What Caused This Engine Damage? - Generac GP5500 Repair

[@colin8532]

Not to say anything bad about anyone, but the gentleman you bought this generator from might want to consider spending some time watching your videos before he tries to repair anymore equipment for resale. You did a really nice job bringing this generator back to life, nice work sir.

[@YukonHawk1]

Jim should be refunded at least 100 bucks.

[@Melicoy]

Why put the same crap cam shaft back in the machine? Sorry i skipped to head removal.

[@quantumleap359]

I agree. That Generac was a pig in a poke. I would also talk to the "gentleman" you purchased this thing from.

[@budburr66]

Looks like a Florida flood victim that got power washed and put up for sale with a description of "I can't test it but it looks OK".

[@ac2329]

looks like gas in the oil and it sat and varnIshed inside the engine float was probably leaking by

[@bpjr1899]

I worked as a Lineman for many years. We used Onan Generators on our bucket trucks and they were so reliable we became spoiled. Years later the trucks came with Generac brand generators. We had constant trouble with them starting and then I had an RV with a Generac and starting again was a problem. I enjoy your videos.

[@jcondon1]

Onan are very good generators.

[@Rorschach1024]

James, there HAD to have been a water component. You simply cannot have rust without it. It is not chemically possible. And the higher the salt/mineral/chloride content the more aggressive the corrosion is. Im thinking there was water and a lot of it in the tank, the carb overflowed and hydrolocked the engine that corrosion line near the bottom of the stroke is a smoking gun here as well as the very clear water line in the crankcase. I suspect there was bacteria in the water, which is why there was so much weird crap in the crankcase. The bateria were eating the oil and polymerizing it. Bacteria will also accellerate corrosion too, especially in anerobic conditions like under a layer of oil/gas mix.

[@suterfamily5578]

I couldn't agree more, since the water has a higher specific gravity than either oil or gasoline, the water was under the oil in the crankcase most of the time except for the times that the guy previous to you pulled the starter handle and mixed everything up; can you ask that guy if the first oil change he did was white-foam water/gas/oil emulsion that drained out? When the fuel tank is above the carb like it is in these generators, water that enters the tank falls to the bottom of the fuel and since water is significantly heavier than the same volume of fuel, it can easily blow right past the needle valve and leak directly through the intake valve and down into the crankcase.

[@danmenes3143]

Not strictly true that rust without water is chemically impossible--any oxidizer will do, including air (plus heat). But I think water is far-and-away the most likely culprit.

[@josephorr5175]

Aluminum doesn't rust (no Fe present) but it definitely can corrode in the presence of air. It will form aluminum dioxide which is a white film. I've seen a lot of it on aircraft structures. Interestingly enough, that film will also inhibit any further corrosion. But it does pit the aluminum. That discoloration is not characteristic of aluminum dioxide and may be a remnant of other ferrous parts actually rusting in that pooled water and staining the aluminum casing as a secondary effect.

[@merrittdegraw4313]

Thank You James!

[@michaeltarasenkoop2389]

Will General replace the engine ? Due to the age of the machine ?

[@tc1904]

Jim, watching you work is like watching a surgeon perform heart surgery! You are a master of your craft👍

[@shatnersufolanded7785]

I was given a Coleman 2000 year model Maxxa 3000 almost brand new looking after diving in I found rust all throughout internals and especially bottom of crank the exhaust valve had alot of crispy critters sludged up on it I would have never attempted to overhaul it if it had not been for your videos. I really am thankful your here on KZbin.

[@DanKoning777]

How funny-while watching a different Generac video [GP7500E rebuild] from a month ago [great content], this one popped up. [29:21] "...the guy said it was stuck and he freed it up-and then he sold it. And I can see why it was stuck." And now we can see why he sold it. 😂 Btw, why your channel doesn't have 500k+ subscribers is a mystery to many of us I'm sure. Well done and a 👍 as always. God bless.

[@boonecountygenerators3052]

If you want to find out if a generator has a bonded neutral, it sometimes is printed right on the unit (like we can see at 34:17 and 1:14:05). There's nothing wrong with verifying that when you reassemble, but if you're going to remove the jumper, you should probably tape over the "NEUTRAL BONDED TO FRAME" label, or better yet, use a label maker and label it "FLOATING NEUTRAL."

