3 Abandoned Predator Generators - Will They Run?

[@nobodyimportant6141]

Working for Honeywell for 23 yrs makes me appreciate your excellent troubleshooting skills. You also have the best videography on youtube.

[@jcondon1]

Thanks

[@notprovided2823]

My family and I really appreciate your calm voice and matter of fact way of reporting of what you see or what you surmise. The fact that you can have successes or failures without using vulgar language makes you one of our top subscriptions. Thank you for communicating like a gentleman.

[@jeepstermario9912]

you are wonderful instructor, your passion to teach is greater than most of my instructors in trade school I ever had or in the field. Great job and great content.

[@DWerk]

Super help to a lot of DIYers. Great job - thanks.

[@Farm_fab]

Jim, I worked for a home builder that used generators and air compressors to power their jobsite, and they changed the oil in them every week, no fail. This is one of the things that preserves the life of portable equipment of this type.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Old Briggs books said every 20 hours run time.

[@BlackCharger-xd4zx]

I love you all you love you all love you love love you all love you love love you all love you love love you all love you love

[@BlackCharger-xd4zx]

I just don’t know how much she loves you and love her love you all love you love love you all love you love love you all love you love love you all love you

[@carllockpick6179]

Certain people, just ignore maintenance.

[@benjurqunov]

Wow ! Another Trump supporter...

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Nice work explaining how the governor works with the engine block that is open from the top so you can see the governor

[@chrismarshall4523]

I've been a mechanic for over 20 years and never saw the technique with water pressure. Brilliant!!!

[@royhedrick8099]

When a machine has been stored outside like that it is possible moisture can be throwing your readings. To be certain the armature is bad we used to cook the parts at about 200degrees in an oven for about an hour and recheck. Quite often they would check fine after that and worked well.

[@fromagefrizzbizz9377]

Even without that, I would usually expect multi-mega ohm readings to frame are simply dirt on the slip rings with a bit of conductivity. Once you have the power head off and a chance to wipe/dry the slip rings, check 'em again.

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

You're the only other person that's mentioned what I've done for decades.

[@ShanesGettingHandy]

@TIHS PID the REKCIL TILC Hah, your name is cracking me up...😂

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

@@ShanesGettingHandy !!!sknahT

[@majord.532]

@@ShanesGettingHandy 🤣

[@andyhamilton8940]

I agree with your valve seal decision. The head is at such an angle that any residual oil would run back to the pushrod galley and not puddle around the seal.

[@martyb3783]

Using hydraulic pressure to remove the rotor is the coolest trick I have ever seen!

[@draperj7597]

I had to go back to see this, somehow it got past me. But i have to agree, it is one of the coolest tricks ive ever seen as well.

[@bubba6945]

yes it works but oil or grease is easier to seal off than water but whatever works

[@wades623]

Using some sort of liquid is pretty common for pulling primary clutches on snowmobiles. If you don't there is a good chance you'll bend or break the tool

[@DMS20231]

Yep that was amazing.

[@nikknm08]

That was pretty interesting, another thing I learned working on Generac standby Gens per disassembly instructions, it tells you to sacrifice old long rotor screw/bolt, cutting off the hex head and a small bit length, cut a slot to screw it back into the engine shaft so it allows you to screw in larger bolt into rotor shaft end to put force against engine shaft(thro old screw) and brake rotor free from engine that way. All warranty jobs that require that type of disassembly came with replacement long screw/bolt.

[@mjg263]

Having multiple parts when you need them is probably worth more than the unit itself anyway. Good stuff!

[@rich10849]

Your skills are totally amazing James. Your ability to record and edit videos makes you want to watch them and your knowledge covering what you're demonstrating makes you glad you watched them.

[@QuanntumAI]

Your ability to record and edit videos makes you want to watch them and your knowledge covering what you're demonstrating makes you glad you watched them.

