Nice! This is so important. I do it all the time now. 3:27 "Everyone thinks this thing is starving for air but what it's starving for is gas." mic drop.
1:10 is the idle screw. Everyone make sure you turn that screw clockwise (count the # of turns in) until it bottoms out BEFORE your remove it so you can put it back in the same position when you reinstall it. When running, you can increase the idle by turning the screw clockwise and decrease the idle by turning the screw counterclockwise until you have it in the sweet spot. 1:35 is air jet which is known as the air mixture screw in other carburetors. The pilot and main jets are inside the carburetor (bowl must be removed).
Or you could just re calibrate the idle but thats if you know how to do it even tho it isnt that hard some people might not know or want to do it so just count the number or turns or take a sliver sharpie and draw a line over the head body and carb of the screw and line it up with thoose
What did we do before youtube? This was exactly the fix that I was looking for and took me about 10 minutes, start to finish and worked perfectly. Probably took this guy longer to make and publish this video. Thank you so much!!
Excellent video. Just got back from Lake Hemet. My predator did the surge and die routine.... Got back and found your video.Cleaned jet, emptied carburetor bowl, did an oil change and spark plug change. generator has been running for hours now with no problem. Also added fuel injector additive to the tank. Heads up to everyone, be careful when you remove throttle screw. Throttle adjustment screw is plastic and find thread.. Need to remove that before removing jet. Clean jet and solves a lot of your problems. But putting back the screw and jet is a little challenge
Instead of sewing needle, are used carburetor cleaner and high-pressure nozzle on my compressor in garage. Thank you again for your help. Great video helped me a lot. Same day I was prepared to go and do the warranty exchange at Harbor freight. Now? No need
Worked like a charm! I did spray just a tad bit of carburetor cleaner down in the jet hole once I had it out. Cleaned the jet put everything back in and adjusted the idle smooth as silk WHOOOOLAAAA👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I've had this Predator for a year. The most frustrating thing is it would sometimes be smooth, which misled me to think it was fuel related. I had found your video before a recent few night stay at San Onofre and it seemed easy, but while prepping the trailer to leave, it started running smooth, so I didn't do it. Of course at the beach it surged the entire time there, never stalling, but overload indicated every time it throttled back up. O was so afraid of burning up the inverter. Got home, did the fix, cranked it, smooth as the day I got it. Am now draining the bowl after every use, will look for a local station that doesn't have ethanol in the gas. Thanks again dude. 💲
Thanks! Just pulled the generator out yesterday to check it for the winter and discovered the surging problem. I did what you showed, fixed it. I thought I was going to have to pull the whole carb off, thanks again for saving me the trouble.
This worked perfectly. Another way to prove that specific jet is clogged is if the idle screw doesn’t even work. If you screw it in an out an there is no change to idle its clogged. Thanks for the video man!
Nice video thanks! A little tip upon startup you're supposed to leave it on the start position until the green blinking light turns solid, then switch the knob to the run position. Not sure if it really makes any difference but thats what the manual says to do on startup. It usually takes 3 seconds for that blinking light to turn solid on mine. I am having the same surging idle issue. I've done this fix once before hopefully it works again.
Good job every small engine has some sort of pilot jet that will sooner or later need cleaning doesn't matter how expensive engine is or generator before you store it stable it
Thank you so much for sharing this video. I knew my surging was from a lack of fuel and I just kept buying injector cleaner to no avail. It sounds like this would be the winner and I thank you again
Thank you so much..!...I solved my surge problem in an hour. Your solution was spot-on. I learned from another youtuber to drain the carburator bowl. Alcohol in the gasoline is then cause of the clogging, forms varnish.
Mine behaved in the EXACT same say!! I was paranoid that maybe I wasn't using enough fuel stabilizer or that maybe debris made its way into my carburetor and I was going to have to rebuild it 🙄... But I didnt... And so, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the video my man, you LITERALLY just saved me hours upon hours of scouring the interweb and trying the wrong things. . A "Like" and a "Subscribe" is nowhere near what I owe you, but it's unfortunately all I can do 👍👍 Thank you!