[@mrwebber35]

This is what Powermate claims about bonding the neutral tot he frame: The neutral is bonded to the frame to allow for the generator to be used as a portable and allow for the frame not be grounded as per USA NEC250.234A. In other words the frame absolutely must be grounded if the neural becomes floating in all situations. Explains how RV's can just start up their little genies without any concerns.

[@steventiry8701]

The plugged vent tube forced fuel into they cylinder. That was the cylinder damage. The fuel made it into the oil where it became old and varnished the case and also held water for the rust.

[@AZVIDS]

Nah, it was re-assembled wrong…

[@quantumleap359]

James, I just want to congratulate you on your superb mechanical and electrical skills! Everything is by the book! No shortcuts, no half-a$$ed work. Thank you for excellent videos.

[@AW-Services]

Another enjoyable and educational video, Jim. On first inspection and the overall exterior appearance, that generator looked pristine and didn't look beaten up or it had a hard life. Love your new load tester. Gives your videos more of a visual load representation over the use of your heaters

[@mohibhad8542]

James I have to admit that you are the best content maker on youtube. All your videos are very well made. Excellent video and audio and best care for details. Thank you

[@dagrote1]

I think I can cancel Hulu now.

[@rosewood7592]

I'm very new here. I knew nothing about carburetors but after watching 10+ videos of yours I know I could take one apart and clean one and reinstall it. I'm addicted to your videos!

[@marynunn1708]

Love this video in particular because I own a GP5500. Nice to know what breaks and how to fix it when it does. Will pay more attention to internals and oil because of this. As for why the first engine was so rusty, my bet is on being left in cold, humid environment without the airbox, possibly for years. Great job giving her a new life!

[@jayneubauer3401]

exactly my thoughts as well, as I purchased a GP5500 used. It had low hours, but issues. Fortunately it was related to the rust in the tank, and my nephew is a really good small engine mechanic. It is nice to see what goes wrong with these.

[@lleavell92630]

James, the only experience I had with an engine that nasty inside was when someone (I suspect a recently fired employee) added sugar to the oil and it looked about as bad as this example. The engine was replaced in that instance too.

[@jimthesoundman8641]

How would sugar hurt the oil? I thought you were supposed to put it in the gas tank so it would be burned in the cylinder and produce massive amounts of carbon.

[@joelonderee2872]

I just came across your videos a couple of weeks ago and have watched dozens of them. They are great and I have learned to much. Thanks for the great education and please keep up the excellent work. Your narration is especially valuable.

[@melkiorwiseman5234]

Any day with a new video from James is a good day. 😃

[@Rick-hp6fu]

Brother, you are a master at troubleshooting and your attention to detail is impeccable. I love your video content. Watching you repair and fine tune these machines has taught me so much, allowing me to get my small engines (mower, snow blower, etc.) tuned back up and running like new, all due to carb issues. I have a Westinghouse genny that I've never had to use but run occasionally and I know that if I run into any problems with it, I can likely get it back up and running like new. Keep up the awesome work!

[@jasonstarnes3838]

Great work, i cant believe someone unstuck that engine and sold it, and didnt clean it up any better. What a mess.

[@TomAtwood-q6m]

Not to the put blame on anybody. But some people might think the oil hole is for water. Some people are not as smart as they think they are. Thank goodness for people like you that definitely know the difference.

[@josephephraim5135]

I admire your attention to detail and your perseverance, working to overcome the hurdles to get to the prize. Great work James!!

[@RiverratGoRVing]

Miss all the heaters that you use to test with, but you need newer technology as well. James, as always, your work and information really helps us DYIers. Thank you. Keep posting.

[@NormReitzel]

I want to sincerely thank you for this video, My wife and I have purchased a rural property, and I;ve been shopping for back up power - so I've decided to bite the bullet and buy a Cummins.

[@mattaniahdavid1048]

This is only my second video watching Mr. Condon, and I must say extremely fascinating and enjoyable to watch. I would classify you as a Master Mechanic but to see the inside of an engine, small as it might be, but still the same as a larger counterpart, thank you for your tutorials. Very enjoyable. I love to learn new things!

