I love how a trip to the Storage Unit for parts ALWAYS happens at night, like it's some clandestine and covert operation! LOL Great job James, as always, very entertaining.
@@landiahillfarm6590 @jcondon1 I actually keep thinking about how much he’s paying for storage plus the inconvenience of driving for parts every time. I came up with the idea of building his own storage unit built well recessed into the hillside so only the entrance is visible down at slightly above street level. Make it look like a Hobbit Storage. 😉
A truly inane design by Generac. The amount of removal to access anything is ridiculous. Congrats of getting all the parts and correcting all the problems. Thanks for sharing.
the good news is their generators dont get any better as they get bigger, id say everything from 100kw and down are all made by the same clown at least!
Thank you for the time you put into these videos. You often say "I hope this helps someone" and I have to say that you absolutely have! Thanks to what I have learned from you, I was able to diagnose and fix my lawn mower when it would not start. The carb had to be disassembled and cleaned. All good afterwards! Again, thanks for what you do!
A handy tip to remove the float pin would be to use a small deep well socket secured in a vise as a backup against the pin arm when using a punch to drive out the pin
Great. I have one of these. Bought it 11 years ago - Cost $1,500 - for my hurricane emergency perp here in Florida. Only has about 2 hours on it at this time. Just keeping it ready each season. Never needed it - yet. This was very helpful. I learned a lot about my generator. Thanks!
Wow!!! The variety of problems you corrected is amazing. I hope the previous owner watches how to actually assess and correct small engine problems rather than just "messing" around (including losing parts) and making things worse!!!
From the little experience I have had with Generac equipment and finding parts I don’t think I will be run to purchase one anytime soon. You are certainly well versed and your diagnostic skills far better than most. I commend your patience and perseverance drive this to conclusion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am glad this genny worked perfectly in the end. 🎉🎉 Jim, sorry...I went to edit my original comment and deleted my thank you for taking great care of putting the tires on my snowblower. I really appreciate the hard work you put into it. 🎉
I'm 62 and I loved this video! I may never be this talented but somehow this makes me feel good just watching and learning. Thank you so much for posting this.
I’ve been considering get into this as a small business for myself. You are a great inspiration and source of knowledge sir. I hope that if I ever run into an issue that completely stumps me I can ask your advice on a path forward. Well done sir.
When tapping on the pin, you may want to use a small long barrel socket to support the tabs on the carb. This should greatly reduce the risk of breaking them.
Got to be careful with carburetor cleaner/brake cleaner. They can swell rubber gaskets. (Some time you can shrink them back by washing in hot soapy water and letting the air dry.) I still have not been able to justify buying an ultrasonic cleaner. Especially since the last 2 jobs I just bought Hippa replacements !
As a tinkerer myself, my jealousy of that load bank is... well, its up there haha! Fantastic find on James' part. Sure beats a whole platoon of space heaters and adaptors
The good thing about your work is that you stay behind the problem until you find the solution, this method of working consistently is the right way to work, Good job.
Over the years, after watching several Generac repair videos, I would be very hesitant on purchasing one for myself. I could be wrong but they just don't seem to be made with quality components nor designed for ease of servicing. Another excellent video though. Thanks for creating them.
This one is made in the USA and is of high quality, but I swear they designed it to be as difficult as possible to service. Who puts the battery under the gas tank?!?!?
Although I've never owned one, I've been asked to fix quite a few of them - often with low hours on them. It's hard to be sure how representative they are, because obviously I only see the bad ones, but my feeling is that they seem to suffer a disturbingly high rate of early onset issues for a premium priced machine. The obvious comparison would be with the Honda generators - although I have seen quite a few of those that were broken they were generally either really old or obviously abused, while I've seen a bunch of Generacs that were low hours and looked clean and well treated, but were busted anyway.
James...I've been watching a lot of your videos and have hearned many good things. I wanted to pass on a hack I've used as a gunsmith working on AR-15s that may help with removing pins from the bowl float. The AR15 trigger guard has two thin tabs that you have to drive a roll pin through to attach the trigger guard arm. A constant hazard is breaking off one of the tabs, always the lower tab, which ruins the AR lower. I have discovered that using a piece of Delrin behind the tab when driving through the pin eliminates the tab from breaking off. For removal of the roll pin I have drilled an appropriately placed and sized hole into the Delrin for the pin to be driven into. A 1" by 1" cross section or 1" by 2" piece about 6 inches long can be clamped in a vise to provide the support. I admit it is a bit awkward balancing the item on the end of the Delrin and holding a hammer and a punch but it can be done. The Delrin is available from McMaster-Carr. I hope this helps or gives you an idea of your own to prevent breaking of the ears that hold on the bowl float and losing a perfectly good carburetor.
Another amazing video which demonstrates how important attention to details is of critical importance. One big problem seems to be the amount of extra time required to dismantle and then have to re-mantle parts/overcome design issues. Also, you reveal "engineering" issues which seem to turn up over and over again. Your PATIENCE is incredible. Many thanks!! Again!!
Its sad that these brand new machinese dont get proper maintenance and are fixed by anybody but luckily our guy here James does repairs and teaches us alot for generators me myself i have learned many new tips and tricks to save my generator thank you James
45:50 I love when you put in text comments of mistakes that you catch later. That really ropes in my interest to see how far you got before actually finding the mistake!
With former owners who shouldn't be working on their own equipment, it's a blessing in disguise 1000.00 Generator for 100.00 bucks minus some missing parts. You should be able to make a nice profit on this Generator that only has 77 hrs on it. As always Great Job James the Master Gen guy!
Years from now, James, you will be revered as the founder of a new faith... Any kidding aside, your videos have great potential for philosophical instruction. Anyone who needs a word of encouragement can find faith here. As a young person, I sometimes gave up when I could not find a workaround for one of life's puzzles. Your kids have a great dad and the rest of us have a great instructor. I am enjoying hobbies and work at home again, I think, in part, due to your videos. Thanks again for continuing your work.
