Owners of EVERY small engine need to have the voice of my father in their head....... "Whenever you fuel your small engine, Check the oil level"....... and "When you take your engine from storage, check the oil before starting it." Once we borrowed a generator for a few days from a gent across town who did NOT have power issues at his home. Each time I re-fueled the tank... I topped the oil if it was possible... and when the power was returned, I did an oil change on his generator, using good quality HD30. I sincerely hope he was satisfied that I respected his equipment.
I've had terrible luck re-flashing with a power drill by hand. I got the bright idea one time to wrap a long piece of pull cord around the chuck, and yank the cord away. That pull cord helped my drill to spin way faster and longer than I could by hand. It worked that time. Again, I'm in awe of your perseverance to get these generators going, so much more details than a lawnmower.
Thanks. I actually tried spinning the drill with another and still nothing. As someone pointed out a drill is a universal motor and not great for flashing the field. Like a generator the rotor in the drill is an electro magnet. So only the residual magnetism is pushing a bit of power into the stator. Using a battery works much better.
I'm glad you were able to get a good video out of this. I definitely didn't have the issue with the choke the last time it ran, but I'm happy to see it running well and making power again. I'm looking forward to see what you find with the snowblower. Thanks again for these in depth videos.
Great video. A lot of creators are afraid of making longer videos. But if the content is there and good, it doesn’t matter. Thanks for the countless hours of entertainment.
Absolutely agree that I love the longer videos as well. But I believe others don't make longer videos only because they only do enough to get monetized. And thats sad. Many have these complex issues that they are investigating and the resulting video is less than 15 minutes. None of their videos go any longer. That is a created that simply wants to monetize a video- no other focus. James is definitely not that guy.
I love that you took the time to explain how the residual magnetism in the rotor works. I have not so much as touched a generator in my life, and I binge your videos just because I love your methodical approach so much. I'm a software architect/engineer, and I feel we have a similar troubleshooting process
Let’s be honest…lack of an oil sensor DOES NOT kill these machines. Owner’s failing to check the oil level is what kills them. Oil sensor is nice, but unless there is other catastrophic failure that immediately depletes the oil (in which case you have larger problems), an oil sensor will only save a complacent owner who never checks the oil.
Ever trust the oil sensor, first off it only tells you when your oil is low if it's even reliable, second it doesn't tell you how dirty your oil is. I have a champion 4500 and a pulsar 3500 generator that I run every day for a test 8 hours or more very day. I've had the champion for 5 years and the only problem I have had with it was I had to change the brushes on it,which is a cheap part you can get a 10 part for like 6 or 7 dollars on line and it's a 5 min fix, and I had to clean the carburetor out once. With the pulsar the only problem I've ever had with that is the plastic choke level snapped off because I was using it in -10 degrees Fahrenheit. And I think that the plastic was just too brittle because of how cold it was. But other than that I have never had a single problem with either generator and I use them on a daily basis running them pretty much all day. And still to this day after owning the champion for 5 years and the pulsar for 4 years they still run like the day I bought them off the shelf. Maintaining your engine no matter what it is whether it be a generator a lawn mower or a car or any other machine, goes along way e en with cheaper products. Well at least when it comes to generators. I know people are going to laugh when I say this but I love champion generators and I love pulsar generators because they have never let me down and the parts for them are so dang cheap. And as long as you keep up with the maintenance they will never let you down. Oh and in case anybody wonders why I have to run my generators for a minimum of 8 hours every day it's because I live off grid, I built my own house I can't stand having neighbors I can't stand homeowners associations telling me how I should live I like being able to shoot my guns when I want wherever I want. And what do I do for power for the rest of the day and night when I need electricity and I'm not running my generators well I went to a junkyard and bought the batteries out of four different Teslas and I use my generators to charge the Tesla's batteries so that way I will have power when I'm not running my generators and yes I do have solar panels but it takes a lot of energy to power up the amount of Tesla batteries that I have. Oh and for the ones that are going to be critical about my comments just to let everybody know I just bought the Tesla batteries about 2 months ago and now that I got everything set up no I have not had to run my generators every day. Four cars worth of Tesla batteries will run my house for 3 or 4 days but I do not like to run the batteries until they are completely drained.
As always, James, you turn nothing into something useful for someone else. Your knowledge and information about genorators makes it very useful for those who still DYI our own repairs.
The spark indicates (as stated by you) a high voltage being generated by the collapsing field when you disconnect. This "spark" voltage may be high enough to blow the diodes if you do the re-magnetization through the FBR, this is why people say do not do it this way. (You can of course connect to the output side of the bridge i.e. where the brushes connect, this would still risk the diodes but read on.) However, the blue button you see on the rectifier is probably a MOV (metal oxide varistor) which is normally very high resistance but becomes a very low resistance if the voltage exceeds a certain threshold. MOVs are surge protectors so they are there to protect the diodes from this high "spark" voltage. The reason you see no spark when you try to re-magnetize via the bridge is probably because the MOV is doing its job and killing the spark. BTW the spark voltage can also damage the insulation of the coil wires so it is probably better idea to always do re-magnetization with the MOV limiting the surge voltage.
@@jcondon1 hi James, I also have a concern about a rotor from a 2kw generator, I measured its resistance and it is quite low (12-13 ohm)...in your videos I noticed that it is usually between 40 and 70 ohm... and it has no ground connection.... the stator is new and in parameters (single-phase stator) ... and the problem is that it immediately destroys the avr... it burns after a maximum of 1 minute of use. Is the stator to blame in this case? Thank you!
I feel like I got thrown into my first day of my last semester of fixing a generator for the smart kids. But I love the great lengths of detail and passion he has for explaining every aspect of what he’s checking and his problem solving, very methodical and cost effective. Some people throw money at a problem. (Spray and Pray) but this guy doesn’t waste a penny, time maybe, but if I was a customer and it came back looking brand new, I’d pay more than whoever just threw parts at it until it was fixed. Great videos bro! Keep it up!❤
Hello James I’ve been enjoying your videos for years and never make it over 24 hours from your posts! Thank you for your clear methodical process. We need more knowledge in the world and in your small way “shine light” ❤
I believe you could flash the field without worrying about removing the built in diode. The diode pack would just act as reverse polarity protection in case you connected the battery backwards.