[@alvinhyman6838]

Those lessons are the ones you'll never forget. People don't understand that most of the problems on new vehicles are communication related. When my son Graduated from NASCAR Technical Institute the speaker was a BMW technician that travels between Dealerships for those issues. Keep up the good work!!

[@krzysztofsoja5301]

Hello. I had similar problem with excessive smoking on the engine startup with my lawn mower. I was worrying about rings or valve stem seal failure. It turns out there was a little bit too much oil in the crankcase; somehow oil has been pushed through the breather to the airbox causing really bad smoking at startup. I removed around 50ml and it fixed the problem for good. Actually I was surprised with excessive oil level, because when changing oil I removed every last bit of old one (changed when hot plus I've added cleaner so it was much thinner than usually). Hint for me was the spark plug - was covered in residue suggesting engine is burning excessive amount of oil and inside of the airbox - covered in oil. It was such a relieve not to have to disassemble the engine to fix the problem 😄

[@carllockpick6179]

Make sure fuel is not getting into the oil.

[@cheapcookies]

As mentioned many times below, by others, it is *not* the valve stem seal. The oil ring is not doing its job controlling the amount of oil it should have anymore and the 2nd ring is not scraping adequately on downstroke, the excess oil is ending up between the top and second lands of the piston. As the engine warms up, there is enough metal expansion to minimize the problem and visible oil smoke. When it cools down, the excess oil pushed to the top is pooling in the cylinder after shutoff. (Take a borescope peek when it's cold and look at the small puddle on the piston's bottom side). On cold startup, out the exhaust it goes. The solution is new rings, hone the cylinder and break in the rings over several cold-hot cycles. And as you always do anyway, change the oil in 5-10 hours. I have a Firman (Chinese Honda clone engine) with exactly the same problem and am debating on ringing it or living with it. The Chinese (usually Honda clone) engines are not proving themselves, as evidenced by the shortness of their engine life and plethora of problems that arise after a year or so of use, regardless of the load/how often they are run. The real Honda/Subaru Robin/ and even older B&S engines hardly ever suffer these problems, in my experience. I blame the inconsistency of Chinese steel for the short life of their products. They are meant to make it past their warranty expiration and that's about as far as they make it.

[@GunfighterWyo]

Moral of the story is to purchase a generator with a known brand name engine, Honda, Robin, Kohler, B&S, or other known good brand. The knock offs are changed just enough to avoid patent and other infringements lawsuits. They are just like the gonna pop Chinese trailer tires.

[@jonminer9891]

Hello, James. Both those generators have spent a lot of time with Mr. Dante. Not sure how far they descended, but suffer they did. Thanks for sharing! Stay Healthy!

[@tristanschaper281]

One of your best videos!! That trick to hydraulically impact the bolt to pop the gen free, is genius! I never thought of that. Awesome job!!

[@wildefox1478]

It's a shame the first 2 generators had junk engines but at least they had lots of good parts and saved some other units, at least you were able to save one of them, nice work James!

[@jeremiahjorenby2275]

Fun fact (and I know this sounds counter intuitive, but it works) the closer you put the spring to the governor shaft, the more sensitive/responsive the governor will be. The only way I learned this was from a Onan NHC service manual. Since then I've been moving tons of governor springs on my equipment to the hole that is closest to the governor shaft. The usual side effect is some mild surging, but under a heavy load that goes away. So if you're having issues with frequency droop, give this a try.

[@generessler6282]

There are a few past videos where he does this.

[@tacomas9602]

That helped me set up the PTO generator to run smoothly on my garden tractor. Thanks for your random comment !

[@goofe.washington953]

At around 1:20 or so, the explanation of how the governor works, as it interplays with the spring and maintains equilibrium, was the best I’ve ever heard. Excellent.

[@goofe.washington953]

Correction: that’s 1:1:20, not 1:20.

[@goofe.washington953]

I give up - Correction #2: that’s 1:20:00.

