In post apocalyptic America, there will be just a few things alive. Two Chevy 3800’s 4 K series, Honda engines. 2 dozen cockroaches. And every generator this man has ever touched!!!
WooooWeeeeWoooh grammar police, I don't want to put words on the page in your wake so I will suggest that perhaps either you meant,( there will be just a few things still working. Or you might be suggesting that the two Chevys 3800 and anything this guy ever touched etc had found life itself and took over as a master race. Either way I had a heart attack and was compelled, nah I had a good laugh. 😂 Adhd much?
I had a Chevy 3100 V6 that had 328,000 miles on it when it was towed to the junk yard still running. I was pissed my dad junked it, needed a brake line.
One of many great things about your videos is that you not only explain WHAT you are doing but, more importantly, WHY you are doing it. While long time viewers would know why, new comers get to learn more. Always interesting and entertaining. Glad to see the engine is savable with just a few internals. Clean carb and good test shows another successful restoration. Thanks for sharing.
And James does one Storm Responder after another. Even a chimp would know what's coming next, oil check, carb clean, compression, spark. But every video is exciting new and slightly different, so well shot and lit, explained and edited. No 'look at me' rararara. Great channel, thank you so much.
James, I worked in TV production for 35yrs, your videos are in the top 2% of videos on you tube. Your lighting, sound, editing and camera work is exceptional. I like the way you keep your hand out of the view so people can see what in going on. Not enough others take the time or effort to do this. I see others use handheld cameras moving around everywhere it not visually appealing. You use it just enough to see what is going on, then back to the tripod. Excellent video, Don't change a thing regarding production.
Thanks. Have heard the same from a few others involved in TV, film and theater. It has been a challenge to get to this level. If you watch my earlier videos you will see. No tripod, no lighting, bad sound and bad editing. Had to take things more seriously when people started watching. Never expected that.
Also, James doesn't 'hog' the camera with face-time or cover up his narrative with useless music. I am a sub and a huge fan of James. He has showed me over the last 2 years how to start my own generator repair business.
I would be pretty pissed to find a used ring in a supposedly new ring set, especially at that sort of price. Most ring sets are under £10 in UK but some B&S sets are around the price you suggested. My guess is that someone bought that set, swapped the top ring then sent it back saying that they bought the wrong set, and the vendor didn't check closely enough (or was the one who did it depending where you got them).
When you find that sort of disappointment it's always difficult to know whether you send it back on a matter of principle, and mess up your schedule in the process, or just find a way round it. Very annoying when you open the package and it's not got the correct contents.
That’s exactly what happened someone said F this I’m not paying $50 for rings and swapped one out. I just hope he doesn’t let them slide and gets his damn money back!
James, I am a 72 year old retired computer engineer and I am amazed at your knowledge on small engines. I am trying to get my Campbell Hausfeld 4800 watt generator that's VERY old. I've learned a lot from watching your youtube page! Especially this "Two Catastrophic Engine Failures presentation.Great Job!
This reminded me of a cub cadet mower that I bought several years ago. It was a high end 21 inch cut with swiveling front wheels multiple speeds and blade engagement. Back then over $500. I had cut down a 2 inch black locust that was in my way and the grass grew up and hid the stump. Of course I hit the stump and immediately broke the crankshaft where the blade adapter fit the end of the crank. After cursing myself I went and got a new crank. It was a 6 hp Kawasaki engine and as I took it apart I was very impressed with its design. I got it all reassembled and it would not start. First thing I thought was I didnt get the timing set correctly. Before thinking I tore it down again and found the timing to be set properly. I walked away and came back a few days later. I pulled the valve cover and found that a push rod had not set in the rocker. This was the first machine I had owned with overhead valves. I shared this story with friends because I felt that other people might also not be familiar with overhead valves on small engines.
I am not a mechanic. The TH-cam algorithm brought this gentleman to.my attention. I must say I am impressed. He is very thorough in his presentation, showing you each step in the rebuild. There are many people who do what he is doing, but I have never come across anyone who explains it as well.😂
Glad that I am able to watch this video. We had a storm roll through here in Ohio. My power went out at 6:30 in the morning. They don’t expect to have it on till 1:30 this afternoon. So I’m watching this video on generator power 🎉
A couple of tips for you, If you do use that type of hone - Use engine oil and a fraction of the drill speed you had as you need to be going in and out nearly as fast as it's rotating for the correct "cross hatch" finish. Use the smallest smear of assembly lube where necessary first then oil for pre lubricating. Put the faintest smear of anti-sieze under bolt heads and lightly oiled threads for things like those Alloy Rods to reduce any gauling when torqing the cap bolts - + any incremental tightning should be at least needing 90deg. I realise it's not a Race engine but you strike me as a Guy that likes to do things as best as possible ;)
Very few people on youtube actually knows how to hone a cylinder for the right cross hatch. I see people that is professionals messing this up. Its kinda wierd actually haha
@simenk.r.8237 Yes, how very "wierd" - you misspelled that, by the way. It's a mystery how everybody can screw up their honing when they could easily look up the correct technique on the million subscriber honing channel of world-class craftsman simenk.r.8237 who generously shares his infinite wisdom in hundreds of his painstakingly edited videos. The world is lucky to have heroes like you, simenk.r.8237!
I'm damn near 64 years old and you are my new hero.I'd give almost anything to be as neat and well organized and especially as knowledgeable as you are. Three thumbs up bro.
Jim, not criticism , but my dad used to photocopy pages from various manuals (Chilton's, Haynes, etc), for what he was working on, and he put sheet protectors on them, and in that manner, he kept them nice. Just an idea for you.
A tip: I had a rotor that would not come off and would mushroom the pusher rod. Did two things: i used a small slug of brass between the rod and the pusher bolt. The main help was sneaking about 4 turns of #16 wire around the front of the rotor shaft and positioned them near the fan. brought the two leads out to a "Hot Rod" handheld induction heater. Fifteen seconds of the heater and the pusher bolt had the rotor off. It is fairly easy to thread four turns around the shaft. I had considered using a small torch but fire hazard negated that idea. I had fought this for hours trying everything hydraulic, and slide hammer... nothing worked. It was so easy with the induction heater it surprised me!
@jcondon1 one point I'd make the bolts likely didn't stretch, the aluminum rod cap squished out from under the bolt. Aluminum expands 4 times more than steel, so it will flow outwards and mushroom. This is the same failure mode that makes aluminum wiring dangerous too.
The Engine Dr. wins once again. I am amazed at the number of FUBAR generators in your area and even more astounded at the lack of attention to oil level by their owners. I can only assume the owners are very affluent and treat their equipment as consumables.
