Non Running Scrap Generators, Are They Worth Saving? Part 1

These 2 petrol generators were bought as non runners from a house clearance, Let's see if we can get any life out of them. The big Clarke Generator is in a bad state but the smaller one looks promising.
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Intro Martin Butler www.totallyroyaltyfreemusic.co.uk
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[@zeez3139]

" Bracketry " Great people like you make the English language develop and grow !

[@adriansteventon9520]

Great to see you and Gary working together. Keep up the great videos.

[@brianhull5125]

It’s great to see you doing these types of videos again...this is one of the reasons I started watching your channel...great to watch and educational 👍🏼

[@dangerranger-in3kl]

Lol , have you on pause Martin , I’m saving this to for tomorrow afternoon , .... give me somthing to look forward to , .... video already liked , as you have never made a bad video in my opinion 👍

[@coopers4491]

You keep generating great content!!!! Cant wait for the follow ups ........ Love it!! 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺Its saturday

[@retrorestore]

Thanks bud.

[@terryatkinson3182]

Perfect timing for a Saturday evening Martin

[@billywhizz98]

Another great video Martin and Garry a job well done looking forward to seeing the restoration of the generators

[@69virgin1966]

Another great video Martin! I'm rather enjoying these kinds of videos. But then again I haven't seen any of your videos that I don't like. Diagnosis is key to finding out what is going on with a project like these. The more information you can get the better your chances of success in repair or scrapping. Keep the great videos coming. Thanks for sharing and God bless

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Roy,

[@woodencanoes9362]

Thanks! Your video saved a Generac 4000Xl I got for free from a fella at the dump from being scrapped. Fired on starter fluid. Turned out it was way overfilled with oil.

[@retrorestore]

Nice one.

[@LancashireLarks]

Looking forward to the updated restoration video 👍

[@Gordon078]

Looking forward to seeing the generator finished Martin great video as usual 👍🏻

[@TheMrWoodsman]

Excellent video guys, best channel on KZbin by far.

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Paul

[@alunroberts1546]

Very interesting video! Its great things are getting reused instead of going the tip. Great job!!!

[@steveb2986]

Great video. Looking forward to seeing them painted up and running

[@jrand2631]

Nice haul, and I'm looking forward to see the resto videos of these two generators. 👍👍👍

[@s-s-p704]

Great job guys 👍👍

[@banger220]

Another great video guys

[@DiecastPowderCoating]

Really enjoyed this video Martin. Doing a great job with that generator.

[@normsmowers4758]

Good team work lads keep em coming

[@yeagerxp]

Excellent work👍👍👍. Thanks for sharing.

[@alandykes2519]

Great video again Martin look forward to the follow up 👍👍

[@johngrasso4827]

Great video, always a pleasure to watch especially a father and son team. Thanks for your time and knowledge keep up the great work. John .

[@retrorestore]

Thanks John.

[@I-T-S-M-E]

Nice one Martin, better than any Saturday night TV show👍

[@benmakepeace5759]

You two make a good team.👍👍

[@seantaylor6123]

Great vids martin learned new tricks every day you both do a fabulous job keep us entertained and we will keep watching. Cheers Sean. Liverpool

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Sean.

[@vijayantgovender2045]

Thank you for sharing your videos Martin I always love your videos I am from South Africa

[@cabdriveruk]

Great video Martin. Another couple of gems picked up and should be easy to turn around. Cheers, Jeff.

[@retrorestore]

Yes Jeff, I think so, he does find them lol

[@barryfoster2115]

GREAT buys Gary, & great work both of you, First class upload. Baz.

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Baz

[@biggaspirit1]

Lot of potential in those generators, looking forward to the follow up. All good stuff.

[@classicgamer4451]

Hi Martin wahayyyyy there goes Gary lol like it you had a little giggle 😁 what a find those generators are nice one its surprising what a little clean can do to get them working 👍

[@davidvickers9029]

Going to look good when done, Martin and Gary.

[@vdubs6068]

Great Vid Martin 👍

[@barstowtovegas8574]

Another good video, keep it up.

[@magsmcleancraig4191]

keep up the good work guys !!!!!

[@haydenuk02]

Great job keep it up thanks for the content

[@aldricracette4813]

Love your videos thanks for the info

[@a11csc]

great info there boys

[@edmac8212]

great channel like this kind of refurb work have subscribed a few days back.

