition even though it had came out as a new model in 2019. The owner was quite sure he didn’t want it and said it wouldn’t start no matter what he did. He also broke the pull rope on the recoil starter from trying to start it so much. Anyway, the ultimate cause of it not starting was the low oil level sensor doing its job, and the owner (I’m guessing) not knowing the correct way to check the oil, as well as overall letting it get too low. On this model the dipstick plug should be unscrewed, the stick cleaned, and then the plug just set back in to measure the level, not screwed back in. On this engine, when I checked it, the oil level was just visible at the bottom of the stick, but only when the stick was screwed in all the (incorrect) way. Checked correctly, the oil didn’t even appear at all on the stick until I added over 8oz of oil, where 18oz is the correct capacity when full. So it was the low level sensor keeping the engine from starting and running. I also replaced the torch (junk) spark plug with an NGK, and the carburetor also needing cleaning as it would surge after starting. I added a good amount of Redline fuel system cleaner to the gas and after 30 minutes of running, the surging stopped. Now it starts and runs on the first or second pull.
It’s amazing how much stuff is thrown away for no reason. Good thing it had an oil sensor.
@@jcondon1 Cause, of this ? NOT enough farms, for BOYS TO GROW UP TO BE real MEN. Farm life - naturally teaches ' all kids - about most everything ''. City life = no ' hands - on '' experiences......hence.....when something doesn't w o r k.......throw away. They don't realize, that ' learn by doing '' is A MODERN NECESSITY. ....anyway....(old farm kid)
Nice rescue, James. Thanks for sharing.
Nice work James: Ethanol fuel causes those carbs to plug up like that. I keep telling my customers to not use it, to no avail. Thanks for the video.
very interesting analysis Jim on the AVR and How it monitors the load ,balancing the load a important factor ,and that sign wave was ugly and seriously clipping under load
Sine of the times.......
I think I've watched most of your videos and I love all of them. The tear downs and reapirs is facinating to me. The generators are really great when they get looking almost new. Thank you Jim!
Thanks, James.
Always the best information on troubleshooting.
Keep posting.
Michael
That was another good save. It's funny, but I've never thought about the "legs" needing to be balanced, in all of the videos you've shown here. That may partly be because on this side of the world, we only use 240V so even if the generator internally uses two 120V "legs," they'd always be used together with an equal load on both.
My generator repair is (I hope) in the final stages. I pulled the carb off again and checked the fuel line for blockages. No blockage so it just about has to be the main jet which is too small, so I drilled it out one more size. I noticed that one of the carb mounting bolts got its threads stripped (must be my fault, I guess - no way to measure and set the force I use to tighten the nuts) and one bolt would no longer tighten. In the end, I purchased a "vice clamp" and used that to unscrew the mounting bolt, then reversed it and screwed it back in so that I'd have clean threads to allow me to tighten both bolts properly.
Unfortunately, by the time I got done with all of that, it was already getting late into the evening and because I don't want to bother the neighbours, I'm leaving it until tomorrow to see how it runs now (and hoping it runs properly at last).
It's ironically amusing that you couldn't get that jet out even with the impact, since I had the same problem with the original carb and so in the end had to buy a new one since the old one was so badly gummed up that it couldn't be cleaned. It's even more ironic because the carb is exactly the same as the one on the genny in this video.
Keep on keeping on, James. You have many people here who love watching your videos, and they definitely "help someone" like me. 😄
It definitely would not be an issue if only pulling 240v. Some of these generators are made with a switch to put in 120v only mode. Its great because it automatically balances the load and distributes the load evenly across the legs. Of coarse then you have no 240 :(. Hope your generator is fixed. Sometimes they can be a challenge.