[@steveklassen696]

James, your camera work and editing is great. It goes unappreciated for sure, but not by me. At 12:30 you take off a heat shield. You totally ignoralate on the bolt, teetering on the edge of it rolling off, and then you move onto the next camera angle without showing yourself grabbing it. All the ocd people are just dying. Genius!

[@davehammond9796]

Good job, you've gotten a load bank, no more dragging out the portable heaters.

[@mjg263]

Another brilliant repair and another generator brought back from the dead! I dunno, that crankcase looks to me almost like it had seawater in it, that corrosion was really bad. Great work and attention to detail, James!

[@jfolck1886]

I've seen this video on my recommended page a few times now. So I decided to watch it. When I saw it was an hour and a half long I thought to myself there's no way I'm going to make it through this whole thing. Here I am an hour and a half later and I only skipped a few of the slow parts. Very interesting to see the diagnosis progress with the first engine.

[@stevewarren3051]

It's generator season. I hope that means more vids from master mechanic James.

[@TimHancock-h6e]

Durning most of the 1st part of the video, i was telling myself over and over, "wow, that is a clean machine." Then BAM! learned my lesson don't judge it by it's looks. I'm with you James, something other than oil was put into that crankcase some additive or something that started to eat away at the aliumin much less the iron also.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Looks like fuel filled the crankcase and it did the same thing as it does to the tank. Can’t have enough spare parts. I picked up a rough Honda EU3000is the other day. It is going to be a challenge. Thanks Jim!

[@Rick-S-6063]

Things didn't look too promising at the beginning but they had really turned around at the finale. You do good work. My generator is a Honda EN3500 with the GX240 engine. I replaced the original oil drain plugs with two Gold Plug MP-01T magnetic drain plugs. They're a good investment that'll keep metal shavings from circulating and prevent further damage. Chances are they'll fit the majority of the "Chonda clones."

[@kiowablue2862]

*_Excellent_* presentation, as are all of your repair video-productions. One minor point. Hertz is the unit of measurement of _frequency._ So instead of saying the "Hertz is low," you say the _frequency_ is low.

[@jesterr7133]

I love adapting various items for small engine work. I have an entire antique dental tool kit that I use for small engine work. I have scalpel, forceps, and all the various picks. I use welding tip cleaners for carb jets. Once you get into this hobby, you are always looking for something you can use. Whenever I encounter some odd type of tool, I am immediately assessing it to see if thee is something I can use it for, lol.

[@watermanone7567]

Excellent work James, I had a 3000 watt champion that someone put bar and chain oil in. Took me a long time to clean it out and many oil changes and used some marvel mystery oil during the changes. Came out o.k. but the bar and chain oil was only in it for a few months and the machine did not run much with-it in. Customer said it runs good now. He uses it at his camp. Thanks for the video.

[@JR-bj3uf]

That's some amazing water damage. That almost looks like salt water damage. Great video as always.

[@PeterHynes]

Another great video James - that engine looked like it was pulled out of a swamp! It would be fascinating to know how that happened. I though at first it must have been in a flooded basement or similar, but the generator assembly would also have been affected by that and didn't seem to be at all. Also interesting to see that familiar THD issue with the inflection in the back end of the AC sine wave - you would think that the manufacturer would improve the generator assembly to address that design issue. Thanks again for the fascinating content and locating these very interesting repair cases - very enjoyable to watch! Merry Christmas mate.

[@Amy_McFarland]

Another option would be user error. You never know what someone may have put in with the oil unknowingly or thinking it would help somehow.

[@jcondon1]

Was thinking the same. It could have been an additive if some sort.

[@philliphall5198]

No it’s defective cam , this is the 6 one I’ve seen now, they don’t want to warranty anything 😢😢

[@nspro931]

@@philliphall5198 No argument about warranty, but they are not going to warranty an engine that sat half full of water and rust.