I think it's likely a matter of ignorance of small engines. Many people do not know that you should be doing your first oil change at the ten hour mark. I think people believe that they only take their car in for oil changes once or twice a year and the generator gets way less use than the car so why would you need to check it! Ask me how I know 😂😂
James, you can buy feeler gauges with a .002" step for a "go-no-go" effect. Also a couple of old school references on small engine rebuilds: To be perfectly accurate there is a measurement of "pull" on the feeler gauge. Depending upon the actual part being measured 1-3 ounces is a good "thumb" however, there is also supposed to be oil present. We used Ring end gaps of .0025"- .0035" for every 1 inch of cylinder diameter. An old example used to be "A 4 inch cylinder can use from .010" - .014" Ring end gap. Larger if it is a very hot applications like Turbo or Supercharged. We rebuilt a lot of engines with those specs and never had a piston stick or use excessive oil. Good video, thanks for offering it. ben/ michigan
Absolute perfection. I love these extended videos. I know a lot of work goes into the editing also. Great work. I never get tired watching the Professor at work. 🙂
The editing for these long videos must take FOREVER. It is done so well. This is by far my favorite TH-cam channel because there are no ads and because the quality of the content and editing is so perfectly done. Thank you very much James...your hard work, attention to detail and quality is very much appreciated.
I have always thought about when I get something thats broken and I find the problem and get it fixed that feeling inside us is satisfaction and I enjoy teaching others how to fix things and get same feeling when they do it. This is a good video to teach others by, great job buddy. I know you have that feeling of satisfaction each time you get another one going again. Two thumbs up.
Always good to see a machine given a second life. A lot of work but worthwhile. Very good that the connecting rod did not break, unlike what we expect to see on the other unit. Well done as usual.
Found this recommendation from Winco. REMOVING AN ARMATURE OR ROTOR FROM THE ENGINE CRANK SHAFT The armature/rotor is just taper mounted to the engine crank shaft and held in place the bolt running down the middle of it. Remove the bolt or nut and washer before continuing. You will need a flat metal bar and good steel hammer. Insert the flat metal bar between the end of the armature/rotor and the engine, so that is rests on the engine crank shaft. Strike the metal bar crisply with a steel hammer. This will set up a vibration in the hardened crank shaft, the vibration should break the seat between the armature/rotor taper and the engine crank shaft taper.
It never ceases to amaze me that with a couple of mods like larger better bearing, oil pump, replaceable cylinders, oil low and over temp alert and stop that these engines would last almost forever!
What an amazing video! I know a lot about law and a lot about teaching college and I know how a two stroke engine works in theory. But I don't know anything about repairing an engine much less rebuilding one. I watched fascinated as you explained what was needed and then literally rebuilt an engine, showing step along the way. By the time you were done, I felt like I could rebuild a two stroke engine. You are a natural teacher and your gift of being able to teach (rather than lecture) is the ultimate. Thank you for a great video.
I bought one just like it that threw a rod and blowed a hole on the crank, I put new piston rod and covered the hole with jb weld and it’s been running like a champ ever since. 👍🏽
When using those pullers you don't just wind them up tight with a spanner- you put a load on with the spanner and then hit the centre bolt with the hammer to crack the seal of that tapered joint. Much less strain on the puller and housing that way.
I think this video is a message to 99% of the other videos where people are doing this without a torque chart and measuring tools. I have rebuilt two car engines using this kind of care and proper tools with torque charts and degree wheels. Toyota was straight up torque to point but BMW in some parts required degreeing after reaching the desired torque called bolt stretching. You also have to remember to not miss any bolts or they will fall out later and cause serious engine problems.
Excellent job as always, I'm thinking those rings were sold and returned with the top ring switched with what they were intended to replace, accidentally or on purpose who knows, either way this engine runs great
Thanks for the video James. The one thing about your videos is that you talk people through them when you are working which I think is brilliant. Cause not a lot TH-camrs do that. Thanks again George in England, UK 🇬🇧 😂👍
Your instruction is so good that all a person needs to start a small engine repair is to watch all your videos, buy a few tools, learn to read manuals and blowup drawings, and your about ready to go!
Jim, as ever, you're "the man" when it comes to fixing generators. It was lucky that Jason's generator was repairable. I hope the other one is just as repairable. I'm looking forward to seeing the video for that one.
I'm going to have to remember that grease trick. I was rebuilding the head for a Volvo b5234t (5 cylinders, 4 valves per cylinder) and the cotters popping out during reassembly drove me to insanity
Yes it's a long video but with great information. Showing specs and exactly what goes into repair and rebuild is worth it's weight in gold. Great job 👍🏼
I really like to thoroughly clean off the valve lapping compound with a solvent spray, then hot soapy water. As I'm paranoid that I will leave traces to continue wearing out valve stems...
the engine intake cleaning up as if it was brand new, tells me it has less than 500 hours on it, no more than 250 at most (in my opinion)... makes me think the previous owner ran it on the factory shipping oil then it crapped out, thus leading to this video :D
Hi James. As normal a great video. As a race engines builder, I’d like to suggest your next video like this, use your dial bore gauge and micrometer to calculate the rod to pin clearance. It’s not hard and more reliable
Really impressive, James. I realize that I need at least four new tools in order to do this sort of stuff justice but at least you walked us through the process in a straight-forward way. I can't thank you enough.
My Craftsman 5600/8600 has the same 10HP Briggs engine and it’s been awesome for the last 15 years. I change oil even if I don’t need every year and store it with TruFuel
Excellent video. Very detailed. I love your work ethics. One thing surprised me that you didn't change valve seals. Engine has heated up at some point which changes rubber characteristics. If I had opened up engine I would definitely change them. Just my thoughts. Great video again.
I have learned enough from watching your videos that I took a risk on a generator for cheap. It only needed a capacitor. I have a potential tip for you. Very established electrical reviewers are going nuts for the Zoyi ZT-702S / Xeast XE-702S. It is a hand held multimeter/oscilloscope.
Textbook presentation. Having worked in a machine shop for several years, I can appreciate the attention to every detail of reassembly.Thanks for the video.
Another brilliant video by Mr. Condon the Master of Small Engine repair I am always impressed with his attention to detail and explanation of why and how he diagnosed and the procedures and testing of the repair. Thanks, James for all of your shared knowledge we all have benefited greatly. On a personal note when I was in school many years ago small engine repair was taught in the Industrial Arts Department. Today our kids don't have that option due to kids being pushed to go to College and then left with a Mountain of debt with a Liberal Arts degree no job and no skills. let's be honest not all Kids are College material and Industrial Arts have been looked down on and vilified by Academia as kids being a failure. A major majority of our kids excel in Industrial Arts whereas the College-bound kids have no idea how anything actually works. We are losing the skills to build and repair. James would be an Ideal Small Engine instructor in my opinion.
