bypassing low oil warning EU2000i
z
again after fixing a bad timing belt and hell if I'm going to take it all
back apart to see whats going on with the sensor.
Anyone have a quick and clever way of disabling that switch?
cheers
-z
BTW: FINALLY got the parts I need for the hydro system so its going into
phase three of testing this weekend!
Pete C.
According to the service manual, the yellow wire from the oil level
switch goes up to a 6 pole connector, and the other lead from the oil
level switch (undetermined color) goes to a screw/bolt on the engine
block. Since the switch closes the connection to ground when the oil
level is low you just need to interrupt the circuit. Disconnecting the
switch ground lead from the block and insulating it would do the job. It
appears that the yellow wire may go through a single pole connector
before reaching the 6 pole one so that may be another easy place to
disconnect it. I'd look at my EU2Ki, but it's out in the shop and it's
cold out.
andre...@yahoo.com
> z wrote:
>
> Since the switch closes the connection to ground when the oil
> level is low you just need to interrupt the circuit. Disconnecting the
If that is true then Honda engineers need to be slapped up side the
head.
Emergency shut down circuits should be normally closed so when a wire
breaks someplace the system faults.
Ulysses
engine apart again I suggest you change the oil and give it some time. I
had one get stuck and after a while it loosened up and started working
again. What does your oil look like after 20 hours or so? Is it still
translucent or black and yucky?
"z" <z...@yada.yada.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9A3DB7D73DF...@216.196.97.131...
Pete C.
That's true on commercial / industrial grade stuff, but for portable
generators, it's always just been a switch to ground out the ignition
circuit.
z
news:13qp28n...@corp.supernews.com:
> Simply disconnecting the yellow wire ought to do it. Before taking
> the engine apart again I suggest you change the oil and give it some
> time. I had one get stuck and after a while it loosened up and
> started working again. What does your oil look like after 20 hours or
> so? Is it still translucent or black and yucky?
>
Dono. This generator has been broken for quite a while. Just getting it
back into shape.
Yeah .. I got stupid and put all the plastic back on and was hoping there
was something up in front you could disconnect real easy.
To get to those wires you have to tear it down again, take off the carb
and so on.
I'll get to it today.. was just hoping someone would have a neat trick
that didn't take a total tear down :)
cheers
-z
z
news:47ABD311...@snet.net:
COol. Yeah I figured that much out.. was hoping someone had a neat trick
or a wire up front you could clip that didn't require taking the damn
thing apart again :).
I just put all the plastic back on and like an idiot never tested it :)
To even get to that wire you have to take it all the way down, pull the
carb and so on. Now that i've done that i'll run the diagnostics and see
if its the switch or a wiring problem. I do have another switch so maybe
i'll bite the bullet and just fix it right
cheers
-z
Pete C.
Dig out your pin extractor and remove the pin with the yellow wire from
the 6 pole connector which should be accessible.
scott
>
> Yeah .. I got stupid and put all the plastic back on and was hoping
> there was something up in front you could disconnect real easy.
>
> To get to those wires you have to tear it down again, take off the
> carb and so on.
>
> I'll get to it today.. was just hoping someone would have a neat trick
> that didn't take a total tear down :)
>
> cheers
>
> -z
>
it down-
all the honda small egine oil switches I have worked on have a float, a
magnet and a reed switch to make up the assembly. When the engine sheds a
lot of iron particles due to wear and if the oil is not changed frequently
enough, or if the oil is changed in an improper manner (oil should ALWAYS
be changed hot), iron particles build up and block the movement of the
moving float. Sometimes a switch can be repaired by a thorough cleaning of
the offending buildup, saving the cost of a switch. Be sure to test the
switch by immersing in oil and cycle a few times so you can trust it, this
switch may not save the engine if it does not work right. Some Honda
manuals tell you to do a spark test every time you change the oil, when the
oil has been drained, the ignition should not spark. Good idea, and I do
it at the shop I work at.
Scott
Ulysses
> "Ulysses" <eatm...@spamola.com/> wrote in
> news:13qp28n...@corp.supernews.com:
>
> > Simply disconnecting the yellow wire ought to do it. Before taking
> > the engine apart again I suggest you change the oil and give it some
> > time. I had one get stuck and after a while it loosened up and
> > started working again. What does your oil look like after 20 hours or
> > so? Is it still translucent or black and yucky?
> >
>
> Dono. This generator has been broken for quite a while. Just getting it
> back into shape.
>
> Yeah .. I got stupid and put all the plastic back on and was hoping there
> was something up in front you could disconnect real easy.
I have one that's intact. I'll take a look and see. I don't remember
having to take it all apart just to get at that one yellow wire but maybe
you do...
