Found in Pieces - Old Honda EM650 Generator

A subscriber was cleaning out his Dad's garage and found an old Honda EM650 in pieces hidden in the corner of the garage. He does not know if all the pieces are there or why it was taken apart in the first place. Will it run and make power?
Generator Model: Honda EM650
Fuel Filter: 16952-ZA8-800
Fuel Tank Line: 17512-ZA8-800
Fuel Tank Cap Gasket: 17631-096-701, 17631-096-702
Air Cleaner Base: 17220-ZA8-801
Air Filter: 17211-ZA8-800
NGK BMR4A: 98073-54744
I no longer use Harbor Freight Super Heavy Duty Degreaser in my ultrasonic cleaner. Harbor Freight changed the recipe. The bottle previously stated "NON-CORROSIVE". Now it says "CORROSIVE", "do not user on Aluminum". It now damages most carburetors. Recently I have been using Simple Green PRO HD with good results.
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#hondapower #GeneratorRepair #Generator #SmallEngineRepair #SmallEngine #DIY #Fixed #Troubleshooting #HowTo
Adjust Engine Speed, Alternator, Back Pressure, Barn Find, EM650, Fixed, Fuel Tank Liner, Fuel Tank Restoration, Garage Find, Generator, Governor Reset, Hertz, Honda, How To, How-To, Ignition, Load Test, No Fuel Flow, Plugged Exhaust, Plugged Fuel Valve, Power Quality, RPM Adjustment, Red Kote, Repair, Small Engine, Spark Test, Surging, Troubleshooting

[@ingagiorchestra]

Just wanted to express my much overdue gratitude for keeping the ads off for us early viewers. Can't tell you how great it is to have my Thursday lunch with your videos on the big screen and not be bombarded. A class move. Love the channel.

[@iskydivetoooo]

Absolutely.

[@tur3ine]

Totally agree. Really engrossing and relaxing to watch.

[@Richard_the_V]

Usually commercials give me the excuse to get out of the trance. Was here thru the whole thing. Just let me find one of these for me to put my newly acquired skills to the test.

[@CrimeVid]

It is good to have no ads, it makes your channel sort of clean.

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

Hi James, i’ve cleaned a few fuel tanks and jerry cans before using Red Coat so I made a very simple jig for the cleaning. I got an old large bicycle wheel and forks, cut off one arm of the forks and mounted the rim to the remaining fork with just one bolt. I cut the axle stub off the other side. This allowed me to strap the can to the wheel with elastic straps and /or tape. I had the fork bolted to a piece of board using the head stock fittings and an old inner tube connecting the rim to a small electric motor. This allowed me to use only half a litre of Evapo Rust (it’s very expensive in Australia) and a handful of nuts to do the cleaning quite quickly and I could just let it run for hours. It cost me nothing to build and the large wheel and tiny pulley on the electric motor slowed the whole thing down perfectly. I didn’t even bother with a special pulley on the motor, I just used the standard “A” section pulley that was on it. It worked for years without a problem. Thanks for another great video. Will the generator be going back to the owner? Cheers, Stuart 🇦🇺

[@abergbe1]

I am full of admiration over Mr Condon's patience with the fuel tank.

[@dalee.mccombs8571]

Whaaat? No leftover parts? Not my usual basket case project! 😂😂 Good job, James 👏👏. I always look forward to your videos. Entertaining, interesting, and quite educational!! Thank You.

[@hoveycorbin5712]

Aloha James. Way to go once again on resurrecting an older generator. I love your narrative and how you describe every step of a refurbishment on old equipment. Please keep up the great work, and myself and many others will continue sitting through an hour and a half plus repair video because they are very interesting and informative. I love the channel. Aloha.

[@octaviofigueroafigueroa9794]

To clean inside of a tank, I have seen guys attaching the tank in a lawn tractor wheel (wheels of course in the air). They turn on the wheels for a while. So you do not need to shake manually several times. As usual, your video was a Master Class. Saludos from Mexico.

[@TheTkiller9999]

was that Mustie1?

[@CleaveBuscemi]

He's actually done this before in a previous video! It's a really smart way to clean up a tank

[@octaviofigueroafigueroa9794]

No, but he is a great guy. I also follow his channel and I think I missed that chapter 😢. I can not find the episode you mention.

[@Ragnar8504]

@@TheTkiller9999 He actually jacked up his Toyota pickup truck to do that 😂 Put it into 2WD drive and let it idle.

