# Generator on the fritz



## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

Did you check the oil?


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## SeanR (May 5, 2007)

A tad dark in color, but it's got oil.
And it's got gas, topped off, matter of fact.


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## Spike99 (Dec 24, 2007)

If its the engine that won't keep running, I'd take to a local Small Engine place. There's a small engine place in my woods. Every 3 years, he sees my law mower, chainsaw, weed wacker, snow blower, etc. He does an end/end tune-up on them and "away they go". Each starts within 2 rope pulls and they never sputter afterwards. Asking them for their professional opinion is well worth it. Especially tune-ups every 3 years. 

BTW: Your engine running for 20-30 seconds sounds like gas flow (dirt in carb, needs new carb gaskets, float alignment or plugged gas filter) problems to me. Should be very easy (and low cost) for a small engine Specialist to fix. Well worth asking them to look at it. 

.


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## SeanR (May 5, 2007)

Well Spike, I called up the service rep at Makita. I'll be bringing it into town tomorrow. So much for DIY. With stuff like this I have a habit of making more of a mess than what it started out with. And yeah, I too think it may be in the gas flow, but like I said, I did check the gas flow into the carb and it seems fine. I did notice that the GFI 120v recepticle doesn't work when I press the 'test' button. But that's prolly another problem.


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## handy man88 (Jan 23, 2007)

I would replace the spark plug and use a carb cleaner. Probably some gumming if the fuel sat in the generator during storage.


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## SeanR (May 5, 2007)

Hey *Jerryh3*, Your right man! It was the oil, well not the oil but the oil sensor. The oil was about half full, yet the sensor turned off the power. Three ounces later, she's up and running again.
Thanks.


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## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

SeanR said:


> Hey *Jerryh3*, Your right man! It was the oil, well not the oil but the oil sensor. The oil was about half full, yet the sensor turned off the power. Three ounces later, she's up and running again.
> Thanks.


Not a problem. Some of those low oil sensors are very sensitive.


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## handy man88 (Jan 23, 2007)

Does anyone use synthetic oil on their tools?

Although synthetic oil doesn't break down like conventional oils, and has a longer life, I've heard that it eats away at gaskets and seals much quicker. I've had that experience.


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## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

handy man88 said:


> Does anyone use synthetic oil on their tools?
> 
> Although synthetic oil doesn't break down like conventional oils, and has a longer life, I've heard that it eats away at gaskets and seals much quicker. I've had that experience.


I haven't heard of that. What did you have it in?


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## handy man88 (Jan 23, 2007)

My car. One car had mobil 1, and the gasket needed to be replaced after 4 years and a few year later, there was oil leaking from the engine. I had another car that I used regular oil in, and it never leaked. I spoke to a coworker last week and he said he had the same problem with a car that he used synthetic in.


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## jerryh3 (Dec 10, 2007)

handy man88 said:


> My car. One car had mobil 1, and the gasket needed to be replaced after 4 years and a few year later, there was oil leaking from the engine. I had another car that I used regular oil in, and it never leaked. I spoke to a coworker last week and he said he had the same problem with a car that he used synthetic in.


I found this while searching and I think it explains the problem very well:

All oils pass a seal compatability test, but leaks can occur in older engines that have seals which are varnished over from the inside and have become dried out. High detergent levels in synthetic oil can clear away the "false seals" and allow some leakage that should stop after the once-dry seals are re-wetted and swell. 

I use synthetic in both my vehicles with 10K miles change intervals and I have never had a problem. What kind of car did you have and when did you start using synthetic in it?


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## handy man88 (Jan 23, 2007)

jerryh3 said:


> I found this while searching and I think it explains the problem very well:
> 
> All oils pass a seal compatability test, but leaks can occur in older engines that have seals which are varnished over from the inside and have become dried out. High detergent levels in synthetic oil can clear away the "false seals" and allow some leakage that should stop after the once-dry seals are re-wetted and swell.
> 
> I use synthetic in both my vehicles with 10K miles change intervals and I have never had a problem. What kind of car did you have and when did you start using synthetic in it?


The car that leaked was a '95 Nissan. It required a gasket replacement in '98 after oil started to leak out of the gasket. After that, the car started leaking oil somewhere else in the engine area that splattered oil througout the inside. That car is history now. I changed the synthetic every 5-6K miles.

Another car that I had was a '98 Honda, using conventional oil. It never leaked.


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## comp (Jan 14, 2008)

i'd change the oil first,,,,,cheap test,,,oh did it die with no load ?


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## drsleepdragon (Feb 2, 2008)

Nice call on the low oil sensor. I have also seen this happen with the vented gas caps - it will start, and create a vacuum, and a gap in the gas flow will cause it to sputter out, but that should take a bit longer than 20 seconds...


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## comp (Jan 14, 2008)

guess its fixed


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