Generator help

Thanks fellas, I'll check everything mentioned a report back shortly.

 

Did you check the exhaust? One year I was having trouble with my genny until it shot a mouse nest out of the exhaust pipe. Usually, there is a spark arrester screen there, but, you never know.

 

Well, a few minutes ago I got back from my spark plug run. I never saw this coming, but I put the new spark plug in and it fired on the first pull and purred like a pussycat. Based on my (visual) spark plug tester the plug was firing consistently. Would the behavior it was showing have been what one would expect from weak spark?

I really appreciate all of the insight and suggestions. A piece of me almost wishes it hadn't been that simple...

Thanks everyone!

 

Hooray! I love a happy ending.

 

Yes spark plugs can do stupid things. I have had plugs that showed excellent blue spark when held outside the cylinder and not work at all when installed. It is much harder to jump a spark when under pressure and slight cracks and scratches in the porcelain can make life frustrating. Glad it was a simple fix.

 

That is why I posted that. It's because I have fallen prey to that line of thinking as well. Get a plug from a known running piece of equipment is my first course of action anymore. Glad you got it.

 

I have a mower that had the same symptoms, I went as far as pulling the head. Finally decided to put in a new plug, fired on the first pull.

 

Speaking of you and mowers, did you ever get your hands on that Wankel engine mower your buddy had? I want that thing real bad...

 

My quad experienced a failing spark plug a few years ago.
It would run but any load on the engine past 1st gear it would die. Went through all the usual fuel troubleshooting and finally put a new plug in - fixed

Glad you got it running

 

Wankel, did you say Wankel..... Le Rotary....

 

Yes, and Gary found a damm push mower (OEM/stock) with a Wankel engine in it!

 

He would not sell it, as far as I know it is still at his shop. I think the pictures are on my old phone.

 

My Cub Cadet mower wouldnt start one time this summer, I monkeyed around with it for a day or so and finally hauled it to a local shop. Darnest thing I ever saw. It was out of gas!

Gary

 

To tell you the truth, when I first started to look at this generator which my father (also named Gary!) said wouldn't start I pulled for several minutes before realizing it was out of gas. I chuckled and filled it up figuring that was the problem since I'd done that same thing myself before...

 

already figured it out but i have ran into this too many times to count. those chinese engines come with cheap plugs installed. first thing to do with them is throw it away and install a NGK plug. I used to sell red hawk water pumps....they had chinese honda copycat engines on them with no name plugs installed. part of my assembly process was to throw those plugs away and install quality plugs. The chinese do a decent job stealing and copying a complete engine but havent figured out how to copy a spark plug worth a da**