That was my thought too. However, it wouldn't have worked on the diode assembly that was present in the generator as some of those diodes were faulty. James says in the video too that it works through the rectifier later on with the 2nd generator.
In fact, it doesn't act as reverse polarity protection, it actually makes sure that the correct polarity is applied no matter which way you connect the wires.
@@MadmanJimbo No, reverse polarity protection just stops the current from flowing the wrong way. If it needs a name this could be called polarity correction.
James, a very professional and very reliable way to demagnetize the armature is applying alternating current, but in a decreasing way, using a PTC in series with the collector. This way, as the PTC heats up, the current through the armature gradually reduces.
I don't understand 3/4 of what you did! And up until I stumbled upon your channel I had no interest in generators! But certainly make me into them! Thank you very much 🤗
Next time try your cordless drill to the corded drill with the pull handle ratcheted adapter and you might get enough speed to flash successfully. Just a thought. Great job! It’s always good to get a cat scan for a proper diagnosis! Thanks Jim!!!
Yes on another person's video, (themaritimegirl in Canada?), I seen they had a battery electric drill connected chuck to chuck to a corded drill, with a piece of dowel or something similar joining the chucks. They had to keep the battery electric drill, spinning the corded drill at a full speed for about 30 or 45 seconds continuously, before the generator suddenly burst into making full power, and was good from then on. I'll try to include a link here. Start at the 10 minute mark... th-cam.com/video/yvMF82r8AU8/w-d-xo.html
Somebody may have already said this, but remove all other loads while you're doing that. Otherwise, the other loads are stealing power from spinning the drill instead of all of it going to flash the rotor. You still need some indication whether your efforts are working or not, so maybe hook up a low power LED bulb, or a voltmeter. Edit: just realized that if you're successful, the corded drill will spin on its own. Duh...
I have the same but the craftsman version, 5600/8600 had it since the 2008 ice/ snow storm here in Massachusetts and I keep it maintained with oil and TruFuel when put away in the summer. I can pull it out and 2nd pull it’s running. Not a bad generator especially after multiple times needed and 15 years later it’s running fine
A nice addition to your collection of tools (maybe you already have one), would be a gauss meter, since you're working on a LOT of generators! If you get a "high definition" one (though they are somewhat pricey), you could measure the residual magnetism and do even further, and deeper diagnostics ;)
@maruiacancerc I watched your video. You are a beautiful person and hope you make it through. My sister died at a young age from cancer. Wish the best for you.
I have a Briggs and Stratton Storm Responder like you repaired in this video. I bought mine new in 2009. It came with a power cable that has two 120 volt plugs stacked one over the other (for the same outlet) and 4 outlets on the opposite end. By putting one leg powering the top plug and the other powering the lower plug that power cord makes use of the full capacity of the generator, Mine has worked flawlessly each time T have needed it. Thanks for your videos. I'm learning a lot.
Your videos really help me had a storm responder with a bad govern, someone worked on it before me without telling me .After fixing it would just idle ,found spring on number 2 spot move to 5 spot working thanks to you . Got it apart and back together with your help. Only one thing you didn`t make the heavy sound when removing the coil or armature , they are heavy .
Wow , now us viewers are learning ! I had heard about flashing the field some years ago but to be honest I really didn't know what it actually meant. Thanks for the great tutorial/ lesson- now we know !!
A tip regarding fuel lines, get the marine grade stuff. It's designed for harsh salt water environments. In my experience it holds up like 2-4 times on small engine equipment. It costs much more tho. But it's worth it in my opinion.
Love your videos! I wonder if you would connect your wired electric drill chuck to your battery drill chuck, using a short piece of 1/4 or 3/8 rod. Then spin up the plugin drill with the battery drill to make a more constant voltage to flash the generator. Might be worth a try.
I'm so glad that I found your channel again, I've really missed it. For some reason I wasn't getting any info no notifications from your channel at all and I been trying to remember what your name was to find you. I said earlier this morning around 3am, I wish I could remember what the generator guys channel is called and it just popped up for me a few seconds ago. Thanks Google for listening of me talking to myself again.
@ James Condon James, you shouldn't need a set of brushes without the bridge rectifier. Just replace or repair the bridge rectifier, then flash by connecting the 12vdc to the DC side of the bridge rectifier.
Thank you for the video. It contain good tips. Here's another for you. You can improve your chances with the 120 VAC power drill and save your wrist at the same time. If you have another power drill couple the two of them with a short length of 1/4" dia rod or a bolt with its head cut off. Not having a second drill you can still make the task easier with one shank-less bolt, 2 fender washers and 2 nuts. (1) Slide the first fender washer on the bolt till it seats on the head of the bolt. (2) Thread the first nut down tight against the first fender washer. This becomes a spacer. (3) Slide the second fender washer down until it seats on the first nut. (4) Thread the second nut down tight against the second fender washer. Now you can wined a short cord between the two washers and PULL! BTW, nearly all of my power tools are mains powered but most shops I see today won't know what that cord is sticking out of your drill! Wakodahatchee Chris
Aloha James. I really enjoy watching you fix all the generators that you do. Not only the mechanical, but the electrical issues. On the ones with the float type fuel gauge with the clear plastic lens on the cap, you can rejuvenate a cloudy and frosty lens by using some Meguiars Plastx or Blue Magic plastic polishing compound from Auto Zone and a buffing wheel in a drill to polish away the oxidization on the gauge lens and make it clear again. Just like polishing the lenses of your car headlights. Then the tank fuel level will be clearly visible like when it was new. Keep up the good work.
There are two welch plugs missing on the carburetor. EDIT: Well I guess the missing welch plugs didn’t cause any issues with the carburetor. Great job. Love watching your videos. Keep up the great work.
Yet another great Thursday deep dive into faultless generator repairs and fault diagnostics It is one of the best youtube channels and a voice that would be great for podcasts and audio books
Great presentation again James especially the diagnostic skills. A few thoughts however:- firstly when trying to flash a rotor with a drill, its much more likely to be successful without ANY parallel load on the drill, even the bubble light, to maximise the voltage to overcome loss of residual magnetisation. Second, as you said in the second part, you can flash the rotator through the bridge rectifier, via the normal brushes - doesnt need a separate set to do this. And it does not matter which polarity is used. Lastly the test shown with the diode tester function from DPE terminal to brush MAY TEST PERFECT even with two open-circuit diodes and two working in the bridge. I suggest doing the diode test directly across each individual diode in turn and not rely on the test shown. KJ
Fantastic job once again, James. I just have one thing to mention. The connexion that goes into the control box on the storm responder has come away from the plug; It may be possible for a small child to be able to get a finger in there. But I thought I'd just mention it for safety sake. It's easily reterminated. Thanks for sharing.