[@tomwolf9420]

Like the fact that you verbalize your thought process. Allows me to improve my ( barely to no existing 😂) diagnostic and fixing skills

[@dadskrej5226]

Another great video James! A word of caution when hammering on the crankshaft bolts to remove the rotor and/or the flywheel. Crankshafts are not designed for side-loads, mainly rotational loads. Beating on either end too much will break the crankshaft. 2 or 3 whacks is about all the crank will stand before breakage internally.

[@adulaney2004]

It is common practice to do this on many aluminum-block engines. This is why Briggs sells a flywheel knock-off tool. Now, if it was a Kohler engine, there's a very real chance it would break.

[@jeromekurtzsr878]

Hi James, No matter what the day brings, You always come through with a great video thank you so much. You always do awesome work and I’m always looking forward to a new video every single day, you are an inspiration on small engine repair. Again thank you so much for your hard work…. until the next video. Have a great day.

[@MrDirkad]

You sir, are a godsend to small engine repair. I would let you work on my stuff any day of the week. I have yet to see a short cut I wouldn’t take. Great Job!! Your earned a subscribe from me! Hard to do.

[@superfram81]

this is the best channel on here if you want to learn step by step

[@pc5569]

I unbounded mine and have that plug you showed as my bonding when I need it. Great work.

[@MrRedPants]

James. I don't think I've ever watched a video of yours where you said, yeah, that's good enough. Right down to scraping off the blue protective covering. Inspiring

[@GNX157]

The video where you first discovered the issue with the stator wire terminal insulation causing a charging problem, is probably in the top 5 must-watch videos on your channel. Very informative and eye opening new issues found.

[@robertcochran7103]

I am so impressed with the teardown procedure and the excellent diagnostics. I learned from this video. Thank you!

[@tarstarkusz]

33:30 That engine absolutely will run again and make good power. It's not a hot rod. Given that these things cannot be run anywhere near their rated power and that they run at the same speed all the time and that it will be sold as used, this could be fixed. The only thing that would concern me is the gears. Worn gears will quickly get worse.

[@stoptheirlies]

Hi James, your attention to detail is awesome, well done mate I enjoy every minute, oh! I have also enjoyed the bit of variation from Generators recently too. Bob. UK

[@redneckbryon]

You would think a company like Generac who builds, portable and standby generators would build a Quality Product. I had a 5500W portable Generac years ago, had well over 1000 hours on it, it ran strong and produced power with no major repairs ever. When we were looking at having our standby generator installed, we were originally going to go with Generac after speaking to some electricians who installed them, they basically advised not to go with Generac. From what I was told, they are having engine issues, on a lot of their units that are being produced and replacement parts are hard to get.

[@philliphall5198]

On the fourth one I called them and they refused to admit the camshaft are bad, one of them belongs to my brother and I know he serviced it, only 34 hours, he’s a retired diesel mechanic 😊

[@wizzkidelectronics]

never thaught of closing the choke as the bowl goes empty . good stuff james

[@billclayton8127]

I really enjoy your videos. At one hour and 18 minutes you are installing the gas shut off at the bottom of the tank. The first day on my apprenticeship my journeyman corrected me on the proper use of a crescent wrench. You are using it backwards. 😊

[@karirautio]

The moving jaw is weaker than the fix jaw. When using backwards there is much less leverage to this weaker jaw.

[@redwolf230]

Give the bore a light hone and maybe the rings might still be good. Had one of those in a month ago and the guy was so happy I was able to bring the motor back

[@spudman9367]

Thanks for covering the floating, bonded neutral issue and hooking up to a house

[@basilbrushbooshieboosh5302]

I like it that he cleans the (whole of the) gear well. I watch this other guy that does mostly m'bikes. He seems know what he 's doing but he picks them up usually filthy (dirt bikes) and sends them off filthy.

[@charleskwakye2137]

I am glad to see you start this generator.

[@landontesar3070]

Great to see these two coming together. Thanks, James.

[@simeonmendez5964]

I'm learning a lot from your videos and I like the way you explain . Also I like how thorough you are about cleaning the machines and putting them back together. Thanks for the knowledge .

[@grahameida7163]

I know I have said it before, but there is a nice space next to the analoge meters on the load bank for a power montor module that will digital display of all the power/voltage and frequency readings, 🙂

[@jcondon1]

I was looking for one that would fit the existing cutout. Kinda lost interest though because of the Amprobe connection to the load bank. The analog gauges are close enough. A digital amp or watt meter would be a nice add though.