Recently retired as a 45 year veteran of software development on the system side (Linux is my love), have been looking for something to use my engineering mind set to fix things. And small enough to fit in my garage (lol) so I have become a Condon watcher and student. This is such a great channel. Got 2 non working Coleman gensets for $150. Found one of them has a Condon fix video from 2 years ago - I had a great weekend, getting it PURRING - a 5200 watt Powermate, Now another to do in the wings
I was also an Industrial Arts graduate. Mine was Metal forming, welding (I still suck at both of those!) Today's' Construction labor force is getting lower and lower since Main Stream Educators want people to go to College or University...as you mentioned. That is what "they" told me also 40 years ago. I didn't listen. I enjoyed working hard getting dirty and getting paid a decent wage.
@Delekham Funny thing is many young people are steered towards college as you mentioned it's implied that is a better way to make a living. Silly, since good tradesmen are often charging over $100 an hour and in many cases thier special knowledge is pretty limited. AND they have an opportunity to work for themselves. I know lots of college educated people who don't make that. So if you are very good at your trade and work hard you can make a good living. In many cases you can earn as you learn, contrast that with colleges charging outrageous amounts for things you can easily learn yourself. Many I know graduating with a huge amount of debt and mediocre job ... it will take them a long time to catch a good tradesman. If tradesman goes into business for themselves they have potential to outperform a college grad.
I normally use an ad blocker browser to watch TH-cam, so I never see ads. But I happened to load up this video in the actual TH-cam app and was pleasantly surprised to see that your videos aren't monetized!? This is some great info and entertainment you're giving away for free! I do appreciate it, great job as always.
Your videos are always so amazing, I learn so much from these. The knowledge I've gotten from your videos has made me more comfortable with the idea of working on small engines with this level of depth.
Call me cynical but engine failure seems to be a common theme since they removed the low oil sensor. And now the bell housing is fitted with lock washers, it's almost as if they know the engine is coming out soon.
I love watching you fix generators. I have a small generator, a 1900w wich should give me 220volt but I only get 150volt and when you connect a tool the volts go down to about 30 volt. I changed the capacitor as well as the bridge rectifier but no change. I am stumped with this one.
I really appreciate your videos. You are very detailed which is appreciated very much. I will say that at the 1:22:20 time in the video, you mention adding oil so you don't forget because you are getting excited at nearly being done. I can certainly appreciate your thought process here. I'm not a small engine mechanic. I do have a lawn care business, so in order to save money, I do all of my own maintenance and so far, all of the repairs on my equipment I have done myself. Prior to going into the lawn care business (which is a retirement job for me just to stay active) I had a 54" John Deere Z425 zero turn mower that I had been using on my own yard and on my neighbors yard. I continued using that mower on my yard and my neighbors yard even after starting my lawn care business rather than using one of my other zero turn mowers on these yards. I developed a slow oil leak either on the sump gasket or PTO shaft, but I always checked the oil level prior to using it and would simply top it off once every couple of months as it needed oil. One day I did my yard and almost all of my neighbors yard when I started smelling burned oil. I only had a couple more passes to make on my neighbors yard, so I finished it and went back to my shed and started checking on the oil smell. I had no oil left that was visible on the dip stick. The mower was still running fine at that point when I parked it. I added oil up to the full line and there was a slow but steady dripping leak while sitting and it got worse when the engine was running. Either the gasket or the seal had seriously failed. I pulled the engine on it and pulled off the sump and replaced the oil pan (sump) gasket and the PTO seal. I reassembled the engine and put it back on the mower. Installed the PTO pulley and reattached the deck. I was so excited to have completed the job. I fired it up and it ran like a champ even under a load from the deck for about 1 minute and then I heard a "clink" sound and it wasn't running correctly. I turned it off and soon realized I hadn't added oil to the engine. I had failed to fill it up in my excitement over "completing" the job. I of course added oil, but that did nothing to help. It will run on one cylinder now, but that is all it will do. That was two years ago and it will still run on one cylinder, but it won't power the deck. I appreciate you saying what you did at the 1:22:20 mark. I've been there and failed to remember to do a very simple and basic task and I assume as a result I ruined a good engine. At some point I keep thinking I will pull that engine again and figure out what the damage actually is, but I just haven't gotten to that point yet. I have two good 52" Scag Tiger Cat II mowers that I can get the job done with and have no pressing reason to tear into the other mower. I'm sure that at some point I will get there, but I'm just not there yet. It was a bit defeating to have that happen. I have rebuilt a few smaller engines on walk behind mowers since then and they have all worked fine, but that taught me a lesson I will not forget. Keep up the great work!!!
Very nice to see you working on something older. Your expertise as always shows that something that is older can be useful when cleaned up and maintained. Have an old 1850 powermate and your posts on upkeep and maintenance really makes a difference. Keep posting as it really helps us DYRers.
Im a firm believer in lapping tool, however, i work with an older guy, both of us are certified on several makes of engines. Honda, Kohler, Kawasaki, Briggs etc, but he always uses a drill to lap the valves. Whats your or your followers opinion on this? I rather feel the lapping then using a drill. Thanks for all your hard work you put into your content, very much enjoy em
Awesome video as always. The old Briggs flathead manuals specified a break in of one tank fuel run at a steady moderate speed (I use around 2500 RPM for aluminum and 2000 RPM for cast iron) followed by an oil change. Second oil change after 4-5hrs of normal operation. Now were talking about much smaller fuel tanks so I let them run 1-1 1/2hrs or a tank of fuel, whichever comes first. The oil changes are critical as honing and new rings will get that break in oil quite silver. I've had great success on the handful of rebuilds I've done. If I reuse the rings and don't hone or just use new chrome rings with no hone, I push the second oil change to 50hrs or once a year.
@@uploadJ Engine speeds can be changed for break in. Some generators have an adjustable screw while others by bending a tang. All your doing is changing governor spring tension. Some governor arms have multiple holes for sensitivity as well. Engine speed on generators is set by Hz frequency, not rpm. Actual no load rpm can be from 3400 to 3800 rpm with most falling into the 3600-3700 range.
@@petertothpete6518 re: "Engine speeds can be changed for break in." Have literally NEVER seen that in the homeowners instructions. Forgive us if we think you are 'making this up' for all but the cases of professional gensets. Que?
@@uploadJ LOL No you won't find this in any modern owners manual. I'm talking about manuals from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. They were full of information on adjusting valves, governors, removing the cyl. head and cleaning the carbon, etc,etc. Much different times back then when engines would last many, many years. Regardless of how new the engines are, the principles of operation are the same. They still have a carburetor with a moving throttle and you can adjust the speed. James has done this in many videos to achieve the correct no load Hz setting. They can be backed off to run at a slower but steady speed for break in.