Thank you for creating and sharing this video! We are ice fishing in Minnesota and you just saved me a huge headache. I had the surging issue and was able to fix it with your help in less than 10 minutes. Have a Happy New Year!🎉
Man this worked thanks so much. I thought there was no way it could be clogged jet as it was brand new...shot some wd through the jet and voila. Thanks again 👍🏼
Mine recently started doing the same. I'm going to try your fix tomorrow. I have always used non-ethanol fuel and added fuel stabilizer. I'm disappointed that didn't prevent this. But a 10-minute jet cleaning service once a year isn't bad for maintenance.
I had the same issue. The generator would be pulsating when running. I did what you showed on the video and it runs great now. Thank you for the video.
I have a Craftsman 3000i inverter generator. Started idling rough only after about 50 hours of run time. I followed your vid and it fixed the problem. Thanks.
I know this is an older video but I just bought the 3500 a week ago and its been surging from day 1. Gonna take it back tomorrow and if the new one does i will try this fix. Thanks for the great video.
Wow that actually worked great, thanks man! Had the exact same problem with the surging. Took me about 10 minutes to fix with this method. I put a paint dot on the idle screw and counted the turns to get it out (6 full turns). Thanks for posting this!
The turns is what I was looking for. Mine was out 8 turns. I turned it in to your 6 and that fixed it. I didn’t have to take the jet out. I found a honda video that said 5 turns so I went with 5 and knock on wood no problems yet.
How many expensive service calls has this avoided! I took my largest bit and drilled a hole in the plastic vertical brace which allowed me to to get the idle mixture screw through it and have a straight shot at getting it started and adjusting it. Idles like the day it came out of the box! Also going to use the Home Depot "True FUEL" for a minute before draining and letting it idle dry. This is only used during hurricanes and Freezes (Ahhhh Texas) and the local fuel is complete crap. That's a tiny orifice in that jet! CAN NOT THANK YOU ENOUGH!!
Worked for me Also! 6 minute fix. Reset the idle screw to the sweet spot and flip the ESC THROTTLE switch until you get it just perfect. Better than before. FYI my generator had sat for about a year. New Battery and fired right up!
Thank you after nearly a can of carb cleaner clearing the rest of carburetor this was the tip I needed. The predator 4000 has the same carburetor. Thanks again for this video. I am ready for hurricane Ian now!
Huge thank you, cannot believe it was this simple and I’ve seen so many other “quick fixes” for same issue that just didn’t seem right in my opinion. 👍🏽😎
FYI EVERYONE WHO HAS HARD TIME RESTARTING THE PREDATOR 3500 WHEN ITS HOT OUTSIDE... All you have you have to do is remove the gas cap and it will start right up. Just needs to vent. Somehow it took me almost two summers to finally figure this out lol. . ALSO Jesus Christ delivered me from meth, adderall prescription, alcoholism, cigs etc in Sept 2014. No rehab or any other outside help! Just the Lord and His Word!! Eternal life in Jesus Christ alone. Make sure you seek and abide in Him!
@@cirwo85 no. The gas that was delivered to me was all water and the can was filthy I guess. Total drain out, clean out, clean carb. Then the man who "fixed it" forgot to hook the fuel line back on so I lost quite a bit more gas. But it's running great now. Thanks to the" help". I couldn't have said "I got this", more. But he insisted. I knew something was going to be wrong. Better to just wait til people are gone and check it over. Thank you for the advice. Oh I have a question, why won't my electric start work? I've only used it a handful of times if that.
Great video what about pulling the bowl off and cleaning the main jet as well good advice for all you all out there. It's up inside the main body underneath the float Flathead screwdriver pulls the first part out and then you can get the rest of it out. Anyone want more help with this just message me
You’re welcome man. I couldn’t find a fix for this specific application, so when I found it I knew I had to share it. Will probably decrease returns of this product.
You guys were lucky! I tried this fix 3 times and it didn't work for me. My gen is a Westinghouse Gen3 but has the same motor in it. I had to take off the carb open the bowl and clean the main jet that is screwed into the base of the carb. What you are cleaning is the pilot jet That pulls gas up from the main jet. Mine works now and will always turn off the fuel valve and run it out of gas from now on.
