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

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.

It also sounds like your basic engine surge or hunting.  I don't know how easy it is to get to the governor linkage, but when it starts to surge or bog, see if you can hold the linkage steady to see if the engine smooths out.  If it still bogs or hunts, you may have a carb issue or the engine may have to be opened up and have the internal components of the governor checked.   

I'm thinking you have an electrical problem if it bogs down at the same regular interval with two different loads.  Hard to imagine a fuel related problem doing that.   Perhaps there's an electrical overload sensor that can shut down the ignition when it detects an overload.  This sensor could be defective.  You did say the overload light comes on when you have the problem.  Alternatively the electronic ignition module could have an intermittant failure.  Is the symptom the same if you push the shutdown switch for a second or so?   -Bob

It may seem im rambling a bit here but bear with me, some of this may shed a little more light on the subject, or at least get others thinking outside the box so to speak, for other solutions. Years ago, i built a small (12 volt) generator with a 3 or 3 1/2 hp briggs and a 60 amp alternator to use in our motor home for the times i didnt need to run the big onan gen. set.(man was that thing fuel hungry) My goal here was something small, but addiquate to keep the accessory batteries charged when we were somewhere 120/240 volt "household current" wasnt available. To make a long story short, it worked great, but on the first attempt with that alternator hooked to the engine you couldnt start ti, & the solution was to put a switch in the alternator field wire between the alt. and the voltage regulater to disconnect the load until the briggs was running, then it started fine & that little gen. worked like a champ, but you could sure tell when it was working hard, it would really make that litlte briggs work when a heavy charging load was put on it.

 after thinking about this, again,  im leaning  towards it being a faulty component in the gen head itself, or perhaps nothing more than a chaffed wire, that with vibration periodicly vibrates against the metal case causing an overload and pulling the motor down.

I would still do a voltage check on the generator when your problem occurs as this would be a good indication of the gen. being overloaded, & it might help track the problem down.& keep in mind, as voltage drops, wattage or amperage demands from an appliance increase. As a master electrician, ive delt many times with similar problems, due to overloading a panel or voltage from a transformer being low. Generally speaking, its acceptable to have +/- 10 percent of an optimal 120 volts.or anywhere from 108 to 132 volts when supplying lights or appliances however as previously mentioned, as volts drop, wattage demands increase, so its entirely possible that if the volt output of the gen. is low, by 10 percent, the wattage demand by your connected load has increased enough to effectively overload the generator.

im at a loss for any other thoiughts on the problem, but as discussed by several, im confident its a problem in the gen. head itself. Have you contacted honda directly to see what they're suggestions are?

I'm starting to think it's in the inverter unit also.  Honda doesn't want to hear about a model that has been discontinued for over five years, they'd rather talk about the current stuff.  I can't blame them.

Oh how I wish I could make some kind of recording so you guys could hear exactly what I mean.  It really is an odd problem that I have never seen on any engine of any type.

your lil engine is running lean...

needs a crankseal or possible cylinder gasket.

no big problem.

later chris

Chris, thanks for the suggestion.  Could you please elaborate?  Thanks.

you mentioned that you tried a few other fixes and nothing really worked.

when you partly close the choke it smoothes out a bit.

this leads us to beleive that there is a lean condition...not enough fuel in getting in the engine.

so either there is a fuel delevery problem ...you switched out carbs and checked that end,so its ok there.

or the extra air is coming from somewhere else...usually a crankseal.

on your genset ,i beleive that one side of your crankshaft goes into the gen side and the other side is where the start handle is.

i would check the easy side first.

later chris

Chris.
Can you find a vacuum leak on a two stroke like you would on a four stroke? Like spray some WD where you think the leak is while it is misbehaving and see if it makes a difference?

Hey Rob ...thats an excellent way to find the leak...

i usually use a little THICKER spray.wd40 dosent really have enough oil in it to stay around long.

i sometimes use a product called MOOVEIT,not sure if its available in your area.

any fluid that will burn in the crankcase should work pretty good.

you just spray it on and the engine will act a lot different when you find the seal or gasket problem

later chris

So Bill, was this mystery of yours finally solved?