Honda EU2000 off-grid prepper "torture" test

[uparmor]

OK so here is my thinking on this.....

I have the EU2k gen and it now has 718hrs. It semi-failed at 365hrs with a stuck open valve and failure to start. It spent 5 weeks in the shop after I ran a honda flowchart diagnosis on it and it came back as a stator issue. I took it in for warranty repair and they said it was a stuck valve 5 weeks later, handing me the bill, it failed again 13hrs later. Both shops I brought it to said 300hrs was a whole lot for this generator, and stated "it was a rec. use only 2 weekends per year generator." They didnt mention that low hour info when I bought it.

The shop also told me they NEVER, then corrected themselves, said hardly ever made any repairs under warranty. The service mngr. stated it was "always fuel related". They blamed my stuck valve on fuel (the same fuel used in my other genset, car, motorcycle, truck, pressure washer etc, with no failures).

So heres the test:

I'm going to run the wheels off this generator. Run it till it dies completely!

I am using it 4-5hrs per day to charge batteries. We just do not get enough solar during winter months. It has 700+hrs now. I have heard/read it will go to 1k, some say 1500hrs. I am going to run it till it is finished.

I will post every detail of the test. Everyone on the net will know how these generators are built and how long they will survive. It semi-failed at 365hrs and had to be repaired. From everything I read these generators have extremely weak return springs. The shop tech said they were so weak a 1yr-old baby could push them together.

I will change the oil every 100hrs (suggested by factory) with mobil 1 10-30.
I will also run it with the eco-button off the first 5 mins of run to get it hot and burn off valve sooting. So far the 5 min blast seems to be keeping the valve guides from getting gunked up and sticking again. The valves did stick 13hrs after the first repair, and before I started running full-throttle, but started later that day. I ran the gen full throttle for 30mins after that. I use non-eth premium and seafoam in the fuel. The gas never has a chance to get old. I use almost 5 gals per week now.

I am adding about 140-150hrs per month so I will post back if when it fails.
I should start a go-fund-me account to help pay for this. I had originally planned to sell it as a high hour gen and get 600 to help buy a new one. But I am kind of frosted at Honda for blaming every failure on gas.

So here we go......

[EXTREMEOPS1]

Well that is a shock to hear but look forward to your updates so much for honda reliability

[steel30]

I am in the market for a 2k watt generator and Honda is #1 on the list...Guess I will wait and see...

[uparmor]

Well that is a shock to hear but look forward to your updates so much for honda reliability

To make repairs harder honda designed this engine as a mono block without a head to remove for easy repairs. Engine tear down is a solid 12hrs for a honda shop tech.

It gets worse......

All new honda generators have "Made in china" on the side of the box. They are not made in japan any longer. Mine was made in japan and lasted to 300hrs. How long do you think chinese crap will last?

[SonOfaDI]

Tracking this thread as that very model was 1 of 3 i am researching for the 3x a year blackouts we have here in this 3rd world city....

[bruss01]

How often do you treat with Seafoam? At the rate you use it once a week sounds good. It will help avoid fuel-related problems and it's cheaper than a shop bill.

[becxltoo984]

Keep us updated . I also bought an EU2000i this past year ....

[Oceanbob]

Both shops said 300 hours was a lot for a Honda EU2000i...?

I am having a problem with that....

I know people who get 2000 hours on up to 4000 hours on these Hondas.

Sure, they need maintenance, oil changes, filter changes and synthetic oil.

Keep us informed....

Bob

[uparmor]

Both!

Both said it was an occasional use recreational generator with plastic internal parts not made for my type of use.
The first shop wanted to do a complete service because of "high" hours before he would attemp any warranty repairs.

He wanted to clean combustion chamber, valve adjustment and spark arrestor clean before any repairs. He refused to fix the generator.

Both shops said 300 hours was a lot for a Honda EU2000i...?

I am having a problem with that....

I know people who get 2000 hours on up to 4000 hours on these Hondas.