@@jcondon1 Update: Hooray! It seems to finally be running correctly, with no die-out when the choke is turned off, and running okay even under a 1000W load (it's rated for 1500W continuous). There's some slight surging, but not too bad. The only thing I'm not sure of is the frequency. I have no way of checking if it's going over, under or right on the correct frequency. My frequency meter doesn't seem to like counting the pulses on the 12V DC output (flickers constantly through values as low as 33 and as high as the 300's, when I'd expect it to be 100Hz at our 50Hz mains frequency). It would be a bad idea to connect the meter directly to the 240V output since it's only rated for something like 30V, so I might need to try putting a 240V-12V step-down transformer in there and see if that gives me any joy. I'm now in the middle of changing the oil. The old oil doesn't look bad (still has a hint of the original colour) but I'm changing it anyway because it's been years, even though it's low-hours.
Edit to add: I got a sound frequency app for my phone and it's showing around 1300Hz. Since this is a 4-stroke engine, that means it fires once every 2 rotations, which means that it must be running at around 2600 RPM. Checking the speed of generators on this side of the world, it seems that they need to run at 3000 RPM to get 50Hz so I need to bring that frequency up to 1500Hz. I'll do that a bit later, though. (Ugh! I do not like being older and disabled)
Thanks!
Thanks!
Hi James, good video. for loosing bolts and screws I was instructed to place an appreciate bar or screwdriver on the fastener and strike with a hammer, that drives it into the threads enough to loosen it enough for removal. I mostly used that for bleeders on brake cylinders.
Rich
Hi Jason, if there was ever a case of Mister Know-It-All, then you're the man.
Good Thursday morning, again.
James, just a quick note on THD and sensitive electronics, and this comment comes with a strong caveat, which I will get to in a moment.
First, most NEWER electronics use switching power supplies. The first thing that a newer switching power supply does is rectify the AC into DC before inverting it back to the proper DC voltage for the electronics. Power supplies of this design are impervious to the quality of the sine wave, since they rectify it immediately. It's pretty easy to tell if the electronics uses a switching power supply because on it's label, it will specify that the input voltage can be anything within the rage of 100-240v (or similar).
Second, the caveat; if the device calls out 120v, or if it has a switch to select between 120v & 240v, or if it has a power transformer at all, then it is likely NOT a switching power supply, and would be highly sensitive to dirty power. When plugging devices like this into a non-inverter generator, one should always use a UPS (inline battery backup, the always-on type, not the consumer grade "standby" UPS) or a line conditioner.
In summary, you're definitely not wrong; dirty power poses a huge risk to some sensitive electronics, just not ALL sensitive electronics. If your electronic device uses a universal (100-240v) power supply, it's perfectly alright to plug it into dirty power.
I love our videos. It's one of the highlights of my week. I look forward to Thursday mornings, because I can watch your newest video!
I agree with your description of SMPS. However I want to add a caveat, most high wattage SMPS now include power factor correction. I don't know how sensitive they are to poor poor factor. Also some small supplies (LED lights etc) use a capacitive dropper so are sensitive to high frequency noise. Being a capacitor the higher frequency results in higher output voltage.
That being said so far have not had a problem using our old school HF Predator genie but then we do not have a lot of hours. Buying a generator seems to have kept power failures at bay.
This is mostly guessing in a mostly incorrect comment. It's silly, really. Just google this stuff. It's okay to not know. It's not okay to act like you do.
Power supplies that have a voltage selection switch are almost always switching power supplies but lack active power factor correction. Active PFC uses a boost converter to maintain a constant voltage on the high voltage DC side. It doesn't need a selection switch because the circuitry can accept the entire range of 100-240VDC. It will care about the input waveform, but only if it's extreme like a dirty square wave or just straight DC. Modified sine wave is built into the design considerations because of UPSs becoming popular. When there is a 115/230v (or similar) switch on it, the power supply does not have active PFC and at best uses passive PFC. Generally something like coils. While these care about the voltages, they don't really care about the waveform.
Transformer power supplies care about both and consumer devices don't have a voltage switch. If it's made for 120 volts at 60 hertz, it can't be run at anything else without side effects.
@@pootispiker2866 My point about those power supplies with a voltage selector is that they WILL likely be more sensitive to a dirty waveform, because the high frequency component could affect the primary rectified voltage and result in an over-voltage condition at the switching device (SCR/MOS/Transistor/Etc). To say that my comment was "mostly guessing" seems a bit harsh and personal. I spent the better part of my career in electronics and computer hardware (12 years at RCA and 25 years at HP) so I do know a fair amount about the behavior of switching power supplies. You're correct in that some power supplies with input voltage selector switches are switching type power supplies, but not all of them are. In any case, they are far more sensitive to a dirty waveform than a power supply that accepts the full range 100-240v.