I hope you also replaced the oil splash (so-called governor gear) while you
had it apart because that is what kills those engines. When it breaks the
piston/cylinder does not have long to live.
z
news:13qsbgc...@corp.supernews.com:
>
> "z" <z...@yada.yada.com> wrote in message
> news:Xns9A3E7675144...@216.196.97.131...
>> "Ulysses" <eatm...@spamola.com/> wrote in
>> news:13qp28n...@corp.supernews.com:
>>
>> > Simply disconnecting the yellow wire ought to do it. Before taking
>> > the engine apart again I suggest you change the oil and give it
>> > some time. I had one get stuck and after a while it loosened up
>> > and started working again. What does your oil look like after 20
>> > hours or so? Is it still translucent or black and yucky?
>> >
>>
>> Dono. This generator has been broken for quite a while. Just
>> getting it back into shape.
>>
>> Yeah .. I got stupid and put all the plastic back on and was hoping
>> there was something up in front you could disconnect real easy.
>
> I have one that's intact. I'll take a look and see. I don't remember
> having to take it all apart just to get at that one yellow wire but
> maybe you do...
>
> I hope you also replaced the oil splash (so-called governor gear)
> while you had it apart because that is what kills those engines. When
> it breaks the piston/cylinder does not have long to live.
>
>
Yes that turns out to be what was wrong with this one.. it was tiny
chunks of plastic in there.. and it tore up the timing belt at the same
time.
Dono if it will ever run again. I kind of set it aside for a bit since
this is hydro-electric weekend!
Ulysses
Good, but on both of mine once that oil splasher broke the cylinder was
ruined and a new cylinder is well over $300. Good luck. For my current
purposes a $200 Chinese 2000 watt generator is better anyway. If you happen
to find out if those cylinders can somehow be rebored AND you find an
oversize piston and rings that will fit please let me know.
I looked and like you said it appears you have to at least take the shroud
off of the cooling fan and flywheel/rotor to get to that yellow wire :-(
One more thought: I somehow mixed up the low-oil wire and spark sensor wires
and got a Low Oil warning. You might want to double-check that when you
have it apart. The connectors (single wire type) are the same.
> Dono if it will ever run again. I kind of set it aside for a bit since
> this is hydro-electric weekend!
Cool. I'm going to go read your new post now. I'm still trying to find a
big steel drum so I can try to run my genny from wood chips.
z
news:13r0snf...@corp.supernews.com:
Yeah which after I did that it still wouldn't start. I ended up tearing
it all the way down and replacing the oil switch with a used one I had --
but tested it first for sure and it worked.
I got it running again after that -- so thats nice it wasn't ruined by
the splasher failure.
>
> One more thought: I somehow mixed up the low-oil wire and spark sensor
> wires and got a Low Oil warning. You might want to double-check that
> when you have it apart. The connectors (single wire type) are the
> same.
I see how that could happen. I hadn't taken any of the wires off. I try
to avoid that because I know i suck at wiring.
>
>> Dono if it will ever run again. I kind of set it aside for a bit
>> since this is hydro-electric weekend!
>
> Cool. I'm going to go read your new post now. I'm still trying to
> find a big steel drum so I can try to run my genny from wood chips.
That I want to see.
Too bad scrap prices are so high, a lot of steel is getting sold. What
about something from a brewery or milk parlor?
Or one of those big propane tanks?
Ulysses
> "Ulysses" <eatm...@spamola.com/> wrote in
> news:13r0snf...@corp.supernews.com:
>
> >
> > "z" <z...@yada.yada.com> wrote in message
> > news:Xns9A3FB725E47...@216.196.97.131...
> >> "Ulysses" <eatm...@spamola.com/> wrote in
> >> news:13qsbgc...@corp.supernews.com:
> >>
> >> >
> >> > "z" <z...@yada.yada.com> wrote in message
> >> > news:Xns9A3E7675144...@216.196.97.131...
> >> >> "Ulysses" <eatm...@spamola.com/> wrote in
> >> >> news:13qp28n...@corp.supernews.com:
> > find a big steel drum so I can try to run my genny from wood chips.
>
> That I want to see.
>
> Too bad scrap prices are so high, a lot of steel is getting sold. What
> about something from a brewery or milk parlor?
>
> Or one of those big propane tanks?
>
>
I think I need something with a removable top that can be replaced an will
seal well, that is if I understand all of the instructions for wood
gasifiers. I can't even find a steel 5 gallon paint can anywhere (probably
too small anyway). I thought about using a propane tank but it would be a
lot more work. I've asked all over town for steel drums and someone
directed me to the auto salvage place. When I asked one guy he acted like
'why the hell would they have one of those' and then the other guy said "we
just sold the last one." I guess I'm getting closer. Hmmm, I didn't try
the paint store yet...