[@mrobi5797]

Wow. Fixing 4 other generator with 3 used one. Pretty good value. Funny how destiny made you select first, the two that seem better, but were not repairable, and the worst looking one (third one) was the one fixable. Also, great job at cleaning it. It shows attention to details. Keep the good work, we need people like you in this world.

[@wrangler6977]

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Looks like you made out alright w/ the purchase of these three.

[@kenjohnson5498]

Anytime i use a predator engine i always go through and re-torque everything i can before using it. They have a terrible QC dept evidently. The 301 and 302 cc are the same linkage and spring set up so you can order for a 301 and it will work on the 302.

[@chuckmayerchak3071]

James I really enjoyed your video. Those two engines had some severe carnage! I must say I was a bit disappointed that you didn't go a bit further on the smoking generator. At least a leak down test. Also removing the crankcase vent from the air filter while running would show evidence of blow by. Valve seals can often be had by valve stem diameter. A good NAPA store could possibly match something for you??? To me the way that engine clears up after a few minutes I would highly suspect valve seals and or guide problems. I would think an oil ring would keep on smoking. I also realize even a good preditor generator may not be as valuable as a so called name brand??? I also wonder if a small dose of "snake oil" although I'm not a big fan may help swell those valve seals and free a stuck ring if that was the case?? Again not criticizing your decision I'm only throwing out my thoughts. Keep the great videos coming!

[@beaviswashere8009]

I would buy/make a spring tension meter to compare springs for the governor. The strength is affected by the spring material, which is hard to judge by eye. Yes springs are a pain when they are used like this and kind of "look" the same. Probably not worth it, but would be fun to see ! Thanks for all of your videos!

[@KensSmallEngineRepair]

Changing the moment arm length probably helped as you said Jim, affecting sensitivity

[@adamdnewman]

Would be a neat tool

[@generessler6282]

Good idea. I'd think you could rig something simple that dangles the spring vertically, then hang calibrated weights over it. Some kind of ruler and pointer to measure the stretch.

[@Dave5843-d9m]

Luggage scales do the job for heavier springs. Lighter strength tension scales will be available.

[@matthewcarpenter596]

Fishing scales would probably work too

[@courtneykensington8190]

I really appreciate how much detail and explanations you give with each video 😊

[@h.briseno8597]

I’m not a mechanic, but for some reason, I like watching these bring back-to-life videos. 😊 You’re so calm. When my dad worked on anything, he was cussing up a storm. 😤😊

[@jcondon1]

Glad you like them!

[@kennethgroves6552]

Clearly abused by their previous owner. Nicely done. I love purchasing items like this and resurrecting them. I purchased a Champion 3500w Generator for 50 U.S. Pesos. After replacing the recoil rope, a valve adjustment, oil change & cleaning the main jet. It has purred. Never failing me. Champion could have done a better job on the governor. (As in a buffer.) At no load it likes to hunt a little. That is only a minor annoyance. When loaded, it runs at a constant speed. I expect too much from a Chinineseium product. The AVR is accurate it holds 122 VAC at around 59.7 Hz. I have also worked on Predators, which are ok, IF MAINTAINED AND NOT ABUSED. Anny way..... Nicely done Sir. Happy Holidays.

[@jcondon1]

The hunting is just because it is jetted a little lean. Pretty common these days with new machines.

[@steveheld8869]

love your channel! I'm a carpenter not a mechanic but I was able to fix my lawn mower (Craftsman T1600 with a briggs) after watching you. Bent aluminum push rod. Thanks

[@jeffclark2725]

We have OffGrid homes around my area also a good source for spare parts,can really rack up the hours on a machine, Good find for all the spare parts

[@mrlister2000]