In the end, my comment is still true that a modern switching full-range power supply that accepts 100-240v, will not likely be affected by a dirty waveform, and even if it is, not by much.
EDIT: As I reread my post, I want to add this. Dirty power is NEVER as good as clean power, no matter what design or technology the device being powered is using. Even the best full range switching power supply will work better if it has clean power. PERIOD! Dirty power contains frequencies and waveforms that are not supposed to be there, and CAN affect even the best designed power supplies.
I never intended my original post to spark a debate. I only intended to point out that a well designed power supply is better at handling dirty power, and is more impervious to these little portable generators. It is still (and always has been) a risk to run sensitive electronics on a generator that produces dirty power!
@@anthonysummy6944 I see where you are coming from, I remember when these little 2k suitcase generators came out 20 years ago, the inverter as highly advertised as to make the generators safe to run electronic stuff on without issue,that dirty power as a big selling point, then the AVRs came out and was the second solution, he still fixes a lot of these gen sets, thumbs up, that yellow Kipor he just got going was one of those inverter models, would like to see more testing with that one
The replies to your comment are funny. I would just add that in real life our sensitive electronics not only use switching power supplies but they come with a "bad power" signal that notifies our device when they need to shut down. All computers include this and have for many years. I'm glad you commented about this because it applies to more than 95% of people out there. The theorists and people who buy weird cheaper equipment can have their fun with you but you are correct for the real world.
Great video! Great job bring it back to life! Enjoyed watching.
Another nice classroom type video. Good learning. Seems something is still amiss but it functions. Thanks James.
Can you update whether or not you get the new AVR? And if you do get it, maybe load test again that would cool too see the difference in performance.
Another AVR will not change the behavior; it's designed this way with these generators. An inverter, for example, can work differently.
Yes put the correct one back and let’s see what the difference is 😊
I would like to do that. Hopefully it eventually ships. I would think the same 10 volts swing would be there. Instead it would be distributed better. When L1 was loaded the output was L1: 119v and L2: 130v. Would think with an AVR that monitor the 240 it would look more like L1: 115v and L2: 125v.
@@jcondon1 I’m allway impressed with your knowledge and disire to see how it works and effects the overall outcome
Thanks from 105 west Texas
Hi James, thanks for another great video. Interesting point on the AVR monitoring, in the UK 110v is for site equipment so not so critical but non the less a valid point. I like the compact form factor of that machine.
What hertz are site tools run at?
@@jcondon1 It's all 50 hertz here, legs 1&2 switched to be connected series for 230VAC and in parallel for 115VAC seems to be a common small generator setup. As i wrote this the 'penny dropped' and i realised that as legs 1&2 can't be exposed to different loads then taking the AVR sense from one leg wouldn't present the same issue as you are seeing.
Just noticed that power head has an interesting frame mount set up. Never seen one like that before. Seems like an option for how to mount a different power head for future reference.
Did not notice that. Have seen that on a few older generacs in the past. Definitely a good option if more height is needed when mixing and matching parts.
@@jcondon1 agreed. I’ve mentally tried to figure out a “universal” or at least a multi power head bracket to retrofit different power heads. Probably just as much work to just cut the bracket and reweld it or a new one on anyways. Great vid and now I know why Predator wants the plug use sequence.
Great job but I think you should order the correct part just to keep it simple oem wiring because the next guy might get confused 😊
It is on order. Not sure I will ever get it :(
@@jcondon1I just ordered 1 k of parts and 25% was back ordered 😢😢😢
@@philliphall5198 that is what happened when I rebuilt the ttr125. Closer to 2k in parts. Most arrived within a week. The rest showed up 3+ months later :(
I know who Im going to call when I have gen problems! Great Job!
Never a dull moment. *Well done* James.