You might have better luck flashing the stator with the drill motor if you first run the corded drill on household a/c to maximize any magnetic remanance. Remanance decreases over time in iron. You could also spin the corded drill motor, carefully, with a cordless.
I have never seen carb mounting bolts be that difficult to get out before. It definitely looks like this machine was stored outdoors at some point for a significant period of time.
I've got the 5550 version of this same generator. Ran it many times for several days as we have freq outages. Been great generator for many years. Those gas caps get unreadable so quickly though. :)
Man you helped me so much watching you work on the Carb. Surging back and forth on engines have drove me nuts and never thought of a vac lk from throttle linkage. AWESOME VIDEO. Thank you!!!
Good fixes and seems like I've tried filing brushes but if you don't have the same curve you loose the contact area and they won't work right. And with all the fancy stuff going belly up I think I'm better off with the old 96 cast iron Coleman with the flathead 10 horse and the low oil shutdown, even though the oil gets checked every time it gets gassed up or shut down for any reason when the line goes doun. And thanks to all yall I watch I now know the trouble I had with the 2.5K Onan with flooding. Bad needle seat. So thanks, keep it up and God Bless Yall!
HI James , your magic fingers have worked wonders again as you did in last weeks video. Interesting and educational on the rotor function etc. I hope you are supporting your country women playing soccer / football here in New Zealand.
Thank you James for this combo video. I'm learning so much about the types of generators, their construction and possible issues. Making these shows is as much work as fixing the machines. Many thanks for all your hard work. By the way I had to special order Evapo-Rust here in New Zealand, but because I lobbied our local Farmlands store will stock it.
@@jcondon1 Thanks James. 5L cost 55,- NZD in USD that is 32.50. In Europe for example it cost 55,-Euro. Yes, expensive but my wire brush and machine don't fit thru the filler neck of the tank. 😂. By the way, vinegar + two weeks did a very good initial cleanup for me. Thanks again for all your work. Cheers Reiner
The drill method works in some cases but it's actually easier to take either a 9-volt battery or a 6 volt lantern battery, 1 ohm 3-watt resistor, and a 1N4007 diode on the positive with the banded side toward the brush head. You can flash the brushes easier. The diode prevents voltage from feeding back into the battery and the resistor prevents the inductive spark from happening as it limits the current. For brushless generators, an extension cord two prong with a momentary switch going to the capacitor leads you can re-excite those generators in that manner
@@jcondon1 for sure! I keep the 1 ohm three-watt resistors on hand all the time because they are common in tube amplifiers when measuring the power tubes. I guess my music repair stuff also has applications for the small engine stuff too! 😁
Jim, John Deere also uses that bushing on their gas tanks under the fender pan. A few engines of other makes use them on riding mowers, too, which you might already know.
I have a Troy Bilt pressure washer with that same engine. For whatever reason, the carbs on those engines are a pain in the rear. I can never get the carb to work correctly on a consistent basis. Sometimes it runs fine and sometimes it doesn't. I can't figure it out. The issue does seem to apparently be with the needle and seat because the needle will occasionally stick, and flood the carb. I have had issues with it only running on full choke before, but I sprayed it out in carb cleaner and threw it in the ultrasonic, and it cured that issue.
You should try household ammonia for parts cleaner. You could add dishwashing liquid mixed with ammonia for oily stuff. I use ammonia to clean 6 figure jewelry. It works great in a sonic washer.
Good Video! At 1:11:30 when you are trying to flash the rotor by connecting to the terminals on the diode board, it probably IS working. You don't see a spark when you break the circuit because the surge is being shunted by the diodes, similar to a "clamping diode" that is placed across a coil (relay, solenoid or other) to prevent arcing at the switch contacts. You could verify by using an ammeter to show that current is flowing from the battery. At 1:06:02 I'll bet that the previous owner tried filing or buffing the ends of the brushes. You could see in the very center where it had started wearing a small concave area indicating that it had been run since he did this.
James, you are awesome. You are an outstanding human being. I have learned so much from your channel. I am at a loss for words. Thank you for taking the time to explain every little detail of every incremental step you take! Tony Punch
I love your Explanations on How and why things work ,Your Channel reminds me of a program I used to watch as a Kid called Mr,Wizard his name was Don Herbert and he did similar things as you and used similar ways of teaching by demonstrating how things work I love your videos for this reason
Always fun to check your videos. You often repair old generators . How they compare with new generation with inverter concerning efficiency ? Because if the efficiency difference is greater than 25% , it could impact our decision to repair or buy new one. Compare tests should be fun to add to your next videos.
Thank you for making this video:) I've just been working on a bridge rectifier generator. This video is very well done and very informative. Thanks again!
@@markbaehne9389The problem is then when the generator powers up. The corded drill will spin against the cordless, overpower it potentially or cause major injury. That’s a dangerous method.
Thank You for be so thorough! I love your videos & especially the longer ones. Your exceptional knowledge & instructions inspired me to buy a non-working generator for pennies on the dollar. I was able to fix it in less than a couple hours. Couldn't have done it without You! Last hurricane TECO preemptively Shutdown our area for over 2 weeks but we had it easy because of your channel. I have a purring 6500W generator that costs me less than $150!-)
Great content, learned some things. I hate those plastic "jerry cans" though. If you have a Harbor Freight near, they have a battery operated pump that is made to fit into them or a 5gl bucket lid to fill or empty from one to the other. Saved a lot of lifting and spills, they usually have a sale and are only $9 - $12 dollars and take 2 D batteries. Look forward to going through your old videos and seeing what I have been missing.
