Must be nice :laugh:
Finally working on your own
Finally working on your own
new job
- Thread starter blueturbofly
- Start date
blueturbofly
Well-known member
new guy seems pretty good, jumped right in and did a carb job on a snowblower, i didnt have to hold his hand.
he finished some leftover work from the previous guy, actually diagnosed the real problem with a drill, not just the other guys '' its the trigger'' or ''it got wet'' bs line.....gearbox was locked up, not a bad trigger...customer was mad....$71 for a trigger, $180 for a gearbox.....so it got salvaged....
he also fixed two framing nailers, he just took his time and installed new parts, made sure the seals were in the right spots....and they worked! the other guy couldnt do that.
he actually knows how to use a multi-meter. he is not scared to bypass switches and what not to diagnose things properly. alot more efficient. no more bashing stuff with a hammer. :-o
lots of snowblowers and leafblowers- the snowbirds cant go south, so now they are getting their stuff serviced....that has been sitting for years.....wow some dirty carbs.... :grimacing:
one came in yesterday with the fuel tank rotted off in pieces....
he finished some leftover work from the previous guy, actually diagnosed the real problem with a drill, not just the other guys '' its the trigger'' or ''it got wet'' bs line.....gearbox was locked up, not a bad trigger...customer was mad....$71 for a trigger, $180 for a gearbox.....so it got salvaged....
he also fixed two framing nailers, he just took his time and installed new parts, made sure the seals were in the right spots....and they worked! the other guy couldnt do that.
he actually knows how to use a multi-meter. he is not scared to bypass switches and what not to diagnose things properly. alot more efficient. no more bashing stuff with a hammer. :-o
lots of snowblowers and leafblowers- the snowbirds cant go south, so now they are getting their stuff serviced....that has been sitting for years.....wow some dirty carbs.... :grimacing:
one came in yesterday with the fuel tank rotted off in pieces....
blueturbofly
Well-known member
old guy diving a $100,000 + truck drops off a simple push mower, '' engine smokes, diagnose and call for estimate''
oil is low and jet black. pull the cord a few times, didnt sound right. flipped it on its side and verified a bent crank-shaft.
owner was upset we couldnt fix it, then wanted my boss to buy it....um its scrap buddy....the owner left it behind for scrap, cuz the boss told him he owes $35 for looking at it......
another ass-hat with a generator and portable gas air compressor.....dropped of at 4 pm monday....parts guy called him tuesday morning to tell him the battery was n/g, so the guy came by at 8:30 with a battery and complaining that his items were not done yet.....um....your genrator had wiring / switch issues as well as dirty carb and stale fuel and low engine oil
and your gas air compressor had alot of issues as well. wanted a full service, had to remove air fittings to remove/clean carb , bent exhaust parts, bad recoil, blah blah blah.....
some people have NO CLUE what it takes to fix their stuff/ junk
and 6 snowblowers arrived yesterday, as well as 2 more generators.... ;-) fun fun
oil is low and jet black. pull the cord a few times, didnt sound right. flipped it on its side and verified a bent crank-shaft.
owner was upset we couldnt fix it, then wanted my boss to buy it....um its scrap buddy....the owner left it behind for scrap, cuz the boss told him he owes $35 for looking at it......
another ass-hat with a generator and portable gas air compressor.....dropped of at 4 pm monday....parts guy called him tuesday morning to tell him the battery was n/g, so the guy came by at 8:30 with a battery and complaining that his items were not done yet.....um....your genrator had wiring / switch issues as well as dirty carb and stale fuel and low engine oil
and your gas air compressor had alot of issues as well. wanted a full service, had to remove air fittings to remove/clean carb , bent exhaust parts, bad recoil, blah blah blah.....