Sure, they need maintenance, oil changes, filter changes and synthetic oil.

Keep us informed....

Bob

[KevinB]

Sorry, wrong tool for the wrong job. You cannot run a railroad spike with a tack hammer and complain when it won't do the job.

I can not think of a better made generator than a Honda for home use. We have a eb 11000 that has 2800 plus hours on it and it runs just fine. It is properly sized for the task it is being used for.

It cracks me up when people buy these tiny little gen sets and expect them to work for a use they were never intended for.

If you have a gen set that won't run everything you want all at the same time you screwed up and bought the wrong unit.

Rule of thumb with any gen set application is to find total load and double it. Most homes will need a minimum of a 7.5 kv continuous duty gen set.

At the ranch we have a multiquip 15 kv unit that backs up our solar when the power grid is down. It is a bullet proof unit that works to perfection. With the low snow forecast for next week it and the short stormy days it will get a workout.

Buy once-cry once

[Funbaby]

Interesting; the EU2000i is next item I am thinking of acquiring for emergencies.

[Oceanbob]

Sorry, wrong tool for the wrong job. You cannot run a railroad spike with a tack hammer and complain when it won't do the job.

I can not think of a better made generator than a Honda for home use. We have a eb 11000 that has 2800 plus hours on it and it runs just fine. It is properly sized for the task it is being used for.

It cracks me up when people buy these tiny little gen sets and expect them to work for a use they were never intended for.

If you have a gen set that won't run everything you want all at the same time you screwed up and bought the wrong unit.

Rule of thumb with any gen set application is to find total load and double it. Most homes will need a minimum of a 7.5 kv continuous duty gen set.

At the ranch we have a multiquip 15 kv unit that backs up our solar when the power grid is down. It is a bullet proof unit that works to perfection. With the low snow forecast for next week it and the short stormy days it will get a workout.

Buy once-cry once

Good advice.....^^^^^

Food for thought.

Be well and the best in the coming New Year Kevin.

Appreciate your ideas and experiences.

Be well

Bob

[CAL.BAR]

Just what are you trying to do with such a small generator? Hell, I have the 3000is, and it barely runs a microwave and a few lights.

[Excitable Boy]

Sorry, wrong tool for the wrong job. You cannot run a railroad spike with a tack hammer and complain when it won't do the job.

I can not think of a better made generator than a Honda for home use. We have a eb 11000 that has 2800 plus hours on it and it runs just fine. It is properly sized for the task it is being used for.

It cracks me up when people buy these tiny little gen sets and expect them to work for a use they were never intended for.

If you have a gen set that won't run everything you want all at the same time you screwed up and bought the wrong unit.

Rule of thumb with any gen set application is to find total load and double it. Most homes will need a minimum of a 7.5 kv continuous duty gen set.

At the ranch we have a multiquip 15 kv unit that backs up our solar when the power grid is down. It is a bullet proof unit that works to perfection. With the low snow forecast for next week it and the short stormy days it will get a workout.

Buy once-cry once

I don't see anywhere that the OP mentioned it not doing the job he bought it for. As I read his post, he was having mechanical issues. It's a Honda. We buy them because they're generally mechanically very reliable. In our house we have a Pilot, a CR-V, a Honda Mower and a small tiller. They all run great.

Interesting; the EU2000i is next item I am thinking of acquiring for emergencies.

I was looking at buying the master/slave pair for added versatility of increased load and/or redundancy for emergency back up of a couple critical things, not the hole house.

Very curious to see how this works out.

[KevinB]

I don't see anywhere that the OP mentioned it not doing the job he bought it for. As I read his post, he was having mechanical issues. It's a Honda. We buy them because they're generally mechanically very reliable. In our house we have a Pilot, a CR-V, a Honda Mower and a small tiller. They all run great.



I was looking at buying the master/slave pair for added versatility of increased load and/or redundancy for emergency back up of a couple critical things, not the hole house.

Very curious to see how this works out.

Try driving your Honda's wide open all the time and see how they last.