That is a great break down of it Steve. Dammit now I want a 2000 watt honda inverter generator! All the cool kids are going to have them this year.
David
4 Likes
I have the 3000 watt Honda, its about 4 years old now. Have had no problems with it. started it when it was 0* F, When its cold out have to leave the choke out about half way fore a while.
2 Likes
Well some progess testing to report.
After the first six hours of mixed on-load, off-load, varied RPM running (.95 gallons of gasoline) the 10W-30 Honda brand bottled oil was still clear but smelled a bit like raw gasoline.
The pistion rings had not yet fully seated in.
The next .95 gallon tank full I less loaded, less highest RPM ran out to 7 hours before empty-dies
Oil no longer gasoline smelling then . Rings now seated. Oil still clear. Slight combustion smell.
Next .95 tankful I ran only ~400-500 watt loaded with just occasional load increases to force the RPM up for a minute or so. At 8 hours it was still running. Had to shut down before the wife came hone and I got busted playing with her upcoming birthday present.
Oil only very slightly starting to color now. Still a slight combustion smell.
The manual calls for 20 hours/one month on the first ran oil. Then 100 hour oil changes from then on.
I have it out now slightly overloaded at 1900 watts true electrical and will see now if I can get the rated 3.5 hours on a .95 tank full.
After this I will change the oil out for a synthetic. I will be tring a 0W-?? after reading fully ChrisKY’s put up articles by Bob? The OIl guy.
Next be dragging it around and cording into the two diffnert washing machines. The two diffnert microwaves. Then the still CRT TV’s and the one LED TV and other consumers we have around here. The old, old chest freezers. The newest 2013 refrigerator back to the first R134a, 1994 one.
I want to see if any are generator sensitive weak sisters. Shoot’en in the head and throw them into the manure pile if woosie-weak.
Part of DIY home energy is sorting out the usable/workable consumers from the sissies. Make the feets fit the shoes.
So far really, really liking this Honda 2000. If it just wasn’t so shockingly RED, Steal-Me! bright, stand out.
I traveled, visited now with three of the regional Honda Power Equipment dealers and now have a rpm/tach ordered from one. A service manual from the other. They were the only one with a Camo 2000 version in stock. At $200 more I passed up on it. And that one has been a Honda motorcycle dealer since 1962. They have ~50 time aged year by year models showcased around their building. Ha! I always used 2-stoke motorcycles. Better power for the weight/displacement classes.
A generator is a different application. You want QUIET. Best/lowest fuel consumption. per kW/h used.
More later
Steve Unruh
8 Likes
Steve,
Good information there! I need to get the service manuals for the EU2000i. I purchased a carburetor rebuild kit with each of mine but didn’t even consider getting a service manual! I got camo printed covers for the generators but never tried to run them with the cover on. I also got a 25 ft heavy duty contractor’s equipment securing cable at Lowe’s and the heaviest padlock I could find for each machine to discourage 5 finger discounts.
It occurs to me that the bright red color could be easily painted with two different colors of spray paint after masking off the labels and front panels - wouldn’t be RealTree, but could be make to blend in with the local colors
TimH
2 Likes
A little lesson I learned this week about the generator warning labels.
I brought my two Ryobi generators in for warranty claims. One was broken and beyond repair and was replaced with a brand new one. The other was repairable. Because the housing had a crack in it they replaced it without my authorization. They also charged me for a warning label and a missing housing screw. This was the bulk of the repair bill. I said the generator will work fine without the aesthetic items and I don’t authorize those items. Apparently I am forced to pay for those because according to Ryobi, it’s a must have before leaving the service shop. With several phone calls to managers and supervisors, I ended up paying for them anyway. What a bunch of BS.
5 Likes
On my more info . .
The 1900 watt overload test went went well yesterday. 3.25 hours to fuel the .95 gallon fuel run out. Exhaust was alittle stinky rich just kike it does at no-load, low loads below ~400 watts. So best uses is between 400-500 watts to 1300-1600 watts.