I think one day if things get clogged enough we’ll all have to clean the carb. Most of our issues are probably more related to debris in our gas clogging the pilot jet. Happens when you camp in the sand or dirt.
No problem. I’m not too knowledgeable, but I found this solution for the Honda gen that this one clones. No one had done one for the predator, so I did.
Delete the charcoal canister and re-route the one remaining hose and you can remove that plastic vertical piece that is right in the way! It is only there to support the hoses attached to it.
can you stick a 26G wire in there without taking the idle screw out? I am surprised that is open, like a cup to catch debris. Good call on the fuel bowl drain. Should be a way to access that without taking the cover off. My lawnmower jet clogs after a season of storage on todays crap gas.
Run (Sta Bil Marine 360) fuel treatment and super unleaded. Since I've used this in all my small engines including lawn mower, snow blower, motorcycles, and 4 wheelers I've never needed to do a carburetor cleaning...
Great video. Just picked up a 3500 and it was surging at idle from the first start up. Pulled the jet to make sure it was clean and noticed the jet is unlike what I’m use to seeing in other small engines. You can usually see light through the jet when looking up at the sky. My jet is plugged and does not go all the way through. Is it suppose be plugged in the upper half?
I dunno. I’m not great with small engines. I just saw this fix for the Honda this was cloned after, but I didn’t see a video for the predator. I made this to fill the gap.
You may have to get another size carburetor Jet. It is located above the bowl cape at the bottom of the emulsion tube. You can purchase one here www.6sigmajetkit.com . They also can tell you what size you need depending on your height above sea level.
I own 2 of these and instead of draining the bowl every time I shut them down to store them I removed the screws on the control panel and unplugged the kill switch. Now when I turn the knob to shut it down it continues running until it burns all of the gas in the bowl and then shuts down. I run mobile one synthetic oil, non-ethanol gas and stabil in them and exercise them at least once every 30 days. I’ve never had a surging problem or any other problem.
@@eyeout I just bought this unit and love how well designed and built it is. Gobs of reviews show that when properly used and cared for they can run thousands of hours trouble free. Pulling the panels and looking it over I see that you can easily place a fuel filter right at the shut off outlet to fix your problem. Putting one in mine for sure. Nice unit as is and I wish people would quit trying to "Improve " airflow and causing electronics to overheat. Who wants it to die when you need it most? I did find a fuse holder right behind the battery on a small white wire that may be a quick fix someday. Thanks for your helpful tip.
I see you plugged your tank vent hose with a bolt. I hope you have a vented cap or drilled holes in it. The tank will create a vacuum and cause the engine to do that if you don't have vent holes.
No problem. I found this info on a Honda video that was for a different application of this motor. Since it’s a clone I just adapted the info and decided to title it so y’all could find it.
Ain’t nobody got time for that!🤣 If you’re going to store it, of course. But there’s no way both my generators had issues due to bad fuel. More likely it was sand in the fuel.
Fuel only lasts 2 to 3 weeks without stabilizer, it should be ran threw every time before putting it away, small engines can handle california pump gas!
Shit yes!! I was about ready to start pulling out hair!! This solved my issue. Thank you. How often are you having to do this? Basically every time you use it after it’s been sitting??
I have a very light surge so I’m thinking of doing this. But I wonder how do you reset the idle screw in the right position. Typically I thought you had turn them in all the way in the back off ‘X’ many turns.
If you didn’t clean that air inlet jet, then you just raised your idle. Just clean it out and you’ll have a better running generator without having to raise the idle above it’s operating idle.
You deserve a harbor freight sponsor for saving all these brand new machines that are clogged. My brand new 3500 is surging right out of the box.
Yeah! I should at least get a hat that says “Predator” in big red letters.🤣
Nice! This is so important. I do it all the time now.
3:27 "Everyone thinks this thing is starving for air but what it's starving for is gas." mic drop.
