Seized Engine - Can This Generator Be Saved?

[@Nkokaran]

Thanks to James for fixing the Storm Responder! I just returned from Guinea, West Africa where I gave the school the generator. They were surprised to receive the generator as supplies and materials are rarely provided. I sent James pictures of the generator with the school children. I will say that the generator has given hope to the children who have to help their parents on their farms. Now they can use light to study and learn in the evenings, and they can even gather to play near the school instead of being left out - light brings life. I've read many comments below about the cost of shipping a generator to Africa and about the voltage specifications. Here is clarification on these matters. First, the way we ship things is in bulk, along with others in the community. This makes the cost to ship minimal and cost effective. Also to purchase a generator of this size and capacity in the village would have been way more expensive than shipping this one. And with regards to the voltage, please understand that in Africa we don't make many things, but we adapt all equipment to our life and our needs. So thanks again to James for his kindness, to his preserving the planet from waste, and to bringing dead machinery back to life for good use!

[@bulkchart3239]

please be certain they check the oil with every single tank of fuel AT LEAST!

[@johncourtneidge]

Well done! I have friends in Ghana, Uganda and Kenya and from Tanzania: Africa has been brutally damaged by global capitalism. Everywhere else too. Hence the politics that I do.

[@mw3405]

@@johncourtneidge How has global capitalism damaged them?

[@AXNJXN1]

This is an absolute MUST READ STORY! First of all, I and this entire community COMMEND YOU JAMES!! God Bless you for what you have done on this earth and how this gesture, work and time has given to so many! 2nd, I hope this generator is long serving and to think, some individual in 'America' took his personal time to make this happen for who knows how many in 'Africa'. James, I hope the Lord blesses you for this many times over. You deserve it! KUDOS and congratulations...

[@dannyj5688]

Your donation of your time and parts speaks volumes of the kind of person you are....I would be proud to call you my friend!!! Thanks for all you do for us wannabe small engine repair men (and women)!!!

[@Bennyboy-dog]

After following your channel for so long, I realise it doesn't matter whether a generator comes in running or not...after you get to it, it will be running and running well. Thanks for showing us wannabe's how its done. Your behaviour with these machines make me think of Robert Persig's "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance".

[@gergemall]

I have that book and agree. ❤

[@johncourtneidge]

Indeed it does!

[@Skynet-1]

Great job! The buyer was taken advantage of. I bet there's more to the story then what they told him. Glad you were able to pull it off for him! 👍👍👍

[@jimthesoundman8641]

I can't understand who would buy an motor like that without testing it. Even if it has a bad carb or something, you still could test it with starting fluid and at least listen to it run for two or three seconds. P.T.Barnum said it best, "There is a sucker born every minute"...

[@bobadam7021]

@@jimthesoundman8641 I thought he bought it knowing it needed work. At the very least I would have expected someone to pull the engine over.

[@PageMarker1]

@@bobadam7021 Tend to agree, buyer bought it for a low price knowing it needed work as it was sold 'as is' and rolled the dice as it looked nearly new.

[@daviddawson574]

Story seems fishy to me (a black guy). West Africa is a region, not a country. Many of the countries that make it up are modernizing. One small generator wouldn't power a school anywhere else. Check what Sierra Leone (THE poorest country in West Africa) looks like. I think that guy was a scammer with a sob story.

[@johncourtneidge]

Yes!

[@MrPatdeeee]

THE...BEST teacher on Engines I have had (in your incredible video); since I was taught "Auto Shop" in Fenger H.S in Chicago in yrs '49 and '50; by THE greatest I have have ever listened to. His name was "Mr Loizo". I was 17 and 18 then. And I turned 90 last April 5. You brought me tears of Nostalgia...yes you did. And old men rarely tear up. But YOU did it Sir. So thank you kind Sir. You NAILED it! I enjoyed the entire video. And usually; I never watch all the video. But YOU made it so interesting; I just HAD to see what was next. And YOU are a "Cut above". May Jesus bless you and yours always.

[@jcondon1]

Thanks Pat!