Long use loaded above the 1600 watt rating results in gasoline smelling oil.
A four to one turn down ratio is typical of a non-electronic feed back “dumb” carburetor system.
I did change the oil this morning to a 0W-40 Mobile One synthetic. 28F this moring and it cold poured better than the original Honda 10-30 oil or my stocks of 5-45 or 5-50 synthetics. We are predicted to be up into 60F days by next Monday.
This little EU2000 did well today on the two differnet Maytag washing machines: older top loader Performa and the front loader Neptune. Did fine on the two different microwave ovens 1.45 kW and a 1000 watter. Did fine on all of the TV’s and everything else that I tried.
Ha! Ha! My difficulty is finding that continuous 400 watt loading. Chickens now getting a 250 watt incandescent heat lamp as my base loading.
Yes RobertS I will be giving this to my wife early b.d. tonight.
Tired of all of the sneaking around.
I figure some time later sripping it down to the cases and inside out painting then John Deere green. That would not upset her. Then wear/use will make a marked up mottled appearance.
BillS we just do not get cold enough long enough here to arctic cold soak do any testing.
I did do some air flow smoke testing.
Had to drop my original idea to run with the access panels off. “to let the heats out for a longer life”. Ha! these operate too not-hot to need this.
AND panels off that killed the air flow past the detached cast aluminum inverter housing. Not good to allow those fast switching diodes to worked overheat!
DavidB you will probably understand this. The flywheel/alternator is a three phase WILD frequency just like a vehicle alternator. So . . . this inverter in these would be perfect for varying rpm/frequency mini-wind and mini-hydro projects!
The whole unit then a treasure trove of DIY possibilities.
I’ll keep selling off un-needed thing trough-out this upcoming year and eventually have three of these on hand, working, proofed-in. These will work out fine for the women in the family.
Ha! Then I can proof out if three can be synced together. I do not see why not from the wiring diagram. Only limitation I see is the receptacle out amperage capacity.
On woodgasing these.
One tip I developed is to evaluate a systems flow potential by the exhaust flow out of the engine. Engine exhaust flow will vary even more from the engines base size/rpm/displacement; than by the engines actual power out demanded loading.
Fully loaded up one of these Honda 2000’s would keep hot enough many of the gasifiers I’ve used once they would be fully heated up.
So my idea to just use two-three 2000’s would work on many gasifier systems AS LONG AS They were power demand loaded up.
Later gators - running home before my SHMBO beats me there to that still running generator
Steve Unruh
5 Likes
Hi Steve, Before hooking up your crimson Honds to woodgas, let me pop in a few observations. Last year I bought three inverter generators. A Predator,(harbor freight) a Generac and some other unit that had no name on it. The Predator was a breeze to switch to chargas and run, The Generac never did run well. The gas on/off switch was wired to the engine so you could not run it unless it was on. But it was still difficult to start and keep running on chargas. Seemed to me like it did not like the chargas and some settings in it forced to to run on dino fuel. The knock off generator was similar. I am not sure what was going on, but only the Predator ran well, started easily and ran consistently on chargas.
Gary in PA
8 Likes
Thank you for this “tried it” feedback experiences GaryG.
I lucked out and the wifie worked late and I was able to shutdown and hide here Honda birthday present.
I still want to work to remove the plastic toggle linking the engine electric shutdown switch from the fuel shut off valve. Then setting up the factory electric switch directly manipulated or replaced with a toggle snap switch.
Ran out to gasoline fuel empty it takes at least 5-6 hard pulls to fuel pump refill the lines and carb float bowl to starting back up.
I intending at least four units out to adult women family members including my wife. All, tough smart women. M
More than three pulls to starting up and they will start fiddling with controls, then flooding, spark plug wetting and cursing ME - The Failure to Provide Reliability.