some people have NO CLUE what it takes to fix their stuff/ junk
and 6 snowblowers arrived yesterday, as well as 2 more generators.... ;-) fun fun
Looks that you have enough to do :laugh:
blueturbofly
Well-known member
i cranked out 5 snowblowers and a gen-set yesterday.....not bad at all. well, actually 4 snowblowers....one is waiting for a choke cable, an old honda snowblower that is in MINT shape- did the tune-up, runs good, but waiting on parts now.
the new co-worker actually knows his stuff, has repaired stuff the last guy said was no good or needed a part when that part was actually good....as in a rigid drill...other guy said motor.....so new guy replaces motor in drill....still doesnt work....he tries to hot-wire motor while attached to switch, smokes the test leads. i mention that maybe the switch is shorting out, he dis-connects one terminal, hot-wires motor and it works.
then he back-probes the switch with a dvom, and finds a direct short in the switch. ;-) nice. parts guy orders switch...
and i fought with a ''poulan'' chainsaw....''not running, needs tune-up''
when i read that its usually a death sentence for said 2-stroke, esp chainsaws....remove muffler, scoring on piston and cylinder.....it did idle for a few seconds....dump out unknown fuel, replace cracked primer bulb...it would run, but not rev up...remove and clean carb (seen lots of chainsaws with sawdust in carb) but noticed that someone had turned the idle screw all the way in, and both the high and low jets were screwed all the way out..... :grimacing:
after about a half hour of playing with the carb i finally had it running good, but not great....the cylinder does have issues....
we have lots of poulan chainsaws with wrecked engines...same scored piston/ jug....and a new poulan chainsaw is $129.... :laugh:
the new co-worker actually knows his stuff, has repaired stuff the last guy said was no good or needed a part when that part was actually good....as in a rigid drill...other guy said motor.....so new guy replaces motor in drill....still doesnt work....he tries to hot-wire motor while attached to switch, smokes the test leads. i mention that maybe the switch is shorting out, he dis-connects one terminal, hot-wires motor and it works.
then he back-probes the switch with a dvom, and finds a direct short in the switch. ;-) nice. parts guy orders switch...
and i fought with a ''poulan'' chainsaw....''not running, needs tune-up''
when i read that its usually a death sentence for said 2-stroke, esp chainsaws....remove muffler, scoring on piston and cylinder.....it did idle for a few seconds....dump out unknown fuel, replace cracked primer bulb...it would run, but not rev up...remove and clean carb (seen lots of chainsaws with sawdust in carb) but noticed that someone had turned the idle screw all the way in, and both the high and low jets were screwed all the way out..... :grimacing: after about a half hour of playing with the carb i finally had it running good, but not great....the cylinder does have issues....
we have lots of poulan chainsaws with wrecked engines...same scored piston/ jug....and a new poulan chainsaw is $129.... :laugh:
blueturbofly
Well-known member
wow get a little snow....well, i had 3' and couldnt get to work for two days....and the shtf.....i got to work last thursday, and there was a shop overflowing with snowblowers. majority of them had been sitting for 5+ years , full of stale gas, badly plugged carbs- constantly removing and soaking carbs....EVERY SINGLE ONE...one i had to soak and clean 4 times before it would run properly.....why do people leave it to the last minute? we were warned about this storm over a week before it showed up.....
oh well, job security
oh well, job security
blueturbofly
Well-known member
wow snowblower central.....every size and shape-lots of near new units, ALL with very dirty carbs. i mean soak overnight dirty
most have been sitting for 5 to 7 years....
BUT I PUT FRESH FUEL IN IT.... or I PUT IN A NEW SPARK PLUG, BUT IT STILL WONT START-ITS ONLLY BEEN SITTING FOR 5 YEARS OR SO..... :laugh: and some clunkers that need a bunch of work, but people dont / wont spend the money :bored:
keeps me busy, thats for sure. and the business is deemed ''essential'' , so i should still have a job....another full covid lockdown started yesterday, this time for 3 weeks..... :-o
most have been sitting for 5 to 7 years....