@@petertothpete6518 Well, 1973 was half a century ago ... all those small gens have been replaced since then. So, are we both right or are we both wrong? It goes w/o saying (again) that today's small gensets don't have the provision to do as you initially indicated. Cheers.
I've never done Small Engine tinkering, so your videos are chock full of learning experiences. However, finding that out of spec #1 ring was amazing. I confess I would have made the mistake of just throwing a "brand new" part in without checking. Thank you for that valuable lesson.
Hi James. Just want too say your videos are part of my up in the morning having coffee and see what your fixing today. I have learned quite a bit from watching your channel. Thanks for explaining and showing how you do it. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
Awesome! Never saw a tear-down of the generator or power plant assembly before. And I never thought about using space heaters as a load tester, but what is a commercial load tester other than a huge heater coil and fan? Looking back it seems like a "no-brainer" but I'd never thought about it that way before. I got a free generator and took on the challenge because it seemed too easy of a fix. Turns out I was right; the previous owner left fuel sitting in it for about 2-1/2 years. After replacing the cutoff valve on the bottom of the tank and cleaning the carburetor the machine cranked right up and produced power. However it would not shut off with the switch. I had to cut off the fuel and wait for it to choke. When I restored fuel to it, there was a steady stream pouring thru the carb. I assume that's a bowl issue? How do I fix the kill switch? electrically it's just a ground to the magnet, shunted by the switch, right?
instead of using razor blades, have you considered cleaning off gaskets using one of the square carbide scrapers sold for that task (Lisle 81780 or similar)?
Thank you all the way to 1978 in high school memories. Rebuilt one. Learned what other kids do fill cylender with oil. I could not figure out what I did ? Instructor said I been at this a long time try draining oil from cylinder. Quick fix lol
A sharpened narrow pain scraper works just as good as a razor blade and is easier on the hands . I use a belt sander to sharpen the scraper . Also great for scraping the under side of the mower.
I always wire brush the magnets and oil the laminates on the coil a little when I have one down. Usually a light rub of oil on the magnet too. No trouble after that. Good fix and God Bless
Great video of course. Admirable how you quickly shifted gears from swap to total rebuild. Thanks for working on exactly the same mower that my son in law has so that the carb cleaning went smooth as silk
Excellant restore. Gives me ideas what to check for if my generator goes. Right now is an after market carb on it and it hunts while running which leads me to believe it might be a carb issue. It's a UST GS-5500.
That number 2 piston ring being out of spec was either a manufacture problem or it has been used before. Something I would never have though of. Even checking it would have passed me by. A lot of work went into that lovely sounding engine. Well done and thanks. Cracking to watch :)
I just picked up a generator like these to fix for a friend. So far i have it running but haven't figured out why it doesn't make power but i suspect that the brushes are bad
"While we have it apart, let's fix it right." Wow. If there were a Nobel Prize for integrity, this guy would be in a tux on his way to Stockholm. And how about that out-of-spec top ring right out of the box from Briggs? James, it was handy the existing top ring was in spec, but I think B&S owes you one! I've been working on small engines longer than you've been alive and I still learn something new every time I watch one of your videos. If there were more people like you in this world, the generators you work on wouldn't be such crucial necessities in what we (western industrial civilization) are facing this year (2024). Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing it with all of us!
Great rebuild and great to watch. The time flew by at my end, but I bet it was a long slog at yours! The sound that made as it unlocked was worrying for a moment, and made it seem as though something had just flown apart inside, but I guess it's the feel of the tool as that happens that gives you encouragement, and that can't be conveyed in a video. We just hear "clonk" and think, "uh oh ...".
It's awesome how much patience you have! I can't believe how much of a pain in the bum those generators are to work on!! These videos taught me to run from repairing them
When I was a teenager in the 60's we used to go to the metal scrap yard and buy scrap engines. No thought of buying new spares... we used to file the big end journals round! then file the conrod and cap faces to make it tight, add some grinding compound and spin it, tighten some more , do it over and over until it had a reasonable fit. Used to modify them too, file the heads to raise compression. weld on the cams to change timing..
My grandfather was a machinist in an engine shop. His trick to see if a valve was properly lapped in was to take a pencil and make little hash marks all the way around the sealing face of the valve. He would then insert the valve into the head, and while only applying light pressure he would turn the valve very slightly, maybe 1/16 of a turn. He would then pull the valve out and inspect the lead marks. If properly seating, every pencil line would be cut in half.
In post apocalyptic America, there will be just a few things alive. Two Chevy 3800’s 4 K series, Honda engines. 2 dozen cockroaches. And every generator this man has ever touched!!!
Those, and a few skeletal 7.3 Ford pickup engines in salvage yards
WooooWeeeeWoooh grammar police, I don't want to put words on the page in your wake so I will suggest that perhaps either you meant,( there will be just a few things still working. Or you might be suggesting that the two Chevys 3800 and anything this guy ever touched etc had found life itself and took over as a master race. Either way I had a heart attack and was compelled, nah I had a good laugh. 😂 Adhd much?
Nice!
I had a Chevy 3100 V6 that had 328,000 miles on it when it was towed to the junk yard still running. I was pissed my dad junked it, needed a brake line.
I have a 4.0 Ford areostar 2wd 587987 miles
That Briggs engine will run better than new. You basically hand built it with loving care and precision. Excellent work!
Yes!
That's the way it goes with mass-produced products. You get a bunch of mostly-finished parts mostly-correctly assembled.
Very interesting, do you complain or inform someone about the old ring u received?
But the new owner could run it out of oil all over again love and care down the drain 😢
One of many great things about your videos is that you not only explain WHAT you are doing but, more importantly, WHY you are doing it. While long time viewers would know why, new comers get to learn more.
Always interesting and entertaining.
Glad to see the engine is savable with just a few internals.
Clean carb and good test shows another successful restoration.
Thanks for sharing.
And James does one Storm Responder after another. Even a chimp would know what's coming next, oil check, carb clean, compression, spark.
But every video is exciting new and slightly different, so well shot and lit, explained and edited. No 'look at me' rararara.
Great channel, thank you so much.
James, I worked in TV production for 35yrs, your videos are in the top 2% of videos on you tube. Your lighting, sound, editing and camera work is exceptional. I like the way you keep your hand out of the view so people can see what in going on. Not enough others take the time or effort to do this. I see others use handheld cameras moving around everywhere it not visually appealing. You use it just enough to see what is going on, then back to the tripod. Excellent video, Don't change a thing regarding production.
Thanks. Have heard the same from a few others involved in TV, film and theater. It has been a challenge to get to this level. If you watch my earlier videos you will see. No tripod, no lighting, bad sound and bad editing. Had to take things more seriously when people started watching. Never expected that.