[@mazafreno]

Completely agree. I was in a cruise in the last week, I payed about 100€ of internet only for see the videos of James. I think best channel for generator and also for small engine in the world. Thanks for your unbelievable videos James.

[@MrPatdeeee]

@@mazafreno ❤

[@wildefox1478]

That was very kind of you donating your time and expertise to bring this generator back to life, I hope it serves the school well, nice work James!

[@barrygrant2907]

I bought a similar generator in 2004 when Frances and Jeanne tried to move my Florida home to Kansas. I've only actually used it 2-3 times since, but I pull it out before every hurricane season and give it a short test run. I use only non-ethanol fuel and add a bit of stabilizer and Marvel Mystery oil to it. After running it, I shut the fuel off and let the carb run dry. After 22 years of primarily storage in the garage, it still starts on the 1-2 pull and runs fine. The biggest maintenance problem is the tires that are always flat. Going to put solid wheels on it one of these days. A little care and maintenance go a long way.

[@RaysLaughsAndLyrics]

Very good methodical diagnosis. Patience and determination in the repair was fruitful. The icing on the top was your generosity concerning your time and materials donated to the African school. Kudos for that act of human kindness. Wishing you and yours all the best in health , prosperity and long life. Thanks for sharing.👍..and for those that keep track... I own first view.😀

[@Exploder206]

Just want to say James I discovered your channel about 6 months ago and you inspired me then to go around buying broken generators in my area, fixing them and then selling them to make a little side money. It's been going amazing! It's crazy what people think is "trash" when all it needs is a good cleaning and some fresh gas most of the time! I think I speak for alot of young guys here(I'm only 23) you inspire and provide lots of knowledge. Thank you and keep up the amazing content!

[@1pcfred]

The vast majority of small engine problems is fuel related. Bad or contaminated fuel gums up the carb then that's that.

[@jcondon1]

Would agree with Paul below, that most problems are related to neglect. Fuel being the first thing to go.

[@1pcfred]

@@jcondon1 the bouquet of skunked fuel is the smell of profit.

[@lloydprunier4415]

Has helped some old guys also!!

[@garyhilder7733]

Excellent. Particularly given the generator’s final home where it will likely be greatly appreciated and valued.

[@tomg721]

Thanks for donating your time and talents. Hopefully the owner can get some back from the seller.

[@CuriousKL]

“caveat emptor”

[@1pcfred]

All sales are final.

[@jeffreyhaynes5774]

Not just some,but all the money.

[@1pcfred]

@@jeffreyhaynes5774 no refunds!

[@bigal1863]

I own one of these for 17+ years now. Still starts on the first pull! Maintain it and it's a very reliable piece of machinery!

[@rstephe]

Just wanted to throw in a little something to offset your time and parts and for a great cause. Thanks for bringing us along . Keep the great vids coming. I enjoy your attentions to detail.

[@jcondon1]

Thanks!

[@MitchEllis-dn9lf]

Thank you for donating your time, labor and parts for free James

[@empiesidbury1573]

James, I have a small engine repair business myself, and I am now trying to make it my full time gig. Back when covid started it cost me my job and since I have had a part time gig and been doing small engine repair. I have always enjoyed your videos and have actually learned some things from you. I wish I had the knowledge of the power head that you have. I just wanted to tell a little about myself. My main reason for reaching out to you was to suggest that you might benefit from a vessel blue handle JIS screw drive with the end with the splines on the tip. It works great for JIS and regular #2 screws as well it has become my go to driver actually for all screws in the #2 size and JIS. It is priced reasonably and can be found easily on Amazon. Once again thanks for all of the really great videos you are making.

[@dalemartin9948]

That was a very kind thing for you to do. Many blessings will be returned for your gift of love. I watch every video you make.

[@brianwood5220]

Great job James, that buyer was so lucky you were able to help him. I'm sure those people in Africa will be delighted with the're new power source. Thanks for sharing.