I have a similar genny...behaving the same way as yours. Thanks for the information as always. Your videos are very helpful. Curious if you found a wiring diagram or schematic for this one.
Another great video James look forward to them each and every time they come out
Its been a while since you tackled a generator. Great video
Nice job!! Great find on the replacement AVR from the Predator. I'll have to remember that. Thanks Jim!
Change out the spark plug to ngk please and keep the old one for backup 😊
I like using one size too small hose pliers. Put them in front of the hose & pull it off.
Good idea
I may try that too
@@jcondon1 Where could I find replacement "s.o." style cord, if I wanted to replace the main power wiring in my portable generator?
I have been sick for 3 days, laying in bed watching RUclips all day/night. Found your channel, subscribed, and went down the rabbit hole. You've given me ideas of buying up cheap, busted generators, then renting them out. Can you make a video that, instead of showing a repair, showing how a generator actually works? Maybe with some graphics? You've shown how to test, and replace parts, but I'm embarrassed to say that I really don't know how a generator generates?
There is a lot of good videos on RUclips that show how generators work. Check them out…Pretty simple actually !
Nice video and presentation.
Since these generator operates a single correction loop on single field coil to drive two independent output coils A and B. It is unreasonable to expect balance coil voltages. Unless we have independent field windings to drive each output windings.
@14:24 you tested L1(Red) to ground. Then @ 14:38 to tested COMMON to ground. Thought you should have tested L2 (Black) to ground. ??? Just thinking what I would do and you kind of threw a curve ball at me. Got confused. Could you clarify?
L1 and L2 are just 2 coils of wire. It does not matter what end you test to ground since it’s just the other end of the same wire.
Great channel. FWIW, I really enjoy your style of vids and I've learned a ton - thanks!
Hi, thankyou for all the education. I have a Suzuki SE 3000 AD . Yellow, older model. Was working good, then started to kinda growl - like it was overworked. i unplugged the rectangular, AVR from the brushes - the 3-4 pin connector. Started to pickup RPM to 3600 again. ? Question . Is something shorted (rotor - stator ? ) or is the AVR gone ka-put ? Thanks, for all you do.....(brushes in good condition, no burning/rotten egg smells coming from it ).
Would cleaning the slip rings improve the sine wave?
It would help a little if they were really dirty.
What causes a good or bad waveform?
@ 28:00.. Is there any specific reason why you do not adjust the AVR setpoint while the machine is running?
Mostly because I don’t want someone else to try it and get hurt.
Great content, great presentation.
Interesting test of voltage on both legs under load.
How to make that AVR work is simple. Put two 10 Meg ohm resistors in series across the 240, and put the sense wires across one of the resistors
I'm 99% sure that wouldn't work. The AVR's input impedance is probably a few hundred kiloohms at most. Your divider's impedance would need to be many times less than this for proper functionality. A pair of 10k resistors would probably work but they'd be dissipating a few tens of watts.
James,
Would you consider doing a short video explaining the differences between inverter, brushed and brushless generators - particularly the advantages and disadvantages of each type? And what applications each is suitable for?
Thanks
Always wondered if you'd ever make an universal AVR to use for testing/diagnostic purposes 🤔
Getting ready for hurricane season. I’m load testing my small PowerMate. Is one amp at 120 V equal to 81 W 100 W or 120 W.
Google says 120w = 1 amp
One amp is 120 watts. Volts x amps = watts. Of coarse that is assuming your generator is producing 130 volts. One amp at 240 volts is 240 watts.
To be a bit more technical, 1 amp at 120V is 120VA of apparent power. The actual wattage depends on the power factor. For a resistive load like a space heater the PF is 1 so 120VA is 100W. Motor-based appliances or older electronics have a distorted current waveform so the PF is lower. This means it draws more current and VA for the same number of watts. Conversely, it consumes fewer watts per amp.
very well done informative video... .. I'm having issues with a brand new 11,000w dual fuel generator not making any power.. I've already ordered a new AVR hopefully that takes care of my issues.. just don't understand why I have a bad AVR on a brand new generator. generator had sat in a garage in its shipping crate for a few years until a few weeks ago.. never had fuel or oil in it.. we took it from the crate added engine oil and gas.. it started right up.. plugged in some tools to check its power and it had nothing.. called manufacture tested everything and the only thing that doesn't test correctly is the avr..