1:10 is the idle screw. Everyone make sure you turn that screw clockwise (count the # of turns in) until it bottoms out BEFORE your remove it so you can put it back in the same position when you reinstall it. When running, you can increase the idle by turning the screw clockwise and decrease the idle by turning the screw counterclockwise until you have it in the sweet spot.
1:35 is air jet which is known as the air mixture screw in other carburetors. The pilot and main jets are inside the carburetor (bowl must be removed).
Very technical point of view
Nice...and thanks!
I couldnt get my jet unscrewed the one in the bowl
Or you could just re calibrate the idle but thats if you know how to do it even tho it isnt that hard some people might not know or want to do it so just count the number or turns or take a sliver sharpie and draw a line over the head body and carb of the screw and line it up with thoose
I screwed mine in all the way (4 complete turns) then backed it all the way out.
I decided to do this before our camping trip because the surge was awful. Super easy and it runs perfectly. Thank you so much!
@@olredbigb8248 you’re welcome!
this video is good enough to get you paid..No unboxing, No tools needed, Just facts and results! thx man!
Thanks man. Not looking for the money, just didn’t see a clear cut video to solve this on this particular generator. Hope it helped.
What did we do before youtube? This was exactly the fix that I was looking for and took me about 10 minutes, start to finish and worked perfectly. Probably took this guy longer to make and publish this video. Thank you so much!!
Paid hundreds of dollars for some shop to fix a $5 dollar issue. Hence alot of repair shops going out of business
Dude, THNKYOU!! I usesd a small piece of wire from a wirebrush then followed up with low air from my air compressor. BOOM. Idling smooth again
Excellent video. Just got back from Lake Hemet. My predator did the surge and die routine....
Got back and found your video.Cleaned jet, emptied carburetor bowl, did an oil change and spark plug change. generator has been running for hours now with no problem. Also added fuel injector additive to the tank. Heads up to everyone, be careful when you remove throttle screw. Throttle adjustment screw is plastic and find thread.. Need to remove that before removing jet. Clean jet and solves a lot of your problems. But putting back the screw and jet is a little challenge
I tried this fix to my surging Predator, and now no more surge. Fantastic !!!
Thanks
Instead of sewing needle, are used carburetor cleaner and high-pressure nozzle on my compressor in garage. Thank you again for your help. Great video helped me a lot. Same day I was prepared to go and do the warranty exchange at Harbor freight. Now? No need
Awesome. I feel they get a lot of warranty exchanges.
Worked like a charm! I did spray just a tad bit of carburetor cleaner down in the jet hole once I had it out. Cleaned the jet put everything back in and adjusted the idle smooth as silk WHOOOOLAAAA👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I've had this Predator for a year. The most frustrating thing is it would sometimes be smooth, which misled me to think it was fuel related. I had found your video before a recent few night stay at San Onofre and it seemed easy, but while prepping the trailer to leave, it started running smooth, so I didn't do it. Of course at the beach it surged the entire time there, never stalling, but overload indicated every time it throttled back up. O was so afraid of burning up the inverter.
Got home, did the fix, cranked it, smooth as the day I got it. Am now draining the bowl after every use, will look for a local station that doesn't have ethanol in the gas.
Thanks again dude. 💲
Thanks! Just pulled the generator out yesterday to check it for the winter and discovered the surging problem. I did what you showed, fixed it. I thought I was going to have to pull the whole carb off, thanks again for saving me the trouble.
No problem.
MAN YOU SAVED MY DAY IT IS A TINYJ ET, AND HARD CLOGGED RUNS GREAT NOW THANKS
This worked perfectly. Another way to prove that specific jet is clogged is if the idle screw doesn’t even work. If you screw it in an out an there is no change to idle its clogged. Thanks for the video man!
Thank you so much for posting this. We’re stuck without power in Texas, and this saved my frozen ass lol
Glad it helped. Stay safe.
worked great thankyou sir. Took all of 5min to apply your fix.
Nice video thanks! A little tip upon startup you're supposed to leave it on the start position until the green blinking light turns solid, then switch the knob to the run position. Not sure if it really makes any difference but thats what the manual says to do on startup. It usually takes 3 seconds for that blinking light to turn solid on mine. I am having the same surging idle issue. I've done this fix once before hopefully it works again.
