Little Honda Generator Question

[Lin]

We have a Honda eu1000i generator that is used just to charge the batteries if no other power is needed.  Since there are long periods of time when it is not used, and we don't want the gas in the carb evaporating and gumming it up, it would be good to get the remaining gas out of there.  Now the question-- if one cuts off the air supply to the gas tank, which I know starves the engine for fuel and shuts it down, will that mean that it has run all the fuel out of the carb?

[Debo]

I know this doesn't answer your question directly, but I've seen a couple of these little guys now that have a little drain screw on the carb bowl - mine included. Mine is a little 1K Northern Tool with a Subaru engine, so I'd be almost surprised if a nice Honda wouldn't have one.

If I'm going to be storing it for a while, I put some fuel stabilizer in the tank, and turn off the fuel valve. After the engine quits from fuel starvation, I unscrew the drain screw from the carb bowl a couple of turns and let the remaining fuel drain out. The amount that drains out would fill about 3/4 of a sewing thimble. I tighten the drain screw back up and put it away.

I've been doing this now for several years and it's always cranked right back up with no clogging so it must be working. Hope this helps.

FYI - my guess (and it's just that) would be that you'd still have some fuel in the carb bowl if you just cut off the air supply. Don't know for sure though...

[Gordie Allen]

I think you have a couple of  options:
1.   Add a little stabilizer to the gas.  Start the engine.  Clamp off the fuel line to the carb.  Let engine stall.  Unhook fuel line to carb.  Drain fuel tank.
2.  Just add stabilizer and run for 3 or 4 minutes, then shut it off.  I store my Corvette with a full tank of gas and Sta-bil over the winter.  No problems for past 13 years.

[bobofthenorth]

I'd drain the carb.  Without knowing exactly how the pickup works in the float chamber there's no way to be sure that the carb is dry when you shut off the fuel.  The problem with these small engines is that the volumes of fuel are so small ("3/4 of a sewing thimble" for example) and that makes it likely that the fuel will evaporate in storage leaving varnish on/in the carb.  Stopping the fuel flow by pulling a vacuum in the tank doesn't seem materially different to me than shutting the fuel off at the tank - either way you don't know where the pickup is in the float chamber and therefore you don't know how much fuel may be left in the carb when the engine dies.

[TomC]

Wish they made a Diesel version. Then don't have to store gasoline or worry about storage. Good luck, TomC

[wg4t50]

Agree on the Diesel, Howsomever, when your stuck with gasoline ( The poorest fuel for a generator) the best results seem to be to turn off the supply valve and run until the line and carb run out of fuel.  If sitting over a few months dump the crappy fuel in the tank.
Also, if you buy the premium gasoline with the higher octane, it lasts much longer I let my lawn mower sits over winter, starts right up in spring but I only use the hi test.  Learned this from my flying days & Avgas 100LL, it lasts a very long time.
Dave M

[Lin]

Premium gas sounds like an easy extender.  I do put Sta-bile in the tank, so that's a plus. Letting the fuel run out would help but not really clear the carburetor completely, so the general consensus would be to see how to drain whatever's left if it is to be stored for a long period of time.  I suppose running it now and then could work also, but you know how that goes. 

[Ace]

I too have the same exact Honda and I'd you look at the fill cap, it has an open and a close. This closed position will aid in not allowing the tank to vent!
I've left gas in mine without running for months and it starts right up with no problems!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lin]

Ace--Since I wanted to hook up a five gallon marine tank to the generator so I wouldn't be bothered with refilling it often,  I removed the feature you mention and replaced it with a marine tank connector.  This allows the vacuum that builds in the tank to suck in gas from the aux tank.  Works fine.  The only thing is that I have to remember to loosen the cap slightly to allow air in if we are running it without the aux tank hooked up.  Otherwise it will starve and conk out.  But I do see your point, if the tank cap is securely closed, I would not expect the gas in the tank to evaporate.

Like you, I have left the generator unused for months just to have it start up fine.  However, I am not sure that I can depend on that always happening.  That is why I am asking for the best precautions to take.  We had some trouble with that generator on this trip we just took.  It just would not stay running.  I had thought that it was due to a gummed carburetor.  It turns out I was wrong (surprise, surprise).  The little nuts that hold the carb on (along with the plastic piece that connects it to the air intake) was loose.  After much time playing with it and looking in the wrong places, I found that and it now seems to be working as it should.  Why didn't I think of that first??

[Iceni John]

Another way to avoid the old-gasoline-gumming problem is to simply not use gasoline at all!   Most small gasoline generator engines have Propane or Propane/NG kits available, and this gives you the option of running on a fuel that does not deteriorate with age.   I shall be doing this for my little Champion C46540 generator that is for emergency use only  -  so far this year I haven't run it all.   I've found two companies selling conversion kits that don't require irreversible modifications to the carb, so you still have the option of using gasoline if propane is not available.   When I plumbed the bus for propane I ran a separate dedicated CSST line from the propane manifold all the way up front to the generator, with a valve and a 1/2" gas-rated quick-disconnect outlet there for anything that needs regulated low-pressure propane.

John

http://www.propane-generators.com/   Talk about a messy website!
http://www.propanecarbs.com/tri_fuel_kits.html   I'll probably buy one of their 710-214 kits.

[Len Silva]

I was having a devil of a time with a lawnmower until I found ethanol-free gasoline.  That, combined with a bit of Stabil and I have had no problems at all.  Google it in your area.  http://pure-gas.org/

Costs a bit more but worth it.

[gus]

I don't think it will drain the bowl, there is too much suction involved with the vent closed. Just an opinion.

My Honda EV6010 liquid cooled has a small drain valve and tube for the carb bowl. After it is drained you might want to try using a tad of avgas, it will not gum like auto gas. I don't think it is a good idea to leave it dry because of gasket drying.

I've never had much luck with sta-bil, I think I use too much.

[belfert]

I run all my four stroke small engines dry at the end of the season.  They all seem to start just fine at the start of the next season.  The two stroke small engines I just leave the gas in and it has never been an issue as the oil also has stabilizer in it.

I run non-ethanol gas in my small engines now.  I did hit the wrong button the last time and got 2 gallons of ethanol gas.  I used almost all of the gas in a single day so I don't think it is an issue.

[Lin]

Anyone have any experience stuff like this to counteract the effects of ethanol?

http://www.bellperformance.com/fuel-treatment/ethanol-defense/

[Gary '79 5C]

Sta-bile must work if George puts it in his Corvette for 13 years.

I use Av Gas, more expensive than diesel fuel, but the varinishes are refined out, so no residue.