[@retrorestore]

Thanks bud. Hope you enjoy my vids.

[@roystheboy]

Great finds gary got there thats going to be a nice looking generator

[@retrorestore]

Cheers Roy.

[@baldanddangerous1572]

£300 of the queens mugshots ,RESULT,keep them coming martin,great vids.all the best .............doiugie

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Doug.

[@peterhulmston9046]

Great video, and looking very trim Martin👍

[@retrorestore]

Getting there bud

[@boondocker7964]

Martin, "a lot more worse", is definitely a phrase.

[@Jim-ie6uf]

Great score by Gary. I wouldn’t be surprised if you can find the carbs on Amazon for less than $20.00 each. I trash picked an Echo PB 200 blower last Sunday. OEM carb was $60.00 to the door, Chineseum replacement with fuel line, grommet, air filter, gaskets and spark plug, $15.29 to the door on Monday, with Amazon. It runs a treat now. Check the valve lash on the big one

[@retrorestore]

Yes I agree, they are fine too.

[@barbarawiddowson635]

Good job Martin and Gary.Hope Gary's ok after his little "trip".

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Barbara

[@paulyh4531]

👍nice one

[@valborchardt3596]

Thanks Martin and Gary.........😊

[@tedvegas5586]

Love the vids

[@petefroud5308]

Nice finds . The General nearly went for a burton on the Decking.

[@retrorestore]

Haha yes he did lol

[@petefroud5308]

Gary sniffs out good finds fair play to him .

[@turbolivesinmyheart6328]

Martin, you have shown the difference between a true technician, and just a plain mechanic. A technician, as it sounds, has a technique to follow locate and repair problems. Easy money there buddy

[@retrorestore]

Cheers bud

[@AJPsWorkshop]

Awesome video iv just done a small generator

[@retrorestore]

I'll check out your vid.

[@wildefox1478]

The big generator was pretty crusty, must've sat outside in the weather for a long time but at least both of them will run, great video Martin!

[@retrorestore]

Thanks bud.

[@gott2641]

Wow, the timing on this video couldn't have been more appropriate! I just recently scrapped the remnants of a Coleman 1500 portable generator that I'd been holding on to for some time. I picked it up late last year during one of my weekly trash hauls, and figured I'd give it a go. Turns out, it was seized up, which a little acetone and tranny fluid down the spark plug hole took care of after some soaking 😉! After that, a cleanup of the carb got it back up and (somewhat) running, but only at half-choke. Also, testing the output from the outlets showed it was putting out ~210 Volts, rather than the expected 110-120 V. I figured it could have been a bad AVR, as when I pulled the cover off I found it just hanging inside, broken from its retaining screw. Since I'm now prepping some push mowers for sale, and really didn't want (or need) to spend anymore time with it, I just parted out what I wanted to keep, and sent the rest of it off to the dust bin. Maybe I'll try my hand at one again later... anyway, hope to see how yours turns out in the next vid! 😊

[@retrorestore]

Next video out today bud. Enjoy.

[@gerryhayes6385]

Good big generator 😃😃

[@lord.onk99]

Very watchable as usual.

[@SCOTTISHPREPPERVARIETYCHANNEL]

More fun projects fantastic viewing

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Chris.

[@derbyjohn1258]

Fantastic video again hope set the 🐌free lol

[@timwilkinson2797]

Thanks G

[@alexhickey5633]

With generators i believe pulling the working bits is the best bet. If the engine is good, pull that. If the generator part itself is good, pull that. The engines if good can be used in other generators or any other horizontal shaft machine. I only really go after generators for the engine. If theyre good I'll clean up the engine and sell it as a standalone thing. If the whole generator is good ill do the bits that have to be done and sell it. 90% of the time i get a fully working machine that had a dirty carb. They sell fairly handy if you have them presentable looking

[@jackfairweather199]

I wish I could speed myself up like that. Sure would be a time saver!

[@retrorestore]

That was normal speed lol

[@bigcharliesmodelgarage296]

Awesome

[@basingstokedave4292]

nice one

[@tonyvingerhoets3001]

My favorite “as you can probably see” vid of the week... you might consider making a shirt saying just that.....

[@retrorestore]

Haha. Nice one Tony

[@tonyvingerhoets3001]

I would buy one, black with white big text. Available for buying in Europe. ( most shirts require a credit card and I don’t want to have one of them) Think about it! It is your signature text, I think.