Leg two went to 119 volts after a load was placed back onto leg one. The only time it read 130 volts was when only leg one was in use, and no load was on leg two. This setup should be fine as long as leg one has a load before using leg two. The AVR is affecting both legs because of why James said: increased power to the field
Ah, the infamous ungenerator... Or degenerator? Not sure...
Finally been able to do some maintenance on my generator after a few 🌪 tornadoes come through Ohio. It was over due after the 1st one but been so busy with cleanup. We had 49 within a month. Lots of trees in the road and i lost count on how poles that were damaged. And when the last one hit i was out in the woods riding my 4 wheeler and had a hard time trying to ge back up the one hill. Looked like a small river with how hard it was raining and lightning struck a tree 40 foot from where i was stuck at because of no 4 wheel drive
You may have already done this, but could you explain what a good sine wave should look like verses a bad one and why that should be of concern? Isn’t it enough to have the proper voltage and correct Hz (cycles)?
The proper voltage and hertz are important. THD is the measure of other frequencies in the output besides the primary. In this case we want 60 hertz. 0% THD would mean that only 60 hertz is in the output. In this case we maxed out at 27% THD. That indicates that 27% of the output were other frequencies (harmonics) beside 60 hertz. Devices cannot use that power and instead dissipate that unwanted energy as heat. It can lead to failures in sensitive electronics.
@@jcondon1 great explanation. I didn’t know about the excess heat and fully understand how if the heat has to be dissipated and a computer or other small devices would have trouble with that. Thank you!!
@@aleblanc3547 Different devices care about different parameters of the waveform. Most things you might think are "sensitive" like computer power supplies and phone chargers actually care very little about the power quality. Things you think won't care (like a cheap LED light bulb) care about slew rate so the higher harmonics will cause extra current flow. Other things like motors only care about lower harmonics.
Thanks for posting James
James, so tell us what the new purple cleaner is that you are using in the ultrasonic.
I am still using the Heavy Duty cleaner from Harbor Freight!
It always amazes me how much water you find in the fuel. I've never had that occur with my equipment. How does it happen? Do they leave the equipment out in the rain?
Sometime it’s left out in the rain. This machine looked clean so likely just the ethanol in the old fuel pulling water out of the air.
Swings in temperature will suck air in and out of the tank. Moisture in the incoming air will condense in the tank. Plus the ethanol, because most people don't hunt for ethanol-free gas.
39:09 did you put back the cap holding down that other black part?
It took 3 hours, two coffees and a Tea to get through this one! Why would the AVR only address one leg?
Not sure. Seems kind of random. I guess the one that monitors only the 120 can be used in a generator that only produces 120v and 120/240.
Great job as usual. Hope you get the OEM AVR soon.
Definitely not a generator for sensitive electronics 😅. But in a pinch it will come in handy to save the day.
It's certainly worth buying the correct regulator for it...
Please explain what the AVR stands for or means. Many thanks!! More technical electrical issues this time but shows again how important the carbs are in keeping a good engine running properly!!
AVR: Automatic Voltage Regulator.
@@RossReedstrom Many thanks, Ross!!
An interesting little video to me because we don't have 110v in Australia whereas I'm usually trying to understand your system. Ours is 220-240v at 50Hz. We were 240v which has been lowered to 230v to comply better with European standards. My house has 3 phase at 415v and we derive the 240 from one phase and nutral. Basically I have 3 power circuits ⅓ of a phase apart.
The standard American supply is two legs which are each 120v to ground. They are 180 degrees apart so you get 240v across both phase lines. In reality it's a single phase transformer with a center-tapped output. In larger buildings you will get true three phase power which is still 120v to ground but phase-to-phase is 208v.
Then in industrial settings you will find 277/480v three phase (or 347/600 in Canada).