>
z
news:13rbf4d...@corp.supernews.com:
Dono where you live, but you can buy burn barrels around here for about
20 bucks. Just old steel drums -- or we'd get them from a boat maker who
bought 55 gal drums of fiber glass resin. Ask around any industrial
place or even a garage that gets oil or grease in 55 gal drums maybe.
Ulysses
Thanks for the tips. I can't find any scrap metal places and such around
here. The nearest town is basically a giant mobile home park and the
tallest building is two stories.
~~NoMad~~
"Ulysses" <eatm...@spamola.com/> wrote in message
news:13r0snf...@corp.supernews.com...
>
> Good, but on both of mine once that oil splasher broke the cylinder was
> ruined and a new cylinder is well over $300. Good luck. For my current
> purposes a $200 Chinese 2000 watt generator is better anyway. If you
> happen
> to find out if those cylinders can somehow be rebored AND you find an
> oversize piston and rings that will fit please let me know.
>
Look for a shop that re-bores motorcycles and small engines. Weisco makes
many generic pistons and the shop should be able to fit one to the genny.
NM
Ulysses
"~~NoMad~~" <nomad...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:frufgh$2k5$1...@registered.motzarella.org...
Aha! A motorcycle shop! Why didn't I thinkof that?
Yea, I need somone with enough experience to "find" the right size piston.
I may not cannibalize eu2000 #2 after all.
>
Neon John
>Aha! A motorcycle shop! Why didn't I thinkof that?
>
>Yea, I need somone with enough experience to "find" the right size piston.
>I may not cannibalize eu2000 #2 after all.
I think that a bike shop will be a waste of time. Piston design is too complicated
to have very much chance of finding one off the shelf that will work satisfactorily.
I echo the advice to consult Wiesco. They specialize in custom motorcycle and other
small engine pistons. The cost will be a bit more (or maybe not) but you'll get
exactly what you need.
The factors involved in specifying a piston, among others.
Pin height (distance between crown and pin centerline)
Pin diameter
Ring height
Ring width (both parameters very important to prevent ring flutter/breakage at the
desired operating speed)
Ring type
Nominal diameter
Taper (a piston tapers from top to bottom
Barrelness (a piston is barrel-shaped, narrower over the pins than at the skirts.
Alloy - expansion rate
Crown shape (can majorly affect economy)
Taper and barrel are dependent on operating temperature, piston alloy, cast-in
expansion bands or not and velocity, among other things. The desired end result is a
cylinder of proper clearance at operating temperature. The parameters are different
for otherwise identical engines. Watercooled vs air cooled or fan cooled vs free air
cooled, as examples. These parameters are also dependent on whether the cylinder is
sleeved or chrome on aluminum or some other construct.
Wiesco has decades of experience in making pistons AND they have a huge database of
engines. They'll be able to nail what you need dead-on. They may ask you to ship
them your old piston to take measurements from.
The biggest problem I'm anticipating is finding someone who can bore the cylinder to
the required precision. The problem is the integral cylinder head. Precision boring
machines are designed to bore cylinders and not cups. They need clearance at the far
end for the mandrel to clear. As does the hone necessary to put the proper finish on
the cylinder for proper ring seating.
I suggest that you first try to find someone who can bore the cylinder before
spending time and effort on locating a piston. A machine shop with a very high
quality CNC lathe can probably do the basic boring but the surface finish is a
separate task.
John
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
Daddy, why doesn't this magnet pick up this floppy?
Ulysses
"Neon John" <n...@never.com> wrote in message
news:76kqu3h0rpc0kusj7...@4ax.com...
There goes that Infinately Indexed Memory Bank brain of yours again! ;-)
Yes, that was my first question (way back when). I'm not even sure if the
cylinder CAN be rebored. So far I can't seem to find anyone in the nearest
town who can even turn brake drums. So far none of my attempts at finding a
good use for the eu2000 elements have been an overwhelming success. It
worked pretty well belt-driven with no eco-throttle but then it was having
some problems when I attached the servo carburator. Part of the problem may
have been the carburator but something else came up and it was taken apart.
The PMA almost works when rewired from Star to Delta as a source for my
OutBack MX60 charge controller but the voltage is a little to high so the
engine speed has to be turned down and then it loses current output. Now
I'm studying about high current voltage regulators. With a 4 HP engine it
would bog down too much so now I'm about to try it on a 10 HP engine. As a
wind generator it almost worked--it would light up a 12 volt tail light bulb
to about half brightness in 20 MPH wind. The only thing preventing me from
experimenting more with the wind generator is that it will have to be
visible from the road and I sure as hell don't want Code Enforcement back
here again.