Hello James: I cringed when I saw the bridge leg of the carburetor break off. I have had the same thing happen more than once. To prevent a further occurrence I now do 2 things. 1) take a small file or emery paper and remove some material from the pin end before trying to tap it out. It does not require much filling or Sanding just enough the the diameter is slightly reduced to provide clearance for the hole in the bridge post. 2) place the carbureator in the vice so the rear bridge post is parallel with the vice jaw. Using a small wood shim support the back side of the post against the vice jaw. Then tap the pin out. Once the pin moves do not remove it completely if it will not pull out easily. Just tap it flush with the bridge post to allow removal of the float. Emery or file the protruding portion of the pin before replacing the float to prevent breaking the post on reassembly. I have unfortunately also had them break reassembling. Good luck in your future carb pin removals. A bit of set up maneuvering to get the post supported but we'll worth the time.
Great Job Jim, your experience is showing through. Your lessons is to Never give up and be creative until you’re sure it’s not worth fixing. It becomes more economically viable when you do it yourself if you have the knowledge and skill. Thanks
Wow, I wouldn't have thought that little difference in hole position would have made that much difference.!! Well done. Most small engine videos do not cover the small details like governor theory, operation and adjustment. Thanks for all you do here. I'm learning so much. Thank you.
In 2011, I purchased a Generac GP 5500 to get us through a storm that left us without power for over seven days. Today, with your help, I was able to clean the carburetor, and now it’s running like new again. Thanks to your knowledge and videos, what seemed like a daunting task turned out to be an easy challenge. I really appreciate your guidance!
I had this exact generator. It came with a dead battery. The amount of screwing around just to replace the battery told me much. I promptly sold it to my in-laws.
@@gumbykevboIt’s like an albatross around my neck….now I get to field phone calls describing what’s not working, and then I get to come over and fix it. Karma at work.
Nice! Finally a video on my exact generator! Mine is 10 years old and runs fine, but its always good to see how to get things done on it if needed. Speaking of the battery, its original believe it or not, but I've always kept it on a Noco maintainer, and its stored garaged indoors.
@@jcondon1 Yeah as long as its a good one, a friend of mine had cheapies and they fried his batteries for ATV and Lawn Tractor. Noco is not cheap, but they are quality. Also nice to see it confirmed that it is a low noise generator unit as i remember when researching it back in the day, i have a lot of UPS inside for various computers and servers and they run just perfectly when the generator is hooked up to the house. If the power wasn't clean they'd be clicking and not going off battery.
Your a champion. I just fixed my weed trimmer after 3 years of not working. Needed a new carb and high and low tuned on the new carbon. Wouldn't have had the knowledge or motivation to fix it if I hadn't spent hours watching you. Thanks.
@25:53 I think I know what happened that broke the arm off. You were using a punch to get the rod out, which was working fine, except that you continued through to the second arm, operating "in the blind". I can see from the video that the punch is angled up slightly relative to the carb, which means the final couple of taps from the hammer actually had the punch on the arm instead of the end of the pin.
Honestly, once you have it far enough out to get the float out, you are playing with fire trying to go a little farther. That is the point at which you take the W and move on.
Reminds me when I had work experience at a tool-hiring company, after I nearly cross-threaded 2 spark-plugs on these small 4-stroke petrol engines they decided to stop removing the plug looking for carbon buildup and electrode gap before testing = if it performed properly on testing we assumed the spark plug was alright and didn’t need to be looked at
Hi James, I've been a follower of your videos since you started this channel. I must say, through your videos, I've learned a lot about small engines and generators. I'm super excited today because you are working on a generator that I have an issue with, that is the generac xg8000e. I can't get the voltage to stay at 120v when load is applied. It doesn't have a avr.
Yep, I've always wondered why a support isn't used, easy to get a bit of appropriately sized steel bar and drill a hole in it, tapping those float pins out with no support is just asking from trouble.
Thank you for producing such educational videos. I have been a mechanic ever since I was 5 years old, (just ask my dad). Bicycles, minibikes, gocarts, excetra, at 15 years old I rebuilt my first car engine with my own lunch money. I entered into the military at age 17 and became a diesel mechanic. It would be modest of me to say, i know a little bit about engines. Watching your channel has been very educational. Now, at age 62, you taught me that good enough isn't good enough. Thank you. You have learned me well. Lol
Great job, Jim! It's always difficult troubleshooting anything when it's got multiple issues, but you tracked 'em all down. Great job. Also - don't know if it's my ears, but the audio on this one sounds particularly good. Us elders appreciate your unusually fine production quality - a pleasure to watch and so seldom found on youtube. Watching your videos is fun because so few engines nowadays can be worked on without a laptop. Keep up the good work!
WHAT ENGINEER came to the conclusion that making the battery inaccessible, needing the fuel tank to be removed to even get access to, deserves the Engineer-Derp 🏆 award.
I thought that was absolutely ridiculous as well! The only (somewhat) saving grace for that choice is there's a charging port on the front, so they intend for you to use the power supply it came with to keep it float charged and maintained while not in use. And of course you can still pull start it. But if you know how fickle, especially cheap, AGM batteries can be.... still a silly design haha!
@@Wiresgalore the age old phrase "Not everyone in the boat is rowing your direction and some are drilling holes" comes to mind. Manufacturers do this to encourage paid service under the guise of "cosmetics" and "protecting people from themselves".
My take away on this one is that the previous mechanic was a bit inexperienced. The slip up on breaking the carb was a bit amusing but I'm sure you didn't think so. Good movie James.
I want to thank you James, you consistently deep dive into the finer details of what makes generators misbehave, I look forward to learning something and very often do, another excellent video with the added bonus of a not maintenance friendly generator
James, install a small 7 ah battery, wire in a small charger ( harbor freight 1 amp) and Bilge Blower to your testing SIMPLX unit so you can protect it in a sudden shut down event. Just add a toggle to kick it on. That way you can shut down a engine fast if a issue and keep the cooling on the unit.
I like that idea. Was considering reworking the fans to run on utility power, but I like your idea better. I had to shut it down quickly without proper cooldown because of that fuel leak. Thankfully the load was not run long so it was not that hot yet.