About seven years ago, I bought a Harbor Freight 4kw genset off craigslist that was "new in box, damaged" for about a hundred fifty bucks. The box had water damage, and the exterior lower chassis bolts had rust visible but the oil looked fresh so I went ahead and purcahsed it. Got home, filled up with some non-ethanol gasoline, checked the oil which was clean, and proceeded to run the break in period. After that, ran it out of fuel and squirreled away in my garage for a rainy day. That day came last week, in 2024. Dad called me and told me his power got taken out by a storm, and its rather warm right now... This would be the third time this calendar year he had to throw out the contents of his fridge and freezer. Naw. Told him I'd drop my genset off which he could run for a few hours to "recharge" his fridge and save his food.
Figured before I Loaded up the genset in the car and headed his way, I should make sure it runs.... Spoiler: It didn't. Apparently running its tank dry didn't do didley squat to drain the carb. Oops. Thankfully, I'm not only a long-term subscriber of this channel, but Mustie1 and knew exactly what needed to be done in order to get this engine up and running at 100 percent. Twenty-five minutes of work later and my genset was running TIP TOP. Took it over to dads place and saved the day. His neighbors were none too happy, but that's their problem.
Nice job sir cool generator Nice show 👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you for a wonderful detailed video.
James, what kind of purple degreaser are you using in your ultrasonic cleaner?
Simple Green Pro HD
Main function of AVR is to compensate for engine RPM drop and fluctuations under load (or load release, along with mechanical governer which is not always sufficient, flexible, fast enough). Having non original AVR monitoring one phase is adequate enough. When engine is loaded AVR will compensate for RPM drop for both phases, loaded and unloaded one. If you don't want to waste money on new AVR and still monitor both phases just throw in a 50/50 resistive voltage divider - 2 resistors 50kOhm each rated at 1W, you will monitor 2 phases difference (240V) but scaled down to acceptable by AVR level of 120V. I bet monitoring circuit don't need much current, so 50kOhm should do the trick, if not - make resistance a bit lower, 30kOhm or so.
I enjoy your videos. I have a old kubota a1400 that I have to flash with a battery in order to make power. Not sure what is causing the issue.
Do you think the capacitor on the original AVR unit can be desoldered and replaced with an identical new capacitor? That might not fix the problem though. I shall have to search around for old generators that are thrown out....
We used to put 12 volts dc to the brushes. This would usually produce about 75 vdc. If so all windings are usually good
I think if I bought a generator I'd also want a 2nd carb and AVR and fuel filter. And I'd be tempted to plumb an extra valve for draining the tank.
The extra value is a good idea for sure, seems the screen stops up alot with a full tank 😢😢😢
I do have a box with extra new carb , filter and hose plus several clamps
Wife is disabled and I’m not taking chances 😊
Both are cheap insurance.
Plus a set of brushes
What would be the reason to monitor only one winding knowing most uses are 120v loads, and a few 240v ? Build cost? Results would end up over loading one half of powerhead if the rated wattage was reached on the half.
In my opinion, monitoring both would be a plus for the manufacturer for dependability.
I see many labeled with watts but unless it is listed in the manual, we can only take the safe choice as that number being the surge or peak startup rate.
James, another good video..
As my father used to do, cotton ball in a funnel, screen fuel going into any tank !
Monitoring the 240 would be more accurate. Still though there would be a 10 volt difference. When loading L1, we saw L1 voltage go to 119v and L2 130v. If it monitoring the 240 output, then would expect to see the same 10v difference but distributed more evenly across the legs. Something more like L1: 115v, L2: 125v.
The ethanol fuel is causing the water in the tank, not usually from the gas station. Ethanol pulls the moisture from the air as the temp changes from day to night, the tank expands during the warm day and as the night air cool the tank pulls in the humid night air and the tanks ends up with lots of water in it.
James. Enjoying your videos. Can you provide information about the lift table you're using. I sense you use compressed air to raise it.
Thanks
It was given to me. No branding, but looks a lot like a RedLine lift
Great video, as always! Did you test the capacitor in the OEM AVR to see if that was the issue, and could be replaced?