[@norseman3303]

Absolutely outstanding video. I have a GP7000 that was given to me and I'm looking forward to checking it out. Thanks!

[@dougpeters6058]

Talking about the bonded vs floating neutral seems like you were talking directly to me.

[@davidsmith-ih2kk]

Just before you pulled the bottom end cover, off I was about to say YES MATE YOU PAID TOO MUCH FOR THIS GENERATOR, as to the damage if it sat in water for a few months or a year that would be the damage, I would think. Then the guy tried to get it running and of course that explains the wore down lobes, but you don't know what the guy who bought it did to it. All I can say to compensate for your 150 dollar loss is thank goodness your a small engine and generator repair guy and you had the other engine so you could swap them over, so it's not a total loss, you did have a good working generator end. But I have to say that the guy you bought it from was a bit of a scammer, don't tell me he didn't have more of an idea what was wrong with it. But you did show us the guts of an extremely water damaged engine and youtube payments will also compensate in some small way because I just love your fixit videos, you have a very sophoritic voice and more than once I have fallen asleep to your videos, only to go back and rewatch them after sleep. A very entertaining video thank you, thank you. Of course if money was no object the engine was really fixable???????

[@dwtees]

Hi James I enjoy your video's. You are quite a good mechanic and you are precise and thorough. I believe your rust issue could have been caused like you first thought in this video namely ethanol gas. My petcock didn't seal for a season in my Coleman generator. Even with my petcock on my fuel tank closed it didn't perfectly seal. Also the carb needle is never a perfect seal so the fuel in my generator flooded out the carb slowly over time then drained into the engine. The next season the generator wouldn't start. The Fuel tank was empty crankcase over full with oil and gas. I've never heard you mention it in your video but the ethanol in fuel nowadays grows a bacteria called acetobacter. Antique car collectors have this issue because they sometimes don't drive their cars often. The waste of Acetobacter bacteria is acetic acid. Acetic acid will destroy your fuel system and IMHO may have been the cause that corroded your internal engine parts. I have an older Corvette I have restored and sometimes I don't drive it for a season. I've had to install 5 fuel pumps in my Corvette which become a solid corroded mess because of the ethanol in our fuel. You have mentioned in some your videos about ethanol in fuel being bad news for stored generators. I've been an auto tech all my life and opened my own shop 18 years ago. I have seen many cars that are stored or not driven for over a year their metal fuel tanks totally destroyed and rusted from the ethanol in our gas. Automotive Electric fuel pumps will be a solid piece of corrosion after as little as a year of storage with ethanol gas.

[@robfmas]

I own one of these, ive used it a few times for a period of days when the power was out at home. No problems, fires right up. ive got some rust in the tank as well. i keep the tank filled w/ Stabil added

[@ablelock]

Really nice job on fixing this up. I enjoy watching you cause you’re a thorough on what you do and I am that way on what I do in my business as well and you sound like you have a lot of patience with these things, and sometimes they even aggravate you, but you don’t let it push your button enough to push you over the edge you’ll always have the right answer on fixing it eventually, good video like I said keep up the good work we look forward to the next episode.

[@andymann9861]

Great video, James! Glad to have you back!

[@iskydivetoooo]

I like your channel. I have a Kipor 1000 sine wave generator that quit working about a year after I bought it. Kipor sent me a replacement carb, but I think the gas line might be clogged by the nasty ethanol residue. It still starts, but only runs for 2 or 3 seconds, and it dies. This model kipor carb sells for like $100.00 bucks

[@chadbarchus3373]

Great video man ,you've really stepped up your game on editing/ speeding up the bolt installs . Also the test rig looks great !

[@arlodewald5378]

Thanks James for all of the hints and advice on things to look for the novelist person to be able to repair there own gas powered equipment . Also how important it is too torque every nut and bolt to proper specs . Maybe other people how repair equipment for resales will take the extra time to do things professionally .