@@jcondon1 Active cooling isn't critical in this scenario. You have to keep continuous cooling on to keep the power resistors from overheating under power. If the generator fails you've removed the power, so the resistors aren't going to get any hotter whether there's a fan on them or not. They'll be fine. It's like turning the engine off on a car. It doesn't need the fan to keep cooling the engine anymore because it isn't generating any new heat to make it hotter. It'll just cool naturally.
It amazes me to see that moving the governor spring an eighth of an inch lower on the bracket made such a difference. You definitely know your stuff my friend. Well done!
@@stargazer7644 There is the issue of heat-soak. The elements of the resistors are very hot, that heat flows outward and is blown away when the fans are running. If the airflow stops, that heat keeps flowing out and heats up nearby stuff that might not be designed for it.
@@robertbackhaus8911 It's a metal box with resistors and a fan. The elements aren't that big and don't hold that much heat. We're not talking about a nuclear reactor here. The occasional killing of power is not going to hurt it.
Thursday morning - check. Cup of coffee - check. Sausage, egg and cheese biscuit - check. New James Condon video - check. All systems are go! It's gonna be a good day! Thanks for the video. 👌👌👍👍
From the video I saw where the new fuel line interfered with the heat shield on the engine housing. It was crimped before you put the air box on. Glad you got it working and fixed. Thanks for all the fault demonstrations.
Wow, “not really made with service in mind” is quite the understatement! Great job in spite of the Rubick’s Cube build design and the previous owners repair attempts! 🤯
I certainly enjoyed this episode like many of the others you've recorded. It's amazing. One of many reasons I continue watching is your shop and work area is organized and not filled full of junk . Cleaned and easy to observe what your doing. It's so great 😃👍..
Well James, I'm usually impressed with most of your repairs... but this one My hats off to you, Truly IMPRESSED!! Bravo I would have needed professional help if I did this job myself as well as questioning my sanity. Lol
Thanks for this video James. I wanted to share I not enjoy learning the technical bits from your video, but also the way in which you approach these challenges. In my day to day futzing in the workshop, whenever I run into a situation that requires a more measured approach (i.e. don't rush and make things worse), I ask myself "What would James Condon do?" And I slow down and make better choices (sometimes) :) Anyway, thanks for helping us "learn something."
Been enjoying your videos for years now James and never miss a Thursday morning showing, so thank you. Since you're pretty much a perfectionist in most matters, I thought I'd make some grammar observations just to help you improve your content ever so slightly :) 22:00 - Leave "well" enough alone. 10:35 - "Especially" doesn't have an "X", a "C", or a "K" in it :) (I'm sure that's a regional colloquial thing) 10:50 - You can't end a sentence with a preposition (like "at"). "Where we are.", not "where we're at.". "Which" is not a conjunction and can't be used in place of "And". 10:18 and 17:00 - Used correctly. 33:06 - Used incorrectly. Cheers, Sev PS - If you use some type of blocking under/behind the float pin arms when trying to drive the stubborn pins out, that might help. Or, maybe put a block between the two arms (under the pin) and then shave down the static end of a tiny c-clamp (or gun clamp) so you can apply direct pressure, like a gear puller would (use a spare pin once the stuck pin grounds out to an arm face).
I have had this issue since buying this exact generator several years ago. I did buy a clone carb but never installed it. I now know which way to go. Thank you. I needed this.
This was so enjoyable, and educational/helpful, to watch. Thank you for making this available to the public! I recognize there are the complete range of trained / experienced / inexperienced operators and mechanics watching your videos, and at the risk of potentially causing a few of the old professionals to pfff & raise their eyebrows, would you consider occasionally offering observations for prevention of common issues? That would help us novices avoid making the mistakes that may have caused some of the engine damage you observe & repair. Things like gas tank rust may be reduced or prevented by keeping the tank full of better quality gasoline because a full tank reduces or prevents the chance of water condensing out of the air onto the inside of the metal tank during cold weather. Just like a glass full of ice & water will condense moisture on its exterior from the outside air, so will air inside a gas tank condense moisture out onto the inside tank walls during cold weather. A note about fuel additives like Sta-Bil or HEET or Sea Foam & their competitors would be so useful to those of us who haven't heard of any of their benefits or drawbacks or of the special purposes each is designed to fill. Advice about completely draining a tank AND a carburetor before storing it is not out of order, either. Your best practices are always much appreciated, and just a word or two about why you do them, and what likely caused some negative issue that was preventable through whatever you observe, would go a long way towards guiding others to use best practices and enjoy longer trouble-free generator or engine/motor operation. If it's not in the cards to offer your suggestions or advice about causes & their preventions instead of only their corrections, that's OK, too. Your style & expertise are always appreciated. All my best to you!
James: When you were using a vise grip & an impact tool to remove the nut on the carb mounting stud, I laughed , thinking about all the machinists watching the video that were apoplectic about then!! (grin) Great video Sir, as ALL your videos are.
Hi James, I'm Robert. I want to express my gratitude for the years of videos on your channel. As a mechanic specializing in cooling devices, I consider myself skilled in my field. However, mechanics has always been a nightmare for me. Your clear explanations and meticulous care for your work have inspired me to confidently tackle maintenance on my generator, lawnmower, and other household items. Thank you once again. I have a question regarding HVAC compressors: we apply oil to the gasket during rebuilding, but I notice you don't use oil on engine gaskets. Could this be due to combustion? We use oil to seal the compressor. Thanks again.
Old timer mechanics do apply ordinary car bearing grease to any gasket they want to release in one piece when taking things like carbs off the engine repeatedly.... or after a long time. The grease also acts as a sealant.... but it never hardens so releases the two surfaces easily...
@@jcondon1 Hey James, thanks for your answer. I often see those gaskets sticking to the surface, and it's a real pain, but they do seal exceptionally well. Tankss again!!!
I moved my battery on my XG8000e to the normal place on the frame. Other than this design flaw this particular Generac is an excellent machine. Pressure lubricated with oil filter and a very low THD generator head. One of the best Generac portable gen sets
This year I started back at small engine repair. As word has gotten out I'm getting more and more jobs. But one thing I've made clear to anyone who brings me a lawn mower, chainsaw, generator, etc. is that if they have already tried to fix it themselves I automatically add $50 to the bill. One of the reasons I stopped doing small engine repair before was because of the, um... idiots who thought they knew what they were doing and then brought their problem to me after they did a complete fubar on it.