26:23 Thinking about it, it's even more risky to use brushes without the bridge rectifier since you can get the polarity wrong. With a rectifier, it doesn't matter which way you connect the input voltage since the output will always be correct (assuming the rectifier/diodes are working correctly)
As far as fundamental operation is concerned, the generator doesn't care which way rotor current goes as long as it is DC. The worst thing that may happen is losing rotor magnetization again when the opposite polarity field current cancels out residual magnetism. For the rest, the only difference from switching field current polarity is a 180 degree phase shift in stator voltage which is no different from turning the shaft by a quarter-turn for a quad-pole 1800RPM 60Hz generator.
Jim, when trying to excite the magnetism with a drill, could you chuck the drill plugged into the generator on a piece of hex stock and then chuck the other end to another drill and spin it with that drill? Great video and two repaired units.👍🇺🇸
I've searched your channel but only see one Short talking specifically about harmonic distortion. When the opportunity arises, James, could you please do an in-depth discussion of harmonic distortion, why it's important and showing both your clamp meter and scope? Please include a description of what a good/bad sine wave looks like in this application and how that correlates to the clamp meter readings? Thanks!
Excellent, Excellent video with key information! Hopefully I can get mine going again . Mine has an AVR that I suspect is bad but not for sure. Thanks for the information.
It’s been a long, long , LONG time since I had basic electronics. But, to memory a good diode has appx a 10:1 resistance to voltage drop across it forward to reverse biased by the multimeter. In forward bias a Silicone diode drops appx 1.2 vdc where a Germanium diode drops appx 0.6 vdc.
Absolutely amazing video. I am also very interested in the hydraulic/air platform you were work from. Can you provide details on its make and model. Keep up the good work!
As an electrical engineer Just food for thought. You can use an old TV CRT degausing Coil to magnetize the stator again if you have access to enamel magnet wire you can make your own
Hi Jim, thanks for posting another useful video. I am surprised the corded electric drill works as well as it does for flashing the generator field winding. I say this because the drill does not have any permanent magnets for the field, only an electromagnet so, relies upon residual magnetism as well. It would probably be better if an AC capacitor used for an air conditioner compressor was charged up to 12 - 30 Vdc, then plugged into the generator output while it is running. This should provide a better jolt than the drill technique. I was curious what the part number is on those rectifier diodes used with that brush assembly. Those are 3 amp diodes so, wondering if the diodes are being damaged by over voltage or over heating. I have been rebuilding carburetors in mowers and my cars since 1970. The rebuilding instructions always said: "NEVER RUN ANY TYPE OF WIRE THROUGH THE JET ORIFICE TO CLEAN THE JET"! Obviously this warning was issued to prevent altering/damaging the orifice bore. To comply, I would always soak the disassembled carb in carb cleaner for several hours, then use compressed air to blow out the JET orifice. That carb on the smaller engine shows corrosion on the carb casting in the bowl area; an indicator pump gas with alcohol was used. I have seen that E10 gas destroy a small engine carb in as little as a few weeks in high humidity environments. Portable generators generally have a hard life due to lack of maintenance and improper storage. Of course, oil changes are at the top of the lack of maintenance list. Since these generators are air cooled, the oil wears out faster. My oil change schedule for a new generator without an oil filter is; 1st change at 1 hour, 2nd at 10 hours, then every 25 hours thereafter. Since Biden is going to ban portable generator sales in 6 months, it is best to know how to keep your generator in good running condition.
A brush assembly without bridge rectifier is not needed. Just unplug the AC leads to the known good rectifier / brush assembly and jumper a 6 volt battery to the AC tabs of the rectifier / brush assembly in any polarity. Then reverse jumper leads and do it again. The bridge rectifier will block whichever order of connection was wrong and will energize the rotor for the polarity that was correct, remagnetizing the rotor in correct polarity for residual magnetism.
Once you get the bolt even a little loose, if you can get any lubrication into the threads it will help. (Years spent rebuilding salt water marine engines.)
Whats the green solution in the spray bottle seems to clean pretty well is that simple green or a Combo mixture wow just soap and water no way 1:26:19 @James Condon
Owners of EVERY small engine need to have the voice of my father in their head....... "Whenever you fuel your small engine, Check the oil level"....... and "When you take your engine from storage, check the oil before starting it."
Once we borrowed a generator for a few days from a gent across town who did NOT have power issues at his home. Each time I re-fueled the tank... I topped the oil if it was possible... and when the power was returned, I did an oil change on his generator, using good quality HD30. I sincerely hope he was satisfied that I respected his equipment.
I've had terrible luck re-flashing with a power drill by hand. I got the bright idea one time to wrap a long piece of pull cord around the chuck, and yank the cord away. That pull cord helped my drill to spin way faster and longer than I could by hand. It worked that time. Again, I'm in awe of your perseverance to get these generators going, so much more details than a lawnmower.
Thanks. I actually tried spinning the drill with another and still nothing. As someone pointed out a drill is a universal motor and not great for flashing the field. Like a generator the rotor in the drill is an electro magnet. So only the residual magnetism is pushing a bit of power into the stator. Using a battery works much better.
I'm glad you were able to get a good video out of this. I definitely didn't have the issue with the choke the last time it ran, but I'm happy to see it running well and making power again. I'm looking forward to see what you find with the snowblower. Thanks again for these in depth videos.
Great video. A lot of creators are afraid of making longer videos. But if the content is there and good, it doesn’t matter. Thanks for the countless hours of entertainment.
Absolutely agree that I love the longer videos as well. But I believe others don't make longer videos only because they only do enough to get monetized. And thats sad. Many have these complex issues that they are investigating and the resulting video is less than 15 minutes. None of their videos go any longer. That is a created that simply wants to monetize a video- no other focus. James is definitely not that guy.
Agreed!! I see the length of his videos and say.. "omg ... These are long.." only to realize I just sat and watched the whole thing 😂
I love that you took the time to explain how the residual magnetism in the rotor works. I have not so much as touched a generator in my life, and I binge your videos just because I love your methodical approach so much. I'm a software architect/engineer, and I feel we have a similar troubleshooting process
Let’s be honest…lack of an oil sensor DOES NOT kill these machines. Owner’s failing to check the oil level is what kills them. Oil sensor is nice, but unless there is other catastrophic failure that immediately depletes the oil (in which case you have larger problems), an oil sensor will only save a complacent owner who never checks the oil.
Thanks for being honest.
Any engines have gas sens..? oh, yeah, the gas gauge!