[@paulleblanc4653]

Pulled a seized Honda 2500 gen from the dumpster at work. It had low oil switch disconnect, no oil in sump. Added oil , oil also in the cylinder. Piston was freed using a power bar By removing pull start assembly. This generator ran great, but consumed a lot of oil. Your video was great education for me, 78 years and retired electrician.

[@calrob300]

I always appreciate how you end your videos with the tag line, "I hope this video helped someone", but especially so in this case.

[@drticzon]

Bless you for the service you gave to that school. I hope you get it back 10 folds.

[@dmorrone111]

Well done James! Trying to figure out the water situation. Time well spent for a good cause.

[@toxin911]

youre a good man Charlie Brown...here in Florida just before hurricane Ian my childhood friend from Bklyn NY purchased an inexpensive generator. same power level as the one we just watched in your video. the crook sold several in his retirement community and all with major problems. the one my friend purchased started fine but when he hooked up his wifes oxygen device the generator began shooting sparks and damaged the oxy device which meant a race to the hospital for her. broke my heart i couldnt help him at the time being 4 hrs north of them in Florida just pisses me off how these people can take advantage of the older folks and usually get away with it. sorry for my longwindedness. great videos my friend, i always look forward to Thursday

[@DS-lg2jb]

Jim, you have a kind soul. Thank you

[@bobcarry4820]

The cleanliness of the machine looks like it has very low hours. I am sure it was heading to the scrap heap without your help. Great job.

[@giggiddy]

Would love to hear some updates on how its doing and how many hours they put on it. I'm obsessed with longevity on these types of machines and hope they get hundreds of hours of great service for that school. You may never know what that means to those kids over there. We take those things for granted here in the States. Cheers buddy. Well done

[@spc.callahan1462]

I like that tea basket in your ultrasonic cleaner to hold small parts. I'm definitely going to use that idea. Thanks for sharing.

[@brianevans4525]

Thanks for good people like you and God bless you and your family.

[@andyfairman7812]

Great job and very generous of you to donate the man-hours for a good cause! Enjoyed!

[@stazeII]

Just sickening hearing what buyer was told compared to the condition the generator was in. :( Great job with repair!

[@1pcfred]

It's nothing a few twists of a screwdriver can't fix, Greg.

[@daviddalley5652]

You are awesome for helping out and making the dreams of many youngsters in Africa come true.

[@joecoleman3069]

This was my first time on your channel, James. You just earned yourself one more subscriber.

[@scottkakos4236]

That’s cool that you donated your time to the guy. I have learned a lot from you videos. Thanks

[@ablelock]

Great job on the generator and I think that’s really nice that you’re willing to donate your time to assist the school across the pond I think that’s great. I’ve always wanted to do those kind of things as well if it ever come up in my business. look forward to some more good videos.

[@FirstWizardZorander]

Amazing that the carb was in such a good shape. I could hear the apprehension in your voice as you popped that filter cover. I think if the cylinder bore was cast iron, that would've been it. Great job as always, James, and your generosity goes a long way, in this case literally!

[@alext8828]

No matter who or what you help, you make the world a better place.

[@gregskibinski9937]

You Sir are the man! I have the same engine and problem of only moving 3/4 each way. I’m retired with very limited income and the shop is out of the question. I lost the main jet I wasn’t thinking on the 2 nd day of frustration. I had a tarp down the first day and not the second day. Stupid on me. Now I can move forward today with searching. My electric is off. Refrigerator stuff gone but what’s worworse is I can’t make any coffee. I Thank You from the bottom of my heart for your sharing your knowledge. I’m going out now with confidence as what to look for. Again thank you! You are the best!,

[@texascottonfarmer]

👍👍👌👌 Nice work! Very satisfying to see the engine restored to operating condition.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Voltage and hertz are super steady at 3000 watts and at 5000 Watts as well as 5500 watts what a good machine

[@bjh5766]

Thanks to you and the donor the school has power. Kudos to both of you. Humanitarians. The world needs more of you both. As for the water that got into machine I feel it was probably power washed not very carefully to make it more appealing to sell. Unfortunately people like that still lurk around.

[@wesleypulkka7447]

James, the answer to my question was at the end. So thank you! All the best!

