Stuck Kubota Engine - Will It Run?

[@troyyarbrough]

James, you have more perseverance than anyone I've ever known or seen. Great job resurrecting that old dinosaur. It's my thoughts that the reason generators like this one have little resale value is because everyone wants inverter generators now. People have been educated on the "dangers" of using "dirty" electricity on these newer electronic devices. That particular Kubota generator would be great to use on a jobsite running power tools. Thanks for the awesome content.

[@Ken-rk3by]

I was gonna mention it would be good for power tools on a job site too, but you beat me to it. lol

[@-paganless2-432]

Furthermore the difference in size, weight, noise and fuel efficiency will probably seal the deal; well, it did for me.

[@robertmehlfelderbob]

Troy, you talk about perseverance, you should check out Mustie 1. He has a knack for solving almost any engine problem that he finds and doesn't give up until he gets it to run!!!

[@michaelmactavish4445]

@@-paganless2-432 hard belive anyone would through that nice kubota away and there parts are still avaliable and there engines too for that

[@brewster3987]

"As you can see... it's got some issues." Mr. Condon, you have perfected the art of understatement. 😎

[@RaysLaughsAndLyrics]

Brewster.. Best comment!👍

[@justgetrinthere]

You doubted your doubts Excellent informative as always Enjoy the vids with my coffee

[@jayjudd6518]

Ho Lee Chit guess your a small engine Genius for sure. Congratulations on this win .

[@w2dmw]

You know Jim, I've seen cradles built, with 2 half round cut-outs, and a 1/4 size beer keg welded in, and it was great. All stainless, those kegs, you know.....great gas tank..

[@oemytech]

Wow... From junk to gold.

[@Andy-nm9dw]

To clean up the needle seat you can run a Q-tip in a drill with aluminum polish-valve grinding compound or toothpaste to clean it up. I also remove ring ridges on the rubber needles with a tool I made. You can cut the head off of a 16 penny nail and place a piece of fuel line over the nail. You can then push the needle into the fuel line and run it in a drill on a piece of 1500 sand paper with a little light weight oil. This will fix a leaking needle and seat on about any carburetor. You amaze me with the diagnostics you perform on these generators. Thank you and keep them coming.

[@brucejones2354]

One thing that might add is this. To prevent rust from forming in any metal container, is in the final rinse use a weak dilution of sodium nitrite ( NOT sodium nitrate) in the rinse water. I (in the long past early 90s) used to manage a barrel reconditioning business. To prevent rust from forming in the drums we used about ½cup of sodium nitrite in 1,200 gallons of water in our final rinse. This works extremely well. To give you an idea of how good this is, one of our customers supplied chemicals to Morton Thyocol to use in their rockets for the space program. There was never any problem with the sodium nitrite we used in our rinse. Be aware that sodium nitrite is commonly used in the process of removing rust from coils of steel before it is used in the manufacturing of car parts, for example. It is cheap, and works extremely well in fuel tanks. Just thought this might help someone.

[@kennethprice1370]

Challenger solid fuel boosters

[@sriharianne5229]

Your suggestion is very useful and thanks a lot my dear friend.

[@Joserocha-wm9de]

As I suffer of depression and anxiety I spend my days watching a ton of your videos, I find your videos so relaxing, very detailed and your voice is so calm and you speak wisely, you Mr James Condon you are 👌 TYSM for sharing your knowledge

[@lv_woodturner3899]

Wow, this came back from the proverbial grave. Very well done. I can appreciate why you did not take the engine apart due to the expense of the parts. I was expecting you would put your bore scope down the spark plug hole just to see what the inside looked like. Amazing how well this runs now. It did not take long for the smoke to clear. My Generac 7000 W generator has a tiny Sealed Lead Acid battery so the new garden tractor battery likely puts out more amps than my SLA battery. Dave.

[@billabernathy1541]

Nice work, James. Another DOA brought back to life by you. I'm glad you did not have to tear the engine down. Looks like a strong generator at this point.

[@jcondon1]

Me too. It would have been unlikely I could have used the parts on something else. Glad it came back.