I’ve seen that many times, those oil sensors are unreliable.
Ever trust the oil sensor, first off it only tells you when your oil is low if it's even reliable, second it doesn't tell you how dirty your oil is. I have a champion 4500 and a pulsar 3500 generator that I run every day for a test 8 hours or more very day. I've had the champion for 5 years and the only problem I have had with it was I had to change the brushes on it,which is a cheap part you can get a 10 part for like 6 or 7 dollars on line and it's a 5 min fix, and I had to clean the carburetor out once. With the pulsar the only problem I've ever had with that is the plastic choke level snapped off because I was using it in -10 degrees Fahrenheit. And I think that the plastic was just too brittle because of how cold it was. But other than that I have never had a single problem with either generator and I use them on a daily basis running them pretty much all day. And still to this day after owning the champion for 5 years and the pulsar for 4 years they still run like the day I bought them off the shelf. Maintaining your engine no matter what it is whether it be a generator a lawn mower or a car or any other machine, goes along way e en with cheaper products. Well at least when it comes to generators. I know people are going to laugh when I say this but I love champion generators and I love pulsar generators because they have never let me down and the parts for them are so dang cheap. And as long as you keep up with the maintenance they will never let you down. Oh and in case anybody wonders why I have to run my generators for a minimum of 8 hours every day it's because I live off grid, I built my own house I can't stand having neighbors I can't stand homeowners associations telling me how I should live I like being able to shoot my guns when I want wherever I want. And what do I do for power for the rest of the day and night when I need electricity and I'm not running my generators well I went to a junkyard and bought the batteries out of four different Teslas and I use my generators to charge the Tesla's batteries so that way I will have power when I'm not running my generators and yes I do have solar panels but it takes a lot of energy to power up the amount of Tesla batteries that I have. Oh and for the ones that are going to be critical about my comments just to let everybody know I just bought the Tesla batteries about 2 months ago and now that I got everything set up no I have not had to run my generators every day. Four cars worth of Tesla batteries will run my house for 3 or 4 days but I do not like to run the batteries until they are completely drained.
As always, James, you turn nothing into something useful for someone else.
Your knowledge and information about genorators makes it very useful for those who still DYI our own repairs.
Thank you for the explanation on how the rotor works. I never fully understood it before. I don't know why, but I am really fascinated by generators.
Agreed, fascinating how they stir up all those magic pixies.
The spark indicates (as stated by you) a high voltage being generated by the collapsing field when you disconnect. This "spark" voltage may be high enough to blow the diodes if you do the re-magnetization through the FBR, this is why people say do not do it this way. (You can of course connect to the output side of the bridge i.e. where the brushes connect, this would still risk the diodes but read on.) However, the blue button you see on the rectifier is probably a MOV (metal oxide varistor) which is normally very high resistance but becomes a very low resistance if the voltage exceeds a certain threshold. MOVs are surge protectors so they are there to protect the diodes from this high "spark" voltage. The reason you see no spark when you try to re-magnetize via the bridge is probably because the MOV is doing its job and killing the spark. BTW the spark voltage can also damage the insulation of the coil wires so it is probably better idea to always do re-magnetization with the MOV limiting the surge voltage.
Good point, thanks
@@jcondon1
hi James, I also have a concern about a rotor from a 2kw generator, I measured its resistance and it is quite low (12-13 ohm)...in your videos I noticed that it is usually between 40 and 70 ohm... and it has no ground connection.... the stator is new and in parameters (single-phase stator) ... and the problem is that it immediately destroys the avr... it burns after a maximum of 1 minute of use. Is the stator to blame in this case? Thank you!
I feel like I got thrown into my first day of my last semester of fixing a generator for the smart kids. But I love the great lengths of detail and passion he has for explaining every aspect of what he’s checking and his problem solving, very methodical and cost effective. Some people throw money at a problem. (Spray and Pray) but this guy doesn’t waste a penny, time maybe, but if I was a customer and it came back looking brand new, I’d pay more than whoever just threw parts at it until it was fixed. Great videos bro! Keep it up!❤
Hello James I’ve been enjoying your videos for years and never make it over 24 hours from your posts! Thank you for your clear methodical process. We need more knowledge in the world and in your small way “shine light” ❤
I believe you could flash the field without worrying about removing the built in diode. The diode pack would just act as reverse polarity protection in case you connected the battery backwards.
That was my thought too. However, it wouldn't have worked on the diode assembly that was present in the generator as some of those diodes were faulty.
James says in the video too that it works through the rectifier later on with the 2nd generator.
In fact, it doesn't act as reverse polarity protection, it actually makes sure that the correct polarity is applied no matter which way you connect the wires.
@@chrishartley1210thats called reverse polarity protection. Lol.
..so long as the diodes cope with the current...
@@MadmanJimbo No, reverse polarity protection just stops the current from flowing the wrong way. If it needs a name this could be called polarity correction.
James, a very professional and very reliable way to demagnetize the armature is applying alternating current, but in a decreasing way, using a PTC in series with the collector. This way, as the PTC heats up, the current through the armature gradually reduces.
Why would a person want to demagnetize an armature? Not trying to be a smart a*s, just wondering.
You want the armature slightly magnetized but the stator should be demagnetized periodically. Normal operation tends to do this on its own.
I really enjoy your videos. I worked with DC motors for over 27 years and also generators and robotics servos.
I don't understand 3/4 of what you did! And up until I stumbled upon your channel I had no interest in generators! But certainly make me into them! Thank you very much 🤗
A two-fer! Thanks Jim, I have always wanted to understand about "flashing the field".
Next time try your cordless drill to the corded drill with the pull handle ratcheted adapter and you might get enough speed to flash successfully. Just a thought. Great job! It’s always good to get a cat scan for a proper diagnosis! Thanks Jim!!!
Yes on another person's video, (themaritimegirl in Canada?), I seen they had a battery electric drill connected chuck to chuck to a corded drill, with a piece of dowel or something similar joining the chucks. They had to keep the battery electric drill, spinning the corded drill at a full speed for about 30 or 45 seconds continuously, before the generator suddenly burst into making full power, and was good from then on. I'll try to include a link here. Start at the 10 minute mark... th-cam.com/video/yvMF82r8AU8/w-d-xo.html
Somebody may have already said this, but remove all other loads while you're doing that. Otherwise, the other loads are stealing power from spinning the drill instead of all of it going to flash the rotor. You still need some indication whether your efforts are working or not, so maybe hook up a low power LED bulb, or a voltmeter.
