Hoping somebody might be able to shed some light on this old timer. Got myself a resurrection project to keep me occupied. I'm guessing 1970s or 1980s, but Google is coming with nada on a Black and Decker model 3625. A manual would be especially helpful, I'll try B&D as well. Was sold on Craigslist for parts, but the engine turns and has compression. I figure I can certainly get an old Briggs and Stratton L-head running, I'll just have to see if there's any life in the generator head.
Old generator info
- Thread starter Dave Sherman
- Start date
It does not look like a very big generator. Maybe 2500 watts. You may end up needing a carb off eBay. Check the capacitor if it has one. You may need a 4 wire ohmmeter to check some of the windings. Sometimes you need to hit the output outlet with voltage from a 9V battery to get it to generate power again.
A photo of the nameplate shows 2.5 kw.
Wouldn't have guessed it would work, but it lives. When I got it, the muffler was broken, air filter was missing a screw, stop switch broken off, air filter foam had disintegrated, stale gas in the tank, and the ignition was kaput. Still pretty dirty, but after an ignition tuneup, cleaning up the carb and tank, fresh gas, new muffler, new stop switch, new spark plug, new rubber feet, new air filter element and screw, and cleaning the carbon from the cylinder head, it's a runner and it makes power. Oh, and I changed the unknown well used oil and it's running Rotella T5 10w30.
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Awesome, thanks for sharing that!
Love the old school spark plug “kill switch”!
Love the old school spark plug “kill switch”!
Good job!
If it were me, I’d be all over a harbor freight predator engine transplant. the ability to start easily and run on minimal gas would be to the predator’s advantage. This unit with the flathead and small fuel tank, will have a limited runtime. Then again, the predator won’t run very long with its stock tank either.
I'd just buy the whole predator generator. That old one has 2500w max, small fuel tank, and may not be reliable in an outage.
An HF 4375 has 3500watts continous, 4 gallon tank, and will run 16hrs on that tank. And has a 220v outlet too.
Was this generator fixup more of a challenge than to get a generator to rely on for backup power?
It won't power that much and many new generatord in that output range are inverter generators.
It won't power that much and many new generatord in that output range are inverter generators.
If you're going to put this machine into service, the generator head has a ball bearing on the shaft end away from the engine. It will require re-packing or replacement after so many years. There is no generator bearing on the engine side, it shares the engine bearings.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
Cool find Dave!
I like to keep a few small 'portable' generators around as opposed to one bigger one. ~$5/gal gas and availability issues during times of crisis makes a big fuel hog generator unattractive to me.
I bet that one will clean right up and look/run great. I've seen those hot dog mufflers on the shelves at home/hardware/auto parts stores.
I like to keep a few small 'portable' generators around as opposed to one bigger one. ~$5/gal gas and availability issues during times of crisis makes a big fuel hog generator unattractive to me.
I bet that one will clean right up and look/run great. I've seen those hot dog mufflers on the shelves at home/hardware/auto parts stores.
Thanks for the tip! I have a Predator 4000 generator for backup generator use that's much more practical. This was more of a resurrection/restoration project to see if it could be brought back to life. It's over 40 years old, it has a comparatively small gas tank, no voltage regulation, and it's loud compared to the Predator. On the other hand, the generator head has plenty of material left in the brushes, the compression is good, it runs well, and could always be a backup for the backup.
Before you guys talk down this "vintage" generator, it may be worth remembering that most of those old generator heads used real USA produced copper wire. Clean it up, lube the end bearing, replace the rectifier, and enjoy very reliable service.
Many Chinese generator heads use less reliable and more troublesome aluminum wire.
Many Chinese generator heads use less reliable and more troublesome aluminum wire.
I had a 1979 vintage Coleman "Mite-e-lite" with 8 hp Briggs engine. It, too, had the dopey spark plug kill switch that I think is only really safe to use on points ignition.
The mass in the engine, flywheel, and generator head was something else to rope-start. But it would chug-chug-chug to life.
Something like this won't be phased by a motor kicking on.
Save it until tornado season if you want to sell it.
The mass in the engine, flywheel, and generator head was something else to rope-start. But it would chug-chug-chug to life.
Something like this won't be phased by a motor kicking on.
Save it until tornado season if you want to sell it.
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