BUT I PUT FRESH FUEL IN IT.... or I PUT IN A NEW SPARK PLUG, BUT IT STILL WONT START-ITS ONLLY BEEN SITTING FOR 5 YEARS OR SO..... :laugh: and some clunkers that need a bunch of work, but people dont / wont spend the money :bored:
keeps me busy, thats for sure. and the business is deemed ''essential'' , so i should still have a job....another full covid lockdown started yesterday, this time for 3 weeks..... :-o
Good luck in the lock down :-/
blueturbofly
Well-known member
customer brings in a 2-stroke saw, along with a bag of parts for it.... it actually runs excellent ! it was , of course, a dirty carb, plugged with concrete dust....in the fuel system...
ANOTHER HYUNDAI gen-set showed up....guess what? it doesnt run....just like the other two i have been trying to diagnose.....DARN IT, PEOPLE, BUY NAME BRAND GEN-SET! DONT GET SOLD ON GOOFY LITTLE FEATURES, RESEARCH THE RELIABILITY OF THE BRAND !!!
anyways, busy busy busy
fought with one snowblower, took forever to get the choke cable, old honda, but parts still available :-D
could not get it to stay running, fuel getting pushed thru carb into cylinder, cleaned carb twice, tried different spark-plugs, check and adjust valves....then i notice the way the valve cover vent hose was vented to the carb vent, not to the air cleaner housing or atmosphere....hmm
pull carb vent hose out of valve cover hose, unit runs great!
just cuz it looks like it should fit, doesnt mean it belongs there.... i made sure it was hose clamped onto its proper barb, and then zip-tied the hose in a few spots so the owner doesnt screw with it. ;-)
and another customer go to: '' i put a new spark plug in it, but it still doesnt run'' :laugh:
or they always fill the fuel tank to the top, and tell me to save their fuel....nope, cant do that, i dont know your fuel, and i need to clean and flush your fuel tank....you just wasted $1.50 in gas filling it up... :laugh:
and dyed fuel is really hard on fuel systems- i have soaked carbs overnight, and the aluminum is still stained puple in color...
it actually runs excellent ! it was , of course, a dirty carb, plugged with concrete dust....in the fuel system...ANOTHER HYUNDAI gen-set showed up....guess what? it doesnt run....just like the other two i have been trying to diagnose.....DARN IT, PEOPLE, BUY NAME BRAND GEN-SET! DONT GET SOLD ON GOOFY LITTLE FEATURES, RESEARCH THE RELIABILITY OF THE BRAND !!!
anyways, busy busy busy
fought with one snowblower, took forever to get the choke cable, old honda, but parts still available :-D
could not get it to stay running, fuel getting pushed thru carb into cylinder, cleaned carb twice, tried different spark-plugs, check and adjust valves....then i notice the way the valve cover vent hose was vented to the carb vent, not to the air cleaner housing or atmosphere....hmm
pull carb vent hose out of valve cover hose, unit runs great!
just cuz it looks like it should fit, doesnt mean it belongs there.... i made sure it was hose clamped onto its proper barb, and then zip-tied the hose in a few spots so the owner doesnt screw with it. ;-)
and another customer go to: '' i put a new spark plug in it, but it still doesnt run'' :laugh:
or they always fill the fuel tank to the top, and tell me to save their fuel....nope, cant do that, i dont know your fuel, and i need to clean and flush your fuel tank....you just wasted $1.50 in gas filling it up... :laugh:
and dyed fuel is really hard on fuel systems- i have soaked carbs overnight, and the aluminum is still stained puple in color...
blueturbofly
Well-known member
i had a good day yesterday at work....5 snowblowers, an ice auger, and two gen-sets....6 were full carb job/ tune up specials (clean/tune carb, new oil &spark plug, cable/ rod adjustment, general check-over)
but then one comes in, that the owner has ''played mechanic'' on and has really messed it up, custom bent throttle linkages, extra fuel filter- but the one in the tank , from factory, was cut apart and rendered useless....kept getting junk in the carb....AND the inline filter had no guts in it, poked out with a screwdriver....''custom'' fuel line holder- that was actually pinching off the fuel supply....
