Harbor Freight Storm Cat 2 Cycle Generator - First Start and Tips

[@jgg204]

i love these things, i just wish they made them like they used to. back before i did emergency disaster prep, i had one of these but the blue top Chicago Electric version (the old one). bought brand new from HF in 2011 for $79.99 and bought the extended warranty for $16.99. enter hurricane sandy....i was caught with my pants down basically. luckily since i have natural gas and a steam boiler (water heater is nat gas too and atmospheric venting)...i was able to keep the heat and hot water on (i wired up a plug the 1st day of sandy and ran an extension cord to the extension cord branch i had coming into the house from the generator. in addition, i had my full size 18 cu ft fridge running off it and a bunch of CFL lights that i would have on throughout the house based on which room i was in at any given time. basically ran it full time on reg gas and supertech 2 stroke oil from walmart for 4 1/2 days. burned through about 35-40 gallons of gas but man it pulled through. a few months later one day i went to run it and it blew out, was replaced under warranty with the new Storm Cat red top one. the Storm Cat cant even handle the compressor surge of my fridge and just trips off. what a shame. now i have a pair of SMarter Tools AP2000iQ gens

[@yumann]

Very useful info. Thanks!

[@Lanninglongarmmowing]

You put a little bit of 2 stroke in the cylinder for lubricant but run it out of gas and lubricant when putting it away for storage. Next time you start it up, how does it still have lubricant in the cylinder if you ran it out of gas?

[@04BlueSmoke]

Thanks for the ??? Once the engine is in a running mode there is always residual oil left on the moving parts (Yes even after storage). A two cycle engine is designed for the gasoline in the mixture to evaporate and ignite and the residual oil that does not evaporate stay behind and lubricate the moving parts. I recommend adding some oil in the cylinder when a two cycle motor is new just to make sure the crankshaft and cylinder walls are lubricated upon initial start up.

[@TeamBlindMouse]

do you clean the inside of the fuel tank for metal shavings first ?

[@04BlueSmoke]

No, I did not clean the inside of the fuel tank first.

[@MrLeo174]

hey scott can i use trufuel 50:1 mix for it

[@04BlueSmoke]

Yes, Trufuel is good. No ethanol. My only complaint about it is the cost.

[@TeamBlindMouse]

the manual for the new Tailgator says to change the fuel oil mix after the 25 hour break in....any suggestions as to what to switch it to ?

[@04BlueSmoke]

The manual recommends 50:1

[@aaronyork6173]

If you turn the gas off and run it dry isn't that starving the engine of oil?

[@04BlueSmoke]

No... there is enough oil remaining to coat the moving engine parts. Only the gasoline vaporizes and burns in the engine. The oil remains on the moving parts.

[@waynerhea6649]

these generators are really small and convenient but the problem is it makes way to much noise. if your going to the beach or a campground you'd most likely get kicked out especially if it's a public beach or if there are people near by.

[@04BlueSmoke]

Yes, not too quiet. They are great for what they are.

[@Dive-Bar-Casanova]

Run 4 hours unloaded when new at 35 to 1 gas.

[@04BlueSmoke]

I run 40:1 all the time. ..... and exclusively use Mystik oil.

[@Dr2009king]

Why over tightening the plug Scott ? .

[@04BlueSmoke]

Just needs to be snug. Crush the washer to guarantee a good seal.

[@jgg204]

oh make sure you get the 69381 model version of this, there are two. the 69381 is better made edit: i see you did that, nevermind lol

[@ewsconstruction6421]

jgg204 I have the other model. should I get rid of it and get the other one? what's wrong with the other one?

[@04BlueSmoke]

No ... I wouldn't get rid of it. How does it run when there is a load on it? If it is smooth with no knocking I wouldn't worry about it. Just run it....

[@ewsconstruction6421]

Scott Mueller I am going to test it with a 600 watt heater

[@ewsconstruction6421]

Scott Mueller I am gonna pick up a 69381 today selling the other before it breaks on me lol

[@ewsconstruction6421]

Scott Mueller Just picked up a 69031 on cl for $40! major quality difference than the 60338.

[@hp5man]

You added a little oil and sea foam to the cylinder to provide some initial lubrication to the engine. Would any of that get past the piston rings to get down to the crankcase? I've just bought a similar generator and was thinking about removing the exhaust system to get a bit of oil onto the crank before the first run.

[@04BlueSmoke]

I think some oil / Seafoam would make it past the rings to the crankcase. There are intake and exhaust ports near the bottom of the piston stroke that become uncovered during cycling .... And.... I wanted to lube the rings and cylinder walls as well. Scott

[@davids9139]

who sells the mystic oil?

[@04BlueSmoke]

Hi David, I live in the upper midwest. I get all my Mystic oils at Fleet Farm.

[@Dive-Bar-Casanova]

I've seen it at Walmart.

[@Dive-Bar-Casanova]

The Home Depot version is now 1000 watt and a little over $100.

[@rogerkerkmann]

a little overkill, $100 generator, $10 seafoam, $10 plug, synthetic oil, it's a throwaway!

[@04BlueSmoke]

Hi Roger, I guess it depends on how you define "throwaway." A user I am aware of has over 2000 hours on a two stroke generator like this. Seafoam I have ... for many uses, Plug is $3, you need oil anyway.... might as well use the good stuff... Mystik.