Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Honda EX350 generator mystery, please help
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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Bill
Joined: Mar 13, 2005
Points: 13
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Honda EX350 generator mystery, please help
Original Message Mar 13, 2005 5:06 pm |
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Hi guys. I have tried getting to the root of this problem via other forums without luck. After doing some searching, I was able to track down this forum, it's great! I have a problem with my Honda EX350 generator. Here's some information regarding this unit in case you haven't seen one before. It is powered by a small two stroke engine mixed at a 100:1 ratio. The carburetor is mounted to the bottom of the crankcase and uses a single metal reed valve. The igniton is a solid state design. Because the generator is of an inverter design (much like the newer Honda generators), the engine does not have to run at 3600 rpm. There is a low rpm position (150 watts) and a high rpm position (300 watts). Here is the problem.
When in the high rpm position under full load (300 watts), after almost exactly 2 minutes of running, the thing bogs down for about 6-7 seconds (just like you were putting the choke on), then goes back up to normal rpm. This goes on until it runs out of gas, like clockwork, every two minutes. I cannot figure out what is causing this. I have checked absolutely everything and have come up with nothing. I have a friend who owns the same unit, and after spending hours troubleshooting my generator and finding nothing, I was forced to simply change parts to see if I could find the problem. Here is what was changed.
air filter, carburetor, reed valve, spark plug, exhaust, gas cap (vented)
None of this fixed the problem. The thing is, the engine starts first pull every time and runs at a steady rpm. The engine just seems to be loading up and just bogs down for a few seconds, then it seems to clear itself up.
Here's the thing, partially blocking the air intake with my thumb causes the engine to run the exact same way until I remove my thumb. But when the engine experiences the problem by itself, it only happens every two minutes.
Does anyone have any ideas what might be the problem, I am out of ideas.
This message was modified Mar 13, 2005 by Bill
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Bill
Joined: Mar 13, 2005
Points: 13
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Re: Honda EX350 generator mystery, please help
Reply #10 Mar 14, 2005 5:57 pm |
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Wow! Thanks for the great replies guys. I really appreciate your taking the time to help out a stranger. I have switched gas caps with my friend's EX350, no change. Just for kicks, I'll run my EX350 with no gas cap, and let you know what happens. When the generator "loads up" for a few seconds, the rpm's go way down and the overload light comes on. This is normal as the ouput of the generator is dependant on engine rpm. Higher rpm = higher output and vice-versa. The 300 watt bulb does not seem to dim when the generator loads up, indicating a satisfactory voltage level.. I'll try the removing the gas cap for now. I'll get back to you guys tonight...
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jubol
Location: Dover, De
Joined: Oct 3, 2003
Points: 1558
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Re: Honda EX350 generator mystery, please help
Reply #11 Mar 14, 2005 6:05 pm |
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  Bill, Welcome to the Forum. There is a great wealth of Info here, just hang on! Fred 
Husqvarna STE927(11.5HP) snowblower, MTD Pro Series 18/42 Lawnmower, MTD 6.5 HP Self Prop Lawn Mower, Weedeater 1500 Blower, Web Gensis 2000
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Bill
Joined: Mar 13, 2005
Points: 13
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Re: Honda EX350 generator mystery, please help
Reply #13 Mar 14, 2005 6:15 pm |
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Same deal with the gas cap removed. Spark plug looks great, golden brown. I have brought it to a dealer, but they haven't been able to find anything either. It's not their fault as this is a very odd problem. Thanks again.
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Bill
Joined: Mar 13, 2005
Points: 13
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Re: Honda EX350 generator mystery, please help
Reply #14 Mar 14, 2005 7:20 pm |
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Just had a thought guys. Is it possible the flywheel key could be slightly sheared? Maybe not enough to make a significant difference under light or no load, but enough to get the engine to bog down after a few minutes of full load operation. Then again, a sheared flywheel key usually affects operation regardless of load. Just an idea...
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spottedpony
Joined: Aug 23, 2004
Points: 301
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Re: Honda EX350 generator mystery, please help
Reply #16 Mar 14, 2005 7:39 pm |
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This generator was basically built by Honda to run lights. That's all I run with it. The 300 watt load is a spotlight that I run for ice fishing.
in your origional posts you said "There is a low rpm position (150 watts) and a high rpm position (300 watts)" and that on the low wattage setting it runs fine. Have you tried connecting a lower wattage load, say 150 watts, with the generator set oh the high wattage setting? if the same problem exists on the high setting with a half load of 150 watts but on the low wattage setting things are fine, then that would indicate to me, its an internal problem in the gen. set itself. its very possible one of the components has a minute crack in the insulation (on the high wattage setting) and is opening up causing a leak or partial short to ground, causing the generator to create its own overload. (i had this happen once on an electronic motor controller, the insulation on a current limiting resistor was cracked on the back side & as it warmed up the motor would cease to run, & what a b**** to find) going back to basics though, double check your lamp(s) that you are not running more than 300 watts, a halogen work lamp for example, 300 and 500 watt lamps look identical. is it possible the bulb itself is a higher wattage than the gen. is rated at??
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Bill
Joined: Mar 13, 2005
Points: 13
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Re: Honda EX350 generator mystery, please help
Reply #18 Mar 14, 2005 8:34 pm |
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in your origional posts you said "There is a low rpm position (150 watts) and a high rpm position (300 watts)" and that on the low wattage setting it runs fine. Have you tried connecting a lower wattage load, say 150 watts, with the generator set oh the high wattage setting? if the same problem exists on the high setting with a half load of 150 watts but on the low wattage setting things are fine, then that would indicate to me, its an internal problem in the gen. set itself. its very possible one of the components has a minute crack in the insulation (on the high wattage setting) and is opening up causing a leak or partial short to ground, causing the generator to create its own overload. going back to basics though, double check your lamp(s) that you are not running more than 300 watts, a halogen work lamp for example, 300 and 500 watt lamps look identical. is it possible the bulb itself is a higher wattage than the gen. is rated at?? Hmmm... I believe I had previously posted that at the high setting with less than 300 watts load, the generator ran fine. I was wrong. I tested the generator on high with 3- 60W bulbs, and I got the same result, bogging at approx 2 minute intervals. The odd thing is that with the 3- 60W bulbs, the bogging is not nearly as severe, but still there at the same intervals. With the 300 watt load, the bogging is very severe. The bulb is definitely a 300 watt. I have tried the same exact lamp on a different EX 350 with no problem whatsoever. Man, I am about ready to throw this thing into the river...
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