Just bought my 3500. Saving this video for reference. Thank you!
Thanks for helping me fix my generator. Sad thing for me, it was surging brand new from out the box with nothing hooked up. Thanks you sir!
For sure. Might have had some random gunk in the gas tank.
Just used you video and we are back in service. Thank you!
Good job every small engine has some sort of pilot jet that will sooner or later need cleaning doesn't matter how expensive engine is or generator before you store it stable it
Thank you so much for sharing this video. I knew my surging was from a lack of fuel and I just kept buying injector cleaner to no avail. It sounds like this would be the winner and I thank you again
Glad to help man.
Thank you so much..!...I solved my surge problem in an hour. Your solution was spot-on. I learned from another youtuber to drain the carburator bowl. Alcohol in the gasoline is then cause of the clogging, forms varnish.
Stop using gasoline with ethanol in carburated engines and these problems never happen
Fixed my problem! I had to use a strand or two of copper wire to unclog. Great call out on the carb bowl drain, didn’t know it had.
Thanks man. Happy to help.
Mine behaved in the EXACT same say!! I was paranoid that maybe I wasn't using enough fuel stabilizer or that maybe debris made its way into my carburetor and I was going to have to rebuild it 🙄... But I didnt... And so, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the video my man, you LITERALLY just saved me hours upon hours of scouring the interweb and trying the wrong things. . A "Like" and a "Subscribe" is nowhere near what I owe you, but it's unfortunately all I can do 👍👍 Thank you!
Thank you for creating and sharing this video! We are ice fishing in Minnesota and you just saved me a huge headache. I had the surging issue and was able to fix it with your help in less than 10 minutes. Have a Happy New Year!🎉
Happy new year to you too.
Man this worked thanks so much. I thought there was no way it could be clogged jet as it was brand new...shot some wd through the jet and voila. Thanks again 👍🏼
Mine recently started doing the same. I'm going to try your fix tomorrow. I have always used non-ethanol fuel and added fuel stabilizer. I'm disappointed that didn't prevent this. But a 10-minute jet cleaning service once a year isn't bad for maintenance.
Wow thank you so much. I only had this generator for 1 month and it started surging. This worked. THANKS.
I had the same issue. The generator would be pulsating when running. I did what you showed on the video and it runs great now. Thank you for the video.
No problem man!
I bought a new one and surged with new gas on eco mode. I just turned up idle 1/4 turn fixed problem glad I didn't bring it back!
I have a Craftsman 3000i inverter generator. Started idling rough only after about 50 hours of run time. I followed your vid and it fixed the problem. Thanks.
The EXACT fix for my Predator surging problem! Thanks Eyeout!
I know this is an older video but I just bought the 3500 a week ago and its been surging from day 1. Gonna take it back tomorrow and if the new one does i will try this fix. Thanks for the great video.
Just do the fix. It takes 5 min. Harbor freight will make you empty the gas too.
@@eyeout yeah, makes more sense, thanks for replying...
I have this exact same generator and exact same problem. I will attempt this fix and update asap. Thanks.
It worked!!!! Thanks.
Great advice.awesome video. One of the few videos where someone actually is straight forward in explanation and not babbling like an idiot!
@@johnemling7455 thanks. The key is I don’t need any advertising money and don’t need flashy intro stuff. 🤣
You're a genius bro! The easiest fix I've ever had and straightforward quick video. Thanks so much!
Wow that actually worked great, thanks man! Had the exact same problem with the surging. Took me about 10 minutes to fix with this method. I put a paint dot on the idle screw and counted the turns to get it out (6 full turns). Thanks for posting this!
The turns is what I was looking for. Mine was out 8 turns. I turned it in to your 6 and that fixed it. I didn’t have to take the jet out. I found a honda video that said 5 turns so I went with 5 and knock on wood no problems yet.
@@charlesrozzen9919 Right on! I wasn't sure how important the number of turns were, but I didn't want to take any chances.