In the last 6 months I had 3 new generators replaced! The first Power King needed the bushes and AVR replaced after 2 months! The the same unit threw an earth point and the dangling wire kept arcing to the frame, causing a burning smell. The company replaced that with a 8kw Wolf generator and that one lasted 3 weeks before the engine seized. The replacement Wolf arrived and that last 4 months before that snapped the top off the valve. After speaking with theretailer it turns out the previous machine had done exactly the same but that valve snapped and dropped in to the engine killing it. I've had that one refunded and bought a P1 powered by a Hyundai 16hp engine, 8kw, from Amazon. Yesterday after 4 hours of running time, not continuous, in the sweltering UK heat, the engine refused to start up on my next job! Glad to report this morning it fired up with no issues. I wouldn't mind if the generators were going all day every day but they are used around 4 hours per day in total, but not continuously as I travel from one job to the next fitting tyres. My very first Wolf professional generator was still going after 5.5 years but i decided to get a new one as I can't afford to be without power, and thought getting a new one would last me at least another few years. Worst decision I ever made as I sold this unit and its still going strong powering a mobile catering van at the weekends for 8 hours per day! I love your videos by the way. You are very methodical!

[@stephenbridges2791]

I would think that amount of smoke is a ring issue. It is difficult to imagine how that much oil would pool and stay around the intake with it being that high up. If it were blown through the crank vent across the seals it would still be a ring issue. Good to see you not lose a lot of money on two and a half basket cases.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

My old Onan smokes like that but clears up after a bit as well. You did good fixing the 4 but that's what it's all about. BLESSINGS!

[@tarstarkusz]

It's hard to imagine how it would save any money to not repair the pole and instead burn gas every day for 5 years. Unless he has a large battery bank to save the power, this thing will just burn gasoline all day and night. Even when gas was somewhat cheaper, that is still not a good option.

[@dillardc81]

The explanation of the governor operation really cleared things up for me. Thanks for this.

[@johndost3087]

Thanks for your thoughtfulness and logical troubleshooting I was able to epair my own generator. It's a relatively new Westinghouse wd9500df and from new only ran 48hz. As it turned out the adjustment screw bracket for the run speed and govenator had a weld broken. To make a long story short, the other weld broke while trying to straighten the bracket out. I then drilled two holes and put in screws and washers then bent the bracket straight. Then backed the screw out and started the engine. With my kilowatt adjusted to speed to 60.5 hz which held solid under load. Again thanks for your great videos. Keep up the good work.

[@JDLarge]

Parts is parts! I’m psyched for you seeing that having junk to begin with you’ve still come out on top. I know it’s a balance but you definitely pulled a win out of these three scores. Thank you for the tutelage sir, you’re one heck of an instructor! 👍🏼👍🏼 from this guy! Looking forward to your next challenge!✌🏼

[@markmoran9716]

Thanks James, you always provide great videos.

[@dedowd9335]

Thanks James you inspired me to not give up on my Champion 4500/ 3500 run generator from Tractor Supply 3 years and it worked fine here in Northern California during the summer outages and during the Snowstorm last December 2021 until day 6 when I couldn't get it started with out the help of my Son in law who had more Ummph than I did. I bought a electric 4650/3650 Champion to finish the Snowstorm and it works great even during this week long Snowstorm that just melted. I tried 2 times last week rebuilding the Carborator on the first one and it still won't start. 40 hours on both of them.

[@sungbyun3224]

Thank you so much for explaining the purpose of the governor. I always wanted to know the purpose of it and how it tries to reach that equilibrium. Please continue to teach as you make these repairs for us newbies. Thanks again for the wonderful videos you are making. I can watch your video all day.

[@martinwalters3457]

Yes I learned more about gen. Today then in trade school . Thank you for showing me step by step and explaining each step. Anyone can follow you and fix their gen

[@passenger6735]

An excellent description of how the governor system works. Thanks. I know you can't source parts but it's MUCH more likely to be the rings rather than the valve stem seal. A quick re-hone with one of those attachments that fit on a drill or criss cross pattern yourself with some fine sandpaper to bust the glaze, and a re-ring will put many useful hours back in the engine.