Yes, they are very well done. You're a natural.@@jcondon1
Also, James doesn't 'hog' the camera with face-time or cover up his narrative with useless music. I am a sub and a huge fan of James. He has showed me over the last 2 years how to start my own generator repair business.
Amazing video work 😊
I would be pretty pissed to find a used ring in a supposedly new ring set, especially at that sort of price. Most ring sets are under £10 in UK but some B&S sets are around the price you suggested.
My guess is that someone bought that set, swapped the top ring then sent it back saying that they bought the wrong set, and the vendor didn't check closely enough (or was the one who did it depending where you got them).
When you find that sort of disappointment it's always difficult to know whether you send it back on a matter of principle, and mess up your schedule in the process, or just find a way round it. Very annoying when you open the package and it's not got the correct contents.
That’s exactly what happened someone said F this I’m not paying $50 for rings and swapped one out. I just hope he doesn’t let them slide and gets his damn money back!
James, I am a 72 year old retired computer engineer and I am amazed at your knowledge on small engines. I am trying to get my Campbell Hausfeld 4800 watt generator that's VERY old. I've learned a lot from watching your youtube page! Especially this "Two Catastrophic Engine Failures presentation.Great Job!
This reminded me of a cub cadet mower that I bought several years ago. It was a high end 21 inch cut with swiveling front wheels multiple speeds and blade engagement. Back then over $500. I had cut down a 2 inch black locust that was in my way and the grass grew up and hid the stump. Of course I hit the stump and immediately broke the crankshaft where the blade adapter fit the end of the crank. After cursing myself I went and got a new crank. It was a 6 hp Kawasaki engine and as I took it apart I was very impressed with its design. I got it all reassembled and it would not start. First thing I thought was I didnt get the timing set correctly. Before thinking I tore it down again and found the timing to be set properly. I walked away and came back a few days later. I pulled the valve cover and found that a push rod had not set in the rocker. This was the first machine I had owned with overhead valves. I shared this story with friends because I felt that other people might also not be familiar with overhead valves on small engines.
I am not a mechanic. The TH-cam algorithm brought this gentleman to.my attention. I must say I am impressed. He is very thorough in his presentation, showing you each step in the rebuild. There are many people who do what he is doing, but I have never come across anyone who explains it as well.😂
Glad that I am able to watch this video. We had a storm roll through here in Ohio. My power went out at 6:30 in the morning. They don’t expect to have it on till 1:30 this afternoon. So I’m watching this video on generator power 🎉
A couple of tips for you, If you do use that type of hone - Use engine oil and a fraction of the drill speed you had as you need to be going in and out nearly as fast as it's rotating for the correct "cross hatch" finish.
Use the smallest smear of assembly lube where necessary first then oil for pre lubricating.
Put the faintest smear of anti-sieze under bolt heads and lightly oiled threads for things like those Alloy Rods to reduce any gauling when torqing the cap bolts - + any incremental tightning should be at least needing 90deg.
I realise it's not a Race engine but you strike me as a Guy that likes to do things as best as possible ;)
Very few people on youtube actually knows how to hone a cylinder for the right cross hatch. I see people that is professionals messing this up. Its kinda wierd actually haha
@simenk.r.8237 Yes, how very "wierd" - you misspelled that, by the way.
It's a mystery how everybody can screw up their honing when they could easily look up the correct technique on the million subscriber honing channel of world-class craftsman simenk.r.8237 who generously shares his infinite wisdom in hundreds of his painstakingly edited videos.
The world is lucky to have heroes like you, simenk.r.8237!
@@Lokomowal Between him and all the heroes like you correcting spelling and message content, we will soon be living in utopia!😒
All good advice, especially about the cross hatch. A drill with a two speed gearbox can help there.
Man you are definitely a master technician,mechanic,
As a machinist I was impressed
I'm damn near 64 years old and you are my new hero.I'd give almost anything to be as neat and well organized and especially as knowledgeable as you are. Three thumbs up bro.
Jim, not criticism , but my dad used to photocopy pages from various manuals (Chilton's, Haynes, etc), for what he was working on, and he put sheet protectors on them, and in that manner, he kept them nice. Just an idea for you.
Good idea. I have a few critical information sheets that could use that.
@@jcondon1 or just laminate your sheets will last for ever then :)
Or scan and save what you need and print the pages as often as necessary. You'll always have a fresh copy so you can make notes and get them greasy.
@@hugh007and you can write measurements on them, very handy if you're checking specs, you can write out what yours was right next to it.
I usually print out sheets for a particular job, doesn't matter if they get ruined.
A tip: I had a rotor that would not come off and would mushroom the pusher rod. Did two things: i used a small slug of brass between the rod and the pusher bolt. The main help was sneaking about 4 turns of #16 wire around the front of the rotor shaft and positioned them near the fan. brought the two leads out to a "Hot Rod" handheld induction heater. Fifteen seconds of the heater and the pusher bolt had the rotor off. It is fairly easy to thread four turns around the shaft. I had considered using a small torch but fire hazard negated that idea. I had fought this for hours trying everything hydraulic, and slide hammer... nothing worked. It was so easy with the induction heater it surprised me!
@jcondon1 one point I'd make the bolts likely didn't stretch, the aluminum rod cap squished out from under the bolt. Aluminum expands 4 times more than steel, so it will flow outwards and mushroom. This is the same failure mode that makes aluminum wiring dangerous too.
The Engine Dr. wins once again. I am amazed at the number of FUBAR generators in your area and even more astounded at the lack of attention to oil level by their owners. I can only assume the owners are very affluent and treat their equipment as consumables.
I think it's likely a matter of ignorance of small engines. Many people do not know that you should be doing your first oil change at the ten hour mark.
I think people believe that they only take their car in for oil changes once or twice a year and the generator gets way less use than the car so why would you need to check it!
Ask me how I know 😂😂
James, you can buy feeler gauges with a .002" step for a "go-no-go" effect. Also a couple of old school references on small engine rebuilds: To be perfectly accurate there is a measurement of "pull" on the feeler gauge. Depending upon the actual part being measured 1-3 ounces is a good "thumb" however, there is also supposed to be oil present. We used Ring end gaps of .0025"- .0035" for every 1 inch of cylinder diameter. An old example used to be "A 4 inch cylinder can use from .010" - .014" Ring end gap. Larger if it is a very hot applications like Turbo or Supercharged. We rebuilt a lot of engines with those specs and never had a piston stick or use excessive oil. Good video, thanks for offering it. ben/ michigan
❤
Absolute perfection. I love these extended videos. I know a lot of work goes into the editing also. Great work. I never get tired watching the Professor at work. 🙂
The editing for these long videos must take FOREVER. It is done so well. This is by far my favorite TH-cam channel because there are no ads and because the quality of the content and editing is so perfectly done. Thank you very much James...your hard work, attention to detail and quality is very much appreciated.