[@ezinatx]

It appears to me that dad had cleaned the carb because he was trying to get the fuel flowing on the intake side. My guess he missed the clog in the fuel valve because it was hidden behind the support. As usual, great detective work, nice repair, and excellent video!

[@BWGPEI]

Nothing like getting a puzzle that fits your interests. You were having good days and that makes my day. Many Thanks!

[@justwannachillwithya]

Don't know why your channel has not been recommended to me before! SUBSCRIBED! Refreshing to be able to hear (NO MUSIC, THANK YOU!) and see such great instructions without all the over productions. (I just watched a movie length video that felt to short😁).

[@Ed_Stuckey]

I certainly breathed a sigh of relief when the exhaust bolts broke free instead of just breaking.

[@sparkplug5481]

I’ve had one for 25+ years , use it once and a while……love it

[@justinvanaulen2478]

I'll take a 40+ year old Honda in pieces over a brand new one bought in 2024 @ a Big Box store. As usual, great video James!

[@MalleusSemperVictor]

I don't know if you can really make a blanket statement like that. I'd rather have something modern that has parts availability.

[@v-g-z3689]

@@MalleusSemperVictor Yeah, because for the modern one, you´ll need them :D

[@justinvanaulen2478]

@@MalleusSemperVictor Search online, you would be very surprised how much of these stuff is still available, as new, from Honda. But...doubtful you would need anything but the normal plugs/airfilter/oil to keep it going.

[@masoncross-om3oc]

You are so right, brother...?? That's all we'll buy is honda. Our Gen sets 4 wheelers outboard for our boat and our side by side.. all made by honda... we never have any problem with them...????

[@MalleusSemperVictor]

​@@justinvanaulen2478I suppose I am surprised.

[@glennschlorf1285]

Nothing like a new James Condon video..

[@JustAnAverageBrad]

that era of little hondas are great little machines..

[@JR-bj3uf]

This is the best kind of project, it comes in multiple boxes.

[@Rick-S-6063]

Considering how everything was half taken apart and boxed up I had been wondering how this episode would turn out. Well, there's only one word to describe the results and that word is "outstanding." Thank you for another informative video.

[@MgoBlue24]

another one rescued, great work as always James!!

[@1SmittysGarage]

What intriguing piece! Full of surprises and came together beautifully. Awesome workmanship indeed! Blessings and respect!

[@neiltheplayer]

Nice save James. Thank you for posting this.

[@MitchEllis-dn9lf]

I bet the blocked fuel valve was the problem the former owner was chasing. Most people would think carburetor

[@DanKoning777]

With each new video I'm seeing how much I've learned. I try to anticipate what's needed, what the issue is, and/or what you'll suggest. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm less intimidated now re: small engines. Hopefully I won't have that "deer in the headlight" look when the time comes. 🤔 👍👍👍 God bless.

[@siegfriedjunghans]

Hello James, I'm happy about every new video from you. I've already learned so much from you that since I've been watching your videos I have a completely different view of broken engines and it's always fun to repair something, whereas it used to be hell for me 😊 Many thanks and best wishes from Germany

[@jcondon1]

Great to hear!

[@haneyoakie14]

It lives! And works as good as the day it was new.

[@buydirectusa4954]

Every time you work on these things i feel a bit more educated. Was able to get my 2011 weed eater working. It wasnt running so a couple shots of wd40 helped clean the carb. Had to replace the fuel lines, the primer bulb, new spark plug, clean it up and it started right up. Fixed the cracked case with jb weld plastic repair.

[@ericvaughn1126]

Nice save, James. I've done a tank with Red Kote and it takes some doing to work quickly so it doesn't dry too fast and keeping the vent/fuel ports clear can be a challenge too. You CAN thin Red Kote with acetone as noted on the can or their website. So you can likely do that with what you have left in your can. I always closed the Red Kote can immediately after pouring out what I needed since the stuff dries so fast.

[@d1gardner]

I don't recall the brand of tank liner I used for a gas can probably 8-10 years ago. It took a long time to cure, so I placed it in full sun which added enough safe heat to fully cure the product. It was a hot day with full sun. I still use the gas can....no leaks.

[@daviddamico4288]

Great job getting it running..

[@andybonneau9209]

I winced when you refueled over a lit incandescent light bulb. Yikes. Good job putting a basket of parts back together and getting it running.

[@mikesbarn1858]

Same. I was driving and listening in the background.