[@James1095]

Those Harbor Freight engines are so cheap, it's probably easier to just buy a whole engine to get parts. Might talk to some of the guys that build go kart racing engines too, they often start out with a brand new engine and replace a whole bunch of parts right out of the box with aftermarket upgrades so they have stock parts left over.

[@jeffjohnsisland5551]

Five years off grid due to owner being unable to repair power poles is amazing. I wonder what the cost of gas, maintenance and generators was for the five years compared to the cost of repairing the power poles. Generating off grid electricity via fossil fuels isn’t cheap compared to utility cost.

[@s3dghost]

Same thought running through my mind...

[@pehden]

3 generators later lol

[@markheintz1878]

Many years ago my electric company was charging 500 a pole and so much a foot for the wire. I can't remember exactly on the wire but it was high. It stopped me from buying many different parcels I looked at back then.

[@Rubberfoxy]

@@markheintz1878 is there no insurance in the states??

[@yohanathandowns9057]

Of course there is ​@Rubberfoxy

[@erichandyauto]

I've always thought and felt that Harbor Freight makes throw-away tools. You use the tool for as long as it lasts and then just throw it away. Seeing that repair parts are not available for this engine, your video reiterates my conclusions. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@sherischneider2390]

My husband uses a 4' air nozzle to blow dirt and leaves off before bringing most things in the shop. That keeps the shop cleaner and makes inspection and repairs easier. It gets a lot of dirt off without the potential problems of pressure washing them. He got the idea from a manufacturing plant the shot-peened all metal brought into the shop. That minimized the smoke and weld contamination from the oil and scale on metal sheets and other metal. PS; Great video. Thanks

[@haneyoakie14]

Nice work and well worth my time watching you save the one and donor part to save 4 more (so far). As always, your in-depth explanations and your sharing your thought process provides the greatest strength of your teaching for us, the viewer. I always appreciate your candor, like when you include your trips down the dead end roads and the things that fool you, because we will travel the same path and have the same problems. I learn more from my mistakes than I do from my successes and I am happy you share your challenges with us. Thank you for top notch content.

[@bobadam7021]

I have seen race car engines put a window in a block and do less damage then that. I have never seen a small engine block obliterated to that extent. That was an impressive failure. I really wish you would have said what you were asking for the smoker. How about running something like seafoam or B12 through it, maybe there is some carbon on the oil ring and it sticks until it warms up. I bet the combustion chamber is as bad as the other two so getting some of that carbon off can only help.

[@bbarnett7667]

I have absolutely zero interest in generators or rebuilding them but I just sat through this entire video because he made it interesting and to the point and fun to watch.

[@mikewilson8594]

I learned one thing from this video. I'll stick with my Honeywell Generators, at least for now. That's what we ran on our firetruck and rescue vehicles when I worked there.

[@randybobandy9828]

How is that what you learned? You're making your assessment of the generators quality on 3 abandoned generators that probably had a few thousand hours on them and weren't maintained properly? Predator generators have a great reputation for being inexpensive and very reliable.

[@jonathanfenne4948]

I'd be temped to dump ATF down the bore for a week. I suspect the rings are sticking when cold due to excess carbon and allowing oil past. If you see an improvement, let us know! We love a followup. Great job!

[@hirampritchard5588]

Wow, ratchet straps, PB Blaster / WD 40 all that was needed was duck tape and the trifecta of in house repair work would have been achieved. Once again I learned something. Thanks

[@Channel-gz9hm]

That's impressive to destroy that many generators in such a similar manner. Makes me lean towards operator error (stupidity). It's pretty unlikely to be anything else.

[@neilmorten6416]

I agree, most likely an "ID 10 T" error code

[@JonnyMac351]

Probably ran them out of oil

[@carllockpick6179]

It takes about 30 minutes, to change oil, spark plug, and air filter, no excuse. People must have money, to throw away.