Been waiting for you to hit this model. They don’t run super smooth. The chokes mechanism as supplied does not always open 100% When running it does not maintain battery too. 😊
Something I learned a long time ago while working on carbs. Trucks mainly. Coat the gaskets in either motor oil or gear oil. Itll make them seal better and when you take them off. They wont tear.
Thank you once again James, I always learn something new. your methodical approach has been a lifesaver for me, can't tell you how much easier small engine repairs are for me now. Don't do many but those I do have worked out well after watching these vid's. Thank you for posting
I'm hooked on your channel! Great content! Great diagnostics! The garbage in the spark arrestor was nuts! Seeing all the rust on that exhaust makes me wonder, "do people just store their generators out in the weather?!" That's crazy to me! I also always wonder if people watch their machines get picked up by you for cheap or free and a few magic touches, they're running like new. I wonder if people regret their decisions to throw things away sometimes! Like, "can I have it back now?" "Yeah, sure, for the right price!"
Thank you so much! I really like the honesty in your videos; you could have never told us about the gas line you broke to look good and we would never have known why gas was leaking from a new carburetor. It would have looked like the dealer was shipping poor quality parts. But no, now we know the carburetor was good and can be used for something else.
HI, James Tip for pins like the one on the carb I connect a drill chuck to it and rotate the chuck. this works very well. I wonder if JB weld would hold the broken float mount. Rich
I have an XP8000E same issue. I did the same things you did. Ended up replacing carb with a direct replacement and made a small adjustment to the governor and it fixed it.
Nice job, I would have charged the owner well in excess of $100.00 just in labor, no wonder he got rid of it. Great to see you using WIX filters. Good filter. 👍
Got one of these a few days ago. Did the oil, plugs, filters, and cleaned the carb. When I tore the carbs apart, I realized the main jet was broken. It ran kinda rough with choke fully off, hoping this fixes it. Now to find a main jet! Update: I couldn’t figure it out, the generator started to run out of control, sent it to my small engine shop.
An absolutely helpful video. It was also quite entertaining. We almost always learn a bit of something from your videos, but for me this time, it was a better understanding of the sensitivity built into the governor system. 👍👍
I think this is the most difficult load test you've ever had on the channel, lol. This one made you work for it. This one is a really good machine though. You should make some good money on it.
1:19:25 - 1:21:53 I could see, while you were moving the governor spring, that the hole you ended up successfully using has a ridge the other holes, besides the one the spring was in, didn't have. To me, it looks like it was the original home for the spring. Thanks for the video. 👍😊
As i have said i praise you for your extra perfect job and every job that you do is over the sky 100% better than fabric made the only problem that i would have buying an engine from you is maybe getting parts if it should go bad some day
Hi, Jim. Just wanted to mention that it would be handy to have one of those mini butane torches. You can get in a tight spaces without melting stuff? Heat up the stud to get the carburetor nut off or vice versa. I have one in my shop and 1 in the generator service vehicle.
Your such a perfectionist..My my..& their is nothing wrong with that...Anything u repair is like brand new when your done.... better then new ...Good job bud
At 45:00, as you're putting the tank back in place, I was going, "What about the heat shield?" Doh! Then I kept watching . . . and at 47:00, you installed it.
A good one Jim this one had many quirks ,and missing parts to deal with ,but in the end the machine tested to it's rated output ,and the surge problem was fixed good deal
Beeen a subsrciber for a couple months. Really enjoy your talent. It is most impressive the way you use logical dianostics to determine the real problems and remedies. You are a true Pro! Thanks...oh yea...they are enteratining too!
I love how a trip to the Storage Unit for parts ALWAYS happens at night, like it's some clandestine and covert operation! LOL Great job James, as always, very entertaining.
I love how thorough he is with everything but can't pronounce ESPECIALLY 😂😂😂😂 not making fun I just lmao every time he says it 😂😂
Maybe a new YT-series "Storage Unit By Night With James" 👍
@@landiahillfarm6590
@jcondon1
I actually keep thinking about how much he’s paying for storage plus the inconvenience of driving for parts every time. I came up with the idea of building his own storage unit built well recessed into the hillside so only the entrance is visible down at slightly above street level. Make it look like a Hobbit Storage. 😉
This assumes it is James’s storage unit!
@@alanstalker5499 😂
A truly inane design by Generac. The amount of removal to access anything is ridiculous.
Congrats of getting all the parts and correcting all the problems.
Thanks for sharing.
the good news is their generators dont get any better as they get bigger, id say everything from 100kw and down are all made by the same clown at least!
Thank you for the time you put into these videos. You often say "I hope this helps someone" and I have to say that you absolutely have! Thanks to what I have learned from you, I was able to diagnose and fix my lawn mower when it would not start. The carb had to be disassembled and cleaned. All good afterwards! Again, thanks for what you do!
Glad to hear!
A handy tip to remove the float pin would be to use a small deep well socket secured in a vise as a backup against the pin arm when using a punch to drive out the pin
Thanks for the idea
James to wife: "Another one followed me home"!
Wife to James: "Imagine that"
Id love to see James do a little skit with his wife playing out this comment. hahah
Great. I have one of these. Bought it 11 years ago - Cost $1,500 - for my hurricane emergency perp here in Florida. Only has about 2 hours on it at this time. Just keeping it ready each season. Never needed it - yet. This was very helpful. I learned a lot about my generator. Thanks!
Lucky! My 7 year old portable generator gets regular use here in Houston! Glad we have it! 11 days without power after Beryl recently.
Wow!!! The variety of problems you corrected is amazing. I hope the previous owner watches how to actually assess and correct small engine problems rather than just "messing" around (including losing parts) and making things worse!!!
From the little experience I have had with Generac equipment and finding parts I don’t think I will be run to purchase one anytime soon. You are certainly well versed and your diagnostic skills far better than most. I commend your patience and perseverance drive this to conclusion. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Some people shouldn't own equipment or a set of wrenches.