[@silvinotavaresdelima7875]

HEY JAMES YOU ARE A GREAT PROFESIONAL IN ALL YOU DO MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND FAMILY GREETINGS FROM BRASIL

[@jgreitz]

Love your videos! Here's a thought about the Honda carb settings: 1985 there was no ethanol and much better gas. That carb wasn't engineered for ethanol. But it sounded great when all together. Speaks to honda engineering and quality.

[@woody95124]

Another fab job on a basket case...Por -15 works really good on tank sealer...

[@MitchEllis-dn9lf]

Jame. While I’m pretty sure that gas is cheaper than acetone for flushing the tank the acetone can be left open to the environment outside to evaporate and does not create any more hazardous waste for you to store or get rid of.

[@andrewgrace4410]

Great fix James 😸👍🏾

[@jcondon1]

Thank you!

[@richardwalters1803]

Jim, you might want to try #10 or 1/4" square nuts, their usually a bit sharper for tank cleaning

[@MitchEllis-dn9lf]

You can try heating the air box cover and then comping it to a flat surface

[@jimh2887]

An old fashioned flaring tool inserted into a rubber hose, heated with a heat gun then put in cold water will give you the two different diameter hose ends. It works in a pinch

[@quertize]

I am kinda sad you did not talk about that little frequency indicator under run light. At least I think that it is such indicator. In your last test one can see that it started vibrating when you loaded generator and frequency dropped.

[@johnkelly5487]

Nice work on the honda, Jack, RI, USA

[@jcondon1]

Thanks 👍

[@ikay2102]

It seems like the whole Honda empire is held with 6mm bolts 😅

[@satin227]

1:13:02 Those are called anvil cutters I typically only use them when cutting Visco fuse for fireworks display due to their inherent non spark producing design

[@benkanobe7500]

If the airbox/airbox lid is ABS, you could heat it up and flatten it out, hold it in the flat and then let it cool and you should be good.

[@MitchEllis-dn9lf]

You could probably use pipe cleaners to block 3/16” gas and vent openings when doing the red coat

[@shanedavis8790]

Air box cover because it is made of plastic place in boiling water making sure that you level it up have it face down with a small amount of weights good chance it should work works of plastic bumper bars same way

[@Endoplasmic-Reticulum]

All the talk about snowcones then that Red-Kote (which looks like cherry syrup) got me hankering for snowcones!

[@philliphall5198]

Sounds great

[@henrymorgan3982]

Nothing runs like a Honda!

[@jacksoncroyce6063]

Another excellent video. What is the reason for the ruler on the handle? Also @4:05 it looks like some hardware was left in the bag.

[@jayredwanz8599]

I enjoy the channel. Curious about what state do you work out of?

[@bluepen61]

Nice video!! Was the service manual unusable? You seem to have a lot of questions that it should resolve.

[@larrykelly2838]

Great video, nice restore.

[@mrpetit2]

To rinse out the tank after using evaporust and water, it's better to use alcohol/ethanol/methalated spirits than gasoline as water dissolves in alcohol and not in gasoline. So the alcohol dissolves the little bit of water that's still in there, poor the alcohol out, and the little bit of alcohol that remains can dissolve in the fuel.

[@12wingwfetech]

Hi James I picked up a Honda E2500 generator belt driven with a Honda flat head engine. Trying to get it going would you have any idea where I could get specs for this engine , kind of looking for the valve clearances ,they are ..014 ex .010 in seems a little high . Does not see any place to adjust them . Thanks always look forward to you Thursday morning videos .

[@WarrenKimpel]

another nice video THANKS

[@jcondon1]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@landiahillfarm6590]

James, the little fuel bottle you use in this video, where can we get one? They almost look like they were for vinegar or something but yours holds up to gasoline?

[@gregorythomas333]

Just curious: Can you use a rust converter after the Evaporust to finish off the fuel tank? Noticed that the fuel valve comes off of a motorcycle as it has "ON" "OFF "RES" which makes sense because it's a Honda...looks like the reserve connection is where the vent is plugged in :) You might have fixed the air box cover by heating it gently and bending it back into the correct shape...or maybe even 3D printing a new one if you have the option.

[@geraldharkness8830]

just wondered why the owner stripped it down so much!

[@michaelnenninger5778]

A friend told me to use white vinegar for dissolving rust..I tried it with some rusty bolts and it worked..for me anyway

[@merrillquintrell8133]

When you pour the Evap o Rust back in the bottle, what about running it through a paper filter or perhaps several layers of cheesecloth? Would that make it last longer?

[@jcondon1]

I often use paper towels to take out the chunks

[@arthurbiringer5676]

Another great job!

