Piece Of [censored] Harbor Freight Generator

[tommygunn]

I bought this 8750/7000 watt (#68530) Predator generator made by Harbor Freight. I want to replace the spark plug and the manual instructs you to see the specification chart for spark plug type. Then the spec chart doesn't list anything about spark plugs. What a pain in my .....

Am I supposed to just guess at the spark plug now? Waste half my day pulling it out and bringing to an engine shop for determination? I should have just spent a couple hundred more for quality. What's my time worth on this wild goose chase just trying to determine a spark plug type.

 

[Klutch9]

You could pull it and compare it to what they have in the store. A lot of small engines use similar/same spark plugs. Now the gap, that's another issue. You could always measure what's there now, usually the gap grows with use.

 

[The_Eric]

What do you expect for a Chinese made piece of junk?

 

[901Memphis]

They are cheap enough that you can guess by taking it to the store and return the one that doesn't fit.

I am sure someone else has replaced it and already knows, just give it time. A specific thread asking about the spark plug model may be helpful.

 

[Merkava_4]

No part number on the spark plug?

 

[901Memphis]

Page 15
For technical questions, please call 1-800-444-3353


http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/66000-66999/66619.pdf

Gap says .028-.031 in this manual

 

[123Saab]

Sorry to hear man, But it seems a lot of stuff from Harbor Freight aint exactly top notch.

Kinda like Walmart.

 

[djb]

How does this make the generator a PoS?

Incompletely documented perhaps, but not a PoS.

If you can't check the spark plug type yourself, perhaps you should take it to a professional for service.

 

[Chris142]

any auto parts store can cross over the torch plug.the gap for pretty much every small engine like that is somewhere between .024-.035...set it @.030 and go on with life.

pull the plug and post up the number

 

[901Memphis]

It is a POS, its not news, but that doesn't mean you cant use it for non emergencies.

 

[Wolf359]

Is this supposed to be news? I think Harbor Freight and POS kinda goes together. It's just meant for short term, light duty stuff, any problems are to be expected.

 

[daves87rs]

Are they really that bad?

 

[bubbatime]

Pull the Torch plug to get the part number.

Go to this website and cross reference the plug.
http://www.sparkplug-crossreference.com/

Go buy the NGK or Champion compatible plug.

I have two Harbor Freight predator engines in my garage right now. On one of them, the manual was completely incorrect and listed the wrong part number for the spark plug. There must have been a mid-model change since the manual was printed as the spark plug listed wasn't even close to fitting correctly.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Are they really that bad?



With the stock plug they will misfire out of the box! I call that bad.

 

[Chris142]

i have 3 hf generators. the 4k with the predator engine is real good so far. i have over 300 hrs on one of the 2 stroke ones running 800w constantly.

 

[JHZR2]

The HF lovers may get annoyed with this thread.

But seriously, isn't the engine family used in those generators a counterfeit of the Honda engines? Perhaps that is a place to start? Ditto with pulling the plug? Is it ngk or some other known supplier?

 

[michaelluscher]

I'm all for some good HF bashing*
*when warranted

The price and initial quality should have clearly spelled out what you were buying into here.

But between the internet, this forum, cross references, and looking at the old plug against others in the store, your story doesn't have much of a leg to stand on.

 

[BISCUT]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Are they really that bad?


Generally speaking, yes! But they are also inexpensive, just be leery of the bargain you get.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: BISCUT
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Are they really that bad?


Generally speaking, yes! But they are also inexpensive, just be leery of the bargain you get.

As I've learned in life, you get what you pay for. If you want quality you have to pay up for it. There are some instances where there are exceptions to that rule, not may though. I'm pretty sure the OP knew that though, even so I'd be PO'ed too!

 

[GreeCguy]

Try visiting the HF website and check out the reviews for your product. I have found several times that others have experienced similar problems and offer solutions, (and a lot of complaining). It's worked for me in the past several times.