[@jeffclark2725]

@@jcondon1 Im always seeing that stuff as parts of some sort or another, its amazing what can be found under some dirt and rust, great video, just brought back to life 2 Onan Generators, looked like trash, run fine again,Thumbs up

[@michaelmactavish4445]

kubotas are best engines for that and nice parts are still avaliable for them wich kubotas are smart because deere ones dont carry parts for there generators any more wich isnt to great

[@tomseipert3755]

James, I love watching you diagnose each component, then figuring out the solution. Most of us including myself lose patience and that affects us in finding the solution needed. I also echo a previous comment about the video quality of your work. I always learn so much more with each different machine you work on. Thanks for all your great videos, YOU are teaching a lot of us out here, and it is greatly appreciated !

[@johncourtneidge]

Yes!

[@additudeobx]

It's a bit different motivation when you also have the time invested into the making of a KZbin video that needs an ending.

[@davidmonteil6340]

These videos are the best! A great deal of knowledge, patience, and skill goes into them and the repairs too. Thank you James! It's enjoyable to see such a master at work.

[@MsDave64]

Amazing that old boy made it. I am sure there is someone that will give it a good home now and keep it out of the land fill. That vacuum set up on the Carburetor was a work of art back when this was made as was the low idle set up. It even had a low oil sensor. Remarkable. Nice work. (Bet there are no plastic gears in that thing.)

[@davidfoulk3078]

Another great video James thank you, I’ve seen people attach gravel/nuts and bolts filled gas tank to a rear tire on a jacked up/raised riding lawn mower/tractor and let it spin around for 1 to 2 hours in 1st gear and this seems to works quite well for cleaning rust out of a gas tank.

[@erik_dk842]

A cement mixer is the ticket

[@jameshedrick605]

I've seen mustie1 do it in some of his videos

[@aspacepigtaipei]

It’s almost mystical how you bring these seemingly deceased machines back to life.

[@joelhallstrom1239]

That’s one beautiful generator! I just love the control panel. The whole thing just screams quality!😍

[@FeralPreacher]

Excellent save and recovery. This is the shortest hour on KZbin. Enjoyed the whole process. Congrats on getting a survivor. Thanks for sharing.

[@phbrinsden]

What a great win. Taking a machine that was almost certainly not recoverable and then working forward step by step is a masterclass in diagnosis and interpretation. Kudos and thanks.

[@KensSmallEngineRepair]

I love the cardboard with folded-in edges (36:42) to keep the oil from getting all over, great idea!!

[@ghettsumm7949]

Wow! You brought this one back from the dead! Once the smoke dissipated, and you adjusted the governor, it was ready to rock!

[@billcherry2510]

This channel has helped get two old generators back up and running 🏃‍♀️

[@sikes185]

I watch several people on KZbin on how to fix things. I like your channel because you make things simple to me. I have 2 generators one Briggs older model around 2015 and a Robin Subaru r1100. I got it during Katrina. That is all I could where I live in Mississippi. And I have a John Deere js35a. All 3 had carb problems. Well the Briggs I didn’t touch because I converted it to propane which I love. The others, after watch a lot of tour vids, decided I can do this. Well I bought a gallon of the carb cleaner. Needless to say I cut my grass for the first time in about 2 years with that John Deere and the little 1100 cranks on the second pull every time. Just wanted to say thanks. And I’ll keep watching Glenn Mississippi

[@RCTVAccount]

I have to admit, I read the comments before I watched the entire video. Once people indicated that you fixed it, I watched the entire video. Good work.

[@classekaka]

It's interesting to hear you reasoning about the feasible alternatives, both technical and economical, while fixing this. Some elbow grease instead of a new tank got you a long way. Speaking of Kubota though, I'd love to see some diesel powered generators here.

[@yakacm]

I've been watching a few of these videos, and I'm trying to work out why they are so engaging. I've came to the conclusion that it's because James is so thorough. There's another channel like this that I used to watch a lot, but they would always have numerous things going on. Quite often they would start something and never finish it, which just leaves you a bit frustrated, that you'd bought in to the project and there had been no conclusion. I like the way James videos are self contained, and that he also tries very hard to address every aspect of a machine, and not just half ass it, leaving bits of it still non functional.

[@davidwinkle4168]

One lucky generator saved from the crusher. Well done James!