A little OT but it has been established that we both make coffee ice cream.
My coffee ice cream is the best ice cream I've ever had but, since you seem
to know so much more about virtually everything than I do I suspect your
coffee ice cream is better than mine. Care to tell me how you make it?
Neon John
>There goes that Infinately Indexed Memory Bank brain of yours again! ;-)
<grinz> My first profession, and the one where my heart still lies, was as a
motorcycle race mechanic. Our shop started the careers of Ike Smith and Dale
Singleton, among others. Dale went on to win several championships before getting
killed in an airplane crash. One of the biggest mistakes of my life was turning down
an offer to join Suzuki on their formula team. Anyway...
>
>Yes, that was my first question (way back when). I'm not even sure if the
>cylinder CAN be rebored. So far I can't seem to find anyone in the nearest
>town who can even turn brake drums. So far none of my attempts at finding a
>good use for the eu2000 elements have been an overwhelming success. It
>worked pretty well belt-driven with no eco-throttle but then it was having
>some problems when I attached the servo carburator. Part of the problem may
>have been the carburator but something else came up and it was taken apart.
What was the problem with the eco-throttle? Probably something that could be worked
out.
>The PMA almost works when rewired from Star to Delta as a source for my
>OutBack MX60 charge controller but the voltage is a little to high so the
>engine speed has to be turned down and then it loses current output. Now
>I'm studying about high current voltage regulators. With a 4 HP engine it
>would bog down too much so now I'm about to try it on a 10 HP engine.
Instead of all that, why don't you rewind the stator to the voltage you want? In
this case it will be trivially easy since all you need to do is remove some turns
from each pole. I'd approach it as a cut'n'try operation. Concentrate on only one
pole. Remove some turns and see what voltage you get. Based on that calculate how
many turns to remove from each pole.
This will proportionally reduce the total power available but that doesn't seem to be
an issue in your case. If it is, simply count the turns as you remove them all and
rewind with larger wire. There are filling tables on the net that will show you what
gauge to use to completely fill the stator spaces.
The best engine efficiency generally occurs at the torque peak so that's where you'd
want to run the engine to use the least fuel. An industrial engine has a broad flat
torque peak so you have some speed latitude to play with.
>As a
>wind generator it almost worked--it would light up a 12 volt tail light bulb
>to about half brightness in 20 MPH wind. The only thing preventing me from
>experimenting more with the wind generator is that it will have to be
>visible from the road and I sure as hell don't want Code Enforcement back
>here again.
You have to deal with code nazis? Arrrrghhhhh!!!! Of course, what you could do is
put up an amateur radio tower and just happen to hang a wind turbine off the side.
Ham towers are more or less FCC protected against code nazis so that's the way you
could get something in the air.
>
>A little OT but it has been established that we both make coffee ice cream.
>My coffee ice cream is the best ice cream I've ever had but, since you seem
>to know so much more about virtually everything than I do I suspect your
>coffee ice cream is better than mine. Care to tell me how you make it?
I started out making coffee in a French press using boiling milk instead of water.
Superb taste but a lot of work. I experimented around and discovered that I could
heat the milk for the recipe, add instant coffee (I use Folgers but I don't think it
matters that much) and make the ice cream from that.
I have one of those Cuisanart refrigerated table-top ice cream freezers that makes
about a half gallon. My recipe is this:
1 cup half and half or heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup Splenda (I'm diabetic) or sugar
1 TBL instant coffee
1 ea large or jumbo egg
1 TBL vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
If you want to increase the butter fat (improves mouth feel), you can add a little
butter, maybe a tsp. Heavy whipping cream usually has enough butter fat but half and
half usually doesn't.
Mix the milk and half and half and heat to about 180 deg., just below the skinning
point. If you're phobic about raw eggs, mix it in while beating strongly to prevent
clumping. I'm not, so I put the egg in after the mix cools. Add the instant coffee
and cool. I sit the pan in the sink and run cold water around it. Add the egg and
the other ingredients.
This is the most important part for creamy smooth ice cream. Whip strongly (I use a
Baymix stick mixer but a hand mixer or milkshake mixer works equally well) until
there is 10-15% overrun. That is, the volume of the mix increases by that much.
"Overrun" is the industry term for incorporating air into the mix. It makes the ice
cream creamy both by making it lighter and by making it harder for large ice crystals
to form around the little bubbles.
The colder the mix while whipping, the better. I put the mix in the ice cream
freezer and turn on the compressor. When the slightest crust of ice starts forming
around the outside, I turn the compressor off and whip. Then the agitator goes in
and the compressor is turned back on.
The mixing must be extremely vigorous. If it isn't, the effect will be to churn the
cream and large hunks of butter will result. If I didn't have the Bamix, I'd use my
old Hamilton Beach milkshake mixer.