I am glad this genny worked perfectly in the end. 🎉🎉 Jim, sorry...I went to edit my original comment and deleted my thank you for taking great care of putting the tires on my snowblower. I really appreciate the hard work you put into it. 🎉
I'm 62 and I loved this video! I may never be this talented but somehow this makes me feel good just watching and learning. Thank you so much for posting this.
You are so welcome!
I’ve been considering get into this as a small business for myself. You are a great inspiration and source of knowledge sir. I hope that if I ever run into an issue that completely stumps me I can ask your advice on a path forward. Well done sir.
When tapping on the pin, you may want to use a small long barrel socket to support the tabs on the carb. This should greatly reduce the risk of breaking them.
Ooh a new degreaser in the ultrasonic cleaner. I can't explain why I get so much joy watching a carb go in there lol
It's pretty hard to find degreaser that won't eat aluminum. Pretty surprised he doesn't have a new one every time.
Got to be careful with carburetor cleaner/brake cleaner. They can swell rubber gaskets. (Some time you can shrink them back by washing in hot soapy water and letting the air dry.)
I still have not been able to justify buying an ultrasonic cleaner. Especially since the last 2 jobs I just bought Hippa replacements !
@@jackpatteeuw9244I have one but small. Only use it for jewelry and small electronic things. Works well for that.
That load tester pulled its weight in this video, the issues only were surfacing under load
As a tinkerer myself, my jealousy of that load bank is... well, its up there haha! Fantastic find on James' part. Sure beats a whole platoon of space heaters and adaptors
The good thing about your work is that you stay behind the problem until you find the solution, this method of working consistently is the right way to work, Good job.
Over the years, after watching several Generac repair videos, I would be very hesitant on purchasing one for myself. I could be wrong but they just don't seem to be made with quality components nor designed for ease of servicing. Another excellent video though. Thanks for creating them.
This one is made in the USA and is of high quality, but I swear they designed it to be as difficult as possible to service. Who puts the battery under the gas tank?!?!?
It is actually a well made machine, just a little more challenging to service. Working on a Honda now that makes this one look easy.
Don’t buy one, they are junk now and service is terrible 😢
Although I've never owned one, I've been asked to fix quite a few of them - often with low hours on them. It's hard to be sure how representative they are, because obviously I only see the bad ones, but my feeling is that they seem to suffer a disturbingly high rate of early onset issues for a premium priced machine. The obvious comparison would be with the Honda generators - although I have seen quite a few of those that were broken they were generally either really old or obviously abused, while I've seen a bunch of Generacs that were low hours and looked clean and well treated, but were busted anyway.
James...I've been watching a lot of your videos and have hearned many good things. I wanted to pass on a hack I've used as a gunsmith working on AR-15s that may help with removing pins from the bowl float. The AR15 trigger guard has two thin tabs that you have to drive a roll pin through to attach the trigger guard arm. A constant hazard is breaking off one of the tabs, always the lower tab, which ruins the AR lower. I have discovered that using a piece of Delrin behind the tab when driving through the pin eliminates the tab from breaking off. For removal of the roll pin I have drilled an appropriately placed and sized hole into the Delrin for the pin to be driven into. A 1" by 1" cross section or 1" by 2" piece about 6 inches long can be clamped in a vise to provide the support. I admit it is a bit awkward balancing the item on the end of the Delrin and holding a hammer and a punch but it can be done. The Delrin is available from McMaster-Carr. I hope this helps or gives you an idea of your own to prevent breaking of the ears that hold on the bowl float and losing a perfectly good carburetor.
Thanks for the tip
Another amazing video which demonstrates how important attention to details is of critical importance. One big problem seems to be the amount of extra time required to dismantle and then have to re-mantle parts/overcome design issues. Also, you reveal "engineering" issues which seem to turn up over and over again. Your PATIENCE is incredible. Many thanks!! Again!!
Its sad that these brand new machinese dont get proper maintenance and are fixed by anybody but luckily our guy here James does repairs and teaches us alot for generators me myself i have learned many new tips and tricks to save my generator thank you James
45:50 I love when you put in text comments of mistakes that you catch later. That really ropes in my interest to see how far you got before actually finding the mistake!
With former owners who shouldn't be working on their own equipment, it's a blessing in disguise 1000.00 Generator for 100.00 bucks minus some missing parts. You should be able to make a nice profit on this Generator that only has 77 hrs on it. As always Great Job James the Master Gen guy!
Years from now, James, you will be revered as the founder of a new faith... Any kidding aside, your videos have great potential for philosophical instruction. Anyone who needs a word of encouragement can find faith here. As a young person, I sometimes gave up when I could not find a workaround for one of life's puzzles. Your kids have a great dad and the rest of us have a great instructor. I am enjoying hobbies and work at home again, I think, in part, due to your videos. Thanks again for continuing your work.
Hello James: I cringed when I saw the bridge leg of the carburetor break off.
I have had the same thing happen more than once. To prevent a further occurrence I now do 2 things. 1) take a small file or emery paper and remove some material from the pin end before trying to tap it out. It does not require much filling or Sanding just enough the the diameter is slightly reduced to provide clearance for the hole in the bridge post. 2) place the carbureator in the vice so the rear bridge post is parallel with the vice jaw. Using a small wood shim support the back side of the post against the vice jaw. Then tap the pin out. Once the pin moves do not remove it completely if it will not pull out easily. Just tap it flush with the bridge post to allow removal of the float. Emery or file the protruding portion of the pin before replacing the float to prevent breaking the post on reassembly. I have unfortunately also had them break reassembling. Good luck in your future carb pin removals. A bit of set up maneuvering to get the post supported but we'll worth the time.
Thanks for the tip!
Great Job Jim, your experience is showing through. Your lessons is to Never give up and be creative until you’re sure it’s not worth fixing. It becomes more economically viable when you do it yourself if you have the knowledge and skill. Thanks
Your videos certainly help me create solutions to my portable generator issues.
Wow, I wouldn't have thought that little difference in hole position would have made that much difference.!! Well done. Most small engine videos do not cover the small details like governor theory, operation and adjustment. Thanks for all you do here. I'm learning so much. Thank you.