[@AW-Services]

The attention to detail and restoration I commendable James. I once restored a generator and the tank was the same. I ended up filling the tank with pea gravel and degreaser, and ratchet strapped it onto a cement mixer drum for 12 hours

[@michaeltarasenkoop2389]

James this is the example of what we as a nation is a throw away nation ! A perfect running machine is in a dump you took it and now it is operating with your knowledge

[@KensSmallEngineRepair]

I was waiting for the 2000 grit paper to come out to re-surface that needle! Another save, great work Jim!

[@jcondon1]

Thanks Ken

[@benkanobe7500]

Fantastic Save. Perfect Gen for a Contractor. I really appreciate that you checked the waveform as I think there is value in getting a feel for how much variation there is from a pure sine wave amongst all these different Gens. I hope you may make it part of your evaluation with each new one you save.

[@nevellgreenough404]

Fantastic save! I like a 6' length of chain better than bolts for knocking rust and crud out of tanks. Wakes up the neighbors better and it's easier to get out, too. Worked great on my 700W Kubota.

[@bhaebe6671]

for the cost of a few cans of PB Blaster, you could purchase a smart phone borescope and that would be one of the first things to use during the initial inspection.

[@offshack]

Its funny how different people approach troubleshooting these small engine/generator units. I've done several and when I bring it home I don't even bother "trying" - I just rip the thing down entirely - crankshaft & piston out, valves out, stator and rotor out of the generator, wiring panel all apart, basically down to the smallest components, then clean and recondition every part and put it back together testing the pieces as I go. Wouldn't make for good KZbin, and probably takes WAY more hours, but it's a hobby and keeps me entertained. I've rebuilt and sold a dozen or so in the last 10 years and I'm currently working on a 15 year old chinese clone diesel 7500W unit right now. It's in 1000 pieces. Old owner said the engine surged so I assume issue with the diesel injector pump so I ordered a new one of those just to try out.

[@glenpaul3606]

Great job fixing the generator, especially without user manual and wiring diagrams.

[@samuelhshoemaker5541]

Kubota makes good equipment. That generator was abused and neglected . You did an awesome job of reviving it !

[@travishall67]

Wow. Not what I was expecting. More information in this video than I think I got out of pretty much any of the college courses I took back in the day. I'm glad that you do what you do and share it out here. I'd say that you would make an awesome teacher, but... better phrasing would be "you are an awesome teacher." You're really good at explaining your thought process as you diagnose a problem. Nice work and thank you for sharing. I think I could make my lawnmower generate power for our closest nuclear facility if I really wanted to after watching your videos.

[@williamyorkolepossum]

That is the best one you have saved. I would not have given you a dime for that stuck thing when you started. That truned out to be a fine machine. Showed off your skills...

[@graeme8755]

James, you are a marvel. I also watch Matt at Diesel Creek he had a very similar problem as he poured many acids into the tank to clean out the tank. When her was happy finally happy with the tank was to dry the inside. He used a dry rag and with the aid of compressed air to blow it around , thus drying the tank with out the rust inside of the tank heater was able to restore the tank back to full use. I find so frustrating that companies allow rebranding in the little country down under. Keep up with the analysis. Thanks James.

[@greghanlon2235]

Well done James. You can revive old metal tanks with POR 15 fuel tank sealer. Work well on scooter/motorcycle tanks.

[@merrymanrc]

You save another one from the junkyard great job James. I hope it get a good home.

[@johnwaller2333]

You are definitely the man with the Midas touch.

[@henrymorgan3982]

The beginning was quite grim, but as usual you gave it's life and purpose back! Great video of how things can get better by being patient!

[@peterlogan1623]

love the way you save machines from the dump, and just like you I pride myself on "making a silk purse out of a sows ear"

[@deanrowles3665]

the engine gods were on your side on this one james

[@mrobi5797]

Well done James. I really enjoyed your explanation on the stater wiring. You actually sort out the full wiring like a master. It would have took me days if not weeks to sort this thing out. For the fuel tank, could you not have retrofitted one close enough, and just fabricate some angle iron or flat aluminium brackets, like you did for the battery. Even though it would have lifted the tank 1/2 inch, It seems the original tank may not last long with the extensive damage inside. Further, if you ever write a book on fixing generator, I wish to be the first one to purchase it. Have a great remembrance day weekend. Cheers.