Edit: just realized that if you're successful, the corded drill will spin on its own. Duh...
I have the same but the craftsman version, 5600/8600 had it since the 2008 ice/ snow storm here in Massachusetts and I keep it maintained with oil and TruFuel when put away in the summer.
I can pull it out and 2nd pull it’s running. Not a bad generator especially after multiple times needed and 15 years later it’s running fine
A nice addition to your collection of tools (maybe you already have one), would be a gauss meter, since you're working on a LOT of generators! If you get a "high definition" one (though they are somewhat pricey), you could measure the residual magnetism and do even further, and deeper diagnostics ;)
I don't have one. Might be a good tool to add.
@maruiacancerc Look at the cancer research on turkey tail mushroom
@maruiacancerc I watched your video. You are a beautiful person and hope you make it through. My sister died at a young age from cancer. Wish the best for you.
The most stark contrast of someone who knows what they are doing and finding out that others are guessing. Great video as usual!
I have a Briggs and Stratton Storm Responder like you repaired in this video. I bought mine new in 2009. It came with a power cable that has two 120 volt plugs stacked one over the other (for the same outlet) and 4 outlets on the opposite end. By putting one leg powering the top plug and the other powering the lower plug that power cord makes use of the full capacity of the generator, Mine has worked flawlessly each time T have needed it. Thanks for your videos. I'm learning a lot.
Your videos really help me had a storm responder with a bad govern, someone worked on it before me without telling me .After fixing it would just idle ,found spring on number 2 spot move to 5 spot working thanks to you . Got it apart and back together with your help. Only one thing you didn`t make the heavy sound when removing the coil or armature , they are heavy .
Wow , now us viewers are learning ! I had heard about flashing the field some years ago but to be honest I really didn't know what it actually meant. Thanks for the great tutorial/ lesson- now we know !!
A tip regarding fuel lines, get the marine grade stuff. It's designed for harsh salt water environments. In my experience it holds up like 2-4 times on small engine equipment. It costs much more tho. But it's worth it in my opinion.
Love your videos! I wonder if you would connect your wired electric drill chuck to your battery drill chuck, using a short piece of 1/4 or 3/8 rod. Then spin up the plugin drill with the battery drill to make a more constant voltage to flash the generator. Might be worth a try.
I came here to suggest the same thing just use a piece of small wood dowel in case it gets out of hand it’ll break I’d like to know if it would work
Got same idea.
I'm so glad that I found your channel again, I've really missed it. For some reason I wasn't getting any info no notifications from your channel at all and I been trying to remember what your name was to find you. I said earlier this morning around 3am, I wish I could remember what the generator guys channel is called and it just popped up for me a few seconds ago. Thanks Google for listening of me talking to myself again.
@ James Condon
James, you shouldn't need a set of brushes without the bridge rectifier. Just replace or repair the bridge rectifier, then flash by connecting the 12vdc to the DC side of the bridge rectifier.
Thank you for the video. It contain good tips. Here's another for you. You can improve your chances with the 120 VAC power drill and save your wrist at the same time. If you have another power drill couple the two of them with a short length of 1/4" dia rod or a bolt with its head cut off. Not having a second drill you can still make the task easier with one shank-less bolt, 2 fender washers and 2 nuts.
(1) Slide the first fender washer on the bolt till it seats on the head of the bolt.
(2) Thread the first nut down tight against the first fender washer. This becomes a spacer.
(3) Slide the second fender washer down until it seats on the first nut.
(4) Thread the second nut down tight against the second fender washer.
Now you can wined a short cord between the two washers and PULL!
BTW, nearly all of my power tools are mains powered but most shops I see today won't know what that cord is sticking out of your drill!
Wakodahatchee Chris
Like the bubble light action - need a small string of them - way cool 👍
Aloha James. I really enjoy watching you fix all the generators that you do. Not only the mechanical, but the electrical issues. On the ones with the float type fuel gauge with the clear plastic lens on the cap, you can rejuvenate a cloudy and frosty lens by using some Meguiars Plastx or Blue Magic plastic polishing compound from Auto Zone and a buffing wheel in a drill to polish away the oxidization on the gauge lens and make it clear again. Just like polishing the lenses of your car headlights. Then the tank fuel level will be clearly visible like when it was new. Keep up the good work.
There are two welch plugs missing on the carburetor.
EDIT: Well I guess the missing welch plugs didn’t cause any issues with the carburetor. Great job. Love watching your videos. Keep up the great work.
Yet another great Thursday deep dive into faultless generator repairs and fault diagnostics
It is one of the best youtube channels and a voice that would be great for podcasts and audio books
Good fix. Great to know about residual magnetism.
Thanks for the education on the older gen models, this will be something I'll keep in mind next time I have one of these
famous last words. "I thought it would come right out". "This should fit". Excellent video
Great presentation again James especially the diagnostic skills. A few thoughts however:- firstly when trying to flash a rotor with a drill, its much more likely to be successful without ANY parallel load on the drill, even the bubble light, to maximise the voltage to overcome loss of residual magnetisation. Second, as you said in the second part, you can flash the rotator through the bridge rectifier, via the normal brushes - doesnt need a separate set to do this. And it does not matter which polarity is used. Lastly the test shown with the diode tester function from DPE terminal to brush MAY TEST PERFECT even with two open-circuit diodes and two working in the bridge. I suggest doing the diode test directly across each individual diode in turn and not rely on the test shown. KJ
I forgot to say even without lamps connected you will know if you have successfully remagnetised to rotor because the drill will then work
Fantastic job once again, James. I just have one thing to mention. The connexion that goes into the control box on the storm responder has come away from the plug; It may be possible for a small child to be able to get a finger in there. But I thought I'd just mention it for safety sake. It's easily reterminated. Thanks for sharing.
You might have better luck flashing the stator with the drill motor if you first run the corded drill on household a/c to maximize any magnetic remanance. Remanance decreases over time in iron. You could also spin the corded drill motor, carefully, with a cordless.
I always use a cordless with a torque limiting clutch, so when the power kicks in the drill isn't damaged. It is a lot safer for the operator too.