I've tried my best but I can't taste any difference between brewing coffee using milk
and using instant coffee. If you try the French press route, either don't heat the
milk to the point where it skins or else completely remove the skin. If you don't,
the skin will glue coffee grounds to the press's screen and it won't work. learned
that one the hard way.
I used to offer free dessert nights in my restaurant. Coffee ice cream was by far
the favorite. I used to make that stuff in 5 gallon batches. Using instant coffee
removed a LOT of work from the effort.
John
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources -Albert Einstein
Ulysses
> On Sat, 29 Mar 2008 07:28:14 -0800, "Ulysses" <eatm...@spamola.com/>
wrote:
>
>
> >There goes that Infinately Indexed Memory Bank brain of yours again! ;-)
>
> <grinz> My first profession, and the one where my heart still lies, was
as a
> motorcycle race mechanic. Our shop started the careers of Ike Smith and
Dale
> Singleton, among others. Dale went on to win several championships before
getting
> killed in an airplane crash. One of the biggest mistakes of my life was
turning down
> an offer to join Suzuki on their formula team. Anyway...
>
The full extent of my experience as a motorcycle mechanic was to replace a
piston and a valve on my $50 Honda 90 (it had been ran over by a truck so my
dad got it and I made a dirt bike out of it). Maybe it didn't as much
torque as the 2-strokers but I was *riding* my Honda while everyone else was
futzing with their bikes :-D
One of the biggest mistakes I *didn't* make was continuing with my dirt-bike
riding because I was doing that Evil Knievel stuff and I'd probably would
have been dead a long time ago.
> >
> >Yes, that was my first question (way back when). I'm not even sure if
the
> >cylinder CAN be rebored. So far I can't seem to find anyone in the
nearest
> >town who can even turn brake drums. So far none of my attempts at
finding a
> >good use for the eu2000 elements have been an overwhelming success. It
> >worked pretty well belt-driven with no eco-throttle but then it was
having
> >some problems when I attached the servo carburator. Part of the problem
may
> >have been the carburator but something else came up and it was taken
apart.
>
> What was the problem with the eco-throttle? Probably something that could
be worked
> out.
I'm not quite sure. I suspect that the inverter unit, which also acts as
the spark activator, is reducing the timing when the engine is running
slower. There is a "bump" on the flywheel/alternator rotor that passes a
sensor that tells the inverter unit when to spark (at least that's what it
appears to be). The igniton module is simply mounted in a convenient place
on the generator. It looks like it would be possible to use the sensor and
original ignition module on another engine but it was gonna take some doing
and probably something else came up and I took it all apart and made
something else out of it that suited my needs for that particular day. It
could also be that, after about 12,000 hours on the eco-throttle carb, it
simply needed to be rebuilt. The symptoms where that it would not hold a
steady throttle postition at low engine speed--the little servo gizmo kept
moving and it did not seem possible to adjust it. Also the air mixture
screw seemed to have no effect.
>
> >The PMA almost works when rewired from Star to Delta as a source for my
> >OutBack MX60 charge controller but the voltage is a little to high so the
> >engine speed has to be turned down and then it loses current output. Now
> >I'm studying about high current voltage regulators. With a 4 HP engine
it
> >would bog down too much so now I'm about to try it on a 10 HP engine.
>
> Instead of all that, why don't you rewind the stator to the voltage you
want? In
> this case it will be trivially easy since all you need to do is remove
some turns
> from each pole. I'd approach it as a cut'n'try operation. Concentrate on
only one
> pole. Remove some turns and see what voltage you get. Based on that
calculate how
> many turns to remove from each pole.
I'm getting to the point now that I think I could tackle that. The 10 HP
engine method did what I hoped but it's a crappy old Tecumseh engine that
runs like crap at low RPM BUT it was charging my batteries via my OutBack
charge controller at a little over 1000 watts with the engine running as
slow as I could get it to go. Maybe not a very sophisticated way of doing
it but within my limited abilites. A smaller pulley on the engine would
help too. Also, as a safety feature, the charge controller can activate a
relay or whatever to divert the input if it should exceed the maximum
allowed voltage.
>
> This will proportionally reduce the total power available but that doesn't
seem to be
> an issue in your case. If it is, simply count the turns as you remove
them all and
> rewind with larger wire. There are filling tables on the net that will
show you what
> gauge to use to completely fill the stator spaces.
My reducing the voltage I'm thinking I might actually get more power because
I would be able to run the engine at a more efficient speed (like what you
just said).
>
> The best engine efficiency generally occurs at the torque peak so that's
where you'd
> want to run the engine to use the least fuel. An industrial engine has a
broad flat
> torque peak so you have some speed latitude to play with.