[@PaulHigginbothamSr]

Dear James: the amount of work you have accomplished on this old Kubota is awesome. Saved it from the trash really. I do not know what was making the engine so restrictive when first pulled free. I kept waiting for it to seize up. I don't think I would sell this to a customer until it had run under load for two hours. Seems good at this point. The oil should probably be changed another time, but all in all a good save brother.

[@jcondon1]

Did not ask much for it. The guy buying it had a couple of these and wanted it for parts. He was surprised to learn it ran. So I think he will use the one I fixed and has options if it eventually fails.

[@jayjudd6518]

Perfect video coin flip was not necessary. Your patience paid off. Congratulations

[@Skynet-1]

Wow, that was a surprising back to life generator! Nice work James... 👍👍👍

[@Bassguitarist1985]

Great repair video James! This one had a lot going on with it thats for sure!

[@jcondon1]

It did. Was amazed that everything worked once up and running.

[@judgeguilty]

The production quality of your videos is remarkable. Camera positioning, lighting, and sound quality are always top notch.

[@christophermarshall5765]

Nice genset!! Runs great. PB blaster helped with the "Lazarus" job on this.

[@fohdeesha]

Kitty flyby at 49:50 ! As always, you refuse to give up and the result is always amazing

[@eCitizen1]

It is gratifying to watch you put a machine that was given up on, put back into a good working condition. Good video.

[@kiplandingham322]

I'm beginning to believe there's nothing you can't fix. Thanks for another fascinating video.

[@paulsullivan6392]

Your knowledge, skill and perseverance saved this one. Well done sir...well done. A great way to start my Thursday.

[@CrimeVid]

Tank cleaning, I was much impressed with Matt from Diesel Creek filling his tank with nuts and bolts, strapping it to a tractor wheel and taking it for a drive. A home made Tank Tumbler !

[@wildefox1478]

Nice save from the dump, it runs really well for an engine that was stuck, nice work bringing it back to life James! I like Kubota equipment, I have 2 older Kubota push mowers, one is just the basic model and is push only, the other is self-propelled shaft driven. It has a tiny driveshaft coming out of the engine going to the gearbox for the rear drive and is 2 speed. They are built like tanks, both mowers have aluminum decks and blade clutches. Parts for them are really expensive from Kubota too, I know this generator is a rebranded Yamaha but my Kubota push mowers I believe are made by Kubota themselves including the engines because I've never seen any other mowers like them.

[@jcondon1]

Thanks. I did not know that the made push mowers. They sound like they were built to last like this generator.

[@ejdut]

The generator may not have much resale value but the video you created from it has tremendous value.

[@robertelson2564]

Well done James always tricky when someone has been in before 500 + crazy money.

[@thehunter3386]

Hi James, Have you considered using electrolysis to remove the residual rust? I've seen a couple videos where this was used successfully in small fuel tanks. Just a thought. Great work, as usual! You never cease to amaze me. Take care... Keep 'em coming!!

[@dannyj5688]

Great job bringing another "hopeless case" back from the dead....at first sight, I agreed with you that it didn't have much of a chance....Perseverance paid off!!!

[@sgtJOOSEcapeS]

GM ☀️ have a great weekend and a wonderful lifestyle.... Thanks Mr James C.

[@captandysir8670]

Close ups are looking really nice!

[@josianrodriguez1249]

I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT GENERATORS, BUT I LOVE TO WATCH YOUR VIDEOS ,THEY ARE REALLY INSTRUSTIONAL. G.B.Y. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

[@nicholaslacovara2381]

Another great video. Had a John Deere 4020 gas that siezed when parked. Sat for 5 years. Got it unstuck with a gallon of PB Blaster and a lot of back and forth.

[@donwp]

Wow. Getting that going must be amazingly satisfying. Good for you.

[@gamingwithmr.fregles8802]

Ive got that exact generator. The last time we used it, it would run for 30 minutes then just randomly loose spark, not an oil problem or a heat problem. I have a feeling that it's CDI is failing. It would be awesome to get some feedback, thanks! Oh yeah, and it was also producing 109 volts at 2500 watts... By the way if this helps, I also need to do an engine taredown and replace the rings because it has slight smoke and it burns oil.

