Last summer I bought a (very) used 400 watt gasoline powered generator for $50.
The salesman (an auctioneer) said the former owner took "pretty good care of his stuff".
When I got it home and began to check it out, apparently the former owner had not changed
the motor oil when needed. (It was black and thick). After replacing the oil, the carburetor was partly disassembled and cleaned. The fuel tank was empty. The fuel lines were in a transitional state back to becoming whatever fossilized dinosaur they had been originally.
I ended up buying a replacement carb from Bezo's Barn, replacing the fuel line, air cleaner and filter, checking the spark plug and cleaning it. I found a schematic online.
https://www.jackssmallengines.com/j...electrical-schematic-wiring-diagram-no-61753#
The replacement carb did not work, but I couldn't return it because I used some pieces from it to try and repair the original carb. A month or so later I bought another (more expensive) replacement carb. Finally, the engine started and would remain running (if a bit fast). But the electrical outlets (120 VAC) only showed about 3 volts at high speed. So, with more web searching I found old generators need to be remagnetized to work properly. So, I followed that procedure, and there was no increase in voltage.
I started checking the charging circuit in more detail (Oops! There is a wire that broke at its terminal!-fixed). The diode bridge checks out with the Diode function of the DVM. I do get resistance when I check the stator and rotor windings, but I have no idea if ~3 ohms is a good reading.
While I was in there, I see one of the generator bearings needs replacement.
I made a few attempts to contact the local electric motor repairman, to no avail.
So, it has been on "the back burner" over Winter.
This generator so far has been a money pit, and I'm not interested in searching for, and buying a replacement bearing if the windings are bad.
Do any of you have experience in generator windings?
The salesman (an auctioneer) said the former owner took "pretty good care of his stuff".
When I got it home and began to check it out, apparently the former owner had not changed
the motor oil when needed. (It was black and thick). After replacing the oil, the carburetor was partly disassembled and cleaned. The fuel tank was empty. The fuel lines were in a transitional state back to becoming whatever fossilized dinosaur they had been originally.
I ended up buying a replacement carb from Bezo's Barn, replacing the fuel line, air cleaner and filter, checking the spark plug and cleaning it. I found a schematic online.
https://www.jackssmallengines.com/j...electrical-schematic-wiring-diagram-no-61753#
The replacement carb did not work, but I couldn't return it because I used some pieces from it to try and repair the original carb. A month or so later I bought another (more expensive) replacement carb. Finally, the engine started and would remain running (if a bit fast). But the electrical outlets (120 VAC) only showed about 3 volts at high speed. So, with more web searching I found old generators need to be remagnetized to work properly. So, I followed that procedure, and there was no increase in voltage.
I started checking the charging circuit in more detail (Oops! There is a wire that broke at its terminal!-fixed). The diode bridge checks out with the Diode function of the DVM. I do get resistance when I check the stator and rotor windings, but I have no idea if ~3 ohms is a good reading.
While I was in there, I see one of the generator bearings needs replacement.
I made a few attempts to contact the local electric motor repairman, to no avail.
So, it has been on "the back burner" over Winter.
This generator so far has been a money pit, and I'm not interested in searching for, and buying a replacement bearing if the windings are bad.
Do any of you have experience in generator windings?