Carb and lines left wet and these do start up pretty good one-two pulls. Problem there is I cannot relie on them to keep these ran monthly to keep the gasoline fuels refreshed.
Fuel line to carb pinched off to run until carb dry shut down; these then staring back up easily in just three pulls.
THAT is in their patience/acceptance ranges.
Ashley. Wendy, Barbra, Anna, Kelly, Jody, Rena and my Melinda are all able to handle chokes, fuel shut off valves and a on-off switch. And accept the personal responsibility of not getting things off, or on.
The one-button designers are an insult to these women capabilities. Male; Arrogance-in-design actually.
One of my biggest disappointment in this project has been the resurched out very apparent 30% as-received, then in-service failure rates in the Generac iX2000 units.
Our regional AG store chain WILCO has these iX units for $599. USD.
Twice a year they have an all-store 20% off sale. Late Febuary, and late Sepember. Means I could get this model iX Generac for $482 each. Yep: could get THREE for the price of one Honda EU2000i in Camo.
That would be OK for me, able to repair, fudge a two out of three, one out of three solutions.
For the ladies I need as close to 100% reliability as possible.
Very sorry to say now that I’ve just had too much (over 50%!!) failure rates with too much of Harbor Freight products. That is too high even for make-do, me. 100% failure rate for me on their generator heads and anything with a wooden handle.
I still buy consumables abrasives and cut off wheels there reliably.
Regards
Steve Unruh
2 Likes
O.K. the Honda tach/hourmeter came in so i did a full panels off tear-down; got it installed, the ignition switch slpit out from the rotary knob fuel shut off.
Here are the results:
Eco-switched on unloaded is solid 3000 rpm.
400 watt load it first sags to ~28-2900 then re-stabilizes back up to 3020 RPM.
Kick the load up to ~1300 watts and the Eco-ON RPM raises to 3300 RPM +/- 30-40 rpm.
Eco -switched off then engine unloaded runs at a solid 4300 RPM.
Light 500 watt load - no change in RPM.
1600 watt load added it sags to 3950-4100 rpm. 1300 watt load it RPM sags down from the 4300 but recovers back.
It is so great to not be Nazi-rpm locked in now for a synchronous AC generator head…
Honda pn for this tach/hour meter is 08181-ENM-036AH
Actual product is a made in USA:
Model PT15 made by ENM Company 5617 Northwest Highway, Chicago, IL 60646
36" wire leads.
Two tries to get a snap toggle switch installed. The factory switch was a plunger/snap type always ON - plastic link pushed and held open/off.
Ended up with the toggle externally protruding at edge of the inset rotary fuel shut off well in the 10:00 o’clock position to that.
Works intuitively slick now.
Knob rotated CCW Up for fuel On - same hand thumb flips up the toggle switch for ig ON/run.
Thumb the switch down for engine ig OFF. Same hand finger tip rotating fuel shut off knob CW Down for Off/closed.
Now I have independent control.
Takes a full minute for the fuel to be used up in the carb bowl and fuel lines and fuel pump.
I will now try rerouting the shut off valve from between the tank to the pulser fuel pump; to between the pump and and the carb to see if I can shorten that time and the pulls to refill down.
Sigh. Just to cool and 100% falling out of the sky humid here to paint the new plastic case panels.
I settled for over taping the end black panels with two strips of 2" wide yellow and black reflective safety tape.
The red side panels with two stripes of white and red reflective safety tape.
Apart: all of the panels, engine, flywheel/alternator housing, inverter, fuel tank got yellow paint penned with my Washington State divers licence number. Town, city, county cops can all tap into the State Patrol data base.
Idea is instead of camo hiding it you turn it into a coral snake.
All my professional tools are marked this way inside and out. Pawn shops do not want visible stolen merchandise. Hard to garage sell then.