so much for his tune up special, you got billed an extra half hour, plus all new fuel line, AND the proper in-tank/ in line fuel filters....
and then he asked if he should run octane boost in it; its a 5 hp ,16 inch wide rubber paddle single stage snowblower......
i have a larger shovel at home that can move more snow than that thing....
but then one comes in, that the owner has ''played mechanic'' on and has really messed it up, custom bent throttle linkages, extra fuel filter- but the one in the tank , from factory, was cut apart and rendered useless....kept getting junk in the carb....AND the inline filter had no guts in it, poked out with a screwdriver....''custom'' fuel line holder- that was actually pinching off the fuel supply....
so much for his tune up special, you got billed an extra half hour, plus all new fuel line, AND the proper in-tank/ in line fuel filters....
and then he asked if he should run octane boost in it; its a 5 hp ,16 inch wide rubber paddle single stage snowblower......
i have a larger shovel at home that can move more snow than that thing....
blueturbofly
Well-known member
now with no snow on the ground, or any forecasted, snowblower season has dropped right off...only did one snowblower this last week, and a small handful last few weeks...a couple of mowers and lawntractors, large gen -sets this last week. some stuff has been waiting for parts since NOVEMBER... :-o
and its really hard for people to understand that
#1- your generator is burnt out
#2- your generator is burnt out, and they dont make parts for it anymore
#3- your generator is burnt out, no, i cant '' just make it work ''
#4- your generator is burnt out, its worth nothing to us, i dont care if you paid $2000 for it, we can salvage/ recycle it to cover your diagnostic fees....
the engines on generators have a tapered no key-way shaft, so they are useless for anything else, unless you get a matching tapered adapter made ....
oh, and ice drills (augers).....noisy unsilenced 2-strokes.... must wear earmuffs when tuning the carbs on those things....i am surprised the fish hang around with all that noise!!
and its really hard for people to understand that
#1- your generator is burnt out
#2- your generator is burnt out, and they dont make parts for it anymore
#3- your generator is burnt out, no, i cant '' just make it work ''
#4- your generator is burnt out, its worth nothing to us, i dont care if you paid $2000 for it, we can salvage/ recycle it to cover your diagnostic fees....
the engines on generators have a tapered no key-way shaft, so they are useless for anything else, unless you get a matching tapered adapter made ....
oh, and ice drills (augers).....noisy unsilenced 2-strokes.... must wear earmuffs when tuning the carbs on those things....i am surprised the fish hang around with all that noise!!
blueturbofly
Well-known member
had a farmer bring in two 16 hp kohler engines in pieces, looks like they came from the dump, ''make one from two'' let the fun begin. chopped up farmer wiring, rodent destroyed wiring, and filthy with grease/ oil/ poop....
first glance, coil on one destroyed by mice.....ok, pull the fan cover on the second, high tension lead from coil chewed off as well.... :grimacing:
parts man looks up new coil, $225....call customer, they agree to a max of $500 for all repairs....
swap wiring harness, ignition switch, new fuel line, clean out fuel pump, flush out fuel tank, soak carb before actually cleaning it, install starter, install and adjust coil air gap, install tinwork, add oil, change starter cables, new spark plug....
i fired it up just before quitting time ....almost 4 hours steady working on it...
still needs throttle linkage parts and a air filter element.
other than that, its been slow. its that time of year, no grass to cut, no snow to remove, so people are just leaving stuff until the last minute...
cleaning up that shop, some stuff been there 13+ years, jammed in a corner or under a shelf...