[@coreybabcock2023]

@@carllockpick6179 I got my wen 3800 running so well bought it for 300

[@that.short_kid1]

@@carllockpick6179 ugt

[@percival23]

There is just something hysterical about a guy who fixes generators to say: "Hey ...the power just went out" Thanks for that James.

[@Dr.-Smart]

i have the feeling when the engines were bought , they might have not gotten a proper "burn in" run , instead just ran out of the box without much attention paid to it and perhaps that caused his almost similar damage to all three generators

[@OakesProject]

I agree. Looks like they were ran until they were out of oil and grenaded. Notice the 3rd engine was low on oil. BTW, how much oil did you have to pour in that one to top it off James?

[@matt_1984_]

i'm betting so. Predator is the "cheapo" harbor freight brand, the 6500s are going for about $700 bucks. I could see someone thinking "oh, i'll just run it till it dies then get a new one" or it had poor quality control from the factory...

[@michaeltarasenkoop2389]

It’s amazing that most all generators are of the same configuration as to the lay out of the generator from the end of the power head as if they are all the same make !

[@michaeltarasenkoop2389]

why would he live off grid for 5 years ? The generators cost more than the power from the grid ?

[@butler386]

Glad you were able to make other generators run with the parts machines. To bad for those engines though. Makes me wonder if they guy just ran them to low on oil for to long and they were damaged beyond repair. Great video at any rate. Thanks for the videos.

[@krg038]

Great videos. New generator, Changed the oil after first 5 hr run. Just like you said that swirl of silver was there. Thanks for all your tips and knowledge sharing.

[@billrimmer5596]

Almost a million views. Since I discovered your channel, I have been binge watching. What a wonderful family man u r. And what patience u have!! Does the wife help with camera and editing? Anyhow, I have about a billion more to watch. Thank u, and keep up the great work!!

[@ouch1011]

So wait, the previous owner of the house went through 3 generators in 5 years? That’s insane. Either they did zero maintenance on those generators and ran them dry, or they’re junk (or both).

[@christopherhardie1050]

I've had a predator generator for over 10 years now and it still starts up with 5 pulls.

[@matthewromano8801]

If he was running them at a minimum of 8 hours a day, that's 2912 hours per year. Guarantee he was running it a lot more than that.

[@robertmorin6495]

Fun watching you sort through these. Glad the parts could help with other machines.

[@donutz1]

👏👏That was awesome James! Great Job on explaining everything so clearly. That water pressure release was insane!! Cant wait to try that one, and so good to know I need ALOT of tape to make it happen. I much prefer your methods and techniques over my old crush ... "theres your dinner". Thank you James for not yelling at me. 🤫

[@RyChipper]

Your hydraulic method from removing the rotor was pretty cool! Multiquip uses an old rotor bolt, cuts it down and screws it into crankshaft, and then uses a bolt to in the end of the rotor to pull it off.

[@jcondon1]

That also work well.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Great to see you back at it hmm some predator generators wow only 60 bucks

[@pete70091]

James, I have had a Predator 6500 since 2018 and haven't had any problems except for the fuel line drying out. I definitely over change the oil. I thought it was strange that the 5500/6500 you have has a 301cc engine. Mine has the 420cc. Looking at the Harbor Freight website they seem to shifted all of the engine sizes down per generator one size sometime since 2018. The 9000 now has the 420cc (not sure what it had before), the 6000 now has the 301, ect. The only reason I could see why they did this would be for emissions reduction, but I wonder what that does as far as performance seeing as they reduced the engine size by 100cc's but kept the generator head the same. Mine easily handles the entire house and all appliances (all propane). Side note, I'm not too far from you. Maybe 90 minutes from where I'm in CT. As a retired Navy diesel mechanic that primarily maintained and repaired large shipboard diesel generators (460V/1-1.5MW) this is probably my favorite channel. I look forward to Thursday every week. Keep it up!