I have always thought about when I get something thats broken and I find the problem and get it fixed that feeling inside us is satisfaction and I enjoy teaching others how to fix things and get same feeling when they do it. This is a good video to teach others by, great job buddy. I know you have that feeling of satisfaction each time you get another one going again. Two thumbs up.
So many people get satisfaction from wrecking things and it's because they don't know how to fix them, a big fail in our education system.
Love your channel. First time i used plastigage was 1962. I
was 15 years old and rebuilding the flat head 6 in my 1953 studebaker.
Always good to see a machine given a second life. A lot of work but worthwhile. Very good that the connecting rod did not break, unlike what we expect to see on the other unit.
Well done as usual.
Found this recommendation from Winco.
REMOVING AN ARMATURE OR ROTOR FROM THE ENGINE CRANK SHAFT
The armature/rotor is just taper mounted to the engine crank shaft and held
in place the bolt running down the middle of it. Remove the bolt or nut and
washer before continuing.
You will need a flat metal bar and good steel hammer. Insert the flat metal
bar between the end of the armature/rotor and the engine, so that is rests
on the engine crank shaft. Strike the metal bar crisply with a steel hammer.
This will set up a vibration in the hardened crank shaft, the vibration should
break the seat between the armature/rotor taper and the engine crank shaft
taper.
It never ceases to amaze me that with a couple of mods like larger better bearing, oil pump, replaceable cylinders, oil low and over temp alert and stop that these engines would last almost forever!
You inspired me to go fully rebuild my old Hyundai 3500 watt generator. Thanks. It’s running perfectly now,
What an amazing video! I know a lot about law and a lot about teaching college and I know how a two stroke engine works in theory. But I don't know anything about repairing an engine much less rebuilding one. I watched fascinated as you explained what was needed and then literally rebuilt an engine, showing step along the way. By the time you were done, I felt like I could rebuild a two stroke engine. You are a natural teacher and your gift of being able to teach (rather than lecture) is the ultimate. Thank you for a great video.
I bought one just like it that threw a rod and blowed a hole on the crank, I put new piston rod and covered the hole with jb weld and it’s been running like a champ ever since. 👍🏽
JB Weld is good stuff
When using those pullers you don't just wind them up tight with a spanner- you put a load on with the spanner and then hit the centre bolt with the hammer to crack the seal of that tapered joint. Much less strain on the puller and housing that way.
I almost think I could work on an engine. Not quite...but almost. I enjoy trying to think ahead about your next step. Sometimes I guess correctly. 😊
Watching you pull down and rebuild an engine and generator never gets old. Nicely explained. Thanks
I think this video is a message to 99% of the other videos where people are doing this without a torque chart and measuring tools. I have rebuilt two car engines using this kind of care and proper tools with torque charts and degree wheels. Toyota was straight up torque to point but BMW in some parts required degreeing after reaching the desired torque called bolt stretching. You also have to remember to not miss any bolts or they will fall out later and cause serious engine problems.
Excellent job as always, I'm thinking those rings were sold and returned with the top ring switched with what they were intended to replace, accidentally or on purpose who knows, either way this engine runs great
I agree
Thanks for the video James. The one thing about your videos is that you talk people through them when you are working which I think is brilliant. Cause not a lot TH-camrs do that. Thanks again George in England, UK 🇬🇧 😂👍
Your instruction is so good that all a person needs to start a small engine repair is to watch all your videos, buy a few tools, learn to read manuals and blowup drawings, and your about ready to go!
Jim, as ever, you're "the man" when it comes to fixing generators. It was lucky that Jason's generator was repairable. I hope the other one is just as repairable. I'm looking forward to seeing the video for that one.
I'm going to have to remember that grease trick. I was rebuilding the head for a Volvo b5234t (5 cylinders, 4 valves per cylinder) and the cotters popping out during reassembly drove me to insanity
Yes it's a long video but with great information. Showing specs and exactly what goes into repair and rebuild is worth it's weight in gold. Great job 👍🏼
That's a brand new generator again, great repair, thanks for sharing.
I actually like these briggs generators there easy to start really reliable and the large fuel tank capacity is what i like most
I really like to thoroughly clean off the valve lapping compound with a solvent spray, then hot soapy water. As I'm paranoid that I will leave traces to continue wearing out valve stems...
The long detailed videos with serious problems are the best
Keep them coming
Easy listening engine overhauls with James...It's just like a broken drum....you can't beat it.
the engine intake cleaning up as if it was brand new, tells me it has less than 500 hours on it, no more than 250 at most (in my opinion)... makes me think the previous owner ran it on the factory shipping oil then it crapped out, thus leading to this video :D
That kind of knowledge doesn’t happen overnight my friend it’s a pleasure watching you
Well done, James! Looking forward to #2.
Hi James. As normal a great video. As a race engines builder, I’d like to suggest your next video like this, use your dial bore gauge and micrometer to calculate the rod to pin clearance. It’s not hard and more reliable
Thanks for all your step by step tear down and rebuild..
Really impressive, James. I realize that I need at least four new tools in order to do this sort of stuff justice but at least you walked us through the process in a straight-forward way. I can't thank you enough.
Thanks
Once again, your knowledge, skill and a few parts have managed to bring this back to full working order. Excellent job, James. Thanks for sharing.
Very complete and professional job! Better than new! Excellent Work!
My Craftsman 5600/8600 has the same 10HP Briggs engine and it’s been awesome for the last 15 years.
I change oil even if I don’t need every year and store it with TruFuel
It is a great engine, as long there is oil in it.
I've had Trufuel bad right off the shelf. Just an fyi.
Excellent video. Very detailed. I love your work ethics. One thing surprised me that you didn't change valve seals. Engine has heated up at some point which changes rubber characteristics. If I had opened up engine I would definitely change them. Just my thoughts. Great video again.
I have learned enough from watching your videos that I took a risk on a generator for cheap. It only needed a capacitor. I have a potential tip for you. Very established electrical reviewers are going nuts for the Zoyi ZT-702S / Xeast XE-702S. It is a hand held multimeter/oscilloscope.
I have something similar a.co/d/hMd7BUc
Textbook presentation. Having worked in a machine shop for several years, I can appreciate the attention to every detail of reassembly.Thanks for the video.
Another brilliant video by Mr. Condon the Master of Small Engine repair I am always impressed with his attention to detail and explanation of why and how he diagnosed and the procedures and testing of the repair. Thanks, James for all of your shared knowledge we all have benefited greatly.
