I have been attempting to get a friends generator working but the darn thing is being a pain in my rear. The generator is a Champion model 100165 Dual-Fuel. The unit quit running a few years ago. I am attempting to get it up and running so his children have a back up generator as they are totally "off the grid".
The first thing I did was give her a shot of ATF to lube the rings, check compression (it was very good), checked coil output (OUCH!), cleaned out the fuel tank (not too bad), screwed in a new plug, dropped the carburetor bowl (found a little bit of sludge), cleaned out the main-jet, blew cleaner through the passageways, checked the fuel shutoff solenoid (dang, it works, surprise surprise), gave her a shot of gas, and gave her a pull. She fired on that first prime, but now the issues began. She will only fire when primed.
I removed and cleaned the carb again (including the idle jet), reinstalled, no improvement. Checked the Low-Oil shut off sender lead at the crankcase, it was not grounded. Unplugged it anyway, no change. Checked for spark again (used a spare plug this time) darn thing has a heck of a spark. At this point I just knew it had to be the carburetor, so I ordered and installed a brand new one. Same problem. I even removed the new carbs fuel shut off solenoid (Pesky things), blocked the hole, and tried that. With the choke fully on, she will fire for a second (like when primed) and then die. I am beginning to suspect that it never was a carburetor problem, it is a electrical problem. I am guessing here, but could it be that the generators voltage is climbing and then it goes into an overvoltage condition and shuts down? I ask this because it appears (in the wiring diagram) that both the ignition coil and low oil level circuit appear to be tied into a module that Champion calls a VFO Diode. Interestingly, Champion's gasoline only generator of the same wattage lists this module as a Over Voltage Protector. Also, can anyone here tell me just what the function of the microswitch located at the gasoline/propane selector lockout slide is for?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! THANKS
The first thing I did was give her a shot of ATF to lube the rings, check compression (it was very good), checked coil output (OUCH!), cleaned out the fuel tank (not too bad), screwed in a new plug, dropped the carburetor bowl (found a little bit of sludge), cleaned out the main-jet, blew cleaner through the passageways, checked the fuel shutoff solenoid (dang, it works, surprise surprise), gave her a shot of gas, and gave her a pull. She fired on that first prime, but now the issues began. She will only fire when primed.
I removed and cleaned the carb again (including the idle jet), reinstalled, no improvement. Checked the Low-Oil shut off sender lead at the crankcase, it was not grounded. Unplugged it anyway, no change. Checked for spark again (used a spare plug this time) darn thing has a heck of a spark. At this point I just knew it had to be the carburetor, so I ordered and installed a brand new one. Same problem. I even removed the new carbs fuel shut off solenoid (Pesky things), blocked the hole, and tried that. With the choke fully on, she will fire for a second (like when primed) and then die. I am beginning to suspect that it never was a carburetor problem, it is a electrical problem. I am guessing here, but could it be that the generators voltage is climbing and then it goes into an overvoltage condition and shuts down? I ask this because it appears (in the wiring diagram) that both the ignition coil and low oil level circuit appear to be tied into a module that Champion calls a VFO Diode. Interestingly, Champion's gasoline only generator of the same wattage lists this module as a Over Voltage Protector. Also, can anyone here tell me just what the function of the microswitch located at the gasoline/propane selector lockout slide is for?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! THANKS