[Rtd16]

I have A Westinghouse Pro 12000 generator. 12,000 running ways, 15,000 peak. It's a beast. Had it just over a year, which is why I'm not getting warranty repairs done.

The generator has slowly gotten worse. Initially it would start and then shutoff after 10 seconds or so. It seemed that we could resolve it by leveling the unit better. Well now it seems clear that although leveling helps the biggest problem is that it stays fine in peak power but kills as soon as it goes into idle. We've discovered that if we plug something in before turning on the generator then it forces the unit to stay in peak power and therefore won't shutoff. If we run it like that for a few minutes then we can turn it off and restart it without problems when it goes into idle. It's almost like it only struggles when the engine is cold. Seems to me that should be the big clue to what's wrong. Anyone have some thoughts?

I live in a smaller city so no one is officially able to work on Westinghouse generators. The repair guys thought my problem was the carburetor flooding. They cleaned it out and the same problem existed. They thought maybe the valves were too tight. They loosened them and the same problem exists (after the mechanic left and the engine had cooled again).

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[Joeywhat]

I would look closer at the carb. Might not have been throughly cleaned. The idle circuit in there is pretty small, doesn't take much to restrict flow.

Is there a switch that let's the generator run normally vs idling when there's no load?

 

[Rtd16]

I would look closer at the carb. Might not have been throughly cleaned. The idle circuit in there is pretty small, doesn't take much to restrict flow.

Is there a switch that let's the generator run normally vs idling when there's no load?

Thanks. There's only 1 switch. It only goes into idle when the power demand decreases.

 

[Missouri Bound]

I would bet it is a fuel issue. Either a carburetor out of adjustment or bad fuel.

 

[georgemcq]

Pull the spark plugs......clean re-gap or replace with new gapped properly. Remove the air cleaner and clean / replace filter. Drain all the old gas and replace with new. They have additives that can be added to the gas tank to clean the system...something like Mobile Mechanic(?). Check for proper choke operation. Small gas engines are pretty simple in that they need air, fuel and spark to run.

 

[Let it Snow]

Take the carburetor off and clean it with carburetor cleaner. If it has a cup underneath with floats inside, that's most likely the problem area.
After you get it running again, quit using fuel with Ethanol. Find Ethanol free gas.

 

[Joeywhat]

Take the carburetor off and clean it with carburetor cleaner. If it has a cup underneath with floats inside, that's most likely the problem area.
After you get it running again, quit using fuel with Ethanol. Find Ethanol free gas.

That's getting more and more difficult these days.

If the carb is difficult to get to or disassemble, try using Berryman B12 carb cleaner. Toss a bottle in with a fresh tank of gas and let it run for a while. That stuff works pretty well, I use it on my motorcycles every spring when I get them out of storage. It's cheap and easy, if it doesn't work you're only out $6.