On a personal note when I was in school many years ago small engine repair was taught in the Industrial Arts Department. Today our kids don't have that option due to kids being pushed to go to College and then left with a Mountain of debt with a Liberal Arts degree no job and no skills. let's be honest not all Kids are College material and Industrial Arts have been looked down on and vilified by Academia as kids being a failure. A major majority of our kids excel in Industrial Arts whereas the College-bound kids have no idea how anything actually works. We are losing the skills to build and repair.
James would be an Ideal Small Engine instructor in my opinion.
Recently retired as a 45 year veteran of software development on the system side (Linux is my love), have been looking for something to use my engineering mind set to fix things. And small enough to fit in my garage (lol) so I have become a Condon watcher and student. This is such a great channel. Got 2 non working Coleman gensets for $150. Found one of them has a Condon fix video from 2 years ago - I had a great weekend, getting it PURRING - a 5200 watt Powermate, Now another to do in the wings
I was also an Industrial Arts graduate. Mine was Metal forming, welding (I still suck at both of those!)
Today's' Construction labor force is getting lower and lower since Main Stream Educators want people to go to College or University...as you mentioned.
That is what "they" told me also 40 years ago. I didn't listen. I enjoyed working hard getting dirty and getting paid a decent wage.
@Delekham Funny thing is many young people are steered towards college as you mentioned it's implied that is a better way to make a living. Silly, since good tradesmen are often charging over $100 an hour and in many cases thier special knowledge is pretty limited. AND they have an opportunity to work for themselves. I know lots of college educated people who don't make that.
So if you are very good at your trade and work hard you can make a good living. In many cases you can earn as you learn, contrast that with colleges charging outrageous amounts for things you can easily learn yourself. Many I know graduating with a huge amount of debt and mediocre job ... it will take them a long time to catch a good tradesman. If tradesman goes into business for themselves they have potential to outperform a college grad.
I normally use an ad blocker browser to watch TH-cam, so I never see ads. But I happened to load up this video in the actual TH-cam app and was pleasantly surprised to see that your videos aren't monetized!? This is some great info and entertainment you're giving away for free! I do appreciate it, great job as always.
If he doesn't monitize his videos Google might still put ads on it and not share the revenue.
I never noticed while lapping the valves the change of sound as the compound disperses, now I do. I really appreciate the help.
It was fun seeing the rebuild.. we do not do that any more.. Good one 👍👍
Your videos are always so amazing, I learn so much from these. The knowledge I've gotten from your videos has made me more comfortable with the idea of working on small engines with this level of depth.
James, your videography and audio has really become top notch !
Bravo....
Call me cynical but engine failure seems to be a common theme since they removed the low oil sensor. And now the bell housing is fitted with lock washers, it's almost as if they know the engine is coming out soon.
The newer Briggs generators added them back. Of coarse they are now Briggs branded Honda clones :(
I love watching you fix generators. I have a small generator, a 1900w wich should give me 220volt but I only get 150volt and when you connect a tool the volts go down to about 30 volt. I changed the capacitor as well as the bridge rectifier but no change. I am stumped with this one.
probably has a bad leg on the rotor or stator
You are still amazing. Even after watching you for ages. Well done Sarah. !!!
Fantastic job, thanks again for sharing. Since I have been watching your channel I have completely rebuilt three generators. Thanks for all the info.
Nice
I really appreciate your videos. You are very detailed which is appreciated very much. I will say that at the 1:22:20 time in the video, you mention adding oil so you don't forget because you are getting excited at nearly being done. I can certainly appreciate your thought process here. I'm not a small engine mechanic. I do have a lawn care business, so in order to save money, I do all of my own maintenance and so far, all of the repairs on my equipment I have done myself. Prior to going into the lawn care business (which is a retirement job for me just to stay active) I had a 54" John Deere Z425 zero turn mower that I had been using on my own yard and on my neighbors yard. I continued using that mower on my yard and my neighbors yard even after starting my lawn care business rather than using one of my other zero turn mowers on these yards. I developed a slow oil leak either on the sump gasket or PTO shaft, but I always checked the oil level prior to using it and would simply top it off once every couple of months as it needed oil. One day I did my yard and almost all of my neighbors yard when I started smelling burned oil. I only had a couple more passes to make on my neighbors yard, so I finished it and went back to my shed and started checking on the oil smell. I had no oil left that was visible on the dip stick. The mower was still running fine at that point when I parked it. I added oil up to the full line and there was a slow but steady dripping leak while sitting and it got worse when the engine was running. Either the gasket or the seal had seriously failed. I pulled the engine on it and pulled off the sump and replaced the oil pan (sump) gasket and the PTO seal. I reassembled the engine and put it back on the mower. Installed the PTO pulley and reattached the deck. I was so excited to have completed the job. I fired it up and it ran like a champ even under a load from the deck for about 1 minute and then I heard a "clink" sound and it wasn't running correctly. I turned it off and soon realized I hadn't added oil to the engine. I had failed to fill it up in my excitement over "completing" the job. I of course added oil, but that did nothing to help. It will run on one cylinder now, but that is all it will do. That was two years ago and it will still run on one cylinder, but it won't power the deck. I appreciate you saying what you did at the 1:22:20 mark. I've been there and failed to remember to do a very simple and basic task and I assume as a result I ruined a good engine. At some point I keep thinking I will pull that engine again and figure out what the damage actually is, but I just haven't gotten to that point yet. I have two good 52" Scag Tiger Cat II mowers that I can get the job done with and have no pressing reason to tear into the other mower. I'm sure that at some point I will get there, but I'm just not there yet. It was a bit defeating to have that happen. I have rebuilt a few smaller engines on walk behind mowers since then and they have all worked fine, but that taught me a lesson I will not forget. Keep up the great work!!!
I cannot tell you how satisfying I find the click of that torque wrench…
I really enjoyed this teardown. I like seeing things analyzed and then repaired.
Very nice to see you working on something older.
Your expertise as always shows that something that is older can be useful when cleaned up and maintained.
Have an old 1850 powermate and your posts on upkeep and maintenance really makes a difference.
Keep posting as it really helps us DYRers.
Hi James - great video again - you need to connect the earth strap from the power head to the frame.
Im a firm believer in lapping tool, however, i work with an older guy, both of us are certified on several makes of engines. Honda, Kohler, Kawasaki, Briggs etc, but he always uses a drill to lap the valves. Whats your or your followers opinion on this? I rather feel the lapping then using a drill. Thanks for all your hard work you put into your content, very much enjoy em
Awesome video as always. The old Briggs flathead manuals specified a break in of one tank fuel run at a steady moderate speed (I use around 2500 RPM for aluminum and 2000 RPM for cast iron) followed by an oil change. Second oil change after 4-5hrs of normal operation. Now were talking about much smaller fuel tanks so I let them run 1-1 1/2hrs or a tank of fuel, whichever comes first. The oil changes are critical as honing and new rings will get that break in oil quite silver. I've had great success on the handful of rebuilds I've done. If I reuse the rings and don't hone or just use new chrome rings with no hone, I push the second oil change to 50hrs or once a year.