[@YukonHawk1]

You just helped a lot of school children and teachers by making their classrooms functional to conducive learning. I'm glad you were able to help your friend too and avoiding a complete disaster. Do you have any follow up news on its arrival to South Africa? It would be great to see a picture of it at the school 😉 Anyway, excellent video and good on you for donating your time. Way to go.

[@stephenbullock1443]

Excellent work.thats nice of you donating your labor.

[@67mlb67]

The seller should be ashamed of themselves. Taking advantage of someone trying to do a good thing for others. You are a good man to help out someone in need. I commend you on your good work and your kindness.

[@farhanpierlite4719]

Another feather in your cap james. Not just you are very hard working. You also have a very good heart. Wish you good health and success. Take care 🥰

[@geraldharkness8830]

thank you for your generosity! im so glad you could help the person who bought this for a very good cause!

[@chuckmayerchak3071]

Great save on that generator!!! It held the max load much better than most I have seen you test. I'd still like to know where all that water came from. Wasn't the carb. It had no corrosion. Doubt it came from the exhaust it ran clean right after startup. It's definatly not down on power either! Donating your time and resources I'm sure will be deeply appreciated. This will be one of my favorite videos of yours!

[@ddblairco]

great job James, I was struggling and gritting my teeth right with you as you pushed in the fuel valve on bottom of tank. thank you.

[@DangDong-p4o]

Try opening the filler cap while you drain the oil. Also do you own an impact screwdriver with assortment of tips? Yes I know you love your ryobi impacts - try a manual impact screw driver. They can come in handy. You do quality work and I love watching your restoration and diagnosis efforts. I hardly ever cringe but there are times I try telling you what to do. Thanks James.

[@StagArmslower]

I had the sparkplug seized on new open frame generator. I'm still talking to the company. I was able to remove the plug by slowly rocking it back and forth small amount for about half an hour. There was a lot of aluminum from the head in the treads, but I was able to install new plug with Anti seize lube and run the generator. I sent them the picture of the plug and don't know what they going to do about it. I asked for new engine head and gasket; I'm afraid that new generator would have same problem because I suspect that thread was never cut in the head and sparkplug was just forced in to create the tread. At the end I had to use long arm wrench and probably about 90 to 100 ft lb of torque to remove it. Love to watch your videos, I don't know if I could stay so calm encountering all these problems

[@shawnmrfixitlee6478]

nice work James.. i am sure the kids at the school will get good use of it.. god bless you

[@jeffclark2725]

That was a great video, im still suprised all the water damage to the engine , but no water damage to the generator portion, i used to have several of those generators brand new, took forever to sell them new

[@Chris.Y.054]

Jim, another great video. It was very nice of you to donate your time and resources to help this person out.

[@DonaldMcGillycuddy]

You are an expert on this model of storm responder.

[@chrisginostravels7388]

Good job. I am sure the school will appreciate and benefit from your great work and support. It's nice to know that there are some people like you still about.😀

[@paultice610]

Good morning James I can’t get of these video great job keep them coming

[@Plons0Nard]

When you started on this generator, it looked pretty dark. But you turned it, once again, into a good working AND good looking machine. Great job, James !

[@bobhardy4509]

Good job, one of the best videos seen on youtube yet. Thanks for putting this together in such detail ! Got our seized motor going again on same gen you repaired, has just 7 hours but had been sitting for years. Just an oil change and WD40 in spark plug port. Trashed the tiny o ring in the bowl during reassembly & now floods carb when engine off & gas still on but easy fix. Awesome job, TY !!

[@jcondon1]

Thanks 👍

[@tonygriffiths2485]

That had a lot of surprises. Especially the reason at the end. Fantastic, well done and thankyou :)

[@Joe_HamRadioGuy]

Nice save he got lucky with it and having you fix it. I hope it gets too the school unharmed.

[@lloydprunier4415]

This is the exact generator I have, and it has never let me down through 2 hurricanes and 1 polar vortex! I have changed the oil more than required and only had carb problems once from the ethanol gas. I will be giving it a test run tomorrow and have only used ethanol free fuel since my carb cleaning. These people are lucky to have found you!