[@carguillo1]

Saturday Fix hi Martin nice vid mate hope you and your family are well all the best Kev /Epsom

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Kev

[@jaggass]

That exhaust would come up really well in the blasting cabinet.

[@josephpuchel6497]

Hey You actually paid for them. It is a nice tutorial video.

[@davidblankenship7985]

I needed to rebuild the carb off my snowblower last fall. It was leaking gas and wouldn't start. The Chinesium replacement carbs cost less than the OEM rebuild kit! Since the original carb was Chinesium too I went ahead and replaced it

[@midlifecrisis.2409]

Martin, you may already know about de-rusting with citric acid. I usually mix it about five percent in warm water and it will shift most of the rust fairly quickly. Works better if you can get the worst of the corrosion and all grease off manually before you chuck it in. It wouldn't be difficult to make a tank about the size of a lawnmower buck. To save mixing too much I like to put the part in the tank and pack it out with bricks to take up the volume. Be careful not to put anything galvanised in the tank,it fizzes like hell and ruins the mixture. You can put an aquarium heater in to speed things up a bit. All the best from Cambridgeshire!

[@retrorestore]

I have used white vinegar with great success. I used the MC51 as I had it laying about and it also does a good job.

[@johnstubbs1585]

Be good to see you do a geny that runs but not giving out supply i got one thats always been great but now stopped giving out power

[@davesmith1857]

Hi Martin just to let you know I've had 2 of them Clarke generators both times the generator motor are as weak as piss they are prone not to work soon has you put them under load they pack up you might be lucky with this one.. ideal for light work cheers

[@retrorestore]

I'll soon find out Dave lol

[@bentullett6068]

Fixing generators is dependent on parts availability. The engines on the Clarke or other branded generators are most likely to have Loncin engines fitted. KZbinr Mustie from America has fixed loads of these generators on his channel. Another great thing to do with generators is don't use unleaded pump fuel but buy a Alkalyte based fuel like Stihl motor mix four stroke or ASPEN 4 fuel as these don't go off like standard pump fuel, so are great for long storage in engines that don't get used regularly.

[@retrorestore]

Yes I am subscribed to Mustie 1 Ben too

[@bentullett6068]

@@retrorestore I think he has restored a similar generator to the small one you have.

[@jaggass]

One time we stripped a bus down for parts and found 2 generators. They were runners and was later sold on ebay.

[@AliMackMechanical]

Move out of Gary's way the let the man work lol. Hopefully you got them nice and cheap. Ouch look at the gap drive a bus thourth it lol. I see these generators all the time in auctions up here lol. Good job lads 👍

[@retrorestore]

Yes they always turn up at auctions Ali, We see them too.

[@danielclift1]

i had 3 of those little generators they was 2 stroke was no good they ran but didnt have much power to really power up any tools sold them all for £20 hopfully that one will be better have a 4 stroke honda now i use

[@999thenewman]

That was a lot of work.

[@officialmysteriousrider6327]

Should start dealing in dust mask's you'll make a killing at time's like this😂😂

[@andycousins5016]

Happy days

[@alanlake5220]

What engine degreaser did you use, it did a good job, I cant fine a decent degreaser cheers, good vid by the way

[@retrorestore]

It was just old stale petrol.

[@danmackintosh6325]

Ha this is funny, i was just saying to the missus the other day it might be worth picking up a cheap generator (I'd not pay the price for a working one! lol). I think the key to buying non-running gennys is to pay what you'd be happy paying for the petrol tank, frame & engine casing because then you won't be disappointed if the alternator/engine or both is cooked. Things to look for when thinking of buying would be broken pull start and crappy fuel tank since that'd suggest it was working just stored wrong. P.S. not watched the vid yet but I imagine you'd say largely similar...

[@thomasderbyshire4935]

I have the same Clarke generator and it is a 2.8kva generator. But mine looks virtually new. Look on the machine mart website they sell it there. Quite a handy thing and cheap

[@retrorestore]

So will this when I've finished with it lol

[@thomasderbyshire4935]

retrorestore good point

[@73superglide62]

Genies day

[@JamesAllen300]

Hi martin. What 2K clearcoat can you recommend in rattle cans please? I've got a few lawnmowers that i need to sort out this year and having heard your advice about using 2K, I don't want to be selling a mower with substandard clear coat that will come off with spilt fuel.