MY stuff gets carbide tip scribe then paint penned over with “Stolen from Steve Unruh” then my WDL. And I use 2" wide 3M yellow vinyl tape as the see-from-a-distance.
Wifie would not like her Tool looking like any of mine.
Actually came out looking good like a factory decal job.
Ha! I refective taped over ALL of the Honda naming, model number and such. “to protect them from scuff wearing”. Proper temp with a heat gun and my tape can be lifed off without factory logo damaging.
And yes BillS I did leave all of the safety labeling uncovered clear. All except the State of California Forestry one declaring the need for a certified spark arrested. I am Not in Kal-i-forn-i-a so does not apply to me.
My tape overs a moot point anyhow since I have now defeated a factory “safety” ig/fuel interconnect.
Will be breaking Calif/US EPA emmision laws once I start fuel lines rerouting.
It’s mine now. And I love this freedom from dictations.
Night. Night. More later.
Steve Unruh
3 Likes
Thanks for the share on the book. I ordered a copy for myself and Orlando Sanchez. He makes a very powerful turbine. My turbine is in garage right now. On hold until I get gasifier complete : )
This is my current set up. Working on cooling tower for gasifier today…
`
5 Likes
WE ARE THE OUTBACK BORG, RESISTANCE IS FUTILE YOU WI’LL BE INVERTED. Nice inverter set up there. So Steve, even I know you don’t void the warrantee on someone else’s present!!! 
I laugh, I cry because that is totally what I do as well.
David Baillie
5 Likes
Nice project picture Britt.
There is a new fictionalize book set about a post-event group who by the second year-after, took over a commercial ridge windfarm and converted the 300 footers one by one to electric hydrophobic heat green houses they made up out of abandon houses materials. Setting was real places in upper NW corner of Illinois.
Mike Mullin’s 2011; Ash Fall. 2012; Ashen Winter. 2013; Sunrise.
These are in the young adults section. Pretty serious stuff our youths are reading.
Windmill working forward starts at the tail end of book 2.
Scary reads actually with FEMA holding camps, prison based rover gangs and such.
Surprisingly hopeful with the folks with skills, determination, and pluck clustering up to have new marriages and babies by the third year post-event.
Done-it. Can-do-it-again skills are what is portable, valuable always. As I say now keep Projecting, Real, on-hands, dirty-now while it is easy possible: to practice for when it later it would be very, very difficult.
Yeah DavidB I learned the value of warranty blissing back in early 1987 with my Suzuki Samurai. It would warm cruise surge running too lean. Needed to drill and pop out a anti-tamper cover plug and give just a half turn on the mixture screw.
Next time into the dealership for mandatory warranty maintenance/inspection work they found this. Read me the riot act. Reset the mixture to “cerified” tail pipe out, too lean, reinstalled a new plug and charged me extra for it all.
Like BillS, yes I did have to pay to get the keys back.
Took it back to our shop. Popped and discarded the plug. Re-tweek to where I wanted it and never took it back. SAVED me hundreds $'s in “manditory mantences” for it’s first 36 month period. Drove that vehicle for 14 years.
My wife insisting buying the Hyundai Tucson was the bugger-do. For that first 100,000 miles ( three years with her nursing) had to search out for Shell oil only (engine was factory stickered with “Hyundai Prefers”), and use Hyundai dealership oil filters.
Her new Ford Edge gets actual Motocraft brand oil and filters I buy from Wal-Mart. Another 18 months playing that game. THEN I will play my own. Any BS and I pull out and wave around my old ASE Master certificates.
Small equipment I make my own after the initial break-in hours. By then use scratch worn a bit IS MINE NOW!
We Are All On Roads To Better
Steve Unruh
6 Likes
Thanks for the feedback.
Interesting concept. Prison based rover thugs. Add that to Government based morons acting like we should continue to follow their lead. “People of Flint Michigan, it’s safe to drink the water, trust us! …”
5 Likes
I buy my Borgs from Borg-Warner. Thanks for the feedback. It’s all a long process, but worth it. Now I just need a new pole barn to put all this stuff in.