[@paulwatts3328]

Been following and watching for a while. Psst.. watch and learn all the hidden tips and tricks.I thought I knew stuff but I am just a hack and you are the real deal.Thank you for sharing content ,delivery and presentation are over the top.I am a better mechanic because of James Condon Cheers

[@bertgrau3934]

I used a new Savior plug in a chain saw. I had all kinds of problems trying to get the carburetor adjusted. Changed to a used Champion, no more problems getting the carburetor adjusted, and the saw ran great. I toss those when they come with a carburetor kit. I will pay more for the NGK rather than use cheap junk. Just my opinion.

[@pepetherealfrog9846]

Best way I found to remove rust and varnish from a fuel tank is to use peebles. Small ones like you found in aquarium. Rough ones are the best but river ones are good too. Then shake as long as you can. 30 minutes should suffice.

[@kendoeditionfuego1619]

Admiro todos tus videos, no existe un generador eléctrico el cuál tú no domines por completo.. a la verdad que eres un buen técnico, felicidades por la ardua labor....

[@brianallen9810]

28:13 Wow is the under statement of the year. I think it got filled with water, not really unusual considering that these generators are usually used during power outages outside and in foul weather and then just put up until the next power outage. Great video.

[@daviddamico4288]

Nice work Jim , glad you got it fixed

[@jackdonaghyjr]

I follow a number of restoration/rebuild channels and one kind of video I am super interested in is how your organize and store the parts and fasteners during deconstruction and the restoration process.

[@jcondon1]

If I am familiar with the engine then organization is not too important. For other less familiar engines I out the fasteners back where the go on the disassembled pieces. Also use labeled ziplock bags and I always have the video to look back on if needed. Sometimes it is.

[@ayozhek1898]

Still sounds like there is a rough bearing in there. Thanks James.

[@joshuagraber1148]

That 1st engine would definitely run just fine. Put a new cam shaft in and get rid of the surface rust, clean everything up real good. Shame to see it all thrown out.

[@phillipbecker453]

I agree, the first engine could have been honed and cleaned up a bit and been serviceable for a standby Jenny. A little oil usage but usable for emergencies.

[@rkins100]

Nice job Jim - was nice to have a donor engine. Learned a bunch so thanks.

[@Rorschach1024]

James I'm kind of surprised you didn't ohm out the rotor and stator before you went to all the trouble of assembling it to make sure you weren't wasting your time.

[@jcondon1]

I took the guys word that it was making power. He is pretty honest with me. Have purchased a lot from him over the years.

[@williamfoote2888]

@@jcondon1He sold you a pig in a poke on this one.

[@phillipbecker453]

I only trust the words of two people, me & GOD.

[@billhenry7833]

Lol

[@pootispiker2866]

​@@phillipbecker453Where is god for cancer patients?

[@maddmaxx636]

I wanna see you clean and rebuild that original motor. Soak the case in evaporust, clean it out heavy duty, and put bare minimum into it. Like hone the cylinder and put new rings into it. It’d be fun as a challenge and a proof of concept that anything can be fixed. Like you replace anything other than wear items like the rings or bearings.

[@AJRestoration]

You need a sof copper hammer for removing the flywheel.

[@jimb3900]

Working on a Generac GP220i generator. I have an oil leak. Need to take the rotor off to get to the crankcase gasket, but not sure how to remove the rotor. Any help someone could provide would be great!

[@deere3321]

It looks like this generator sat for many year in high humidity and not ran. This is why it's so important to start your generator at least every 2 or 3 months, keep fresh fuel in it (non-ethanol) and use quality small engine oil. Whatever the cause, this one was abused. Another interesting video.

[@1djbecker]

I suspect that it was far more than humidity. The internal rust/water line was well up the crankcase. That's not not something that happens from condensation.

[@marvinschleicher5542]

Do you think maybe the carb flooded over and dumped gas in crankcase, that in turn washed oil off internal parts and rust formed over time. Just wondering. Thanks for sharing video

[@jonminer9891]

Happy to see your vid again. And as always, it is a pleasure to see how you think through the problem. Thanks for sharing! Stay Healthy!

[@bradleyfisher3777]

Just a Tip for Aluminum Oxidation, CLR Full Strength works wonders on taking that white scale off

[@oldguysoldbikes]

As always James, entertaining as well as educational.