I have never seen carb mounting bolts be that difficult to get out before. It definitely looks like this machine was stored outdoors at some point for a significant period of time.
Yeah, guessing loctite. Or rtv. Someone with a sense of “humor”
I seen one last year that someone put loctite on
I've got the 5550 version of this same generator. Ran it many times for several days as we have freq outages. Been great generator for many years. Those gas caps get unreadable so quickly though. :)
Yes they do
Great subject, excellent editing and explanations. Good job as always James. One of your best.
Man you helped me so much watching you work on the Carb. Surging back and forth on engines have drove me nuts and never thought of a vac lk from throttle linkage. AWESOME VIDEO. Thank you!!!
Good fixes and seems like I've tried filing brushes but if you don't have the same curve you loose the contact area and they won't work right. And with all the fancy stuff going belly up I think I'm better off with the old 96 cast iron Coleman with the flathead 10 horse and the low oil shutdown, even though the oil gets checked every time it gets gassed up or shut down for any reason when the line goes doun. And thanks to all yall I watch I now know the trouble I had with the 2.5K Onan with flooding. Bad needle seat. So thanks, keep it up and God Bless Yall!
That was a good explanation of how the residual magnetism works
HI James , your magic fingers have worked wonders again as you did in last weeks video. Interesting and educational on the rotor function etc. I hope you are supporting your country women playing soccer / football here in New Zealand.
That back, knee, foot and ankle saver lift is a great addition
Thank you James for this combo video. I'm learning so much about the types of generators, their construction and possible issues. Making these shows is as much work as fixing the machines.
Many thanks for all your hard work. By the way I had to special order Evapo-Rust here in New Zealand, but because I lobbied our local Farmlands store will stock it.
It’s great stuff, but expensive here and probably twice as expensive in New Zealand.
@@jcondon1 Thanks James. 5L cost 55,- NZD in USD that is 32.50. In Europe for example it cost 55,-Euro.
Yes, expensive but my wire brush and machine don't fit thru the filler neck of the tank. 😂.
By the way, vinegar + two weeks did a very good initial cleanup for me.
Thanks again for all your work. Cheers Reiner
The drill method works in some cases but it's actually easier to take either a 9-volt battery or a 6 volt lantern battery, 1 ohm 3-watt resistor, and a 1N4007 diode on the positive with the banded side toward the brush head. You can flash the brushes easier. The diode prevents voltage from feeding back into the battery and the resistor prevents the inductive spark from happening as it limits the current.
For brushless generators, an extension cord two prong with a momentary switch going to the capacitor leads you can re-excite those generators in that manner
Sounds like a good tool to build.
@@jcondon1 for sure! I keep the 1 ohm three-watt resistors on hand all the time because they are common in tube amplifiers when measuring the power tubes. I guess my music repair stuff also has applications for the small engine stuff too! 😁
Got that same 3550, had it for 18 years now, always been a reliable machine.
Great video James. Always an excellent learning experience with your tutorials. Thanks for your work.
Jim, John Deere also uses that bushing on their gas tanks under the fender pan. A few engines of other makes use them on riding mowers, too, which you might already know.
Another economical and effective repair ))
Excellent video I’m getting ready to throw my generators under load for 30 minutes. Got an exercise them if you want them to work when you need them.👍
Amazing recoveries. Thanks for the demo on electromagnetism. That was a great tutorial.
I have a Troy Bilt pressure washer with that same engine. For whatever reason, the carbs on those engines are a pain in the rear. I can never get the carb to work correctly on a consistent basis. Sometimes it runs fine and sometimes it doesn't. I can't figure it out. The issue does seem to apparently be with the needle and seat because the needle will occasionally stick, and flood the carb. I have had issues with it only running on full choke before, but I sprayed it out in carb cleaner and threw it in the ultrasonic, and it cured that issue.
You should try household ammonia for parts cleaner. You could add dishwashing liquid mixed with ammonia for oily stuff. I use ammonia to clean 6 figure jewelry. It works great in a sonic washer.
Good Video! At 1:11:30 when you are trying to flash the rotor by connecting to the terminals on the diode board, it probably IS working. You don't see a spark when you break the circuit because the surge is being shunted by the diodes, similar to a "clamping diode" that is placed across a coil (relay, solenoid or other) to prevent arcing at the switch contacts. You could verify by using an ammeter to show that current is flowing from the battery. At 1:06:02 I'll bet that the previous owner tried filing or buffing the ends of the brushes. You could see in the very center where it had started wearing a small concave area indicating that it had been run since he did this.
OMG awesome video,two saved generators
Sweet 2 for 1 Video nice swcond Generator sounds good 1:02:57 @James Condon
Good to get another perspective.
James, you are awesome. You are an outstanding human being. I have learned so much from your channel. I am at a loss for words.
Thank you for taking the time to explain every little detail of every incremental step you take!
Tony Punch
Not many ppl or even techs understand that negative flows to positive. Thank you for getting everyone thinking about this.
I love your Explanations on How and why things work ,Your Channel reminds me of a program I used to watch as a Kid called Mr,Wizard his name was Don Herbert and he did similar things as you and used similar ways of teaching by demonstrating how things work I love your videos for this reason
Hi James, another fine vid to go with lunch 🎉🎉
Always fun to check your videos.
You often repair old generators . How they compare with new generation with inverter concerning efficiency ?
Because if the efficiency difference is greater than 25% , it could impact our decision to repair or buy new one.
Compare tests should be fun to add to your next videos.
Love the blue screen on that DVOM
I loved the cat wandering through your shot.
Thank you for making this video:) I've just been working on a bridge rectifier generator. This video is very well done and very informative. Thanks again!
Great demonstration
What if you get a battery drill and hook it up to your electric drill to flash your stater ,it will turn a lot faster then by your hand,?
The brushes were bad enough that they could not be recovered thru flashing.
I did it that way. A lot easier
My instant thought
That’s what I was thinking chuck both together then spin it ,battery powered spin corded drill .
@@markbaehne9389The problem is then when the generator powers up. The corded drill will spin against the cordless, overpower it potentially or cause major injury. That’s a dangerous method.