I think (in fact I know) these gens (unfortunately) are governed to run at 3600 RPM ...
@@uploadJ Engine speeds can be changed for break in. Some generators have an adjustable screw while others by bending a tang. All your doing is changing governor spring tension. Some governor arms have multiple holes for sensitivity as well. Engine speed on generators is set by Hz frequency, not rpm. Actual no load rpm can be from 3400 to 3800 rpm with most falling into the 3600-3700 range.
@@petertothpete6518 re: "Engine speeds can be changed for break in."
Have literally NEVER seen that in the homeowners instructions. Forgive us if we think you are 'making this up' for all but the cases of professional gensets. Que?
@@uploadJ LOL No you won't find this in any modern owners manual. I'm talking about manuals from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. They were full of information on adjusting valves, governors, removing the cyl. head and cleaning the carbon, etc,etc. Much different times back then when engines would last many, many years. Regardless of how new the engines are, the principles of operation are the same. They still have a carburetor with a moving throttle and you can adjust the speed. James has done this in many videos to achieve the correct no load Hz setting. They can be backed off to run at a slower but steady speed for break in.
@@petertothpete6518 Well, 1973 was half a century ago ... all those small gens have been replaced since then. So, are we both right or are we both wrong? It goes w/o saying (again) that today's small gensets don't have the provision to do as you initially indicated. Cheers.
I've never done Small Engine tinkering, so your videos are chock full of learning experiences. However, finding that out of spec #1 ring was amazing. I confess I would have made the mistake of just throwing a "brand new" part in without checking. Thank you for that valuable lesson.
Hi James. Just want too say your videos are part of my up in the morning having coffee and see what your fixing today. I have learned quite a bit from watching your channel. Thanks for explaining and showing how you do it. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
Thank you for the video. Always nice to see / hear your thought process on repairing these.
Another Storm Responder saved from junk yard.Great video James,always look forward to Thursdays
Awesome! Never saw a tear-down of the generator or power plant assembly before. And I never thought about using space heaters as a load tester, but what is a commercial load tester other than a huge heater coil and fan? Looking back it seems like a "no-brainer" but I'd never thought about it that way before.
I got a free generator and took on the challenge because it seemed too easy of a fix. Turns out I was right; the previous owner left fuel sitting in it for about 2-1/2 years. After replacing the cutoff valve on the bottom of the tank and cleaning the carburetor the machine cranked right up and produced power. However it would not shut off with the switch. I had to cut off the fuel and wait for it to choke. When I restored fuel to it, there was a steady stream pouring thru the carb. I assume that's a bowl issue? How do I fix the kill switch? electrically it's just a ground to the magnet, shunted by the switch, right?
instead of using razor blades, have you considered cleaning off gaskets using one of the square carbide scrapers sold for that task (Lisle 81780 or similar)?
I just knew your curiosity would get the better of you and you wouldn't stop at the generator!
I think this was one of your best videos. Thanks.
Thank you all the way to 1978 in high school memories. Rebuilt one.
Learned what other kids do fill cylender with oil. I could not figure out what I did ?
Instructor said I been at this a long time try draining oil from cylinder. Quick fix lol
Great video James, your details are first class.
This video has a better storyline than the average hollywood movie😁👍
2 hours well spent I'd say 😀
Excellent as usual James, I also received parts that were supposed to be new and turned up slightly used. Thanks for the video.
A sharpened narrow pain scraper works just as good as a razor blade and is easier on the hands . I use a belt sander to sharpen the scraper . Also great for scraping the under side of the mower.
Thank you for the extended video. Excellent job
I always wire brush the magnets and oil the laminates on the coil a little when I have one down. Usually a light rub of oil on the magnet too. No trouble after that. Good fix and God Bless
Great video of course. Admirable how you quickly shifted gears from swap to total rebuild. Thanks for working on exactly the same mower that my son in law has so that the carb cleaning went smooth as silk
I can't believe that Briggs and Stratton would build a generator engine with an aluminum bore 🤨
Excellant restore. Gives me ideas what to check for if my generator goes. Right now is an after market carb on it and it hunts while running which leads me to believe it might be a carb issue. It's a UST GS-5500.
Great Teardown James! Front Row seat to see the repair!
An absolute pleasure to watch your videos James. Such an informative and honest channel
That number 2 piston ring being out of spec was either a manufacture problem or it has been used before. Something I would never have though of. Even checking it would have passed me by. A lot of work went into that lovely sounding engine. Well done and thanks. Cracking to watch :)
I believe we all benefit from following your steps (and missteps) to a happy conclusion !
James, this has to be one of the most detailed videos on a small engine rebuild that I have ever watched!!
I just picked up a generator like these to fix for a friend. So far i have it running but haven't figured out why it doesn't make power but i suspect that the brushes are bad
"While we have it apart, let's fix it right." Wow. If there were a Nobel Prize for integrity, this guy would be in a tux on his way to Stockholm. And how about that out-of-spec top ring right out of the box from Briggs? James, it was handy the existing top ring was in spec, but I think B&S owes you one! I've been working on small engines longer than you've been alive and I still learn something new every time I watch one of your videos. If there were more people like you in this world, the generators you work on wouldn't be such crucial necessities in what we (western industrial civilization) are facing this year (2024). Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing it with all of us!
Great rebuild and great to watch. The time flew by at my end, but I bet it was a long slog at yours! The sound that made as it unlocked was worrying for a moment, and made it seem as though something had just flown apart inside, but I guess it's the feel of the tool as that happens that gives you encouragement, and that can't be conveyed in a video. We just hear "clonk" and think, "uh oh ...".
Very good video.Really informative. Thanks a lot.
Unequivocally the best teaching small engines & generator repairs & exceptional productions on TH-cam! Such a perfectionist at Both! Excellent, James.
It's awesome how much patience you have! I can't believe how much of a pain in the bum those generators are to work on!! These videos taught me to run from repairing them
When I was a teenager in the 60's we used to go to the metal scrap yard and buy scrap engines. No thought of buying new spares... we used to file the big end journals round! then file the conrod and cap faces to make it tight, add some grinding compound and spin it, tighten some more , do it over and over until it had a reasonable fit. Used to modify them too, file the heads to raise compression. weld on the cams to change timing..
My grandfather was a machinist in an engine shop. His trick to see if a valve was properly lapped in was to take a pencil and make little hash marks all the way around the sealing face of the valve. He would then insert the valve into the head, and while only applying light pressure he would turn the valve very slightly, maybe 1/16 of a turn. He would then pull the valve out and inspect the lead marks. If properly seating, every pencil line would be cut in half.