These AVRs are potted modules. It's nearly impossible to get the circuit board out without causing extensive damage to the board such as ripping off SMD components.
By the look of that old fuel that genny was diabetic 😂
Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing
This is one of those situations where the end result could have been better..... but it could have been way worse. That particular generator design isn't the cleanest power.......but it is still capable of getting someone through an emergency. No complaints.
Didn't think about the AVR monitoring only one leg!
Your explanation makes perfect sense.
Do 240V capable inverter generators have an inverter for each 120V leg?
Likely they do. Not sure
Very informative test James
Where could I find replacement "s.o." style cord, if I wanted to replace the main power wiring in my portable generator?
Where did you get that multi screwdriver you use for the carb jet?
Hi James thanks for the video
i can get vanguard 5,5 BS generator for 100 euros, hasnt started in years, good deal ? looks brand new, no scratches etc
Nice job James!
Can you put a link for that grappy think that holds the paper towel?
I've swapped out the battery because it was three years old. Cost as much as a good car battery. I change the oil once a year & put Mobil 1 in mine. I clean it twice a year & syphon the gas out every year & put in fresh fuel with Star Tron fuel enzyme & Marine grade Stabil. I never have stale fuel but to be safe I put gas a year old in my vehicles.
I bought a gallon of straight gas for my gas powered Honda ground rod driver. It's a 4 stroke. I added both preservatives three years ago & it's still good. It only drives ground rods. Costs $3000 new.
You do know that there are special pliers for pushing a hose off a fitting. I’m sure Harbor Freight has them.
Thanks James.
Are you using purple fabuloso in your ultrasonic today.
what brand is your replaceable tip screwdriver, kind of like it
I’m having trouble with a Honda clone. Do u have a list I can go from on checking everything. I can’t find a problem and I bought a new avr but still not making power.
I’ve watch several of your videos and you really have a great talent
Thanks. I do have a play list on no power troubleshooting: ruclips.net/p/PLoj6DvbhMTzs2Xhx82Wsj7-quXNATsdv5&si=ZmHk-B6JX-BcC9VS
Is it a terminal problem???or a problem in the terminal ????lol…..great videos by the way …..!!!!!
its fine if you have an known good avr but what is when you dont hqve one can you test it with voltage
Can the AVR voltage be adjusted while the machine is running?
James and his stator ring terminal circumcisions😂
Hey James, I have a Generac 3200 power washer with the 196cc engine that runs but goes to immediate wide open throttle. The governor arm doesn't move at all when the engine starts but does move when I try to move it by hand. Is that an internal problem? Will I have to pull the cover off of the crank housing? Is this a Honda clone engine?
Either the governor needs to be reset it is broken internally. Last week’s video on the push string trimmer will give you some insight on both.
@@jcondon1 The governor arm and shaft both move when I move it by hand. The engine will idle down when I manually operate the governor arm but goes instantly to WOT as soon as I let it go. I guess I will have to crack the case and see if the plastic gear is broken. I have a good idea on how to do it thanks to watching your videos. It's not an expensive part.. Thanks for the response!
@@robertchapin3683 you should try a governor reset first. Could save you some time.
I've got a B&S Gen, think it's a 10000 , what would you suggest is the top 5 in order of failure would be the parts to fail? I'm thinking IF I can still get those parts maybe I need to get them to shelf for possible future use, & I mean the electronic parts only because I converted to propane so I have no carb issues
Hello again,
I have an older Generac 5500XL. It was only making power in 1 of the 2 120v sockets( nothing in the 240v socket) so I pulled the electric panel cover and found a broken 120v socket broken with the lean completely separated from the socket. So I took a picture bought a new one and installed it exactly as the broken one was wired, now I get 0, no voltage from any socket. They all have continuity all the breakers have continuity but no voltage anywhere. Any ideas? There was around 20 ohms through the brushes which looked fine, windings looked fine from what I could see ,but it's older and completely different from anything I have seen you working on, no avr, no terminal block wires all just push connectors that run back into the generator head...
I have looked at Powermate as a budget option with plastic fuel tanks, incredibly basic alternators that have a plastic end bell and this thing seems to show similarities.