[@larrykelly2838]

That Gen runs really good.

[@ChrisDart4232]

I like the way the auto-text says 'Applause' when you hit it with a hammer!! Seriously though, very interesting stuff - well explained.

[@spartanj2957]

Great work as usual. I have a new GP8000 10 HRS Why when cold out I can't get it to fire with the choke on all the way.The first time I tried to start it when cold out it would t fire. So I wait a few mins ,we t to retry and I smelled gas ,so next time I full chocked it and at the same time during hitting starter switch I pulled it off full choke to 20 present it then fired. It will not start on full choke when at 40 degrees.

[@njkay0033]

The "bad" one was suspicously clean on the outside compared to the internals. Almost factory new outside.

[@philliphall5198]

I’ve had some with only 40 hours and cam bad , brand new junk I fact I’ve fixed 4 in my shop and other business done one They are defective and if you have one better get it checked asap

[@1djbecker]

@@philliphall5198 This cam was pretty clearly ground down by the heavily corroded follower. They do fail, presumably from being incorrectly hardened combined with oil film failure, but that doesn't appear to be the case here.

[@kiplandingham322]

Felt a chill watching you use a root canal drill....yikes! Thanks for another great video.

[@gregb76]

Jim really nice job. You were able to get rid of some of your old parts. I think you will get your money out of it.

[@mrobi5797]

Excellent video James. Thanks. I enjoyed the description on the Floating Neutral/Bonded Neutral ground. Keep on the good work and best wishes for the Holidays.

[@bikerider29ir]

Hi Jim, can you go a bit further about the bonded vs. floating ground when you connect to your house panel? I have this same genset and haven't yet checked which I have, but assume it is a bonded ground. What should I be concerned with by hooking a bonded ground genset to my house?

[@tonyc.4528]

I'd like to know that too. I thought it was just the opposite. I'm using a large knife transfer switch that only switches L1 and L2 off the grid and onto genny, but leaves neutral and ground alone.

[@jcondon1]

An electrical system should only have one bond from neutral to ground. When running a portable generator not connected to the house, the bond is necessary so the circuit breaker on the generator will trip if a live wire touches the frame. When connected to the house you want that generator neutral to ground bond broken otherwise current will flow on both the neutral and ground wires back to the generator. Current should not flow ever on ground unless there is a fault. What will happen is that the amount of current on those wires will not be balanced and increases the risk of a shock from the ground/neutral wires.

[@mb5925]

i understand code requires a floating neutral if connected to my house panel. My question is why manufacturers don't offer the option of a floating neutral. I have a Generac 8500EFI and Generac told me that if I floated the neutral I would void the warranty. I have not seen any portable generators less than 15kW that have floating neutrals.

[@boonecountygenerators3052]

James already answered this question well. I would only add that on generators with GFCI breakers or receptacles, the current coming back on the neutral needs to match the current going out on the hot side. If the current is shared by the neutral and ground wires, the GFCI will trip every time. So you need to float the neutral on the generator if connecting to a home service panel where the neutral is already bonded to ground.

[@charlesyates6687]

Needle seat failed ethinal fuel found it's way into high zink oil/ brake in oil and chemicaly reacted while it sat for a long time I've encountered this before. This is why when you store a engine drain fuel and carb first .

[@REVNUMANEWBERN]

7 years ago I worked AT the Snapper Lawn mower MFG plant when B&S bought Snapper, B&S began shipping Gens to the plant directly from Shy na, one day the trailer that came directly from the Savannah port backed up to the dock & the doors were opened, there were at least 5 >>>> DIFFERENT

[@johnhershey4010]

That last generater made a lot of sense. Wonding were the speat and spuding was going on.

[@SylviaWood-u9l]

Mr. Condon some years ago, I bought a brand new LP5500 and it came with a quart of Generac oil when installing it in the engine I saw black specks coming out of the bottle I ran in for just a minute and drained it out I know Generac does not make oil so I suspect a factory oil quality issue, I reported it to Generac but got no response. David W.

[@stevespawn1]

You hold my attention-really enjoy your videos