Honda eu30is concern

[weloveraw]

Hi everyone

I purchased a honda eu30is yesterday and it is not even a year old. the guy used it to power his catering van but was too ill to continue the business so he sold it.

When i got the gennie home I read the manual then thought i should ring him to ask if he followed the service manual recommendations etc ( i don't know alot about them so i didn't think to ask him at the time of purchase)

So anyway it turns out he has never ever done a oil change on it! So i changed the oil and surprise surprise it was pretty black! my plan is to do about 30 hours or so and then do a full oil change again, then every 80- 100 hours after that.

Also he said to me I can have a full tank of fuel that it had already in it (me like a twit thinking I had grabbed a cracking deal!) But once again when i got it home, i referred to the manual and found out that keeping gas in the tank for too long is bad for the engine! lol.. I will do a fuel drain tomorrow before filling it with fresh fuel and hopefully it hasn't caused any long term damage to the engine as everything seems to be running okay right now.

Does anyone think my honda is at risk of damage even after i have sorted the problems out? I'm hoping they are hardy enough to withstand peoples errors.

[wmarsha]

it has been my experience that the Honda line of generators is virtually bullet proof. Your unit should be just fine-change oil more often if you use it in a dusty area-same goes for the air/fuel filter. add some fuel stabilizer if you are going to let it sit for 30 days or more. I think you will be very happy with the generator.
ol' bill

[wahoonc]

We use Honda generators almost exclusively for our heavy construction company, they quite often don't get service like they should and still keep on chugging along!

I think you should be fine. If you have to store the generator for a bit use some fuel stabilizer in the tank.

Aaron

[2airishuman]

if the genset is ONE year old and the service history UNknown...

DO EVERYTHING recommended by honda in the OWNERS manual.

the manual is free ONLINE if the paper copy isn't handy.

change the oil, clean or change the spark plug, clean the air filter, clean the spark arrester

and clean/blow out the mechanicals and housing...

i would change the oil twice within a few days after only 3-4 hours of use,

it's not much oil and without a filter, DILUTION is the only way to remove gunk...

given how little oil they hold and the lack of a particulate filter, i use FULL synthetic oil.

not only are u trying to extend the lifetime of the genset,

but having the FULL wattage/power available is a good thing too, and SERVICE helps with that issue too.

IF it's had gas sitting for a long time, drain that fuel and visually inspect the clear fuel lines...

then mix some techron or injector cleaner into 1-2 tanks of fuel between those 2 oil changes...

yes they are tough and yes they are durable and will withstand abuse, but why not treat it to a full service now.

cheers
2air'

[r carl]

When your generator will be stored for over 30 days you better drain the gas out of the carburetor, its easy. There is a clear plastic line from the bottom of the carburetor going down to the bottom of the generator and exits under the door for the gas to run out. Just use a screwdriver to loosen the drain valve where the plastic line attaches to the bottom of the carburetor.

[azflycaster]

My smaller Honda developed a low speed miss after it sat too long without running (my bad). I followed the advice from other forums members and mixed some carburetor cleaner in the gas and ran it with econo mode off for around an hour. The engine ran smooth after that and now I fire it up monthly to prevent this from happening.

I switched my oil to Mobile1 which is what I also use in my truck.

[Mexray]

My thinking is that the genny you bought is probably in better shape, being used regularly than a similar unit that sat around unused due to some the issues mentioned above...

The one thing I've come to do on our Honda genny is to always drain the fuel from the carb as noted above - I didn't used to do that, allowing the fuel to evaporate between a couple of uses, allowing some gunk to accumulate in the bowl and in the carb jets, etc...

It's almost impossible to keep a minute amount of water from accumulating in the carb float bowl - if not drained, it will cause corrosion inside the carb when the fuel evaporates - I talk from experience!!! I now drain every time we get home!...I had to take the carb apart, clean all the components to get it running like new again! But being a Honda, it was easy to do, but could have been prevented!

I ran regular oil in our new genny for about a dozen hours before switching to a synthetic blend of oil that I use in my other engines...

I also run the mid-grade fuel (93 octane rating) in our genny after reading someone's post on airforums - it seems to crank right up better in small single cylinder engines - use it in my lawn mower, etc around the rancho....

You just gotta' love those Hondas!

[weloveraw]

Cheers thanks for the reply's.. I have given it a full service and it seems to be running fine. I'm surprised at how much stuff it can power up so it was well worth the investment.

Mexray - what oil do you recommend i use for the gennie, I was told to use Non synthetic oil but its such a pain to get hold of the right one sometimes. Will use synthetic oil harm the engine?

Cheers

[TomW]

Originally Posted by weloveraw

... Will use synthetic oil harm the engine?

No, but it will hurt your wallet.

I don't use synthetic oils as a matter of course, and it is not because anything bad will happen. It is because I do not believe their use ultimately benefits anything but commercial-duty equipment UNLESS the equipment's manufacturer specifies their use in a given situation.

There are countless threads on synthetic oil. Feel free to read them. Or just do what your owner's manual recommends.

Tom

[Mikethefixit]

I tell all my customers EVERY 25/30 hrs runtime or what ever Honda say's in the manual. I would use a good grade of oil NO ELCHEAPO stuff for the dollar store. Do not leave fuel in the tank for more than 30 days,UNLESS you STA-BIL the fuel source. I use it in every fill up. That is I keep 10gallon on hand,that 10 gallon has 3 oz of STA-BIL per 5 gallon. I use only from that source and Do not have carburetor problems. I have use Sta-Bil in my personal equipment for 10 yrs and have never had to clean 1 carburetor.
GOOD LUCK with your new Genny
Roger

[Mexray]

I believe any major brand of oil that meets the performance specs will perform as good as the next...

I use the 'blended' synthetic type oils, that are in between the 'regular-non-synthetic' and the 'full' synthetic types - saves a few $'s that way, and still give you a good quality product...IMHO

Timely changing of the oil seems to be the most important factor...especially in engines without a full-flow filter - follow Honda's recommendations...