3 Likes
Wait…To get the Hyundai warranty you have to run shell oil and their filters?
1 Like
Well Britt, warranty allowance is started at the lowest level and then you work your way local management up to manufacture’s representative…
Back in the 1970’s Delco battery division of General Motors thought to turn the whole industry on it’s head with their first Freedom batteries. The auto electric company I worked for was a licenced sign on the front of the building: Delco Products Dealer.
Your GM car/pickup battery went bad and you were supposed to take the individual Delco battery card out of the golve box. Go to any Delco dealer for testing and free replacement. We honored this. I’m the smuck had to submit the warranty claims to Delco for reimbursement. They had 54 reasons for claims rejections. Never once 1977 through 1986 ever got reimbursed for ANY of eight Delco Freedom batteries replaced. “Freedom” meant that they had created a paper shuffle system where they were “Free” from ever having to assume responsible.
We took down the Delco sign and replaced it with a Nippon Denso sign and moved on forward.
So, you betcha. I do not give them easy reasons for warranty claims rejections. I even save the flattened oil bottles and filter box flaps.
The Hyundai dealership came to know me well and did do two warranty repairs with no kickings.
S.U.
3 Likes
Well I get to play with this Honda 2000 for another couple of weeks. Explanation on Winter of 2015.
I wanted to compare this now to pack-around units from the past.
Ha! I did pack it running 300 feet from the woodshed to the back side of out house for washing machine and chicken light powering. Got to get my 8000 hour accumulating now with a (keep me honest) hour meter. Running the gyroscopic effect turning corners is weird.
Dug up this old book for reference"
“The Self-Sufficient House” 1981 by Frank Coffee
Page 171 he shows a 1200 watt Unigen brand unit. Cute little devil. 65 pounds. Had a carry about handle.
Looked to be a single cylinder four stoke B&S, Tecumseh flathead engine. In the small wattage ranges he refers to McCulloch’s 1500 watt (4hp) Mite-E-Lite unit. And a Honda unit.
This Unigen is listed at .28 (US) gallons an hour fully loaded.
.20 (US) gallons and hour at 1/4 (400 watt) loading.
I had been figuring the Honda 2000 in US gallons per kW/h.
1600 watt loaded it’s 0.17 US gallons gasoline per kW/h
Lighter 400 watt loading is 0.224 US gallons gasoline per kW/h.
Beats the old school by about 30% overall. Makes sense. Honda rated their new OHV and OHC engines as 30% better than their earlier sidevalve generator engines.
This suitcase 2000 is 15 pound lighter.
Much quieter.
And the Honda suitcase version had all of the hot spots shieled and can be against the body packed around.
NOT something you would do with old-school of any DIY’s I’ve made up. Too many sharp pokey spots. Too many will burn you spots. Oil stain your clothing, leaks.
FrankC’s is a good book to search out used. Good point of reference that the more we change, the same solutions work the best.
35 years later all of his ideas of passive and PV solar have come true 100%.
His wind power always were 100%. Same with his micro-hydro engineering.
His need for a standby/back-up engine generator for all of these have proven 100% correct.
He’s only fallen down on his 1981 fuel cells promoting.
Never to be. Dependent on Top-Down big $'s for the engineering, manufacturing. And then a dependency on too many little things rare and expensive.
Like the new diesels all forced to needing blue DEF catpiss in addition to dino fuel.
Regards
Steve Unruh
2 Likes
Hey Nursepracticioner1,
In your post 190 above with the photos, is that a Ben Peterson wood gasifier in the background? I have the plans blower and grate in preparation for starting one.
SteveUnruh,
I really appreciate the work you are doing on the Honda EU2000i!
TimH
4 Likes
More run data experiences.
Pulling over RPM registers as 260-320 RPM.