You make it look so easy mate... Well done on getting that machine to purr correctly! Thanks for the video
In 2011, I purchased a Generac GP 5500 to get us through a storm that left us without power for over seven days. Today, with your help, I was able to clean the carburetor, and now it’s running like new again. Thanks to your knowledge and videos, what seemed like a daunting task turned out to be an easy challenge. I really appreciate your guidance!
I had this exact generator. It came with a dead battery. The amount of screwing around just to replace the battery told me much. I promptly sold it to my in-laws.
And now you wonder why your in-laws don't treat you nice.
@@gumbykevboIt’s like an albatross around my neck….now I get to field phone calls describing what’s not working, and then I get to come over and fix it. Karma at work.
Nice! Finally a video on my exact generator! Mine is 10 years old and runs fine, but its always good to see how to get things done on it if needed.
Speaking of the battery, its original believe it or not, but I've always kept it on a Noco maintainer, and its stored garaged indoors.
I believe it. A battery maintainer will keep a battery good for a long time.
@@jcondon1 Yeah as long as its a good one, a friend of mine had cheapies and they fried his batteries for ATV and Lawn Tractor. Noco is not cheap, but they are quality. Also nice to see it confirmed that it is a low noise generator unit as i remember when researching it back in the day, i have a lot of UPS inside for various computers and servers and they run just perfectly when the generator is hooked up to the house. If the power wasn't clean they'd be clicking and not going off battery.
Your a champion. I just fixed my weed trimmer after 3 years of not working. Needed a new carb and high and low tuned on the new carbon. Wouldn't have had the knowledge or motivation to fix it if I hadn't spent hours watching you. Thanks.
@25:53 I think I know what happened that broke the arm off. You were using a punch to get the rod out, which was working fine, except that you continued through to the second arm, operating "in the blind". I can see from the video that the punch is angled up slightly relative to the carb, which means the final couple of taps from the hammer actually had the punch on the arm instead of the end of the pin.
Honestly, once you have it far enough out to get the float out, you are playing with fire trying to go a little farther. That is the point at which you take the W and move on.
Reminds me when I had work experience at a tool-hiring company, after I nearly cross-threaded 2 spark-plugs on these small 4-stroke petrol engines they decided to stop removing the plug looking for carbon buildup and electrode gap before testing = if it performed properly on testing we assumed the spark plug was alright and didn’t need to be looked at
Does made in America still mean what it used to?
I was thinking the same. Jim was hammering the arm not the pin.
Hi James, I've been a follower of your videos since you started this channel. I must say, through your videos, I've learned a lot about small engines and generators. I'm super excited today because you are working on a generator that I have an issue with, that is the generac xg8000e. I can't get the voltage to stay at 120v when load is applied. It doesn't have a avr.
I believe this one has a capacitor. Likely down by the generator end cover or in the control panel.
I back up the arm for support when tapping pins out. Also, once pins move, cycle them in place with solvent to clear varnish.
Yep, I've always wondered why a support isn't used, easy to get a bit of appropriately sized steel bar and drill a hole in it, tapping those float pins out with no support is just asking from trouble.
Yes if it’s not free sonic cleaner and then back up arm for sure 😊
@@572BtriodeI made a back up for them, hate breaking stuff 😊
That design is a fuster cluck. Imagine the power goes out and ya gotta deal with getting that generator running? Excellent video James!
The frame design is so bad, like they intentionally made it difficult to work on.
For the price of a clone compared to one, the issues seem surmountable and minor
Thank you for producing such educational videos. I have been a mechanic ever since I was 5 years old, (just ask my dad). Bicycles, minibikes, gocarts, excetra, at 15 years old I rebuilt my first car engine with my own lunch money. I entered into the military at age 17 and became a diesel mechanic. It would be modest of me to say, i know a little bit about engines. Watching your channel has been very educational. Now, at age 62, you taught me that good enough isn't good enough. Thank you. You have learned me well. Lol
I appreciate the VGG call-out for the carb repair chapter. Fuel make it happener!
Great job, Jim! It's always difficult troubleshooting anything when it's got multiple issues, but you tracked 'em all down. Great job. Also - don't know if it's my ears, but the audio on this one sounds particularly good. Us elders appreciate your unusually fine production quality - a pleasure to watch and so seldom found on youtube. Watching your videos is fun because so few engines nowadays can be worked on without a laptop. Keep up the good work!
WHAT ENGINEER came to the conclusion that making the battery inaccessible, needing the fuel tank to be removed to even get access to, deserves the Engineer-Derp 🏆 award.
I thought that was absolutely ridiculous as well! The only (somewhat) saving grace for that choice is there's a charging port on the front, so they intend for you to use the power supply it came with to keep it float charged and maintained while not in use. And of course you can still pull start it. But if you know how fickle, especially cheap, AGM batteries can be.... still a silly design haha!
@@Wiresgalore the age old phrase "Not everyone in the boat is rowing your direction and some are drilling holes" comes to mind. Manufacturers do this to encourage paid service under the guise of "cosmetics" and "protecting people from themselves".
🤣
My take away on this one is that the previous mechanic was a bit inexperienced. The slip up on breaking the carb was a bit amusing but I'm sure you didn't think so. Good movie James.
I want to thank you James, you consistently deep dive into the finer details of what makes generators misbehave, I look forward to learning something and very often do, another excellent video with the added bonus of a not maintenance friendly generator
You are very welcome
When I get a broken machine, if the oil is low, I put used oil in it until I can get it working properly.
@@geyser3445 Same here.
Same
James, install a small 7 ah battery, wire in a small charger ( harbor freight 1 amp) and Bilge Blower to your testing SIMPLX unit so you can protect it in a sudden shut down event. Just add a toggle to kick it on. That way you can shut down a engine fast if a issue and keep the cooling on the unit.
I like that idea. Was considering reworking the fans to run on utility power, but I like your idea better. I had to shut it down quickly without proper cooldown because of that fuel leak. Thankfully the load was not run long so it was not that hot yet.
@@jcondon1 Active cooling isn't critical in this scenario. You have to keep continuous cooling on to keep the power resistors from overheating under power. If the generator fails you've removed the power, so the resistors aren't going to get any hotter whether there's a fan on them or not. They'll be fine.
It's like turning the engine off on a car. It doesn't need the fan to keep cooling the engine anymore because it isn't generating any new heat to make it hotter. It'll just cool naturally.