[@dougthomasmusic]

This guy knows his stuff. Thanks James for the clarity and guidance. Very much appreciated!

[@4given-c5h]

Always like your videos. Great teacher as always. But what impresses me most about this particular job is the generator itself. Starts on the first pull, minimal loss of hertz with increasing load and produced more than its rating with zero issues inside the powerhead. Hoping it’ll continue to be be a long term blessing to its future owner.

[@giggiddy]

Love your old school type oil can used to lube the valves. Sometimes the old designs work perfectly! I know I'm not the only one that smiled at seeing that. Cheers!

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Nice to see it fired right up and makes power niceee

[@butler386]

Thank you for your generosity. I am sure the kids and teachers will really enjoy the generator. As usual a fantastic repair on a badly kept generator. Seems like the seller was a crook. But I guess if you don't know then you don't know. Thanks for the videos.

[@davyarthurs]

Well done James for your good work for a good cause. They certainly have a rather well running unit now! What a recovery!

[@Barracuda48082]

Big heart helping out the needy.

[@geoffreyhall7843]

Thanx for giving your time and matl for a good cause. You rock, James! Good content, as always.

[@allotmentfornovices8256]

I always look forward to your fantastic tuitions my friend once again thank you for your time and knowledge

[@JRattheranch]

Always enjoy your meticulous attention to details and your donation of time and parts, will be repaid many times over in your lifetime James, I'm assured by my own life experiences! 👌💪

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Omg at the Rust in the filter and Box

[@rustywreck3351]

Loves watching your videos, i like buying mechanical things that don’t work and trying to repair them , just to see why they failed is what i like, keep the videos coming 😊

[@frankhickman6356]

James, watching you install that valve hurts. Working on cars and race cars for 50 years I figured I would pass this along to you. There is a product called " Door Ease". It is made for stuff like that. You can put anything into anything with it. Don't have to force it. Rub some on and it will slide right in (It's almost scary it goes in so easy) . Its a wax like stick not very expensive. Pretty sure once you try it you will be a believer in it too. Use on convertable top back windows , zippers, anything that is tight that needs to go together. Auto part stores ace hardware stores have it. Gas tank filler neck "O" rings. Any kind of "O" ring. I promise you will love it. We used it on automatic trans. "O" rings and seals. Try it you will love it.

[@danburch9989]

That was an amazing repair and recovery. What upsets me the most is the seller took advantage of the buyer. Let that be a lesson to all. If the seller says it runs or works or whatever, make them prove it.

[@1pcfred]

I'm not buying any used power equipment without giving it some look. I know it's going to be messed up but I don't want severe internal mechanical damage. And yeah people are scumbags.

[@tubeDude48]

Thanks for your contribution ! 👍

[@matthijsverweijmeren6114]

The heavy carbon buildup on the piston probably is the result of the high oil consumption. Again good work. Lovely to see the precision and care taken on how issues are diagnosed and dealt with and how stuff is taken apart, thumbs up for James.

[@williampugh6699]

James when I was a mechanic I would use the B12 on the rubber parts instead of oil. It made it real slippery and it evaporates fast. Try it next time when installing a fuel valve.

[@gergemall]

Thank you I have an one that’s over five years old and looks like new . It’s seized from starting without oil I think; however after watching your video I will give it a methodical diagnosis like you have shown . Thank you 🎃 .. when you looked at the engine there were no obvious signs that it threw a rod . 🎉

[@4Truth4All]

Good Man! Thanks for fixing the generator and donating your time. As a person who also supports charities abroad I appreciate your efforts!

[@rafaelrodriguez3756]

I enjoy and learn a lot watching all your videos!! Thanks!

[@jcondon1]

Thanks Rafael!