From what I remember (whatever that is worth) small gasoline engines are
most efficient at around 3/4 of their rated speed. I'm trying to find the
"sweet spot" on my 4 HP charger and it's running a little faster than I
would like but still a big improvement over how I was charging my batteries.
My particular GC135 has some problems and I have to add oil after every few
hours of use and the carburator is a bit touchy and the floats seem to get
stuck and the cylinder fills up with gasoline when the engine is off so I
have use a fuel shut-off valve and pull the rope after it stops in an
attempt to close the valves. I just took apart the carburator (again) and I
think I may have actually solved the problem this time.
>
> >As a
> >wind generator it almost worked--it would light up a 12 volt tail light
bulb
> >to about half brightness in 20 MPH wind. The only thing preventing me
from
> >experimenting more with the wind generator is that it will have to be
> >visible from the road and I sure as hell don't want Code Enforcement back
> >here again.
>
> You have to deal with code nazis? Arrrrghhhhh!!!! Of course, what you
could do is
> put up an amateur radio tower and just happen to hang a wind turbine off
the side.
> Ham towers are more or less FCC protected against code nazis so that's the
way you
> could get something in the air.
>
My first try with the eu2000 alternator was simply attaching a 30" fan blade
from a whole-house fan. I got up to 30 volts but no amperage that I could
measure. So then I made a seven foot diameter blade. I got less voltage
but I expected to get more overall power. OK, so it wasn't the greatest set
of blades but I think I made them well enough to to at least get an idea if
it would be worth the trouble to made some really fine blades. Right now I
have one of those "Farm Windill" lawn decorations highly viisble from the
road and nobody called CE on that yet (some of the busy-bodies around here
need more to do). Now I'm thinking that if I can find a decent spot on my
West slope I could at least get a little power from the afternoon onshore
flow and storms etc and if I make it look like a lawn decoration and paint
it Camo I might get away with it. I could maybe run some stuff in my garage
using a 12 volt bank and inverter. I have a pretty good spot on top of my
hill where probably only one neighbor would see it (and he probably wouldn't
care anyway) but I would have to run about 500 feet of wire so it probably
would not be worth the effort if I can only get 50 or 60 watts from the
thing. One thing is certain: I will eventually get some kind of wind
generator producing something because I can't seem to stop myself.
Other than the egg (yes, I'm phobic--had to get pumped full of Benedryl or
something once) my ingredients are essentially the same. The big difference
is that I have not been whipping the cream. Gotta try that! I toyed with
the idea of making fresh coffee with milk but, like you said, the instant
coffee tastes great so I just stuck with it. Instant coffee makes
damned-good frosting for cakes too. Thanks.
I looked at the ice cream maker like the one you are using but since I'm
off-grid I stayed with making ice cubes and using my regular ice cream
freezer. It only uses something like 30 watts.
>
> I used to offer free dessert nights in my restaurant. Coffee ice cream
was by far
> the favorite. I used to make that stuff in 5 gallon batches. Using
instant coffee
> removed a LOT of work from the effort.
>
Free Dessert! Give 'em something for free and they feel obligated to buy
something ;-)
z
news:13qsbgc...@corp.supernews.com:
>
> "z" <z...@yada.yada.com> wrote in message
> news:Xns9A3E7675144...@216.196.97.131...
>> "Ulysses" <eatm...@spamola.com/> wrote in
>> news:13qp28n...@corp.supernews.com:
>>
>> > Simply disconnecting the yellow wire ought to do it. Before taking
>> > the engine apart again I suggest you change the oil and give it
>> > some time. I had one get stuck and after a while it loosened up
>> > and started working again. What does your oil look like after 20
>> > hours or so? Is it still translucent or black and yucky?
>> >
>>
>> Dono. This generator has been broken for quite a while. Just
>> getting it back into shape.
>>
>> Yeah .. I got stupid and put all the plastic back on and was hoping
>> there was something up in front you could disconnect real easy.
>
> I have one that's intact. I'll take a look and see. I don't remember
> having to take it all apart just to get at that one yellow wire but
> maybe you do...
>
> I hope you also replaced the oil splash (so-called governor gear)
> while you had it apart because that is what kills those engines. When
> it breaks the piston/cylinder does not have long to live.
Say do you have the part number for that oil splasher? I got another
dead one in and can't for the life of me find that number.
cheers
-z
Ulysses
Sorry, but I can't seem to find my receipt--I found the old part but I
don't see any number on it. If I come across it soon I'll let you know. I
think you might be able to look it up at Honda Penninsula but verify the
number before ordering!
z
news:R07Jj.9456$Wj1....@fe111.usenetserver.com:
I think I tracked it down:
Holder (governer) 16512ZL8000 $1.86
from good old Peninsula Honda .. I called my semi-local dealer (about 50
miles away) and they wanted $3 and didn't want to ship it.