oh and the one bosses kid is there doing ''work experience'' for school...i have him doing the greasy scrap engine teardowns.. :laughing: he isnt the brightest crayon in the box... :-/
have told the boss that there isnt anything else for him to do, i wanted him on the broom but his daddy pretty much said no....i want him to sweep and clean the bathroom, but i dont think daddy wants him doing ''poor mans jobs''
yet i have only seen the boss sweep once, he has never cleaned the bathroom (it gets pretty gross in there) he brags about having a maid clean his bathroom at home, and i told him to bring her to the shop, he claims its too expensive....
i dont understand why some guys are such pigs. i guess they are just lazy.
i finally cleaned the bathroom last week, it was almost a month since it was last ''water mopped'' by the other employee....
full out bleaching floors walls toilet sink. on their time. then the office girl gave the boss what for, for not cleaning the bathroom himself....he has excuses for everything....
your old boss was an asshole , until you meet your new boss... :laughing:
first glance, coil on one destroyed by mice.....ok, pull the fan cover on the second, high tension lead from coil chewed off as well.... :grimacing:
parts man looks up new coil, $225....call customer, they agree to a max of $500 for all repairs....
swap wiring harness, ignition switch, new fuel line, clean out fuel pump, flush out fuel tank, soak carb before actually cleaning it, install starter, install and adjust coil air gap, install tinwork, add oil, change starter cables, new spark plug....
i fired it up just before quitting time ....almost 4 hours steady working on it...
still needs throttle linkage parts and a air filter element.
other than that, its been slow. its that time of year, no grass to cut, no snow to remove, so people are just leaving stuff until the last minute...
cleaning up that shop, some stuff been there 13+ years, jammed in a corner or under a shelf...
oh and the one bosses kid is there doing ''work experience'' for school...i have him doing the greasy scrap engine teardowns.. :laughing: he isnt the brightest crayon in the box... :-/
have told the boss that there isnt anything else for him to do, i wanted him on the broom but his daddy pretty much said no....i want him to sweep and clean the bathroom, but i dont think daddy wants him doing ''poor mans jobs''
yet i have only seen the boss sweep once, he has never cleaned the bathroom (it gets pretty gross in there) he brags about having a maid clean his bathroom at home, and i told him to bring her to the shop, he claims its too expensive....
i dont understand why some guys are such pigs. i guess they are just lazy.
i finally cleaned the bathroom last week, it was almost a month since it was last ''water mopped'' by the other employee....
full out bleaching floors walls toilet sink. on their time. then the office girl gave the boss what for, for not cleaning the bathroom himself....he has excuses for everything....
your old boss was an asshole , until you meet your new boss... :laughing:
blueturbofly
Well-known member
i was so bored on friday. nothing came in for me to fix, no parts came in to fix anything...so i fixed a broken mechanics creeper , then i swept, vacuumed and moped the ENTIRE shop.....sorted some parts, found some other parts, found MORE junk engines on a shelf, then left early for the day. hey, the boss said i could leave early and still mark down for 8 hours, so i did !!
oh, and i am getting more parts, to try and fix those STUPID HYUNDAI GENERATORS
now its complete motherboards....i already tried new starter control boards twice , on both, 2 times...
if its not the main inverter board, then i dont know what it is....i have followed their diagnostic flow chart, and the last step is to contact authorized repair depot for repair.... :grimacing: thats me... :-(
oh, and i am getting more parts, to try and fix those STUPID HYUNDAI GENERATORS
now its complete motherboards....i already tried new starter control boards twice , on both, 2 times...
if its not the main inverter board, then i dont know what it is....i have followed their diagnostic flow chart, and the last step is to contact authorized repair depot for repair.... :grimacing: thats me... :-(
blueturbofly
Well-known member
spent almost 7 hrs fixing an ancient generator......called owner about the repairs needed, and he said go ahead, i really like the generator.....new points & condenser, used coil, carb kit, spark plug, muffler, random bolts and screws...had to drill out broken muffler bolts from the head, then tap new threads, repair recoil, then tune carb.....his bill was almost $600 and he didnt complain at all... :-o
...and the parts arrived for those stupid hyundai generators.....i guess thats tomorrows job.... :sob:
...and the parts arrived for those stupid hyundai generators.....i guess thats tomorrows job.... :sob:
fireflyse
Active member
[usermention=85]@blueturbofly[/usermention] please tell us, success with the Hyundai's?