[@Bigalhunting]

Great save again! I'm not sure what country here in Africa but everything is 220v 50Hz to best of my knowledge. Possibly the school itself has been set to 110v 60Hz. Nice going to help these folks out

[@watermanone7567]

Excellent job Jim, also for a good cause. I have had a few of those engines that also use oil. Hard to get customers to check the oil before each use. I had a neighbors craftsman YT3000 riding mower that has a Briggs engine that uses about 6 oz. of oil after each use. He has a hard time believing that they use oil. I changed it to a 10/40 oil to try and slow the use a little. You can only see oil from the exhause when shutting down the engine. Plug does not foul etc. Thanks for great video's.

[@1pcfred]

My Briggs doesn't use oil it just leaks it out. Least I think that's where most of it goes. On the plus side I never have to change the oil on it. I just keep adding to it. I never start it without checking and adding some.

[@Bassguitarist1985]

The push to reset circuit breakers are cheap insurance, and I do mean cheap. They can run for a significant amount of time at over 120% of their rated load before thermally tripping. At that point it may already be too late, windings could fail, AVR failure, etc. So many generators are blown up because of overload or improper balancing on the legs between the neutral. Great job repairing this one!!

[@jcondon1]

Thanks Gary

[@kenk3102]

...James, it's a pleasure to watch another one of your outstanding videos.....top notch quality both video and audio....keep 'em coming!... 🙂

[@Theoppositeofchaos]

Now it can respond to the storm..like the name suggests...thanks for sharing James..I think the community appreciate your work 👍

[@ProSaw70]

Always very logical and methodical in your approach. Thoroughly enjoy all your videos James.

[@jackwilliam2226]

Awesome Video Channel!! I learn more from you than any other small engine repair show. One thing though... the thermal expansion of aluminum is twice that of the steel ground electrode on the spark plug. A heat gun would have helped remove it. Kind Regards

[@chrish7927]

I got to get me one of those ultrasonic cleaners.

[@JohnDeUlloa]

Hi James I recently found your channel and while I'm new to engines, electrical and generators, I learned a lot. You do a great job and love the way you take the time to explain even the smallest of details. I'm sure this is a labor of love and I'm sure all the students will appreciate your efforts. What did Captain Picard say? Oh yeah...Well Done.

[@bobcarry4820]

Clean the generator while it is running using a garden hose. Power head looks great, carburetor basically clean, even clamp on hose looked rusty as well as breather stuck in place. Nothing else fits. Air intake provides direct path to cylinder/piston. Thanks for the puzzle and sharing.

[@lot27a]

You're a good man James. I've got this same generator (albeit the 6500w version) bought in 2003 during Hurricane Isabell. It's only got 70 hrs but this video gives me great hope that it will last for many years. I've never seen another one like mine actually. It has three wheels, electric start and a deluxe panel (hour meter, flood light). It even came with a transfer switch. Paid way too much though. You are a valuable resource. Thanks for the excellent content!

[@MichaelDavis-cg8uj]

Your a good dude James. You took someone who got a bad deal and now Im sure when the generator is put to use in its new home will shine the lights for many to learn. Good job sir

[@TimDyb]

You're a good man, James!

[@larrykelly2838]

You're a good man Charlie Brown. Great video.

[@pinecone01]

Nicely done! This video goes to show why it pays keep old parts on hand, you just don't know when you'll need them!

[@1pcfred]

Well yeah. When the new parts cost $300. Duh!

[@KensSmallEngineRepair]

New Slogan: James Condon, not just in the USA anymore! Great job, great cause!

[@jcondon1]

Thanks Ken

[@CuriousKL]

I have this exact same model. Obviously, the only way an engine would seize is, no oil, very low or really bad oil. Too much can definitely shorten the life. It always amazes me that so many people make simple maintenance on small engines so difficult for themselves. I mean really, read the manual. It usually provides info on type, amount and frequency of oil changes.

[@1pcfred]

Low oil is not what caused that damage. Somehow water got into the top end. It responded to a storm it should have sat out.

[@ninaevans4501]

As always James, perseverance, determination and patience, conquers all in the end. Thanks for another great video. Wayne Brill & Nina Evans. 😊😊😊😊👍👍👍👍❤️

[@rghong]

Great Job As always James! Very nice of you to do this.

[@nag975]

This videos definitely helped the children