Man had I known they were that cheap i'd have swapped them every time.
THink i'll get 4-5 of them to have spares.
Boy Honda sure is stingy with the parts lists. It'd be so easy to PDF
all that stuff and have it for download but they want you to shell out 8
bucks just to find out what the dang part numbers are.
thanks again Ulysses
-zachary
Vaughn Simon
> I think I tracked it down:
>
> Holder (governer) 16512ZL8000 $1.86
>
> from good old Peninsula Honda .. I called my semi-local dealer (about 50
> miles away) and they wanted $3 and didn't want to ship it.
>
> Man had I known they were that cheap i'd have swapped them every time.
> THink i'll get 4-5 of them to have spares.
>
done?
Vaughn
z
news:sASJj.72846$D_3....@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
I dono Ulysses always swaps them when he changes out the timing belt
(14400-Z0D-003). I've never done that but I had one shatter .. this is
also the 'oil splasher' or Governer that we were talking about.
So now one of my generators keeps eating up the belt, so when I change
the belt AGAIN i'm going to change the governer/oil splasher as well
because I think its worn and might be contributing to the belts breaking.
Since they are less than two bucks i'm going to do like Ul suggested and
swap those each time I do a belt.
I ordered the damn parts lists so when it gets in I'll PDF it and the
repair manual too when I get around to it and post the damn things
-z
Vaughn Simon
>
> I ordered the damn parts lists so when it gets in I'll PDF it and the
> repair manual too when I get around to it and post the damn things
>
their owner's manuals freely available in pdf, so it is odd that they don't go
further and offer parts breakdowns. After owning my EU for three or four years,
it probably has less than 40 hours on the clock, but they are expensive buggers
and I only want to buy it ONCE!
Vaughn
z
Heh if you only use it 40 hours every 4 years it should last well beyond
your lifetime :)
These belt problems and such only came up after running them for around
40 hours a week for 3 years.
Ulysses
STOP! WAIT! That *can't* be the governor gear for that price. It must
be the shaft that it rides one. If you order the wrong part from Peninsula
you will have to pay a re-stocking fee and return shipping.
Besides that it occured to me this morning that I have a governor gear that
is almost new that I'm never going to use. I also have a nearly new belt
and cam gear. I tried to repair eu2000 #1 but since the cylinder was so
worn it didn't do any good and these parts have only a few hours on them.
They can be had for a song (or the cost of shipping and they don't weigh
much). Maybe you have something to swap?
Ulysses' eu2000 Maintenance Schedule: Change the governor gear every 5,000
hours. Check the belt for cracks at this time and replace if necessary.
Check the cam on the cam gear for wear and replace if it shows more than
about 1/16" of wear.
This is based upon my personal experience. The governor gear (which is NOT
a governor, just an oil splasher) on my first eu2000 lasted about 12,000
hours. The second eu2000 lost it's gear at about 7200 hours. So I figure
5000 hours should provide a safety margin.
I also put a couple of drops of oil on the two "handle" screws at the top of
the plastic case and also on the two long bolts that hold the bottom
together. I had to use a screw extractor on one of the handle screws and
rebuild the nut-holding section on the bottom because Honda figured out how
to make screws get tighter due to vibration.
Vaughn Simon
>
> Heh if you only use it 40 hours every 4 years it should last well beyond
> your lifetime :)
>
> These belt problems and such only came up after running them for around
> 40 hours a week for 3 years.
Hey, I really hope you are right about that, but one good hurricane can
change those numbers in a hurry. Also, (and more worrying) some plastics do
not need use to degrade.
Vaughn
Ulysses
"Vaughn Simon" <vaughnsimo...@att.FAKE.net> wrote in message
news:sASJj.72846$D_3....@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
In order to replace the so-called governor gear you have to remove all of
the red plastic (not so hard after you do it a few times), remove the
carburator/air cleaner assembly, remove the black plastic from around the
engine, probably remove the exhaust manifold (don't remember offhand), and
remove the engine mount at the bottom. Then you have to split the engine
case. The gear is attached to the engine case so all you need to do is
drive out the holder shaft with a drift or whatever, put on the new gear,
and drive it back in. Use high-temp black silicone (no gasket) and torque
to specs (I couldn't find the exact specs to I did it according to the specs
for a siimilar engine but I don't remember offhand what that was). I like
to torque to about 3/4 the specs, let the silicone set for several hours,
then torque it the rest of the way. While looking through the oil
fill/drain hole pull the rope gently a few times to make sure the gear is
properly aligned with the crankshaft.
