new CHonda generator

[JimPghPA]

My Coleman Powermate 5000 / 6250 Peak Watts with a Tecumseh 10 HP HM-100 engine had plenty of metal specks in the first oil change, and some in the second oil change.

My Generac ix2000 not so much.

It is probably mostly about how much time the machine shop that makes the parts that goes into the engine spends on cleaning each part before it is assembled. And there is bound to be some metal from the breaking in of the matching of the moving parts close together like the piston and cylinder.

Just because a machine shop does not clean the parts very well, does not mean that the tolerance and design of the engine is bad.

Your engine is probably better off if you do a few oil changes with low hours to get those metal specks out of there before they cause unwanted wear.

 

[punisher]

Originally Posted By: satyr64
Punisher could you let me know if yours has similar junk in the oil in after the first hour?


Yup. Got updated tracking info and scheduled delivery is the 23rd.

 

[JTK]

$200 for a 3500watt? That's quite the deal. Every new small air cooled engine I've ever changed oil on had glitterly oil for the first few oil changes. No worries there.

Like said, I wouldn't bother with a high dollar synthetic. Any lower cost 15w40 is perfect for these.

Joel

 

[Cujet]

Just an FYI, last week I checked my Kawasaki engine with a thermal temp gun. 240 degrees F on the side of the engine block. Engine oil was at least 240 degrees. It's no wonder Florida engines fail with 5W-30 conventional oils during extended use.

If you are in a hot and humid area and plan on heavy loads, use a robust oil.

 

[lexus114]

What do you guy`s think (in hours) is an okay time to switch from conventional to Synthetic in the gen sets? Although where I live I could probably just keep using the PYB 10W-30 safely.

 

[tig1]

4-6 hours.

 

[Bullet]

Originally Posted By: satyr64
I bought a new generator from homedepot for $200 Smartertools 3500 Watt
Put 1/2 qrt of Pennzoil Platinum in it and ran it for one hour. Check the oil with finger and could see fairly large metal peaces in it. Did a drain and took a few pics. Should I bring it back to HD or do refill and drain every hour with dino as other post suggest? I plan just to use the generator for emergence power for freezer, fridge, and gas furnace.

Is this common with cheap CHonda engines. Engine manufacture is Wenling Jennfeng Industry JF168FJH-2 series

Oil Pictures


I got that same deal too. I’ve had these Chonda engines before and they all have metal in the oil when new. When I got the generator I ran it for five minutes and changed the oil. I actually did it 4xs (thank goodness for near free oil). I wouldn’t worry about the metal. It will have a long life. BTW – sure was a good deal for $217.00 delivered wasn’t it?

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: earlyre
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
I made sure mine had a Briggs when I bought one.I sure dont trust them Chinese brands or their parts availability.$200 is a good price by far though.

but that's the fun of the CHonda. for most of 'em, real honda parts bolt right up.
..almost as if they were made from the same molds as the real honda engines or something...
The go kart racing folks claim the CHonda carbs are BETTER.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
In the summer even if there is a major outage you can drive to someplace far away to get gas. So in the summer one or two days worth of gas is enough.

In the winter if there is a major snow storm the roads may be unusable for 3 or more days. So in the winter three days worth of gas for your gen-set is probably the minimum.


I agree. I keep 30 gal of gas on hand just for that reason. A gen without gas makes a good boat anchor.

Propane or natural gas carb conversions are popular.