Typically, you should not have any problems if you keep the unit well maintained. They are built very well and I expect to see a long life with mine. Occasionally, as with any complex engine system, something can go wrong.
For maintenance I do these things once every 100-150 hours:
·Remove the spark arrester on the muffler and clean with a wire brush. It can get a lot of carbon build-up. ·Take out the air filter and clean any oil residue or dirt build up with a mild soap/water mix. Let dry then work a little bit of oil back into the filter. The air filter is accessible from the left side panel. ·Remove the spark plug and check for carbon build-up. ·Change the oil!
Long term storage:
If you only use your generator occasionally, you must follow these directions to keep from future headaches! Put STABIL in the gas tank according to directions and run the engine long enough to get fuel through to the carburetor. I would highly recommend running the generator at least once a month for half an hour, also!
I just received my generator and it runs very rough:
The wires have probably come loose on the back of the econo switch. Remove the seven screws that hold on the front control panel. See if the connectors are attached to the econo switch. We have seen them come off in shipping. If there is not enough slack to reconnect the wires, open the left side panel and cut the zip-tie holding the wires to give you more slack. The configuration from top to bottom is: WHITE -GREEN-YELLOW.
The generator will not start:
First things first - these are small engines and if they sit for more than a month, the carburetor can get "gunked up". See our part on long term storage above. If you did not do these things, tsk tsk.. :) You will probably need to remove the carburetor and clean it well in some fresh gasoline.
Check to see if that when you pull on the cord, the low oil light flashes. If so it can indicate low oil or possibly a bad low oil alarm.
If the low oil light does not come on, it could be a faulty on/off rocker switch. I have seen this once before. Try removing the rocker switch and jumping the two wires together. If this fixes the problem, the switch needs to be replaced.
Check to see if you are getting spark. If so, check to make sure you are getting fuel to the carburetor. If not, check for loose connectors - see below.
The generator will not start my air conditioner or bogs down and the voltage drops when I put a load on it:
Open the left hand side panel and open the control panel to check all of the connectors. I mean check ALL of the connectors. 90% of the problems we see are caused by loose or improperly seated connectors. Take every one of them apart and visually inspect the connectors themselves to make sure the wires are inserted properly in the connector housing. Especially check the connectors located behind the inverter (large silver box) inside the left hand side panel.
The battery will not start my generator :
If the battery has gotten low, you will need to run the generator for at least 6 hours to charge the battery back up or you can charge it with a car charger. Check to make sure you can start it with the pull start to make sure it isn't a problem relating to something else, i.e. loose connectors.