Thank You for be so thorough! I love your videos & especially the longer ones. Your exceptional knowledge & instructions inspired me to buy a non-working generator for pennies on the dollar. I was able to fix it in less than a couple hours. Couldn't have done it without You! Last hurricane TECO preemptively Shutdown our area for over 2 weeks but we had it easy because of your channel. I have a purring 6500W generator that costs me less than $150!-)
Great content, learned some things. I hate those plastic "jerry cans" though. If you have a Harbor Freight near, they have a battery operated pump that is made to fit into them or a 5gl bucket lid to fill or empty from one to the other. Saved a lot of lifting and spills, they usually have a sale and are only $9 - $12 dollars and take 2 D batteries. Look forward to going through your old videos and seeing what I have been missing.
Nice set of ramps! Did you make those yourself? Love the cat too. :-) Great video and learning experience as well.
coffee with JC never disappoints
26:23 Thinking about it, it's even more risky to use brushes without the bridge rectifier since you can get the polarity wrong. With a rectifier, it doesn't matter which way you connect the input voltage since the output will always be correct (assuming the rectifier/diodes are working correctly)
As far as fundamental operation is concerned, the generator doesn't care which way rotor current goes as long as it is DC. The worst thing that may happen is losing rotor magnetization again when the opposite polarity field current cancels out residual magnetism. For the rest, the only difference from switching field current polarity is a 180 degree phase shift in stator voltage which is no different from turning the shaft by a quarter-turn for a quad-pole 1800RPM 60Hz generator.
You have great electronic knowledge. That helps you a lot. Keep up the good work. Mark- ole navy generator tech
Very cool.
Fantastic information as always James, thank you for bringing us along!!
Jim, when trying to excite the magnetism with a drill, could you chuck the drill plugged into the generator on a piece of hex stock and then chuck the other end to another drill and spin it with that drill? Great video and two repaired units.👍🇺🇸
Great job as usual!
Have you seen the tool that lifts the hose off? Kind of like reverse pliers. It seems to especially well.
I've searched your channel but only see one Short talking specifically about harmonic distortion. When the opportunity arises, James, could you please do an in-depth discussion of harmonic distortion, why it's important and showing both your clamp meter and scope? Please include a description of what a good/bad sine wave looks like in this application and how that correlates to the clamp meter readings? Thanks!
You really did an outstanding job, showing your work and explaining your thinking. A+++!
Excellent, Excellent video with key information! Hopefully I can get mine going again . Mine has an AVR that I suspect is bad but not for sure. Thanks for the information.
Another fantastic tutorial James ! Can you flash a Genset that has an AVR these same ways ? And not introduce damage to anything ?
@jamescondin
Yeahhhhh it's 9pm on a Thursday for my weekly generator fix!
Hang on, which time zone are you in, person from the future?
@@guygillmore2970 see there's this thing called the international date line just west of Hawaii. 😁
I'm in Australia.
It’s been a long, long , LONG time since I had basic electronics. But, to memory a good diode has appx a 10:1 resistance to voltage drop across it forward to reverse biased by the multimeter. In forward bias a Silicone diode drops appx 1.2 vdc where a Germanium diode drops appx 0.6 vdc.
Hose picks work well to break the surface adhesion
Absolutely amazing video. I am also very interested in the hydraulic/air platform you were work from. Can you provide details on its make and model. Keep up the good work!
It was given to me and no manufacturer info on it. Looks a lot like a redline lift. Might be a clone.
Again, beautiful! Thank-you! Very nice mid-video tutorial!
Two generators on one video. Extra goodness. Thanks.
As an electrical engineer Just food for thought. You can use an old TV CRT degausing Coil to magnetize the stator again if you have access to enamel magnet wire you can make your own
Hi Jim, thanks for posting another useful video.
I am surprised the corded electric drill works as well as it does for flashing the generator field winding. I say this because the drill does not have any permanent magnets for the field, only an electromagnet so, relies upon residual magnetism as well. It would probably be better if an AC capacitor used for an air conditioner compressor was charged up to 12 - 30 Vdc, then plugged into the generator output while it is running. This should provide a better jolt than the drill technique.
I was curious what the part number is on those rectifier diodes used with that brush assembly. Those are 3 amp diodes so, wondering if the diodes are being damaged by over voltage or over heating.
I have been rebuilding carburetors in mowers and my cars since 1970. The rebuilding instructions always said: "NEVER RUN ANY TYPE OF WIRE THROUGH THE JET ORIFICE TO CLEAN THE JET"! Obviously this warning was issued to prevent altering/damaging the orifice bore. To comply, I would always soak the disassembled carb in carb cleaner for several hours, then use compressed air to blow out the JET orifice.
That carb on the smaller engine shows corrosion on the carb casting in the bowl area; an indicator pump gas with alcohol was used. I have seen that E10 gas destroy a small engine carb in as little as a few weeks in high humidity environments.
Portable generators generally have a hard life due to lack of maintenance and improper storage. Of course, oil changes are at the top of the lack of maintenance list. Since these generators are air cooled, the oil wears out faster. My oil change schedule for a new generator without an oil filter is; 1st change at 1 hour, 2nd at 10 hours, then every 25 hours thereafter.
Since Biden is going to ban portable generator sales in 6 months, it is best to know how to keep your generator in good running condition.
I was waiting for your next video and get two in one :-) Many thanks James
Excellent video - awesome explanation of how the field works too! Thanks for sharing!
The correct name for those lights is brooder lights, as they are commonly used in chicken pens to keep the birds warm at night.
A brush assembly without bridge rectifier is not needed. Just unplug the AC leads
to the known good rectifier / brush assembly and jumper a 6 volt battery to the
AC tabs of the rectifier / brush assembly in any polarity. Then reverse jumper leads
and do it again. The bridge rectifier will block whichever order of connection was
wrong and will energize the rotor for the polarity that was correct, remagnetizing
the rotor in correct polarity for residual magnetism.
Once you get the bolt even a little loose, if you can get any lubrication into the threads it will help. (Years spent rebuilding salt water marine engines.)
Whats the green solution in the spray bottle seems to clean pretty well is that simple green or a Combo mixture wow just soap and water no way 1:26:19 @James Condon
Still learning at 64! Thanks for this info.
Thanks for sharing this information with us! You take the time to explain your procedures and processes and I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate it!
🤠🇺🇸