It amazes me to see that moving the governor spring an eighth of an inch lower on the bracket made such a difference. You definitely know your stuff my friend. Well done!
@@stargazer7644 There is the issue of heat-soak. The elements of the resistors are very hot, that heat flows outward and is blown away when the fans are running. If the airflow stops, that heat keeps flowing out and heats up nearby stuff that might not be designed for it.
@@robertbackhaus8911 It's a metal box with resistors and a fan. The elements aren't that big and don't hold that much heat. We're not talking about a nuclear reactor here. The occasional killing of power is not going to hurt it.
Thursday morning - check.
Cup of coffee - check.
Sausage, egg and cheese biscuit - check.
New James Condon video - check.
All systems are go!
It's gonna be a good day!
Thanks for the video. 👌👌👍👍
When smashing out float pin , support the post via tube in vice and knock pin into tube, love your work
Thank you for the explanation of the governor. Watching that engine just about walk off when you took the load off was crazy. Awesome video! .
From the video I saw where the new fuel line interfered with the heat shield on the engine housing. It was crimped before you put the air box on. Glad you got it working and fixed. Thanks for all the fault demonstrations.
It’s great how you stay calm when you find stuff missing and bits fall off. Really enjoy these generator videos, I’m learning stuff from you 👍
Wow, “not really made with service in mind” is quite the understatement! Great job in spite of the Rubick’s Cube build design and the previous owners repair attempts! 🤯
I certainly enjoyed this episode like many of the others you've recorded. It's amazing.
One of many reasons I continue watching is your shop and work area is organized and not filled full of junk . Cleaned and easy to observe what your doing. It's so great 😃👍..
Well James, I'm usually impressed with most of your repairs... but this one My hats off to you, Truly IMPRESSED!! Bravo I would have needed professional help if I did this job myself as well as questioning my sanity. Lol
Thanks for this video James. I wanted to share I not enjoy learning the technical bits from your video, but also the way in which you approach these challenges. In my day to day futzing in the workshop, whenever I run into a situation that requires a more measured approach (i.e. don't rush and make things worse), I ask myself "What would James Condon do?" And I slow down and make better choices (sometimes) :)
Anyway, thanks for helping us "learn something."
Been enjoying your videos for years now James and never miss a Thursday morning showing, so thank you. Since you're pretty much a perfectionist in most matters, I thought I'd make some grammar observations just to help you improve your content ever so slightly :)
22:00 - Leave "well" enough alone.
10:35 - "Especially" doesn't have an "X", a "C", or a "K" in it :) (I'm sure that's a regional colloquial thing)
10:50 - You can't end a sentence with a preposition (like "at"). "Where we are.", not "where we're at.".
"Which" is not a conjunction and can't be used in place of "And".
10:18 and 17:00 - Used correctly. 33:06 - Used incorrectly.
Cheers, Sev
PS - If you use some type of blocking under/behind the float pin arms when trying to drive the stubborn pins out, that might help. Or, maybe put a block between the two arms (under the pin) and then shave down the static end of a tiny c-clamp (or gun clamp) so you can apply direct pressure, like a gear puller would (use a spare pin once the stuck pin grounds out to an arm face).
Thanks for the tips
Good job Doc, nice little generator
I have had this issue since buying this exact generator several years ago. I did buy a clone carb but never installed it. I now know which way to go. Thank you. I needed this.
I fixed my brush trimmer because of the things I’ve learned from you. Keep up the good work. Thanks
This was so enjoyable, and educational/helpful, to watch. Thank you for making this available to the public! I recognize there are the complete range of trained / experienced / inexperienced operators and mechanics watching your videos, and at the risk of potentially causing a few of the old professionals to pfff & raise their eyebrows, would you consider occasionally offering observations for prevention of common issues? That would help us novices avoid making the mistakes that may have caused some of the engine damage you observe & repair. Things like gas tank rust may be reduced or prevented by keeping the tank full of better quality gasoline because a full tank reduces or prevents the chance of water condensing out of the air onto the inside of the metal tank during cold weather. Just like a glass full of ice & water will condense moisture on its exterior from the outside air, so will air inside a gas tank condense moisture out onto the inside tank walls during cold weather. A note about fuel additives like Sta-Bil or HEET or Sea Foam & their competitors would be so useful to those of us who haven't heard of any of their benefits or drawbacks or of the special purposes each is designed to fill. Advice about completely draining a tank AND a carburetor before storing it is not out of order, either. Your best practices are always much appreciated, and just a word or two about why you do them, and what likely caused some negative issue that was preventable through whatever you observe, would go a long way towards guiding others to use best practices and enjoy longer trouble-free generator or engine/motor operation. If it's not in the cards to offer your suggestions or advice about causes & their preventions instead of only their corrections, that's OK, too. Your style & expertise are always appreciated. All my best to you!
This is the first time I’ve come across adjusting out the surge with the governor spring, so thanks very much for that, Jim! 🔧👍
Incredible ... this demonstrates that some people, the original owner in this case, should not take anything apart!
James: When you were using a vise grip & an impact tool to remove the nut on the carb mounting stud, I laughed , thinking about all the machinists watching the video that were apoplectic about then!! (grin) Great video Sir, as ALL your videos are.
Hi James, I'm Robert. I want to express my gratitude for the years of videos on your channel. As a mechanic specializing in cooling devices, I consider myself skilled in my field. However, mechanics has always been a nightmare for me. Your clear explanations and meticulous care for your work have inspired me to confidently tackle maintenance on my generator, lawnmower, and other household items. Thank you once again. I have a question regarding HVAC compressors: we apply oil to the gasket during rebuilding, but I notice you don't use oil on engine gaskets. Could this be due to combustion? We use oil to seal the compressor. Thanks again.
Old timer mechanics do apply ordinary car bearing grease to any gasket they want to release in one piece when taking things like carbs off the engine repeatedly....
or after a long time.
The grease also acts as a sealant....
but it never hardens so releases the two surfaces easily...
Oil is not a bad idea. I also see a lot of people use grease. The gasket still seals, but you can later take it apart and not damage the gasket.