How many expensive service calls has this avoided! I took my largest bit and drilled a hole in the plastic vertical brace which allowed me to to get the idle mixture screw through it and have a straight shot at getting it started and adjusting it. Idles like the day it came out of the box! Also going to use the Home Depot "True FUEL" for a minute before draining and letting it idle dry. This is only used during hurricanes and Freezes (Ahhhh Texas) and the local fuel is complete crap. That's a tiny orifice in that jet! CAN NOT THANK YOU ENOUGH!!
Thanks man. I think I’ve saved harbor freight close to $500,000. Maybe they could send me a Phillips head screwdriver or something.🤣
Yeah....you need a huge gift cert! 😂 Thanks again Bud!!
Perfect. My 3500 must be a newer model as it looks a little different but it was the same jet right under the idle screw. No more surging.
Maybe…but I deleted the evg charcoal filter system.
100% spot on fixed mine. It's been surging the last couple of times I used it. I cleaned the jet today and now its perfect! Thank you!!!!!!
No problem, bud. I had to track that solution down from the Honda motor that this is cloned from.
You saved me from ALMOST tossing my unit! Thank you bud
No problem.
Worked for me Also! 6 minute fix. Reset the idle screw to the sweet spot and flip the ESC THROTTLE switch until you get it just perfect.
Better than before. FYI my generator had sat for about a year. New Battery and fired right up!
Awesome. The more I think about it, the more I don’t think it’s fuel sitting that causes this. I think it’s dust or sand getting in there.
Thanks buddy. A two minute job and it’s running great again.
No problem. Enjoy your trip.
@harborfreight hey, have you guys noticed a lot less returns on this item? I’m figuring at least 5,000 unit fixed based off views.
Thank you after nearly a can of carb cleaner clearing the rest of carburetor this was the tip I needed. The predator 4000 has the same carburetor. Thanks again for this video. I am ready for hurricane Ian now!
Stay safe! Glad I could help.
Bro....same problem & your fix fixed it!!! Thanks!!!
Glad I could help!
Thanks for the video bud. Took all of 5 minutes to clean and it did the job. Thanks again.
This fixed my idle surge problem. Thanks!
@@dvanostenbridge no problem.
Video continues to save people. Thanks!
Best video out there. Works great. Thanks
@@tylerl2104 I didn’t come here to put shoes on caterpillars.🐛
I put a small inline fuel filter on mine. We'll see if that takes care of a reoccurring ( about every 200 hrs) problem.
Thank you so much. That worked. I Also let it soak in fuel additive for a while. Again, thanks.
Thank you so much for this. I’ve been looking for a while and this fixed my problem.
Thank you for your video, it worked like a charm on my Predator 4375. I had the exact problem you had and this is the fix!
You’re welcome. Happy camping, if that’s what you’re doing.
Thanks for rescuing all of us!
Huge thank you, cannot believe it was this simple and I’ve seen so many other “quick fixes” for same issue that just didn’t seem right in my opinion.
👍🏽😎
No problem man. Enjoy your time out if you’re camping.
FYI EVERYONE WHO HAS HARD TIME RESTARTING THE PREDATOR 3500 WHEN ITS HOT OUTSIDE... All you have you have to do is remove the gas cap and it will start right up. Just needs to vent. Somehow it took me almost two summers to finally figure this out lol. . ALSO Jesus Christ delivered me from meth, adderall prescription, alcoholism, cigs etc in Sept 2014. No rehab or any other outside help! Just the Lord and His Word!! Eternal life in Jesus Christ alone. Make sure you seek and abide in Him!
Yo I’m super happy for the venting trick. Also happy that Jesus saved you from meth.
Thanks and Hod Bless!!
I'm a 40 year old city girl, I very much appreciate the venting, idea. I going to try it now. I really don't want to have to clean the carburetor.