[@mmcc310]

Excellent job, i had low expectations on this one, figured scored cam and bad power head because the wires were unplugged! Again good job!

[@enocrios3870]

Y5yi

[@douglasbrown8175]

Nice save on that little generator James I really enjoyed watching.

[@aarongrabowski3775]

Awesome job James. It was not looking good in the beginning, you pulled it off though. That thing is running minty!!!

[@atrohadff]

This is a quality generator with all the features including auto idle and auto choke with electric start. Great job!

[@shjones27]

Great video! Great content!! That was an incredible effort for a lower value generator but 1000 kudos for showing the public just how much you can accomplish with careful, patient persistence!! So many of us are painted into a corner with few resources needing to pull a rabbit out of our hats and this is the perfect video to show how you can succeed if you really want to.

[@wolfman007zz]

I had a similar problem on a Predator 8K generator. Stored it for 6 years, with fuel in the tank. The engine wouldn’t turn over. Fuel tank was full of rust flakes and scale. Fuel cutoff valve was inop. All fuel screens in the tank had disintegrated. Carb completely clogged. Thankfully clone parts saved me, for the tank and carb! I did what you did for the engine: PB Blaster soaking and breaker bar turning. This was all before I had ever watched your videos! Took me $60 to get my generator running. Now, I drain the tank and seal it from air during storage. I crank it and run it for 20 minutes every month, with the house transfer switch. It powers everything, including my house’s air conditioner!

[@vipvip-tf9rw]

is it stored outside?

[@wolfman007zz]

@@vipvip-tf9rw No. It was stored in my large shed, so kept dry. But it was subject to seasonal temps and atmospheric humidity. These Predator generators have a weak spot; the steel fuel tank will rust internally very easily! The generators with the heat shield and polyethylene fuel tanks are MUCH better if using gasoline for fuel.

[@MichaelSmith-dg3kr]

You are very good with generators. I watched your channel for a while and really enjoy watching you bring them back.

[@RANDALLOLOGY]

That proves,. One man's junk is another man's treasure. You just proved that.

[@10forthebigguy753]

Perfect long video while I’m stuck in the house during hurricane Nicole

[@Farm_fab]

Jim, I have a Kubota 3 cylinder gas engine that is OEM, and built on a diesel engine block. The differences are that the distributor is where the diesel injection pump was, and the head and some internals. The model is WG600, and is 18 HP. The model WG750 IS 21HP, and there's a model WG752, and that's 24.8 HP. These are also used on LP gas as well. Parts for these engines are very expensive. A distributor is $285. Some of these engines were used on Grasshopper mowers, and mini skid loaders.

[@johncourtneidge]

Well done again. So, yes battery, degreaser, oil and dolly costs. Little return except for scrap to usefulness. So, excellent work! Thank-you!

[@stevetealey2804]

Great job james well done getting it up and running again nice work.

[@RS-yj3gn]

Great job. Good to know it's not wasted. I've used vinegar in a old car tank, that took several weeks but cleaned well. Specialised anti rust products are overpriced here in New Zealand.

[@markyoung7470]

James, You amaze me every time with how go about diagnosing and coming up with a solution, and keeping the costs down love your video. I still think you need to sell some DVDs,s on how to diagnose power heads and electrical wiring. Your skill set is very valuable and needs to be appreciated by all. I have personally been able to repair 2 generators and am in the process of another with all of the knowledge that you have tough me. Thank You. And keep the videos coming!

[@arthurbiringer5676]

Another award winning resuscitation! Btw I just went through another storm, Nicole, six weeks ago we went through Ian and my Troybilt genset was on standby for both! Luckily I didn’t have to use it, we didn’t lose power here in my part of Orlando,Florida. Oh yeah, it would have been up to the task!

[@hanksbud2544]

Thank you James. A great video and i like how thorough you are in diagnosing and repair. Thank you

[@CajunGreenMan]

Great detective work on the Yamaha engine. Keep up the great work!

[@TheBudliner]

A nice trick with these stuck screws is to try and tightening it a little bit, I know it sounds counterproductive to tighten something that you want to remove, but the threads are generally cleaner and breaks it free easier than you remove it

[@mtttony]

Hi James,it might be worthwhile cutting up your old ultrasonic cleaner into a disc small enough to fit through a fuel cap. Then you could fill a tank with cleaner or evaporust and clean the tanks ultrasonically. Thanks for the videos again!!