[@joepeterson8704]

I purchased my 9000 in March 2020, it was manufactured in September 2019 before they did a complete redesign of the 9000, and mine has the 420cc engine.

[@philn1601]

Your are a generator's doctor James. You have saved countless generators.

[@e-racer4673]

If you are going to mix the old fuel with your new fuel, you need to add octane boost because that’s the first thing to go in the fuel is octane and that will cause your engine to spark knock, so just make sure you add octane boost with it if you’re running old fuel because overtime, it could very easily damage your engine.

[@rstephe]

Nice. Way to reutilize as much as possible. Saving money fixing them means you can save money to those who need them.

[@TerryLawrence001]

I love the list of search tags you added to the end of the description! All that in one video! Wow

[@ddblairco]

another great video, I was looking forward to you powering your house when the power went out. I was a little disappointed when it came on so quickly. keep up the great work, thank you.

[@AZVIDS]

Awesome “marathon video”! Cannot believe both those cases were cracked open like that. 3:1 gennie conversion with lots of extra parts👍

[@jakes.5591]

I can't believe that you put this much time into this project.

[@NotThePulla]

I've been loving watching through your videos man. Great production quality, you do an awesome job of educating the viewer throughout the process of each troubleshooting tactic, you had to have been a teacher at some point or had some incredible educators, or you just have a natural ability to concisely talk through your process. I cant get enough, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, Ive only scratched the surface but wow ive learned so much about generators thanks to you.

[@bobmcnelis3648]

Never had internet much luck with blaster or Wd. Mystery oil has been my go to, since then. Love your channel, I’ve learned a lot from you Steve!!

[@bobmcnelis3648]

Damn spell check!

[@mbazzy123]

Thank you for the governer and spring relationship and function. I have never really understood the mechanism of action with these components well done !

[@MacGyver-1]

I hope nobody gets an idea that these generators are complete junk from this video, these actually are worth the price when comparing them to any other of the Chinese Honda clone generators from Briggs, generac, Honeywell, lifan, and many others. Proper break-in and oil changes keeps these running well for at least 1500 to 2k hours. The first two probably never had an oil change since new.

[@jimthesoundman8641]

Well, he must have bought at least four over five years. If we suppose he was running them 24/7, then he was getting about 11,000 hours out of each one before failure. Probably never changed the oil at all and that lead to the failure on each of them.

[@jcondon1]

The original owner definitely got his moneys worth on these. It does not take long to run up thousands of hours on a generator when living off grid. These are meant for temporary emergency power and not expect to last much more then 1500 hours or run 24x7. But they can last a lot longer if properly maintained and a little bit of luck. I wish that had an hour counter. It would have been interesting to see how many hours they had on them.

[@5toolman6]

@@jcondon1 Well at least you solved the mystery where the bearing race came from.

[@chuklee7523]

I have two of them. They run great. Change the oil every 50 hours.

[@4Him4u2]

…and, were probably run for hours and hours every day, being off-grid.

[@LK-mr9pf]

Jim, I like your videos and the learning I get from watching them. here is an idea that may help many of us that don't have time to watch the longer videos. After watching this video I thought you could maybe do a series of short videos?? As an example - You explain how the speed governer works and the effects of the spring and the position of the spring was great. Removing the stator (hydraulic pressure)? Adjusting the engine speed with and without load to attain the correct voltage and hertz/. and many other helpful tips. Valve adjustment. Just a thought. Thanks for all your efforts.

[@davidtimmermann7226]

I like videos like this because i can learn a lot about the products with more assured honesty than what I'd find in regular product reviews.

[@thepubliceye]

I have serviced a few generators myself and watching your videos I must say these Preditor generators are built quite well.

[@jcondon1]

They are built well.

[@Me-zo8yc]

@@jcondon1 Lack of maintenance can kill anything!

[@MartinHentges]

You sir are the Charlie Daniel’s of the small engine generator… you definitely know your way around them Harbor Freight machines.

