Checkthisout
Emperor Of Solar
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2021
- Messages
- 5,434
US Carburation sells a variety of solenoid priming and regulator bypass start enrichment devices. Typically wired in parallel with the electric starter circuit so they inject a richer propane/air mixture during cranking, sort of like a choke solenoid on a gas engine.
The hard starting Honda conversion in question has a little solenoid valve tapped off upstream of the regulator diagram with a needle valve adjustment to allow setting the amount of enrichment. Some other setups sold by US Carburation have a solenoid attached to the regulator diaphragm push button that allows priming during the cranking time to achieve the same thing.
Just found out that this hard to start generator has been run low on oil in the past (very low in fact) so I suspect it has valve train wear and the valves may not be opening fully. Next step is to test compression and valve lash.
Hard start when cold is valves that are too tight. (This assumes proper enrichment is being achieved)
Yanking the rope out of your hand on a Honda means the valves are too loose.
To decarbonize, take the plastic air filter housing off and then put some spacers behind the carburetor nuts and tighten it back down. Run it at full throttle and then hit it with carb cleaner directly into the carbon until almost stalls and then let it rev back up again and repeat until no more soot comes out of the exhaust.
Then let it cool off and check valve lash.
The little 2k/2.2k does not ever seem to need valves adjusted but it's still worth checking.