[@Digidoc316]

Jim, you amaze me! Seems like you could fall into an outhouse pit and come up smelling like a rose! Picked out of the trash and you resurrected it to full life !

[@johnnybgoode6466]

Hi James, your magic worked again. That machine is a real piece of quality. Well ahead of its time with its functions and not to mention Yamaha reliability. Great work !

[@ed6837]

You have more patience than I do my friend. Good job!!

[@tuguybear930]

Nice work. The person that threw it away may decide they want it back.😉

[@papawheelie5835]

$500+ for a carburetor? Kubota, what's wrong with you people? Personally, I have found most Kubota products and equipment to be pretty reliable and decent with a hiccup here and there but seriously, that's just way too much for a silly little carburetor. And on a Yamaha that's re-branded it's even more ridiculous. Glad that you had the patience to revive this one, James. Great video!

[@HuntersMoon78]

You and Mustie1 are great engine whisperers

[@KennyRedSocks]

Great refurbishment, James. I could feel the disappointment when the fuel tank tipped and the Evapo-Rust sloshed out. I hope your battery connector works out well. I can never get crimp-on terminals to hold worth a damn, especially around things that vibrate; I always have to solder them on to get good results.

[@waynedavies3185]

I'm in the middle of putting back together an old Colemen 1750, that was low with compression. I did have it running (after cleaning carb), but it took quite a bit to get it started and running. I have it all apart, and while removing the head found the head bolts were only snug tight (not to proper torque), which I believe was the main cause of loss of, and low compression. Tells me someone was in it before me. I was surprised that it even ran for a short while, before break down. Valves seemed okay, but took time to relap them, and clean them. They were quite crusted with old hard carbon, and way too snug in removing them, once the spring was removed. I now have them clean and back in place, fitting much better with good movement. That was last night. Today It gets put back together and given a test run. If I did things right, it should run well as I already know it makes power from previous run. Saved one Colemen 1750 for future use. This is number two of model 1750 I have. First one runs just fine. Picked the first one up for $40, and second for $20 ... both good buys.

[@jimmcfarland3446]

Wow. You started a perfectly good engine.

[@PabloDiablo682]

Look, Herman, every time we have a cookout James has got to drag out one of his smokey, loud machines.....EVERYTIME!

[@MrTonyPiscatelle]

I bet if that unit stayed in the dump much longer she would have been a gonner. Great save James. I like the other viewers find it very satisfying watching you work your magic. You always seem to stay very calm ( except the tilting fuel tank ) ehh I would have probably cursed ! I was amazed that old piece came back to life as well as it did, These are definitely great videos for those folks trying to sort out generator or engine issues.

[@RustyNail5856]

Great video James. i thought for sure it was a goner, but you pulled it thou, one thing ?. why don't you use tank sealer in the tank? like you would do to a motorcycle tank. that would stop the rust. Great video. keep up the great videos. nice save.

[@er1073]

James very educational I saw it was a flat head and wondered if it would be worth fixing? Then you discovered a bunch of other stuff. But WOW you revived this old genny. Thanks James. Ed

[@hpda44]

I love your troubleshooting skills and your tenaciousness

[@whataguy7032]

Nice job bringing this one back from the dead!

[@timlee4204]

Sir, all the way through this video I was saying to myself, "Check the generator," (Alternator) If you had checked the generator you would find some (many) iron plates machined to close tolerances, very susceptible to rust, that is most likely to be why it was stiff to turn all the way around. Then again you got it going! Good job but it did not have a very smooth electrical output because the rust between the generator fields and the rotor, if anything touches between these parts it will temporarily short out the fields etc. These parts need to be spotless clean and have a specific air gap to operate efficiently. Ted from down under.

[@MitchEllis-e4y]

Runs mighty smooth for what it was when you found it. Don’t hear any knocking like from a main crank or connecting rod bearing. If that engine has a cast iron cylinder sleeve it’s possible that the piston rings were stuck to the cylinder wall and the engine may be fine outside of possible oil consumption from ring and cylinder wear.