My experience is that when the gear breaks the cylinder is destroyed very
shortly after. If your engine is buring oil it might be too late. But, if
the gear is replaced before it breaks I can imagine that as many as 20,000
hours might be possible on an eu2000 if it is generally run in Eco Throttle
mode.
Basically you have to take the whole bloody thing apart so it's a pretty big
job but in my opinion it should be worth the effort. If Honda would make a
governor gear from forged steel it might last forever. Having taken apart
the eu2000 engine and a Honda GX engine it looks like the GX should last
forever and the eu2000 should not last anywhere near as long as they do.
Honda told me the eu2000 uses a GX100 engine but from everything I've seen
it sure looks like a GC engine. The bigger GX engines are OHV types with
pushrods. The GC engines are OHC with timing belts and plastic cam gears.
It's possible to see the plastic governor gear on the eu2000 by looking
through the oil fill/drain hole with a small flashlight. If it does not
look straight then it might be broken. On my second eu2000 the fins from
the gear had broken off and rode up the timing belt and landed up where you
adjust the valves.
Does anyone know Honda's recommended schedule for changing the timing belt?
I suppose that would be the time to change the gear too.
z
news:v08Kj.1666$GF2...@fe087.usenetserver.com:
Heh.. this is why I hate my local honda shop. Thats the part number they
told me.
It could be this:
tem# HON-16510-ZA8-000
Honda Engine Part 16510-ZA8-000 / 16510ZA8000
HOLDER, GOVERNOR
which is 15 bucks.. which now that you meantion it is probably the part I
need.
In any case, i've orderd the damn part number list along with this stuff
so finally we'll know for sure when it comes in.
>
GregP
> "Ulysses" <eatmys...@spamola.com/> wrote innews:R07Jj.9456$Wj1....@fe111.usenetserver.com:> >> "Ulysses" <eatmys...@spamola.com/> wrote in
> >>news:13qsbgc...@corp.supernews.com:
>
> >> > "z" <z...@yada.yada.com> wrote in message
> >> >news:Xns9A3E7675144...@216.196.97.131...
> >> >>news:13qp28n...@corp.supernews.com:
>
> >> >> > Simply disconnecting the yellow wire ought to do it. Before
> >> >> > taking the engine apart again I suggest you change the oil and
> >> >> > give it some time. I had one get stuck and after a while it
> >> >> > loosened up and started working again. What does your oil look
> >> >> > like after 20 hours or so? Is it still translucent or black and
> >> >> > yucky?
>
> >> >> Dono. This generator has been broken for quite a while. Just
> >> >> getting it back into shape.
>
Sorry, but I wouldn't disconnect the sensor. It's cheap insurance
against catastrophic engine failure due to oil starvation. I can't
believe its too much work to change the sensor. it seems a fair
tradeoff between time and risk to me.
z
news:2681f0bc-a868-4700...@q1g2000prf.googlegroups.com:
> On Apr 5, 3:42 pm, z <z...@yada.yada.com> wrote:
>> "Ulysses" <eatmys...@spamola.com/> wrote
>> innews:R07Jj.9456$Wj1.2447@fe111.
yeah I ended up replacing the sensor from another dead gen.
It IS a big pain in the ass to change though and I'd just put the
generator back together and just wanted to test the timing and such.
To change the sensor you have to pull all the plastic off, drain the oil,
take the exaust off, take the carb off, then remove the inner plastic
shroud (PITA) and then pull the whole crank case cover (which I'd JUST
done to change the timing belt). The sensor is seated in the bottom of
that cover so its quite a big job.
So i was just after a quick fix. I agree its not a long term good idea
:)
Now I know to pull that sensor on a suspect gen and plop it in a bucket
of oil with a tester on it.. no more putting together a gen with a bad
sensor!!
cheers
-z
Ulysses
"GregP" <Greg...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:2681f0bc-a868-4700...@q1g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
On Apr 5, 3:42 pm, z <z...@yada.yada.com> wrote:
> "Ulysses" <eatmys...@spamola.com/> wrote
innews:R07Jj.9456$Wj1....@fe111.usenetserver.com:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Sorry, but I wouldn't disconnect the sensor. It's cheap insurance
against catastrophic engine failure due to oil starvation. I can't
believe its too much work to change the sensor. it seems a fair
tradeoff between time and risk to me.
I agree. My understanding was that "z" was just trying to get the engine to
run and this was a temporary measure. Occasionally a low-oil switch can get
stuck in the down postion (he just had the engine apart) and loosen up after
a while. On this particular generator it is a pretty big job to replace the
switch and it sounds like he's going to be taking the engine apart pretty
soon anyway...