Nonstop Running (8th day) for EU2000

Nice!!

I'm sure they are throwing rods because they don't check the oil at all, not because they are running 10w30. The last hurricane we had I saw several broken generators. All were from low oil. They were either seized, broken rod, or the oil sensor was just preventing it from starting.

One guy dropped off a generator that was fairly old (early 90's maybe) and it had very few hours on it before the hurricane where it ran continuously... until it didn't. Turns out it had what was left of the original oil inside, it had never been changed or checked. The guy didn't even think to check or change it, just put gas in it.

I have a 1988 Coleman with an 8hp Briggs flathead. Very reliable, but extremely loud, and not good on fuel. I'm thinking of getting one or two of these Hondas to replace it.
 
we're having 112 degree heat index where i'm at right now. i feel comfy with the 15W-40.

rotella 10W-30 is a stout oil choice indeed 👍


This generator gets year round use; Not comfy starting it with that in 1[0-9] F weather.

As stated in another thread, i don't care what 15W is "good for" for low temps, 10W is better.
 
my EU2000 is going on it's 8th day of 24-7 operation. i'm changing the oil every 50-55 hours and immediately firing her up. so far it's at 260+ hours. also changed the plug with an oem NGK. i'm running rotella t4 15W-40. will keep running indef until the power is back up. (she ran 120hours during hurricane maria in 2017)

the winco 6000/5500 is at about 110+ hours and only runs for 9hrs thru the night and a few hours during the day to cook. she has T4 15W-40 too.

the oil is keeping up nicely. no burning off and it comes out nice and clear. (not that it matters) but it gives me warm and fuzzy feelings inside. my neighbors have already thrown rods in their gennies. prob due to lack of oil changes or using ilsac 10W-30. anyway they didn't want to follow my recommendations when i offered.
finding gas has been tough but not impossible.
Just curious, how easy is it to get fuel? I served in Sabana Seca a long time ago. It seemed very rural even then. How do you get gas for your gen?
 
This generator gets year round use; Not comfy starting it with that in 1[0-9] F weather.

As stated in another thread, i don't care what 15W is "good for" for low temps, 10W is better.
This generator gets year round use; Not comfy starting it with that in 1[0-9] F weather.

As stated in another thread, i don't care what 15W is "good for" for low temps, 10W is better.
i'm not telling you to run 15W-40 oil. i could care less what you use. *****
 
Just curious, how easy is it to get fuel? I served in Sabana Seca a long time ago. It seemed very rural even then. How do you get gas for your gen?
i get up at 5:30 and search for open gas stations to avoid long lines. many stations are dry by noon
 
Nice!!

I'm sure they are throwing rods because they don't check the oil at all, not because they are running 10w30. The last hurricane we had I saw several broken generators. All were from low oil. They were either seized, broken rod, or the oil sensor was just preventing it from starting.

One guy dropped off a generator that was fairly old (early 90's maybe) and it had very few hours on it before the hurricane where it ran continuously... until it didn't. Turns out it had what was left of the original oil inside, it had never been changed or checked. The guy didn't even think to check or change it, just put gas in it.

I have a 1988 Coleman with an 8hp Briggs flathead. Very reliable, but extremely loud, and not good on fuel. I'm thinking of getting one or two of these Hondas to replace i
Nice!!

I'm sure they are throwing rods because they don't check the oil at all, not because they are running 10w30. The last hurricane we had I saw several broken generators. All were from low oil. They were either seized, broken rod, or the oil sensor was just preventing it from starting.

One guy dropped off a generator that was fairly old (early 90's maybe) and it had very few hours on it before the hurricane where it ran continuously... until it didn't. Turns out it had what was left of the original oil inside, it had never been changed or checked. The guy didn't even think to check or change it, just put gas in it.

I have a 1988 Coleman with an 8hp Briggs flathead. Very reliable, but extremely loud, and not good on fuel. I'm thinking of getting one or two of these Hondas to replace it.
the little EU has been bulletproof and sips little fuel. the gx340 honda powered, winco chugs 7gallons on a 9hr nightly run.
 
he EU runs a Refrigerator, an upright freezer, fan, TV and internet.
You still have internet (well obviously your posting here). Is it starlink or cellular or cable / DSL / fiber or?? Is your outage very local only?

Thanks for posting. I think I will go get a gallon of T4-15w-40 to have on hand. Been using SAE30, but if I ever really need to use it for a long outage will be good to have. A gallon will do like 8 changes on my little 212cc genny.
 
You still have internet (well obviously your posting here). Is it starlink or cellular or cable / DSL / fiber or?? Is your outage very local only?

Thanks for posting. I think I will go get a gallon of T4-15w-40 to have on hand. Been using SAE30, but if I ever really need to use it for a long outage will be good to have. A gallon will do like 8 changes on my little 212cc genny.
had cellphone and internet connection all thru the hurricane. the internet is cable if i'm not mistaken. PR fixes these issues after CAT5 hurricane Maria.

i used rotella sae 30 then started using T4 15W-40 after i ran out. i'll keep using the 15W-40 because it's easier for me to find and cheap. 👍

the outtage was island wide. some areas have been getting power and water faster than others. i just got power last night since i live next to the water processing station and they made it priority to get this area up and running
 
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Nice!!

