Corrosion under gas cap of new EU7000is

602 Views 37 Replies 10 Participants Last post by billt, 57 m ago

Soya

Discussion Starter · 6 d ago

So I unboxed my new Honda EU7000IS today. Put the legs and the wheels on, took the battery out to charge. Then I took off the gas cap and found this discoloration in the finish of the gas cap neck. It is under where the rubber gasket meets the neck. The metal feels rough when I run my fingernail over the spot. It seems like corrosion to me.
The generator was manufactured in October 2022. All I can think is that it was test run, the fuel was drained but ethanol in the fuel that remained under the gasket attracted water and corroded the metal.
My options are to have it picked up and get a full refund and order another one, or:
get a 15% credit ($689) and keep it.
I found a hair in the fuel filter as well. I don't know what else unseen could be involved and although I'm tempted by the 15% refund I'm inclined to return it and get another.

Has anyone run into anything like this on a new machine?

Honda service was not much help besides saying that that was not normal and corrosion was not covered under warranty and I probably should return and get a new one.

Tire Wheel Automotive tail & brake light Vehicle Car

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flopshot

· #2 · 6 d ago

I would go for a replacement.

Reactions: 1

GenKnot

· #3 · 6 d ago

👆 +1

iowagold

· #4 · 6 d ago

+2
it maybe a returned unit.
or flood damaged unit
return it and report the serial number to honda.

tabora

· #5 · 6 d ago

Soya said:
Has anyone run into anything like this on a new machine?

Yup...

www.powerequipmentforum.com

Honda EU7000is Rust Issue

As a matter of background, I had my previous EU7000 for about 3 1/2 years and decided to sell it to upgrade to the current version with Bluetooth, etc. My previous unit was in pristine shape and no rust whatsoever and always kept in garage. I've had my current unit for just over 7 months. My...

www.powerequipmentforum.com

www.powerequipmentforum.com

https://www.powerequipmentforum.com/threads/honda-eu7000is-rust-issue.25848/page-3#post-99909

Reactions: 3

Soya

Discussion Starter · #6 · 6 d ago

tabora said:
Yup...

Honda EU7000is Rust Issue

As a matter of background, I had my previous EU7000 for about 3 1/2 years and decided to sell it to upgrade to the current version with Bluetooth, etc. My previous unit was in pristine shape and no rust whatsoever and always kept in garage. I've had my current unit for just over 7 months. My...

www.powerequipmentforum.com

https://www.powerequipmentforum.com/threads/honda-eu7000is-rust-issue.25848/page-3#post-99909

That is interesting tabora. It seems that this rusting problem is common to newer eu7000s. From that thread you posted it seems to be a manufacturing change by Honda that has inferior materials since it does not happen to older machines in the same conditions. What a disappointment.

Reactions: 1

Soya

Discussion Starter · #7 · 6 d ago

iowagold said:
+2
it maybe a returned unit.
or flood damaged unit
return it and report the serial number to honda.

See tabora's post. It seems like a change in Honda manufacturing materials to me.

Reactions: 1

GenKnot

· #8 · 6 d ago

Soya said:
change in Honda manufacturing materials to me.

Maybe it is time to think outside the box. Get two Champion 200988 units and parallel them. Gives you options to run only one or two gens as needed. Two gens running on propane gives you 6300W. That's more than the EU7000. Still has 3-year warranty too.

Reactions: 1

Soya

Discussion Starter · #9 · 6 d ago

GenKnot said:
Maybe it is time to think outside the box. Get two Champion 200988 units and parallel them. Gives you options to run only one or two gens as needed. Two gens running on propane gives you 6300W. That's more than the EU7000. Still has 3-year warranty too.

Doesn't appear to have a 240v 4 prong plug.

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GenKnot

· #10 · 6 d ago

Soya said:
Doesn't appear to have a 240v 4 prong plug.

I forgot you wanted 240V, but my point is search for two units to parallel that will give you the wattage (and voltage) you need. That way you can only run one when needed and also one serves as a backup for the other just in case one of them won't start.

Or, if you don't want two units, check out something like the tri-fuel GENMAX GM10500iET (it is supposed to be available soon).