Ha! I did find another Eco-On RPM. 3600 RPM powering the 12.2 amp Sear/Kenmore(Panasonic) canister vacuum cleaner.
The Honda service manual did arrive:
ELEVENTH ADDITION Incorporates Y and Z Supplements #61Z0700E11
page 2-10 says to compression check you have to turn over at 700 RPM for 71 psi (0.49MPa)
This is because pages 10-1,-2,-3,-17 definately shows built into the camshaft gear there is an RPM activated “Decompressor Weight” cam lobe changing system. This is how it get’s its easy pulling over starting.
I did finally give this to my wife on sunny-day-here Super Bowl Sunday.
She had no problem one pull starting. She was just setting up to houses vacuum. She’s the one insisted yeah-nay vacuum cleaner testing it. Hense the 3600 Eco-on RPM discovery.
Then a friend of hers arrived they sat and chatted. Both impressed how quiet it was drip coffee pot powering.
Drip coffee warmer AND the microwave DID put it into overload shut down after 3 minutes.
This is good. I wanted a self power limiting use system. A wake-up to the woman having to step down in power expectations.
Does my wifie like her new birthday present?
“Honey. You really shouldn’t have.” No. Really. Hard to write just the right tone of you-really-should-not-have-overspent-done-this.
I expected this.
These surprizes only really be appreciated in actual grid-down power outages.
I gave her later that evening the owners manual to read while i re-read the service manul (four times as BIG). She set it aside and poured over some of the seed catalogs now arriving. New drying beans to try this year.
Woodgasing these.
This would not be impossible as GaryG pointed out.
But these 1600 actual wattage Honda 2000’s would not be optimal to woodgas fuel.
At an expected 1/2 power versus gasoline: 800 watts then would still be better/or the same as the earlier Honda EM30’s, EM40’s, EM50’s, EM60’s or the current Honda EU1000. But these all fall just a little bit short of even revised-down capabilities expectations.
The service manual shows clearly as I already knew that this engine has a one-piece monolithic (Honda unicast) cylinder head/cylinder/crankcase casting.
GOOD for no headgasket leaking and better heats transfering.
Bad becouse you cannot do any compresion ratio changing with just the cylinder head and gaskets. Only piston changes would allow for compression ratio changing. Not going to happen. This engine is 8.5/1 CR.
Other engines have used this type of construction the most prevalent the Offenhouser 4 cylinder racing engine 1930’s and on. Up to 13/1 CR. And they were made to be very high supercharger boosted and NOT lift heads and blow gaskets.
All valve seat and valve lapping work is done from the bottom up through the cylinders in these types.
All described, and layed out in this Honda service manual. This engine in this 2000 is not a throw-a-way type. Fully serviceable.
Intentional woodgasing use a person would be much better with the larger Honda EU3000l-Handi.
These have a GX160 engine that DOES have a removable cylinder head with then many CR and timing changing possibilities.
Read up JeffD, Wallace’s and KVL on these types on the “Hacking the Small Frame Clones” topic.
More later if there is an interest.
Now I am onto fuel pump/lines/shutoff valve relocating to get the cleanest run-out carb fuel emptying with the lowest pulls to re-prime starting up.
Getting really irritated with the needs-a-tool to remove side cover to check the oil panel. Gonna be some changes made there.
Steve unruh
4 Likes
Just a sidebar correction. The Offy was designed as a normally aspirated engine. For Indy 500 they sold for about $30.000 per engine. Ford’s V8 became the dominant engine.and sold for about $55,000 per engine. The Fords cost Goodyear a lot more money for tire testing as we accepted responsibility for engines and car. We hired Herb Porter to Improve the Offy and after a couple of long years he came up with the turbocharged Offy. That was dominant for a short time and Ford came back with a turbo for their V8 At the time our biggest hope was For Dan Gurney’s stock block Ford. He had more success with his chassis than the engine. TomC
3 Likes