Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

   I have a small 350 watt 2-stroke Honda generator. Its probably a discontinued model and most likely the only two -stroke honda ever made. About the size of a lunch box, Its always started on first pull, and has been very reliable for several years. It started to get hard to start and then would die after running awhile. Before it quit completely it would only run on slow speed. I replaced and gapped a new plug.  It has a good spark, seems to feel normal when pulling the rope starter. It will not pop off at all even with starter fluid in the cylinder. A friend told me it probably had an air leak or broken reed valve. Can anyone give me some pointers on troubleshooting this little two-stroke beast?

Yes i checked the arrestor and its o.k.  Also checked the screen at the muffler outlet and its clear.  I'm going to check the compression next, if I can borrow a C/T from a co-worker. Will try to add a few drops of oil/gas mix to the carb  first.

I checked the compression and it was good (75psig) ,added a few drops of correct gas/ oil mix to the carb throat and guess what it, it popped off a little. Good news to me, this means the mechanics of the motor are O.K. Looks like the problem is a simple carb cleaning or rebuild.  I'm still not sure why I couldn't get it to fire with starter fluid? This should be an inexpensive fix which is always good news.

Have you had the engine "pop" or try to start yet?

Is the plug getting wet? (fuel)

When was the last time this was started?

Have you tried to take the plug out and ground it to the frame (metal) to see if it has spark?

The fuel bowl on the carb has a drain hose and a screw for a valve (number 6 and 11 on the breakdown link), I would open that screw up, catch what comes out in  a glass jar .  I would check for water ( little bb's of water or rusty mud rolling around) , and make sure you have good clean fuel to the carb..   IF the fuel is uncontaminated, it may not be a fuel problem.  

I would also disconnect the wire from the cdi unit to the kill switch and light. (to make sure it is not grounding out your spark ) then try to start it.

i would also check the RF noise resistor in the spark plug boot ( look up in the boot) it looks like a slotted screw driver slot, unscrew it and check for "open" with a volt Ohm meter.. (not all honda's have this resistor but most do).

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Honda/Generator/0/EX350%20A%20GENERATOR,%20JPN,%20VIN%23%20ECC-1000001%20TO%20ECC-1178332/CARBURETOR/parts.html#

Good luck,

Keep us posted

Friiy

Yes I've got good spark at the plug. I used this all last week during the hurricane here in Houston.  It seemed to be getting hotter than normal so I added more oil to the gas than the recommended 100:1 mix. I was thinking that it was lacking lubrication. It got harder to start and then just quit. I think this is where I screwed up. I remembered from my Karting days that 2-stroke motors cool themselves with the gas/oil mix. richer is cooler and leaner is hotter. I'm going to pull the carb and soak it in carb cleaner to clean out those tiny jet passages. Do you know of a way to do that without pulling the carb. The bowl is easy to remove and drain but those jet passages, etc. are in the upper body.

If it is a pain in the A$$ to get out of the unit.

I would try to pull the bowl off and and first clean #19 the main jet off the side of the post, and the pilot jet # 20 ... unscrew # 4 low speed adjust and blow cleaner through it.

I would not go to the trouble of  takeing it off and soaking it... you say it ran not long ago..  most likly just has some dirt in the pilot or the main jet..

If that does not help pull, clean all the parts again and remove #10 nozzel and check all the holes in it..

The breakdown link is ...

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Honda/Generator/0/EX350%20A%20GENERATOR,%20JPN,%20VIN%23%20ECC-1000001%20TO%20ECC-1178332/CARBURETOR/parts.html#

Good luck,

Friiy

I tried the quick fix by removing the fuel/air mixture screw and introducing carb cleaner with an eye dropper. This actually worked pretty good because the unit came up and ran great on the 150 watt setting. When going to 300 watts it surged however.  Not sure where or if there was a high speed jet, I just pulled the carb and soaked it for an hour. Cleaned out every tiny hole I could find with monofilament fishing line and aerosol carb cleaner. ( this was a real pain to remove and replace) I accidently dropped a nut down inside the engine, and this took about 45 minutes to retrieve. drat!  Now all is running great with a minor adjustment of the fuel air adjustment screw.  I'll try to familiarize myself with the some of the other carb parts so this job will be less labor intensive next time. It would be nice to unplug things with out removing the carb entirely. All in all this little gen set is fantastic for camping, light duty etc. Its the quietist one I've ever heard and just the size of a large lunch pail. Thanks for your input.

That type surging is caused by a lean mixture,   the pilot jet is the one that tends to cause this surge at full speed  (no load). Double check that this is not plugged.  You don't want to overheat the motor (lack of lube).

Good to here it's working,

Friiy

rayspang wrote:
Thanks you for the post.
I've just visited this forum. Happy to get acquainted with you. Thanks.
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