HF 900W Generator: No Start, brand new

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Solo2driver

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I'll preface this with the fact that I have never owned or used extensively 2-stroke tools or engines.

I just bought a Harbor Freight 900W generator (the little one, on sale) last month and since I picked up 2-stroke leaf blower for the house and had fresh gas and oil (50:1), thought I would start it and try it out.

Followed all of the instructions including fuel switch, choke, etc....and it won't run at all. Just pull and pull and pull. There is compression (it's got tension in the starter pull). I removed the spark plug and it smells like fuel but is not wet.

Other guys here and other places online say this little motor fires right up within 3 pulls, I am at like 25 pulls with a sore shoulder.

What am I doing wrong?

I admit I only put like 1/4 gallon in there with the intent on running it dry so there is no junk in the carb while it sits in my garage....I really don't want to fill the tank and have to siphon it out.

Shell 89 octane (fresh from pump) at 50:1 with Homelife (Home Depot brand) oil.....works fine in my 2-stroke blower.

Help!
 
If it's not something stupid like the kill switch is unplugged or in the wrong position, most likely it's the no-name spark plug.
 
Okay it ran for 45 seconds, then died.

Then it ran for 10 seconds, then died.

I was hoping to at least break it in on the factory spark plug!!
 
Sounds like a blocked fuel line or contamination in the carb. Bring it back if it's under warranty. Personally, I'd pull it apart but that's just my nature.
 
Another BITOG member is running an Autolite 64 in the same generator, which crosses to a NGK BPR6ES (Stock #7131). The gap is 0.028-0.031".
 
Last edited:
It ran twice again for less than 30 seconds each time. Let me run to the auto parts store and try a new plug
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Solo2driver

I just bought a Harbor Freight 900W generator (the little one, on sale) last month and since I picked up 2-stroke leaf blower for the house and had fresh gas and oil (50:1), thought I would start it and try it out.

Followed all of the instructions including fuel switch, choke, etc....and it won't run at all. Just pull and pull and pull. There is compression (it's got tension in the starter pull). I removed the spark plug and it smells like fuel but is not wet.

Other guys here and other places online say this little motor fires right up within 3 pulls, I am at like 25 pulls with a sore shoulder.

What am I doing wrong?


Sounds like you got a dud, take it back. No reason to try to fix it when you can return it and get a new one.
 
I still say it's probably a fuel issue. If the spark plug works for thirty seconds, it's very unlikely that there's anything wrong with it. Seldom is the problem an electrical issue if you have spark.

Pull the carb and look for dirt in the float bowl. Or at the very least pull the drain plug on the float bowl, put a container under the carb, open the fuel cock, and let a few oz. of fuel flow through to see if you can flush the float bowl. All it takes is a tiny speck of dirt to block the main jet.
 
Okay, found a pair of Autolite 64 platinums at Wal-Mart while I was there putzing around. Put a fresh one in, fired right up on the first pull!! Smoked like a banshee for about a minute, ran it for 30 minutes and plugged in a cordless impact driver charger.

Thanks guys! Now I have a spare plug too. The OEM one (Chinese) was all fouled up after all that cranking (but even when it was not fouled, would not start).
 
Good to hear you straightened it out. I am surprised that it actually was the spark plug. In all of my years of mechanical experience, I've only had two spark plugs fail. One about 25 years ago and the other earlier this year. The first in a two cycle power ice auger and the other in one of my Jonsereds chainsaws.

I guess that these Chinese spark plugs aren't up to the standards I'm accustomed to.
 
Originally Posted By: boraticus


I guess that these Chinese spark plugs aren't up to the standards I'm accustomed to.


That's exactly what it is. Lots of Chinese ATV owners had to replace these plugs right off the bat. Even a hint of fouling and they are junk.

Joel
 
When the plug in my saw quit, it would still spark while out of the cylinder but wouldn't while inside. That can be a bit deceiving. I stopped by a rural Jonsereds saw dealership to get a new plug and a carb kit. I bought both because I wasn't sure what the problem actually was due to the plug still sparking. I looked at the plug to see what brand it was and there was no name on it. I put it in the saw after a couple pulls, it fired right up. The carb kit is hanging on a nail in the wall in my garage. I'm assuming that the no-name spark plug is Chinese. However, since putting it in, I've gone through several tanks full of fuel with the saw/Chinese plug and have not yet experienced even the slightest lack of performance.

Are the Chinese plugs junk out of the box or do they fail over time? I'm thinking of changing the plug nonetheless. For five bucks, I'll know the plug won't fail while out cutting wood somewhere.
 
I suspect that your Chinese plug had a minute fracture in the insulating ceramic between the core and the body. If that fracture is small it might not provide a discharge path when the plug is out of the engine, however tightening up the plug to the cylinder head might open it up just a little bit more, just enough to give the spark a discharge path inside the insulator. Alternatively, when the plug is out of the engine that crack in the insulator might be a dry air gap long enough not to allow a discharge, but in the engine a bit of fuel might make it inside the fracture and provide the discharge path that prevents the plug from sparking at the tip. Cracked insulators are very likely failure mechanism for a poorly built plug. I've had great luck with NGK plugs btw, they seem to be top of the heap at the moment.
 
I've bought nothing but NGK for decades. The dealership where I bought the Chinese plug didn't have anything but Chinese. Being that he was a rural shop, around half the distance to town, I didn't have too much of a choice short of driving another 60 miles to get an NGK. Either way, I will be changing it out. I've read accounts of the ground electrode breaking off of the Chinese plugs. Anyone else ever hear of this?
 
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