After having installed a new carburetor on the larger Briggs generator we have there was still a matter of fixing the slightly smaller Champion generator that had also started acting up. The Briggs genny at one point had to be run on a makeshift propane hookup since the Champion started messing up right when we needed it the most, during a rain storm (of course!) The Champion had gradually started running worse and worse until the thing would barely run under no load conditions.
So with the Champion out of commission, we focused on the Briggs, getting another carb for it and getting it restored back to normal operating order. Since other obligations came about, getting a carb for the Champion was put on the back burner. Finally we managed to get a chance to get a new carb for the Champion so we can get that unit restored just as well. Part of the problem here is the simple fact that storing these gennies outside, ages the machines way faster due to moisture causing problems with the carburetors mainly. So to help remedy this, we took the Champion up to the garage to store it under cover to keep it safe from the elements since it won't be used as long as the Briggs is still operational. Not to mention we are planning on getting a whole house propane genny soon so we won't even need the Briggs, meaning that it too needs to go under cover to keep it protected from the weather. So with the new carb in hand we hauled the Champion up to the garage to install the new carb, and of course keep the machine up there after testing the machine out. This should be a pretty quick in and out job since the carb is only held on by two nuts on the studs that hold the carb in place. The air cleaner assembly had been disassembled before when the genny was starting to act stupid and was needing constant shots of starting fluid to get it going. Pulling the inner portion of the air cleaner assembly loose to gain access to the two nuts then removing the two nuts and a single bolt behind the air cleaner assembly had the unit removed from the carburetor. With the assembly freed, all I had to do was pull the linkages from the top of the carb and slide the unit free from the engine. As stated, with the hardware pulled free, the carb was quickly removed and the new unit installed. Before installing, I had to smear a thin layer of gasket maker, taking time to make sure excess goop didn't make it into any cavities around the passages where air and/or fuel vapor need to move through. With the gasket maker in place I pressed the carb against the intake on the engine and we quickly put the air cleaner housing back on along with the choke lever so I could get the two nuts installed in order to get the carb mated nice and tight against the intake with the gasket maker in place while it was still evenly spread. With the air cleaner assembly bolted back up, including the inner housing, I plugged up the fuel hose and got ready to start the unit up. We sprayed some starting fluid into the carb and pulled the cord, getting the engine to start, then it died. Tried it again, it started, then it died. I pulled the fuel line off to verify that there was fuel moving from the tank into the carb, there was liquid flowing. Note that I said there was liquid flowing. This is where we get to the crux of the situation. Because the genny was sitting outside for so long, somehow moisture was able to infiltrate the fuel tank and collect. If you know your chemistry, you'll know that water is heavier than oil, in this case gasoline so it will settle to the bottom of whatever container the two sit in, in this case, a fuel tank. Because of this simple little fact, there was water collected at the bottom of the fuel tank, where it was the first thing to flow down into the carburetor. I ended up pulling the fuel line loose and letting it drain out all the water until I put my hand under the liquid to confirm that the liquid was gasoline, not water/gas mixed up. From there I had to remove the float bowl from the carburetor to remove the collected water there, then after reconnecting the fuel line, let pure gasoline flow down through the carb before putting the float bowl back on. After confirming that we had nothing but gasoline moving through all of the fuel system, including the carburetor, I reassembled everything and tried again. This time the machine fired up like it was supposed to and kept running, like it was supposed to. We let the genny run for a few minutes at open choke to confirm that everything was good, the digital meter confirming we were getting full output voltage from the machine. There was no leakage of fuel from anywhere and the engine ran like a sewing machine. With that I shut the unit down, satisfied that the genny is now ready for use when the need arises. And with the unit stored under the roof of the garage, there should not be a problem with the thing collecting moisture from being outside getting rained on. All we have to do now is get a replacement air cleaner element so I can put the air cleaner back together completely that way the engine can at least run w/o the risk of sucking up dirt and dust from the environment. With that, we managed to get one more item removed from the outside grounds of the homestead and put up like it should've been and that item is operational and ready for use.
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