Colt Carson

· #11 · 6 d ago

I would tend to agree that Honda is using a lower quality metal there. I would get a replacement, and hope for a better result. On the replacement I would probably apply some very lightweight oil (one drop on fingertip) there before I replaced the cap.

OrlyP

· #12 · 5 d ago

I think it's more of a problem with the metal after-treatment, or lack thereof that's likely the issue.

Reactions: 1

GenKnot

· #13 · 5 d ago

OrlyP said:
I think it's more of a problem with the metal after-treatment, or lack thereof that's likely the issue.

Very well could be, but whatever the cause, it is totally unacceptable. Think of the condition that tank is going to be in a few years down the road. It will need to be replaced.

What's going on Honda? Dropped the QC did ya?

OrlyP

· #14 · 5 d ago

Another angle that may warrant some attention is the kind of gasket used on the gas cap. If you look at the picture posted above, the rust doesn't seem to appear anywhere but just on the filler mouth itself where the gas cap rubber seal sits. It is possible that certain chemical compounds that are in that particular rubber seal is causing corrosion on metal-rubber interface. Enough so that a paper was written about it.

SOME ELASTOMERIC SEAL compounds show a tendency to induce corrosion of metals. The corrosion inducing mechanism is not completely understood, but it is believed that certain compounding ingredients are responsible for the corrosive action. The problem of corrosion on rubber-metal interface has been especially pronounced in the automotive and aircraft industries. Many failures of seals were caused by the corroding effect of seal material under conditions of high humidity.

If it was a problem with the tank, you'd see rust forming on other metal surfaces inside the filler mouth. However, it seems to be only localized to where the gasket contacts the metal.

Maybe Honda didn't change the tank, but rather sourced the rubber gasket elsewhere without doing a surface compatibility test?

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Colt Carson

· #15 · 5 d ago

I notice in the other post concerning the same problem… there is some corrosion down in the filler neck where the gasket doesn’t touch, but the majority of the corrosion is where the gasket makes contact. Very interesting that the gasket could possibly cause the corrosion. On my Honda the tank metal under the gas cap is more shiny than the metal on the new Honda with the issues… not that it means anything, just an observation.

iowagold

· #16 · 5 d ago

it could be the tank metal source.
they have switched mfg to india on some parts.
so the quality of the sheet goods may not be up to the japan specs.

so i would make sure that honda corporate customer service knows of the issue you are having.
pix and any other info is good.

GenKnot

· #17 · 5 d ago

iowagold said:
they have switched mfg to india on some parts.
so the quality of the sheet goods may not be up to the japan specs.

It is worse than that the last time I checked. Honda makes and/or sources parts in 11 different countries around the world like Japan, France, China, India, Thailand, and the U.S (North Carolina).

In 2010 Honda opened a new factory in China for making portable generators. Since then many of their portable generators come from there. The EU7000 is made (or at least assembled) in India.

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iowagold

· #18 · 5 d ago

most of the china steel is ok unless the scrap material were sourced from India.

it is all about the mix in the steel for how stabile it is.
if the steel is too hot or over cooked on the batch it will rust way too easy.
these days the steel is mostly recycled. so it is only as good as the blend guy is picky.
or how well they got the slag off the top of the pot.

cast metals are even worse right now.

Colt Carson

· #19 · 5 d ago

In my view, you don’t move production to a third world country to improve the product.

Reactions: 3

GenKnot

· #20 · 5 d ago

iowagold said:
most of the china steel is ok unless the scrap material were sourced from India.

The scrap metal recycling is big business in India. I am all for recycling, but if not done very carefully the end product is inferior to steel made from virgin materials. For example, much of the recycled steel has copper in it that is introduced from scrap cars. The copper causes molecular level weaknesses.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.7b00997

Since the EU7000 is made/assembled in India, it is possible that the fuel tanks are being produced in India and are made from inferior recycled steel. I don't see this getting better as the global market is drastically changing. The Honda generator of today is different from the Honda generator we bought years ago...and not in a good way.

Look at the box in this recent post..."Assembled in Thailand". They don't have to disclose the origin of the various parts in the generator.

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