blueturbofly
Well-known member
fought with BOTH of those hyundai gen sets.... :doubt: nither one will run, even after swapping all the circuit boards as per the senior tech from ontario....
one is completely dead, no response from installing new boards, battery is fine, re-diagnosed all the wiring, all seems fine....but no electric start, nothing...
the other only cranks for 3 seconds, has spark & fuel, but will only run if i spray carb cleaner down its intake, and while somewhat running it shows its in ''overload protection'' mode....again, all circuit boards swapped out for new ones.....
told my boss thats enough of these two generators...send them back as ''non-repairable- unknown failure''
there has to be something else, that i cant figure out, wrong with these...oh wait, thats it-they are hyundai generators, not HONDA generators....arty:
one is completely dead, no response from installing new boards, battery is fine, re-diagnosed all the wiring, all seems fine....but no electric start, nothing...
the other only cranks for 3 seconds, has spark & fuel, but will only run if i spray carb cleaner down its intake, and while somewhat running it shows its in ''overload protection'' mode....again, all circuit boards swapped out for new ones.....
told my boss thats enough of these two generators...send them back as ''non-repairable- unknown failure''
there has to be something else, that i cant figure out, wrong with these...oh wait, thats it-they are hyundai generators, not HONDA generators....
arty:
blueturbofly
Well-known member
so i talk to the guy from ontario....he wants me to email him what i have done with these 2 generators....AGAIN...
actually, this will be the 3rd or 4th time i have e-mailed him what i have tried/ replaced on these generators...they just keep giving me the run-around on these pieces of junk....its warranty work, so they most likely dont want to give out a replacement generator for free.... but really? they have been on the shelf since august and september.... :bored:
maybe i will tell the parts guy to have the owners call buddy in ontario and give him grief.... :laugh:
worked on a ''powertek'' 3500 generator....complete chinese unit, knock-off honda engine....customer gave it to the shop for scrap, said the crank was broken...
HMMM
had no other repairs to do, threw it on the bench....has compression...has spark...has fuel....but almost no engine oil....
remove and flush fuel tank, (purple farm fuel ) clean carb, drain& refill engine oil.....
checked valves, the intake was overtight, exhaust ok...after the valves were adjusted , the compression was even better...(intake valve hanging open)
fired up on the first pull, does not smoke or make unusual noises, makes good power....
cleaned it up good, put it out front for sale. but the boss WAY overpriced it....a new one on sale is $50 cheaper, and has a full year warranty...
the boss likes to overprice EVERYTHING. its embarrassing. i told him price the generator at $300 , cuz new ones are selling for $450...so he priced it at $500 :-o
actually, this will be the 3rd or 4th time i have e-mailed him what i have tried/ replaced on these generators...they just keep giving me the run-around on these pieces of junk....its warranty work, so they most likely dont want to give out a replacement generator for free.... but really? they have been on the shelf since august and september.... :bored:
maybe i will tell the parts guy to have the owners call buddy in ontario and give him grief.... :laugh:
worked on a ''powertek'' 3500 generator....complete chinese unit, knock-off honda engine....customer gave it to the shop for scrap, said the crank was broken...