@@JessicaJoslyn did it work
@@cirwo85 no. The gas that was delivered to me was all water and the can was filthy I guess. Total drain out, clean out, clean carb. Then the man who "fixed it" forgot to hook the fuel line back on so I lost quite a bit more gas. But it's running great now. Thanks to the" help". I couldn't have said "I got this", more. But he insisted. I knew something was going to be wrong. Better to just wait til people are gone and check it over. Thank you for the advice. Oh I have a question, why won't my electric start work? I've only used it a handful of times if that.
Excellent video, great explanation and detailed video...simple and short. Well done sir!
Thanks I do a lot of trolling on TH-cam, so I thought I’d give back. Kinda like community service.
Great video what about pulling the bowl off and cleaning the main jet as well good advice for all you all out there. It's up inside the main body underneath the float Flathead screwdriver pulls the first part out and then you can get the rest of it out. Anyone want more help with this just message me
Thank you so much..this video fix my idling issue on my predator 3500 inverter.. Thanks again👌👌👌👊👊👊
No problem. Glad it works.
Thank you duck you saved me a lot of headache thanks
5 minute fix. Great info! Thank you
No problem.
Bingo! Had the same problem so I turned to the ol youtube. Tried your solution and Bam! Cheers! 🍻
My dude, you saved my freaking trip! Thank you!
No problem man. Have fun!
Can’t thank you enough for taking the time to make this video. Worked like a charm.
You’re welcome man. I couldn’t find a fix for this specific application, so when I found it I knew I had to share it. Will probably decrease returns of this product.
@@eyeout most definitely decrease returns. Harbor Freight needs to see this and hook you up.
Thank you so much for vid straight to the point and also great explanation on how to prevent it .
Thanks. Hope it helped.
Perfect fix, nice work!
You guys were lucky! I tried this fix 3 times and it didn't work for me. My gen is a Westinghouse Gen3 but has the same motor in it. I had to take off the carb open the bowl and clean the main jet that is screwed into the base of the carb. What you are cleaning is the pilot jet That pulls gas up from the main jet. Mine works now and will always turn off the fuel valve and run it out of gas from now on.
I think one day if things get clogged enough we’ll all have to clean the carb. Most of our issues are probably more related to debris in our gas clogging the pilot jet. Happens when you camp in the sand or dirt.
That totally fixed my issue! Thanks so much!
Glad I could help.
I use non alcohol gas and a little injector cleaner. If I store it (like in winter) I add stabil.
For sure.
Thank you so much! Great info and results! I hope to be one of those guys.
No problem. I’m not too knowledgeable, but I found this solution for the Honda gen that this one clones. No one had done one for the predator, so I did.
Thank you for posting this video I t worked perfect 👍
Worked like a charm. Thanks!
You’re welcome bud. Have fun camping.
Thanks for posting, worked for me not sure what happened I have always drained the gas fully after use
My guess is dirt or sand gets in there.
@@eyeout that’s my guess too, last use was in Moab for a week and that’s when the issue started. Sand is plentiful in Moab
@@thehot1911 yeah, I was using it at Glamis.
Another satisfied viewer
Many thanks! 🙏🏼
Delete the charcoal canister and re-route the one remaining hose and you can remove that plastic vertical piece that is right in the way! It is only there to support the hoses attached to it.
Thanks 👍 Got my generator purring like a kitten
can you stick a 26G wire in there without taking the idle screw out? I am surprised that is open, like a cup to catch debris. Good call on the fuel bowl drain. Should be a way to access that without taking the cover off. My lawnmower jet clogs after a season of storage on todays crap gas.
I wouldn’t. Just because I wouldn’t want to push the stuff that’s clogging it into the system. Hope it works for you.
Brother, I owe you a beer!!!
Harbor freight owes me a pallet of beer.🤣
Run (Sta Bil Marine 360) fuel treatment and super unleaded. Since I've used this in all my small engines including lawn mower, snow blower, motorcycles, and 4 wheelers I've never needed to do a carburetor cleaning...
Great video. Just picked up a 3500 and it was surging at idle from the first start up. Pulled the jet to make sure it was clean and noticed the jet is unlike what I’m use to seeing in other small engines. You can usually see light through the jet when looking up at the sky. My jet is plugged and does not go all the way through. Is it suppose be plugged in the upper half?
