locked engine

wivrrat

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Hi. New to the forum. I have a Briggs & stratton portable generator., 6,500 watt gas. Its two years old and has worked great summer & winter. I live at 6000' elevation. Three weeks ago I was at my cabin and changed the oil in the generator. I put in 5-20 weight. It ran great for 2 hours while I filled my water storage tank. Today I was there again and tried to start the generator. 45' F. I pulled it twice and then it locked up. Would not budge. I took off the pull start thinking maybe the rope was tied up. It was fine. I could rotate the drive backwards a rotation or two, but not forward. I put the pull start back on and pulled again. It went the length that I backtracked it, but again locked up.
In checking the manual, it shows 5-30 for my unit. Would that difference in oil weight cause it to lock up? It never even choked, no ignition at all. Two pulls and locked. Never encountered this kind of problem before. Called Briggs & Stratton and they were no help at all. Said to take it in to a dealer. Thought I'd check with you guys. Thx
 

ILENGINE

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Take the spark plug out and try to turn it over. Could be hydrolocked from carb leaking fuel into the cylinder
 

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Is this engine a 10 HP OHV engine (similar as pictured below?)

In addition to the above, I assume the fuel tank is on top. Did you turn the tank fuel valve off when you left it? That carb, especially as new as it is, should not have leaked and IS gravity fed



*Once repaired, I'd run it with at least 30wt oil in it.

That engine gets very hot running at a constant 3,600 for hours/days on end..

 

wivrrat

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Is this engine a 10 HP OHV engine (similar as pictured below?)

In addition to the above, I assume the fuel tank is on top. Did you turn the tank fuel valve off when you left it? That carb, especially as new as it is, should not have leaked and IS gravity fed



*Once repaired, I'd run it with at least 30wt oil in it.

That engine gets very hot running at a constant 3,600 for hours/days on end..


Hi. Thanks for the reply. Yes it is exactly like the one pictured. No I didn't shut the gas valve off. I forgot to mention, I did take the oil fill plug open and lots of liquid flowed out. Much more than the oil I had in there. Is that saying I have gas in my oil?
 

wivrrat

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Is this engine a 10 HP OHV engine (similar as pictured below?)

In addition to the above, I assume the fuel tank is on top. Did you turn the tank fuel valve off when you left it? That carb, especially as new as it is, should not have leaked and IS gravity fed



*Once repaired, I'd run it with at least 30wt oil in it.

That engine gets very hot running at a constant 3,600 for hours/days on end..


Is that an automatic lock safety mechanism on the engine. If I drain the oil and refill, will I be ok. I don't run the generator more than a few times a month. Just use it to run my 220V well pump. So its not running more than a few hours a week.
 
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Hi. Thanks for the reply. Yes it is exactly like the one pictured. No I didn't shut the gas valve off. I forgot to mention, I did take the oil fill plug open and lots of liquid flowed out. Much more than the oil I had in there. Is that saying I have gas in my oil?

Yes it seems like you have gas in your oil...... The carb needs to be cleaned.... There is some debris in there holding you needle open and the gas is going in your oil crankcase......

Plus Tard Mon Ami ~!~!
 

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Is that an automatic lock safety mechanism on the engine. .

That generator is bolted down to a concrete pad (aluminum straps on each sides and the chain). It's for hurricane season down here and stays outside (under cover) 365. (Bought it used, 0 hours for $300.00 right before Hurricane Irma which got ran 28 hours straight)


Agreed to the above, the carb needs cleaning, you got crap stuck in the needle seat (leaking fuel into the combustion chamber) and eventually into the crankcase.

Here ya go, a VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1zIgTWmq68 (Look closely at 5 minutes thru 6 minutes)

(Same carb, different intake manifold, etc.)

Getting the carb off requires a really small 12 point socket which you'll see with the air filter cover removed.

You very likely have the NIKKI carb: https://www.jackssmallengines.com/j...12-0147-e1/carburetor-kit-carburetor-overhaul I haven't seen any other carbs on these engines but check with your model # before ordering anything

It has a funky rubber gasket inside once you pull the center, main plastic off (the float and needle are attached to that part).

With ethanol fuel, that rubber gasket comes loose, expands and doesn't fit well (a light coating of grease on that seal helps hold it in place)


 
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wivrrat

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Wow, unbelieveable. Just over two years old and only run approximately once a week and I have to do carb work already. Very disappointed in briggs & stratton. Thought I was buying a good engine.
Thanks everyone for the advice. Once I get it running again, I will shut off the gas and run it dry. I did have a problem this summer with it building up pressure in the gas tank and stopping the engine. Put on a new exhaust hose and I thought it was ok. Maybe it was still building pressure and forced the gas into the cylinder. Anyhow, I now know what the problem is. Thanks again.
 

ILENGINE

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Wow, unbelieveable. Just over two years old and only run approximately once a week and I have to do carb work already. Very disappointed in briggs & stratton. Thought I was buying a good engine.
Thanks everyone for the advice. Once I get it running again, I will shut off the gas and run it dry. I did have a problem this summer with it building up pressure in the gas tank and stopping the engine. Put on a new exhaust hose and I thought it was ok. Maybe it was still building pressure and forced the gas into the cylinder. Anyhow, I now know what the problem is. Thanks again.


Don't blame Briggs for that issue. All engines have that same problem. Kohler, Kawasaki, Honda all do it. What we or you may not know is maybe a piece of dirt fell into the tank when the fuel cap was removed for fueling. Or if the engine sat with an empty tank, maybe had condensation resulting in rust, and a piece of it broke free and ended up inside the carb. I pulled a carb apart about a month ago that was running poorly, and found a leaf inside the carb. that leaf would of never fit through the fuel filter, or float valve seat.
 

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+1 ^^^^

That engine (short of a high end, 4x's the price Honda), is an excellent engine. Parts are available everywhere. And that float/needle, etc (as shown in the video) IS very easy to clean.

Once cleaned, put an in-line filter between the tank and engine, that'll keep crap out.

Note: Even running the engine dry, a little bit of fuel WILL REMAIN in the bowl and if it's ethanol and NOT Stabilized, will gum up the main jet which is right at lowest end of that plastic piece. One month of sitting can clog it..

Being your running it often, I'd simply clean the carb, install a filter, and use a stabilizer like "Gas Shok". I'd keep away from Stabil (long story-IME- junk)



Just an FYI, for every engine of mine (and most customers) with this engine, I modify the float bowl for FULL DRAINAGE with ONE bolt.

I remove the bowl, drill and tap the center for a heli-coil (with RED Loctite). Then install a simple drain plug (see below). You just have to remove the black plastic lower cover to access the bowl to drain... No more clogging...

Some pic's:

Tapping the drilled hole:


The inserted Heli-coil:


Bowl now with a drain plug (where fuel WILL collect and varnish shut the main jet)
 
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