1960s Honda ED250 DC only generator. Will it run?.

[@g0fvt]

I was given an E300 so it was fun exploring it and finding out why it did not run, It was a surprise to me finding the points on the end of the alternator, cleaned them up and it ran well. Honda used to suggest "parking" the engine in a specific position so the points were closed during storage. The DC version would be super handy for stranded vehicles or boats. The E300 series were a very clever design. If you want to muck about a while you can get the ethanol out of modern petrol, it is destructive stuff, a lot of motorcross bikes have plastic tanks, it eats them too.

[@NorfolkMancave]

Ow they are great Gens. Maybe not that interesting to look at , but by god them Hondas are so well made.

[@rossbrumby1957]

I have an ED-250, an E-300 and an EM500 all from the scrapyard for AU$5 each. The EM-500 runs and makes power but at 240v it's a fast idle and stalls when loaded up. Normal rpm its closer to 280v. The E-300 starter doesn't engage and the 250 fuel hose was rock hard and caused the bottom of the fuel tap to come loose and leak. The starter engages only sometimes. Im working on the 250 currently. Until this video I thought they were from the 1980's! They look very modern considering the styling of outboard motors from the 60's.

[@brianmarsh4498]

we used to put a bit of petrol on feeler gauge and draw it through the points after cleaning.

[@NorfolkMancave]

I never tried that. Thanks.

[@rogerking2933]

Excellent, i got the EM 300 runs perfect great for battery charging and running lights incase of emergency very economical.

[@NorfolkMancave]

Great little machines. Love them

[@kennethevoy]

This would be cool to have in the shed if you had an off-grid solar setup. You could dump some DC right into your charge controller on a dull winter day without needing to adapt anything.

[@kennethevoy]

Or in a work truck for charging batteries in the field.

[@NorfolkMancave]

Do ya know I would never had thought of that. Perfect for my camper as I back up. Thanks

[@TheTutorialguy_28]

Lovely little girl I suppose it'll be good for charing car battery's up or something along those lines, pretty cool to see points on something like this great vid as always 👍

[@NorfolkMancave]

Well thank you sir. I enjoyed this one. 🤣🤣

[@paulbillingham4594]

Hi Adam, That Honda must have looked space age in the 1960's and 70's. The build quality is amazing and other than having points could be only a few years old. I like the point you make about E10 petrol. I have been going on for years about ethanol in petrol and how some supermarket petrol goes through like a dose of salts. I have been repairing my daughters 20 year old Peugeot. The computer on board knocks off nearly 10MPG if I use E10 as opposed to E5, super unleaded. I started, (or tried to start), my dads old strimmer the other day and E10 had dissolved the clear plastic fuel lines inside the fuel tank. What was left had the consistency of a gummy bear. Great Vid as always and very enjoyable. The feller at the mower shop laughed at me and said that will teach you for going to Aldi for grass machinery and sold me some more stuff. I laughed as I walked away and said it was a tenner from a boot fair.

[@listerfunwithmarcus6177]

just seen this video i do like hondas cant wait to see the next video

[@PaulHigginbothamSr]

Hey Adamski: Did ya'll ever figure out how to get 24v? Or 3v. In the medium rpm to run 13v will charge your car battery just wonderfully. Or is the missing switch and wires what was needed for the other voltages?

[@misscrabstick]

Awesome! I have the 1966 12 volts and 220volt version, I bought it an auction for ten pounds about a year ago, I wasn't looking for one but nobody wanted it so it would be cheeky not to, being a Honda of course after a bit of a fettle and a new fuel pipe it was away, don't quite know what to do with it though as it's only 300 watts so bugger all use for anything except lighting.