HMMM
had no other repairs to do, threw it on the bench....has compression...has spark...has fuel....but almost no engine oil....
remove and flush fuel tank, (purple farm fuel
) clean carb, drain& refill engine oil.....checked valves, the intake was overtight, exhaust ok...after the valves were adjusted , the compression was even better...(intake valve hanging open)
fired up on the first pull, does not smoke or make unusual noises, makes good power....
cleaned it up good, put it out front for sale. but the boss WAY overpriced it....a new one on sale is $50 cheaper, and has a full year warranty...
the boss likes to overprice EVERYTHING. its embarrassing. i told him price the generator at $300 , cuz new ones are selling for $450...so he priced it at $500 :-o
blueturbofly
Well-known member
people shouldnt lie to the mechanic....a ''king canada'' generator came in, suitcase style, missing covers and full of snow, he said he was going to fix it but has no garage
he argued with the parts guy ''its canadian made!'' NOPE NOPE NOPE
main distribution warehouse for king canada is in laval, quebec....imported from....guess where? drumroll......CHINA :laugh:
anyways, complaint of surging idle, give it a full tune up as well please..
electric start doesnt work. one touch start with command start. :devil: battery good. got to looking closer at it. damaged / stripped screw heads....hmm owner claimed it was only 3 months old...build date sept 2019....
so, i pull start it, after a few tugs it comes to life, sputtering and coughing then to full max rpm, the digital screen showing 458 volts ac with the overload warning light on... :-o unit would not shut off, turned the fuel off and drained the carb to shut it down .....spark plug in separate compartment.....
anyways, pulled the front cover off, wiring tests out ok, but still no power to the start/ stop switch...then i notice a harness unplugged, deeper in the unit...pull more covers off, noting damaged screws all the way, and sure enough, the unplugged harness is for the electronically controlled carb...and there is no way that it could unplug itself...4 wire locking terminal...
plug that in, and the electric start works, unit fires up and settles into a nice low idle, making 120 power and working fine, idles up when load applied to it.....
so, change oil & spark plug, verify proper operation once again, no random surging or stalling as the owner stated....the gas tested fine as well...
boss calls customer, customer upset that bill is more than the $80 VERBALLY quoted
when the boss mentions that it looks like someone else had it apart, the customer mentions ''MY SON-IN-LAW TOOK IT APART BEFORE I BROUGHT IT HERE''
and thats why the boss told the customer it cost more to diagnose...plus the customer was rude, expected me to stop what i was working on, so they could use the generator for ice fishing....
he argued with the parts guy ''its canadian made!'' NOPE NOPE NOPE
main distribution warehouse for king canada is in laval, quebec....imported from....guess where? drumroll......CHINA :laugh:
anyways, complaint of surging idle, give it a full tune up as well please..
electric start doesnt work. one touch start with command start. :devil: battery good. got to looking closer at it. damaged / stripped screw heads....hmm owner claimed it was only 3 months old...build date sept 2019....
so, i pull start it, after a few tugs it comes to life, sputtering and coughing then to full max rpm, the digital screen showing 458 volts ac with the overload warning light on... :-o unit would not shut off, turned the fuel off and drained the carb to shut it down .....spark plug in separate compartment.....
anyways, pulled the front cover off, wiring tests out ok, but still no power to the start/ stop switch...then i notice a harness unplugged, deeper in the unit...pull more covers off, noting damaged screws all the way, and sure enough, the unplugged harness is for the electronically controlled carb...and there is no way that it could unplug itself...4 wire locking terminal...
plug that in, and the electric start works, unit fires up and settles into a nice low idle, making 120 power and working fine, idles up when load applied to it.....
so, change oil & spark plug, verify proper operation once again, no random surging or stalling as the owner stated....the gas tested fine as well...
boss calls customer, customer upset that bill is more than the $80 VERBALLY quoted
when the boss mentions that it looks like someone else had it apart, the customer mentions ''MY SON-IN-LAW TOOK IT APART BEFORE I BROUGHT IT HERE''
and thats why the boss told the customer it cost more to diagnose...plus the customer was rude, expected me to stop what i was working on, so they could use the generator for ice fishing....
blueturbofly
Well-known member
.. and right now its -27...