Honda EU2000i generator issues (low power output/tripping breaker)

[nomad661]

Hi guys,

Apologies if this is super basic but Google is kinda all over the map with what I can find.

I have an older Honda EU2000i generator (unsure of actual model year but probably around 2011-2012). I've only used it a handful of times but it's never given me any issues. When I first had it I used it to power a full size fridge and stand up space heater together without issue. I don't know the ratings of those two devices but it was presumably a lot higher than 750W.

It starts and runs fine by everything I can tell however it likes to trip it's breaker when I plug in a small space heater that claims to have both 750W and 1500W settings. It won't run on either yet I understand it to be rated for handling 1600W continuously. I could see it not running the 1500W setting on the heater but even the 750W setting trips it off. It trips, tries to re-set itself (evidently how they work), and then dies.

Engine oil and spark plug appear to be fine. Gasoline was pretty new 91 octane. Air filter is clean. I can't find any loose connections or anything that looks amiss. It did spend the last 3 years totally unused and only lightly used in the years prior but I have run it dry of gas before any long term inactivity.

Any insight into where I should be looking for the problem would be appreciated. Engines aren't my strong suit. I could take pics of anything anyone deems needed but don't really know what would even be useful at this point.

Thanks in advance,
Evan

 

[nomad661]

I'll start looking into how to go about that. Thanks!

 

[dwh]

Try smaller loads first. Can it charge a phone? Work your way up. Can it supply 1a, 5a, 10a without tripping the breaker?

The acid test is to bypass the breaker, but if you do, and the problem isn't the breaker, you might let the magic smoke out.

And there is another part of the troubleshooting process...does the space heater work on shore power?

 

[nomad661]

The space heater runs fine on shore power.

I won't be home until tomorrow but I'll fire it back up and try some various devices and see what it can/can't run. I'd taken it on my last trip solely to power the heater and didn't bother trying it on anything else after it kept failing.

Thanks!

 

[BritKLR]

I have the same vintage Honda. While I agree something strange is going on with it, the other thing I'm curious about is are you letting it fully warm up and off choke before plugging in the heater? We use ours to run the systems on our Tiger camper and at times in the high altitude and extreme cold if I don't let it warmup it'll simply die or pop the breaker. Good luck and looking forward to what you find out.

 

[nomad661]

Hmm. Well I suppose it depends how long a warm up really takes. The situation with the heater occurred in Moab around December 27th. It wasn't super high altitude (maybe 4k where we we're camping?). The temp at the time was prob between 25-35 degrees Fahrenheit. I'd let it run for prob 10-15 minutes before plugging in the heater. It was running normally (or what seemed to be) and off choke when I plugged it in.

If it would take longer in those conditions, I don't know.

 

[burleyman]

If it has economy mode, ECO, have you tried turning that off to increase rpm to help rule out poor engine response?

 

[dreadlocks]

Seafoam it, if it sat for 3 years w/out being ran good chance the carb/jets need a good cleaning and its not getting enough fuel at load... also try to only run ethanol free in these small engines and treat w/Stabil Marine, especially if you cant find ethanol free at a pump.

Ethanol gas absorbs water out of the air, and in a carb setup its exposed to air in the bowl.. so it'll turn to crap within weeks usually.. the new 2200 model has a fuel shut off so you can run carb dry to mitigate these bad gas issues that plague small, infrequently used engines.

 

[jgaz]

If you need to over haul the carburetor on your Honda, I found this YouTube video to be a good tutorial.

I use a small pair of hose pinch off pliers to run my carb out of gas when I know it won’t be used for a month or so.
If anyone would like a picture of what I’m talking about let me know. I’ll take picture and post it next week when I get back home.
Edit: I’m sure most know this but I’ll mention it anyway. You are able to drain the float bowl on the Honda carb even if you don’t run it out of fuel.