[@NorfolkMancave]

Hi ya Lucy. Yeah great little gens. I saw this on marketplace 3 miles away so had to have it. Don't know what I'm going to do with it tho. Lol

[@whitesapphire5865]

Ahh, one of those! I have two Honda 300 series generators. One is the E300, the other is the E300E, and a third one for parts, but I'm not sure which variant it was. Mine are the 110/220v-ac plus 6v/12v-dc. Quite useful they are too. Not too generous on the output at only 300 Watts, hence the "300" in the model No. and whatever else you do, you don't exceed their rated capacity, unless you want them to die! Now, that screw that looks like a bodge on the carburettor? That's actually a factory fitted screw, and it is your throttle stop (idle speed) screw. Just try running the engine with the throttle control fully backed off. Now take a screwdriver (it should be a JIS size) but a Philips or a Pozi should be sufficient, and turn that screw in or out, and you'll notice that the idle speed will vary as you adjust the screw. It's basically just a backstop so that engine doesn't stall when you back off the throttle knob. I find that these little machines tend to run hot, with all the covers on, so if I'm using one in earnest, I run it with the back off. I don't know if you're aware of it, but you're missing the little "tool kit" - A box spanner which is also the plug key, and the screwdriver shank which uses the box spanner for its handle. In the back cover, there should be a small rubber block in one of the bottom corners, it's there to hold a spare sparkplug, or maybe two. I can't be sure without looking at one of ours. The "kit" clips into those two Terry Clips under the back of the petrol tank. There would be a rubber bush inside the box spanner, and you would insert the screwdriver shank into the rubber bush for storage purposes. Now then, there are multiple variants of this machine, and some have the points under that cover on the gen-end, whilst others have the points under the flywheel. We've never yet managed to get a flywheel to come off one of these, so we treat the recoil starter cord with a bit of care, because I wouldn't fancy trying to restring one! All in all, they're not a bad little machine, but given the choice, I'd prefer to use our E800E generator, which as the model No. suggests, is an 800 Watt machine, but still with a battery charging output.

[@NorfolkMancave]

Great info mate. I have the old ex650 i used to use with my caravan. So reliable. Yeah I noticed I was missing the took kit. I have ordered a new plug for it.. don't know what I'm going to do with it now lol..

[@whitesapphire5865]

@@NorfolkMancave I'd say hang on to it, even show it, especially you can get a collection of old Honda gennies together, but in any case, if you keep it with you when you're out in the 'van, you'll always have the means to charge your battery if it ever goes flat. Our 300s were used for that, quite a lot. Handy for waking up a sleepy tractor too!

[@NorfolkMancave]

@@whitesapphire5865 Yeah I was thinking of throwing it in the back of the van. Could be very handy as you say.

[@vectracman5746]

Good old Honda generators .

[@NorfolkMancave]

Yeah. They are so so reliable.

[@JaysElectronicTinkerShack]

ace i would love this lol the bit thats missing is a 3 position selector switch to change the voltage, shgould b easy enough too sort

[@NorfolkMancave]

aw its a 3 way switch go there is it?? Would love to get one. don't like my chances tho. 😒

[@JaysElectronicTinkerShack]

@@NorfolkMancave ye don’t think u would get one but am sure u could make summat for I wonder if that terminal block has three wires in it , wondering if a combination of diff wires config a will give u the voltage selection be great for running a load of led light bulbs in a shed u can get b22 and Es socket bulbs in 12 and 24v

[@astravanmk2]

That starts better than my 10 year old Clarke. You get what you what you pay for I guess.

[@NorfolkMancave]

Yeah. I got an old ex650 from the 80s. And it starts 1st pull every time. Even if its Bern sat for a year.

[@Equiluxe1]

That slot with the 6-12-24 volt settings would have been a switch or a four pin socket with a two pin plug that was moved to the relevant position for altering the output voltage, looks like someone in the past deleted that and connected it up with the chocolate block strip.

[@NorfolkMancave]

Well its giving out 12v ish.. 🤣🤣🤣. That's really handy for me to be honest. I may do a test at charging an old car battery up with it. Its a great little thing.

[@karlmabe1649]

Mum and Dad had one on a boat was a sod to Start at times points I bet

[@lewisgardner1660]

What’s the latest with the Enfield ?

[@misscrabstick]

That carb screw is original Honda.

[@NorfolkMancave]

Well whatever it is its running great. And putting out power. 🤣

[@rogerking2933]

Yes it adjusts the idle speed.should say it sets the idel speed.

[@DavidSykes-f4j]

I have a E300 still going used for charging batteries in motorhome. Be good to find an E 250 DC unit, small, quiet, plug straight into battery box PM me if you have one

[@karlmabe1649]

The only fuel is E10 ?