[@tonythompson7448]

You got your money back on just the starter charger coil an flywheel James you didn't go wrong for sure

[@johnslugger]

The gas lines on mine only lasted 14 months before the dry rotted. Use only quality VITON rubber fuel lines when rebuilding these!!!

[@arthurbiringer5676]

Great video! You really know your way around these gensets. And yes, I’ll watch it to the end!

[@er1073]

James hey you got your monies worth an got 4 generators to sell and a bonus learned even more valuable information. Thanks for sharing old smoky might last for years like this. Ed

[@AndrewTa530]

Thanks for your videos! Many decades of information being conveyed.

[@jameskenney5623]

Lookup Vice Grip Garage and try an Italian tune up on the smoking machine. There a good chance it'll come around again. For $4 it's worth a shot.

[@JsRazza]

Finally. I always suspected which state you were filming from. Now after your drive, confirmed! Hello neighbor!

[@jimbrown9885]

I always appreciate your inclusion of HF mid and prosumer lines.

[@jamesdiehl8690]

I'm not surprised they were abandoned! You might be able to get parts from two to repair 1 of them. I have a Presator now that doesn't run (my 7th one). They're junk!

[@chrisssmallengines7163]

The bugs look like earwigs . I also noticed that the head gasket was leaking on both of the bad engines , I would check the last engine to make sure that is not a problem in the future . Thanks for taking the time .

[@sirfelix1]

Your working knowledge is off the chain.... but most people should know... half the job is having the right tools...

[@larrysmall3521]

If the generators were outside there may be moisture between the rotor and ground. Clean the rotors good and let them sit in a dry place until they are completely dry. You can also bake them in am oven at low temp (~150F) to dry them out.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Looks brand new even though it had been outside its entire life

[@aat2853]

Although I don't have generators, I'm learning so much from your videos, basically how to use different tools. That alone worth $$$ to me, as I didn't have anyone to show these things.

[@fayiznalu8411]

Excellent save for $60.00👍

[@shawnmrfixitlee6478]

the parts are worth more than you paid James.. good score

[@brianwood5220]

Great job James, you're saving so much from going to land fill. Thanks for sharing

[@c.hundley9714]

Run mine at least 3 times a month. Always fresh fuel and oil. During long power outs, we run it into an inverter and run the freezer and refrigerator. Starts on the first pull. When the chores are finished, close the gas and let it run dry. We've gotten a lot of years on ours. Not a problem.

[@zrkn1]

Predator generators are notorious for clogging their exhaust screens "spark arrestors" to the point of damaging the engine. Be sure to check the exhaust folks and keep them clean. A major score for the price, Congrats !! Mega video for a mega score, Thank you!

[@jim7smith]

Spark arrestors are really bad for chain saws, weed eaters, etc. The first thing I get rid of when I get one. They eventually cause extreme difficulty in starting and also idling.

[@zrkn1]

@@jim7smith I understand what you're saying but I would never want to start a fire. That would be devastating.

[@jim7smith]

@@zrkn1 been using all of the above for 60 years, never started a fire yet...but your mileage may vary.

[@wsawyer2]

excellent explanation of the governor function and control. Have been tryong to explain to my son...makes it easier. You are a small ebgine specialist no doubt. Keep those videos coming. I'm 80 years old and you keep me interested. Thank you.

[@jesterr7133]

I had a riding mower that I revived a couple of years ago that had a governor spring issue. It sat outdoors for several years and the carb was rusted, so I was forced to replace it. When I finally fired it up, it was hunting really badly. I went through the brand new carb a couple of times thinking that it was an issue with the carb. After several weeks of fighting it, it finally occurred to me to try replacing the governor spring. I did, and it ran perfectly after that.

[@xcalibre222]

By the nasty neglected condition of those gens I doubt if the oil ever got changed when they were used hence blown engines. Definitely good parts machines though. Thanks for the Vids! :)