I'm sure they are throwing rods because they don't check the oil at all, not because they are running 10w30. The last hurricane we had I saw several broken generators. All were from low oil. They were either seized, broken rod, or the oil sensor was just preventing it from starting.

One guy dropped off a generator that was fairly old (early 90's maybe) and it had very few hours on it before the hurricane where it ran continuously... until it didn't. Turns out it had what was left of the original oil inside, it had never been changed or checked. The guy didn't even think to check or change it, just put gas in it.

I have a 1988 Coleman with an 8hp Briggs flathead. Very reliable, but extremely loud, and not good on fuel. I'm thinking of getting one or two of these Hondas to replace it.
keep us posted when you get your honda👍👍👍
 
Nothing wrong with changing the oil early especially when you are depending on the thing. Steve's small engine saloon did a video on spark plug gap. It's not that important.

I would keep a few quality spark plugs and air filters around just because.

Honda dirt bike and ATV engines ran decades in very dusty environments with little or no maintenance. I don't think you will have a problem.

Just keep up with the oil making sure to use good stuff.

You may want to send a 50hr sample in just to see if you could safely go longer
 
we're having 112 degree heat index where i'm at right now. i feel comfy with the 15W-40.

rotella 10W-30 is a stout oil choice indeed 👍
Heat index and wind chill are fake terms to explain how weather feels on exposed skin.. it has nothing to do with engines or metal or such.
The actual air temp makes a difference but still 100 hour changes would be amazing and your machine will be fine.
Humidity effects how you feel in heat but does nothing to your genset engine.
 
Equipment doesnt feel heat index only temp.
"The heat index, also known as the apparent temperature, is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature. "

Humidity is a non-factor for cooling engine.
Wind chill and heat index are great to help people with no science make bad decisions..
Suppose my gen engine is 5 years old.. but its been really sad and depressed lately. Then what oil would you use
 
My '01 BS powered Craftsman 5600w unit ran 11 days nonstop during Sandy 10 yrs ago. With 5-30w ST full synth. in it.
Afterwards did an oil change and it's still running like a champ doing a few multi day nonstop runs since then. Did not have to add oil to it, it did use some but not enough to get to the add mark during Sandy.
E0 fuel for storage, burns whatever I can get during an outage and drain and fill with stabilized E0 for storage along with an oil change.
I do have an extra set of gen brushes on hand just in case to be prepared as not sure on how long they last.
No hour meter but it has a load display and maintenance reminders on the display for the non-gearhead.
 
Just to be clear, are you saying that you ran it over 250 hours straight without an oil change?
Yes. With a full synth. oil these motors are tougher than you think. How many folks run small engines for years without any oil changes on the original dino oil supplied with them and they keep going. Most failures are from lack of oil as has been previously posted.
If ambients where above 90f I would have done a change after 5-6 days during the big storm.
How many contractors actually change oil on site generators? Not too many, just top off and go.
 
Yes. With a full synth.
Were I to run a generator for an extended period then I would definitely go at least 100 hours on full synthetic oil. That being said, I usually shut the generator down for six hours from 11 PM to 5 AM to conserve fuel. The refrigerators and freezer can easily ride out six hours when not being opened.

That being said, my power only goes out occasionally and for 3-6 hours at a time. It could take five years to accumulate 50 hours under these conditions, so I will continue to change it at 50 hours in lieu of an extended run.
 
m my neighbors have already thrown rods in their gennies. prob due to lack of oil changes or using ilsac 10W-30. anyway they didn't want to follow my recommendations when i offered.
I run M1 15W-50 in my larger air cooled gensets and water pumps. With thousands of hours of construction and post hurricane experience, I came upon a winning combination. My neighbors, like yours, had thrown rods. And on some very nice equipment too. Nearly of them were using the recommended oil and a few like my co-worker's generator threw a rod despite frequent oil changes with 5W-30....

But it's hot, the air is stagnant, and oil temps climb into unsafe territory when running a 5000W genset to heat water on a 4500W water heater, while also using a few lights and the fridge. It was not unusual to see 265F oil temps during normal, non heavily loaded operation. As the gensets simply did not have adequate local airflow and therefore would heat up. If I were to guess, I'd say thermal runaway happens as the oil heats and thins. Probably reaching over 300F before the rod lets go.

The EU2000 is a great little unit. My last oil change was also Rotella.
 
My neighbors, like yours, had thrown rods. And on some very nice equipment too. Nearly of them were using the recommended oil and a few like my co-worker's generator threw a rod despite frequent oil changes with 5W-30....
You wouldn't happen to know if that was conventional or synthetic 5w-30, would you? It's not that I would run either in one of my generators up north here, let alone in your climate, but inquiring minds want to know.
 
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