[@retrorestore]

I've only use it for a spray gun James. Have a look around bud. I don't really know.

[@Pete.Ty1]

Hello Martin. My understanding is that you qualified as an electrical engineer, so I was just wondering if the actual motor on the Clarke generator was damaged beyond repair would it be possible to somehow connect the generator to a wind (as in wind turbine) operated device to create electricity? Best wishes Pete.

[@retrorestore]

If the generator doesn't work, I should be able to fault find it and repair it.

[@darrenmeears4667]

I don't know you lads like a challenge and no mistaking 😠😕😬😡

[@nigelstevens3627]

on off switch is back to front and must be nearly filled with petrol maybe 2stroke .😅

[@AmigaA-or2hj]

About the Clarke generator, does it have a 12 volt output for charging car batteries? I know the small one does.

[@retrorestore]

Yes it does.

[@fillipo1972]

Wow, before I even watch this, it would need to be seriously wrecked before I would consider scrapping one

[@MARKLOCKWOOD2012]

When people or viewers are trying to save a buck or likes to tinker. Do a service first,oil,fresh gas,check for spark,most times they’ve been Rhode hard put up wet. But in that service carb jets regardless. What gets me in spring and in summer as much as I like to fish n boat people haven’t done a thing to theirs. Other than a fresh battery or a charge or they abuse till it craps out won’t start. Blame it on the. Manufacturing etc. [tlc] by owners manual then you have something to enjoy with the grandkids even if they like riding on a mower.

[@adeh503]

Tell you what bud if you keep going with this diet your gonna have to start filming in wide screen 😂😂

[@retrorestore]

Haha, Down from XL to Large now.

[@ohjesushesaiditagain.6748]

The larger generator is same as mine,,,Clarke fg3005 model,,,I'm in need of a flywheel for it ,,,any idea where I might get one from or do I need to buy directly from Clarke,,,,I'm based in st Helens Merseyside..any help would be appreciated... cheers

[@retrorestore]

Try here Nigel www.generatorguru.com/fg3005/

[@ohjesushesaiditagain.6748]

@@retrorestore thank you,,, quick question for you,,I have today got hold of a flywheel of a spare generator,,my generator,,the same as yours is 2.8kva however the flywheel I got hold of today came from a 2.0kva,,,they are identical to look at,,, will this be ok to transfer into mine or am I flogging a dead horse.

[@googleaccount5876]

Marty I’m like u I would Rather have no comments than a rude comment 👍

[@retrorestore]

Exactly

[@googleaccount5876]

Good work. How’s your pal the Artist doing.

[@mikeg8835]

As a matter of interest Martin , have you got any idea how tolerant powder coating is to petrol being a type of plastic ?? Mike

[@retrorestore]

Petrol doesn't affect it

[@mikeg8835]

@@retrorestore that's handy to know 👍

[@OFP2]

Clarke 3050 £350 , medusa compact £125 total to pay £475 , you paid £30 . Everyones a winner . Nearly

[@paulbaker2959]

I have an old honda 1500 genny but the tank is quite rusty Inside, how would you attempt to clean it?

[@retrorestore]

With distilled white vinegar. Its very cheap but I have the MC51 so i'll probably use that.

[@paulbaker2959]

@@retrorestore cheers il give it a try :)

[@simonrawle7885]

looks like you have plenty to do over the next few weeks

[@MadTractor88]

Hi Martin where did you get your spark plug tester from?

[@retrorestore]

there's plenty on Ebay bud

[@MadTractor88]

@@retrorestore ok cheers

[@bidders77]

have you lost weight martin? looking sharp mate!

[@retrorestore]

About 2 stone at the moment. Cheers

[@BensWorkshop]

They look like they are worth saving though you did not appear to check for electricity being generated.

[@retrorestore]

We got to get them running first. We just proved they fired up.

[@geoepi321975]

I have the same thing what should the compression be can anyone tell?

[@retrorestore]

Probably between 90 and 130 psi

[@DaffyOP]

i dont get it, the old spark plug was working, why did u changed it? because of the gap?

[@retrorestore]

All part of a service.

[@tkaald]

The wee Chinese 2 stroke generators often fail to run because shaft seal between engine and generator pops out.