[@jcondon1]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@American_Creed]

Just be known. That type of spark tester can give a false spark indication. Although it shows spark the coil could still be faulty.

[@jesterr7133]

How do you prevent Red Kote from clogging fuel outlets when it dries?

[@JohnSvensson-j6m]

You want a cleaner output you would need to ad a capacitor on the output

[@user-tn1hk6zm2freedom]

Looks like you got a jigsaw puzzle this time.

[@amwesterlin1]

Could someone help me understand why the sinewave had a temporary upward spike in the negative portion of the wave?

[@davidhollfelder9940]

You can still order incandescent traffic signal lamps.

[@richardtaylor7199]

Great job.

[@Richard_the_V]

Question. Do you not like hand tight? More than half the people I know that trust the torque end up with broken bolts. Not to mention the yearly calibration they need that, no one does.

[@jcondon1]

Had tight works in most cases. I am just paranoid about a failure due to negligence on my part thinking it was tight enough.

[@LoganHester-1489]

Hi good morning james

[@gerischi8871]

Bringing it in shape with the heat gun, maybe.

[@Snooooozel]

I cleaned the tank if my shopvac with water. A big mistake - after a few minutes (!) it was completely rusted. Cheap, completely unprotected iron...

[@tgriff8764]

What weight of oil would you use for an old generac generator

[@Rein_Ciarfella]

I thought I saw a fastener left in that large ziploc when you tossed it aside.

[@roybeanjr9352]

Very nice

[@jcondon1]

Thanks

[@specialservicesequipment393]

I'd think after using air and manual cleaning, maybe bake out the problem in the muffler with heat

[@Moondoggy1941]

My company was using Honda Generators in the field, during the early 2000's. we had to carry them inside a trench, so very awkward, the 2000 models were too heavy, the 1000 models were too heavy but we had a model smaller than the 1000, it was very light and easy to carry. It did not have enough power to heat up the irons but enough power to maintain the irons. I think it was a 650 model, it look just like the Honda 1000 model but only smaller, Anyone know which model it was?

[@JohnMifsud-u3z]

I enjoy wachting your work , what is thd?

[@jcondon1]

If a measure of other frequencies in the output beside the primary. So the primary output on this generator is 60 hertz. At 25% THD it means that 25% of the power is at other frequencies like 120 hertz which is waisted power and not usable so it’s dissipated at heat. That extra heat can damage some things plugged into the generator.

[@JR-bj3uf]

By "dirty power" does that mean you shouldn't use a generator like this to power a laptop? It seems like a little quiet generator would be perfect for that kind of application.

[@jcondon1]

A laptop would probably be ok because it uses a switch mode power supply.

[@JR-bj3uf]

@@jcondon1 I know it's not your thing but I would watch a segment where you explain Volts, Hertz, and all the other measurements you make. BTW Thanks for the great content.

[@alanarmstrong2323]

Enough power for camping or tailgating

[@cunnings309]

This oil consumption brought an other problem: carbon deposit on the exhaust valve and seat

[@haroldtanner9600]

One of the vent lines appears split.

[@walkertongdee]

I am fascinated by the engineering of those useless (low-power) things...

[@redmondjp]

I commented earlier James, but it just occurred to me that I have a reserve stash of incandescent bulbs that I will never use up, in 75 and 100 watt sizes. If you have a mailing address to share I will send you a care package.

[@robertsimpson7113]

For the few minutes it would have taken, it would have been prudent to disassemble and check and clean if necessary the carburetor while it was in your hand at the beginning of the video..........

[@curtchanning5074]

Agood way to unplug a muffler is putting it on a gas grill and heating the entire muffler for about 1/2 hour or until the smoke stops coming out

[@jesterr7133]

That's another thing Honda does that really annoys me. Why not sell the air box and cover as one piece? I had to replace the entire air box on a machine that I am currently working on. Everyone had the base in stock, but no one carried the cover. I had to order the cover from Honda since my customer wanted everything to be OEM. It doesn't make any sense to sell them as separate parts.

[@ehguy3628]

FAB.

[@malicious1111]

Isn't possible to use a heat gun and a flat surface to mold that air box cover back in place? This generator show us what we should get when buying a new one, reliable and serviceable with parts for plenty years of availability. Thanks for this video.

[@Rorschach1024]

Replacing discontinued plastic parts is an excellent application for a 3d printer.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Was just going to comment the same. James, if you read this comment and ever want to collab, let me know. Would love to make some parts for you.

