My 1200 watt ETQ generator has been miserable. Starts on ether, after endless pulls on the starter cord. Really giving me trouble.
I'm running pure gas, 91 octane. Yes, the gas is a couple months old. But, last week it ran fine in my chain saw. So, it's not totally stale.
I'd heard of Splitfire spark plugs, supposed to be good. Went to Home Depot, they have E3 plugs with a strange end on them. Well, try Lowe's instead. They had the same plug. So, I broke down and bought one. $5.97 for a spark plug, that's insane.
Got home, put the plug in. Generator started on the 4th pull. No need for ether. I'm pleased.
As with most machines, generator needs to be run now and again.
About ten or so years ago, I bought a used snow blower. The guy swears it worked fine. The fuel had specks of black, which repeatedly clogged the carb jet (two stroke Tecumseh). I put inline fuel filter, and that helped a lot. Wonder if that was a problem with gasohol?
I've been going through problems with 2 cycle engines. An Echo leaf blower, purchased last year wouldn't start ... last year, after a few months. I went back to the dealer and he said the gas was old. Give me a break. He proceeded to start it. I noted the choke and whether or not to give it gas, during pulling. This year, it just wouldn't run properly. It would start but would die if you tried to speed it up. Can't adjust the stupid carb because of stupid EPA rules (probably started in CA). I finally built a tool to fit the recessed micro D shaft controls and it now works pretty good. I've been going nuts trying to find the proper tool, but nobody will sell them because "they are not allowed to do so." I really need the "official" tool, but they seem to have vaporized in the market. I guess I'll have to do what a friend suggested, disassemble the carb and put a screwdriver slot in the end of the needle valve using a MotoTool.
Sorry for ranting. But, on my old Coleman generator, 8HP, 4KW, it behaved very much like you describe. I always had to use starting fluid. Finally, when one of the needle valves stuck and the carb overflowed, I had to take it apart. I cleaned it up, reassembled it, and tried to start it. Worked the same as before. Adjusted the carb, while watching the output frequency, and after that, it pretty much started without starting fluid. The one crazy thing was, you had to start it at full choke and immediately after the 1st pop, back off the choke ... really needed to people, one to pull and one to adjust the choke. But, it pretty much would start after the 1st or 2nd pull.
I was always told not to use gas with ethanol. I'm not sure how much difference this actually makes. One of the local small engine guys told me that 95% of his business was ethanol related. I did find 2 stations that sold non ethanol gas here in my small town. I will be using that in future.
I start my generator on the first weekend of every month and let it run for about ten minutes to get up to operating temperature. Since we're heading into winter, I did the same with the snow blower this month, October. In th e spring I switch from starting the snow blower monthly to starting the til ler monthly.
OK, you are gloing to be pisses at me - but a normal Champion or NGK plug of the proper heat range would have done the same thing, About half the price from any real auto parts store.
Sandblasting made sense when a plug cost half an hour's wages or more and the engines were made of iron. Doesn't make sense when a plug costs less than 20 minutes labour and the engine has aluminum parts that are quickly damaged by any grain of sand that gets stuck in the plug and falls out in the engine. I haven't sand-blkasted a plug in close to 30 years.
If I get a black one in an engine that won't start I just warm it up with a torch until the insulator is clean and white. If that fixes it
Back in the day, plugs did not last too long before they fouled out. Buying
6 or 8 would cost a lot in those wage days. Sand blasting was fine then. Seemed like I was replacing the plugs and points around every 10,000 miles. This was the 1961 and 1965 cars I had.
Now plugs in many cars will go 100,000 miles or more. You may change one set in the life of many cars.
For small engines it pays to change a plug often so it will start. While it did not need it, I would buy a kit for the riding mower that had the filters, oil and new plugs. The plugs got changed every year with the other items.
With small engines, I replace the plug every other year, well before it's needed. I can't remember the last time I changed a plug on a car. It was probably when I had so many problems with the wiring on my '93 TSI (blew a set of wires every year).
Lead free gasoline, which also has virtually no phosphorous compouns, has GREATLY enhanced spark plug life - along with exgaust life, valve life, and even bearing and ring life.
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