Honda GX engine service life Original Message Nov 22, 2012 10:51 pm
I'm still un desided I'v been checking out many generators and as good as the reviews are for Honda generators- It is comming to a investment cost /reliability factor. Does anyone know the service life of a Honda gx series/gxi engines.. I here Onan, Perkins and Kubota are clamming 100000 - 200000 hours. Does anyone know how long a Honda generator will last. I prefer a portable unit over a fixed unit.
Re: Honda GX engine service life Reply #6 Nov 24, 2012 7:08 am
I have to agree with what borat said. No way you will get an air cooled gasoline engine to last those kinds of hours. A well maintained quality water cooled diesel spinning at 1800rpm or even slower will last much longer than any high speed 3600rpm air cooled gasoline engine and getting even a high quality slow speed diesel to 50,000 hours without a rebuild is quite a feat. I run a very large (750lb) twin flywheel Lister type 6hp water cooled diesel at 650rpm and would be thrilled to get 20,000 hours without a rebuild. This engine is so massive that the piston and rod weigh about as much as a 6hp air cooled honda. Since i only run it as a backup generator I suspect i will never need to rebuild it.
Re: Honda GX engine service life Reply #7 Nov 24, 2012 7:49 pm
FrankMA wrote:
Those numbers seem very high even if they were for a diesel powered engine... Where did you come across those claims?
How often do you plan on using it? If a generator were used for 8 hours /day, 7 days/week, 52 weeks/year you would accrue roughly 2,900 hours/year. That's a lot of hours for a portable generator, not to mention fuel. Have you considered a natural gas powered stationary model?