[@Snatchwrangler1]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday I would definitely like to see that!

[@Landrew0]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday But it's not the easiest thing to make the printer files.

[@r8118830]

The material used in 3d parts is not the best for generators. They suffer from the heat and the vibration. Some might work well if they stay cool and have the vibration s close to them considerably damped. I have see James mention this before. The ones his son made for him failed.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

@@r8118830 That's like saying metal is no good for tools because it deforms too easily, having only tried aluminum. While it's true that PLA, which is one of the most common filaments used by beginners when 3d printing does deform easily when heated, you can 3-d print ABS, which is what that part was likely originally made from. It's now possible to even print polycarbonate and nylon on hobby-level machines.

[@michaelkennedy2528]

A careful application of heat from a heat gun on that air box cover will cure what ales it.

[@robfinch1522]

And the same process on the old air box will de-stress the fatigued clip mounts.

[@DeadKoby]

I did work for a gent who "started" all the projects and left me with a bucket of parts. It's NOT a fun situation, so I commend your bravery for taking it on.

[@rbassettjr]

I had a Honda EM500 and a Yamaha EF1000 I used for RVing when I didn't want to run the onboard Onan. Those two were some of the best machines I've ever owned, quiet, dependable and fuel misers. Great video!

[@kenjones4139]

Hey James! Another very enjoyable video. As others have said, I have had great success using a heat gun to "reshape" old misshapen plastic parts. If you can make a jig to put and hold pressure as it cools, it will work just great. I have had great success with the Briggs airboxes with the built in primer that are kniwn to warp.

[@moconnor6275]

Love your voice! The sir David Attenborough of small engines! 😊

[@bobpitts2435]

You've helped me out so much thanks James

[@Amy_McFarland]

What an awesome video! I so look forward to my Thursday morning coffee with your videos!

[@johnmeyer8495]

cracking find on the exhaust vent port James...Looks like some bug made a nest in there and sealed the fate of the machine until the right man was tasked with the resurrection. These tiny genny's may seem small for what we use these days, but with LED lighting, this would run your rv lighting no problems and even keep the battery for your fridge topped up on a rainy day.. With a rectifier on the output and then a DC to ac grid tied inverter in the mix, you would get a clean output for lights and laptops at a cheap running cost as they do sip the fuel...Always a pleasure to see you at work and making the decommissioned kit brought back from the scrap heap..... Bravo James😁

[@cunnings309]

I had a few of these generators to repair back in the 70's when I was a mechanic for Honda. The most common problem was oil consumption. A customer even told me that in their case it was: “Check the fuel and add oil”. They were, as you mentioned, the quietest on the market.

[@philliphall5198]

20w50 castrol oil 😊

[@erik_dk842]

@@philliphall5198 10W60 exists

[@Ragnar8504]

These small Honda units used to be quite popular with market vendors who just wanted to power a few light bulbs to illuminate their stalls. They were reasonably quiet, compact and had plenty of power for, say, the five 60 W bulbs needed to light up a market stall.

[@erik_dk842]

10W-60 exists

[@cunnings309]

@@Ragnar8504 I agree with you and they were (as I mentionned) so quiet that a friend of mine told me he had his in a shed at the back of his camp and he forgot it running all night because the noise didn't bother him.

[@w.ottopeck9619]

James I’m impressed as I always am with what you can do with these small engines. What I like about you there is no, “thats good enough”. A clean tank was not good enough, a coat if red coat was still not good enough, after 2 coats it was the best it could be. That was a good catch to find the clogged fuel valve!

[@dondonaldson1684]

And vent

[@iskydivetoooo]

Glad to see more people are willing to send you their broken generators. It makes the channel's content more diversified. The Kipor still works flawlessly now.🤗🤗🤗

[@jcondon1]

Very true

[@habana7638]

The reason Honda sounded so nice and where so reliable is that they ran at 3000 rpm at the time..

[@melkiorwiseman5234]

My first guess as to why that genny was disassembled and left like that would be that the blockage in the fuel cutoff wasn't discovered by whoever was attempting to revive the generator. Anyway, it's nice to once again see a discarded piece of equipment saved from the scrapheap. That little generator would be useful to run a few lights during a blackout. Maybe even a small fridge.

[@m.pearce3273]

The little engine that could And all told from the boxes to a saved EM650 Honda quite the incredible process to bring her back to life. I totally love all your extremely in-depth style of doing these incredible saves and rebuilds ❤🎉🎉