I dunno. I’m not great with small engines. I just saw this fix for the Honda this was cloned after, but I didn’t see a video for the predator. I made this to fill the gap.
You may have to get another size carburetor Jet. It is located above the bowl cape at the bottom of the emulsion tube. You can purchase one here www.6sigmajetkit.com . They also can tell you what size you need depending on your height above sea level.
I own 2 of these and instead of draining the bowl every time I shut them down to store them I removed the screws on the control panel and unplugged the kill switch. Now when I turn the knob to shut it down it continues running until it burns all of the gas in the bowl and then shuts down. I run mobile one synthetic oil, non-ethanol gas and stabil in them and exercise them at least once every 30 days. I’ve never had a surging problem or any other problem.
I camp out in the desert where getting grains of sand in the jet is inevitable. Gas doesn’t go bad in 2 weeks.
@@eyeout I just bought this unit and love how well designed and built it is. Gobs of reviews show that when properly used and cared for they can run thousands of hours trouble free. Pulling the panels and looking it over I see that you can easily place a fuel filter right at the shut off outlet to fix your problem. Putting one in mine for sure. Nice unit as is and I wish people would quit trying to "Improve " airflow and causing electronics to overheat. Who wants it to die when you need it most? I did find a fuse holder right behind the battery on a small white wire that may be a quick fix someday. Thanks for your helpful tip.
Don't cut factory line, add 2" of fuel line, Corbin clamps and NAPA # 23011 filter. Fits perfect and easy access.
The clear hose came off of mine at the top and I can't find where it goes
I’m trying to run Rioby pressure washer and the Gavin is green but I got no power ? Works when I plug it into the house electrical outlet
Check for an overload.
Going to do this on mine! They wanted over $100 to just look at it.
Worked perfectly 👍👍
I see you plugged your tank vent hose with a bolt. I hope you have a vented cap or drilled holes in it. The tank will create a vacuum and cause the engine to do that if you don't have vent holes.
When running the generator the cap is loosened slightly to vent the system.
@@eyeout I drilled holes below the cap like another guy did on youtube. Search predator 3500 vented cap
@@maykevin5 I’ll check it out. Thanks.
Exactly! Mine is completely fixed. Thanks so much!!!!
No problem. I found this info on a Honda video that was for a different application of this motor. Since it’s a clone I just adapted the info and decided to title it so y’all could find it.
Awesome. Hadn’t started it in a few months so this was definitely the fix.
Two words for ya STAY BIL!
Ain’t nobody got time for that!🤣
If you’re going to store it, of course. But there’s no way both my generators had issues due to bad fuel. More likely it was sand in the fuel.
I agree 100%.
Fuel only lasts 2 to 3 weeks without stabilizer, it should be ran threw every time before putting it away, small engines can handle california pump gas!
Thanks man. Did the trick.
Shit yes!! I was about ready to start pulling out hair!! This solved my issue. Thank you. How often are you having to do this? Basically every time you use it after it’s been sitting??
This will work on a lot of different generators and small engines.
Can you put it back in wrong? Does it need to be clocked in a certain position?
It doesn’t need to be in a certain position. Hope it worked out for you.
That position is just close to the start point of adjustment up and down idler depending of atmospheric region. Remember oxigen for mixture.
This worked! nice! 👍
I have a very light surge so I’m thinking of doing this. But I wonder how do you reset the idle screw in the right position. Typically I thought you had turn them in all the way in the back off ‘X’ many turns.
Meh, I don’t think it’s that exact of a science. Just remember where you had it, approximately.
Thanks
@@eyeout just as an FYI I turned mine all the way in to see how far it should be out. It seemed like 4.5 turns
@@jonjames2680 nice. I’ll remember that.
Seems like my eco mode does not work now? Did I not adjust the idle correctly?
Try adjusting the idle screw while in eco mode.
Adjusted the carburador screw couple of turns and stopped idling up and down it was new out the box running steady know
If you didn’t clean that air inlet jet, then you just raised your idle. Just clean it out and you’ll have a better running generator without having to raise the idle above it’s operating idle.