@@jcondon1 Hey James, thanks for your answer. I often see those gaskets sticking to the surface, and it's a real pain, but they do seal exceptionally well. Tankss again!!!
I moved my battery on my XG8000e to the normal place on the frame. Other than this design flaw this particular Generac is an excellent machine. Pressure lubricated with oil filter and a very low THD generator head. One of the best Generac portable gen sets
It is one of the best portable generators. It offers more than most.
Harbor Freight has the allen in a 1/2 socket of various size allen hex sizes. Very useful!
This year I started back at small engine repair. As word has gotten out I'm getting more and more jobs. But one thing I've made clear to anyone who brings me a lawn mower, chainsaw, generator, etc. is that if they have already tried to fix it themselves I automatically add $50 to the bill. One of the reasons I stopped doing small engine repair before was because of the, um... idiots who thought they knew what they were doing and then brought their problem to me after they did a complete fubar on it.
Appreciate your ability to work on these things. I did learn something. What I learned is that I don't want one.
Been waiting for you to hit this model. They don’t run super smooth. The chokes mechanism as supplied does not always open 100%
When running it does not maintain battery too. 😊
Ever growing list of missing parts dang you are polite and patient undoing a mess
I really appreciate your tenacity to get to the bottom of the problems!
Something I learned a long time ago while working on carbs. Trucks mainly. Coat the gaskets in either motor oil or gear oil. Itll make them seal better and when you take them off. They wont tear.
25:31 “Let’s try this in the vise”
[Me]: 😂 Those famous last words.
🤣
An absolute gem for technical issues problem solving. Thank You James😊
It pains me to watch governor problems, I mean it really hertz.
😁
Serious dad joke alert! 😂
Thank you once again James, I always learn something new. your methodical approach has been a lifesaver for me, can't tell you how much easier small engine repairs are for me now. Don't do many but those I do have worked out well after watching these vid's. Thank you for posting
I'm hooked on your channel! Great content! Great diagnostics! The garbage in the spark arrestor was nuts! Seeing all the rust on that exhaust makes me wonder, "do people just store their generators out in the weather?!" That's crazy to me! I also always wonder if people watch their machines get picked up by you for cheap or free and a few magic touches, they're running like new. I wonder if people regret their decisions to throw things away sometimes! Like, "can I have it back now?" "Yeah, sure, for the right price!"
Excellent video that covers what could end up as an awkward situation.
Saved quite a bit of money having that parts machine.
For sure it’s not worth fixing them if you don’t have junk ones for parts 😊
Just being able to identify and fix one problem at a time to make a complete repair. Nice work Jim.
Since the carb was already opened, feel free to blame the weakened arm on the last guy ;)
Thank you so much! I really like the honesty in your videos; you could have never told us about the gas line you broke to look good and we would never have known why gas was leaking from a new carburetor. It would have looked like the dealer was shipping poor quality parts. But no, now we know the carburetor was good and can be used for something else.
You are so welcome!
JAMES you are a generator magician. congratulation.
HI, James Tip for pins like the one on the carb I connect a drill chuck to it and rotate the chuck. this works very well.
I wonder if JB weld would hold the broken float mount.
Rich
Thank you for showing so many reasons as to why the XG series is such a pain to service and maintain. I'll be sure to avoid ever owning one.
I have an XP8000E same issue. I did the same things you did. Ended up replacing carb with a direct replacement and made a small adjustment to the governor and it fixed it.
Nice job, I would have charged the owner well in excess of $100.00 just in labor, no wonder he got rid of it. Great to see you using WIX filters. Good filter. 👍
Got one of these a few days ago. Did the oil, plugs, filters, and cleaned the carb. When I tore the carbs apart, I realized the main jet was broken. It ran kinda rough with choke fully off, hoping this fixes it. Now to find a main jet!
Update: I couldn’t figure it out, the generator started to run out of control, sent it to my small engine shop.
I have the same generator. You are so correct. The generator was designed on purpose to be a pain in the butt to work on.
The most meaningful thing I have learned on your channel James, and there is a lot, is to never buy, or own a generac.
Running really late today. I really can't believe that it's Thursday again. As usual, enjoyed the video, James. See you next week.
Thanks again!
An absolutely helpful video. It was also quite entertaining. We almost always learn a bit of something from your videos, but for me this time, it was a better understanding of the sensitivity built into the governor system. 👍👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
I think this is the most difficult load test you've ever had on the channel, lol. This one made you work for it. This one is a really good machine though. You should make some good money on it.
1:19:25 - 1:21:53 I could see, while you were moving the governor spring, that the hole you ended up successfully using has a ridge the other holes, besides the one the spring was in, didn't have. To me, it looks like it was the original home for the spring.
Thanks for the video. 👍😊
As i have said i praise you for your extra perfect job and every job that you do is over the sky 100% better than fabric made the only problem that i would have buying an engine from you is maybe getting parts if it should go bad some day
Awesome video thanks for staying with it. 👍
nice work James. You taught us a lot about gens. Things I'll take with me with my new gen. Thank you!
Hi, Jim. Just wanted to mention that it would be handy to have one of those mini butane torches. You can get in a tight spaces without melting stuff? Heat up the stud to get the carburetor nut off or vice versa. I have one in my shop and 1 in the generator service vehicle.
I have one. Should have tried it. Melting the float would have been a better option than trashing that carb body.
Your such a perfectionist..My my..& their is nothing wrong with that...Anything u repair is like brand new when your done.... better then new ...Good job bud
At 45:00, as you're putting the tank back in place, I was going, "What about the heat shield?" Doh! Then I kept watching . . . and at 47:00, you installed it.
Dang. Probably should have used a deep well socket to support the float pin boss while tapping on it huh?
Super cool videos, man.
A good one Jim this one had many quirks ,and missing parts to deal with ,but in the end the machine tested to it's rated output ,and the surge problem was fixed good deal
Thank you for the movie, I’ve never watched a TH-cam video this long. Can’t wait for the next video.
Beeen a subsrciber for a couple months. Really enjoy your talent. It is most impressive the way you use logical dianostics to determine the real problems and remedies. You are a true Pro! Thanks...oh yea...they are enteratining too!
Thanks