How do you "winterize" a honda eu2000

[KyDan]

IMO Honda dropped the ball on this generator.
There is no easy way to drain the gas tank OR any
way to totally drain the carb. (Correction- I now know
there is a carb drain screw but no tank drain.)

I want all the gas out of there!!
Does anyone have any suggestions or helpful youtube links
showing how to totally drain one??

Yeah, I can siphon the tank as empty as possible and
then run it until it quits. That will still leave a teaspoon
in the carb that will eventually evaporate and leave some
gas gum behind

How do you handle your genny during the long off season?

[NWJeeper]

This is common for many gas powered engines Dan. It's why I use Stabil in all our stuff, the gas that is left behind will be treated and won't go bad over the several months of storage. Like other things like outboard motors, ATVs, Snomobiles etc you can use a fogging spray too to help. Personally I just leave the Stabil treated gas in my portable generators and go out and start them once a month.

We usually get enough power outages around our place to keep them in use anyway. Heck if moth in India farts we loose our power.

[KyDan]

I'm on the fence whether to stabil it or run it as dry as possible.
Problem is I have a whole house genny so the honda is not needed
except as a loaner to neighbors or for camping.
In fact, we took it on our month long trip in June and only started
it twice so my wife could use the microwave. She said she could
get by without it but we'd hauled it 4000 miles and by golly we were gonna
use it!
It won't quite start the compressor on my roof AC
We have twin 12v batteries and had no problem going a week
dry camping so didn't need it for charging either.
Every other stop had electric so low batteries were not an
issue.
It's a very expensive "insurance" policy as of now.

BTW my big genny is a 5.5 Kw brigs powered monster that
does have a carb drain screw.
I used to leave stabil treated gas in it but it's been a year since
the last extended power outage so I recently drained it into a gas can,
poured that into my car and used it up. Drained the carb and
always have at least 5 or more gallons in the garage. With
leaf removal, fall mowing, winter limb chopping etc, the gas cans
in the garage don't have a chance to go stale.
In an emergency I could siphon from my truck which is typically
full and under a cover in the garage.

Honda should have put a drain in their carb!!!

[powerboatr]

my portable circa 96 honda generator
gets stabil in the fuel and i shut off the fuel to the carb and let it run until it quits.
then my carb bowl drops off with one nut and i drain it and clean it out and re-install.

my tank is great , it has a drain , but i never drain it.

like many others mine doesn't normally stay dormant for more than a few weeks,
i use it often.

[milzat]

Dan,

Click here and scroll down to page 50 & 51.

It shows a Carburetor Drain Screw.

[kz08h5]

Use Stabil. It works. I use on all my gas powered equipment and a pontoon boat. I used to run the tanks dry but that is such a pain and a waste of gas.

[LadyWindrider]

Stabil works, High Test gasoline is cheaper. I use high test in the mowers and weed eaters, chainsaws, etc, and never have a problem. That may sit for several months. I am a mechanic, ASE certified Master Tech, but your mileage may vary.

[3 Happy Campers]

For the better part of the last 15 years I’ve kept three 5 gal gas cans in the garage. When I fill them I add the Stabil right away.
I then use the gas to fill all my toys as needed ie Quad, 9.9 hp outboard, John Deere riding mover, chain saw, weed whacker, Honda EU3000, Sears powerwasher, leaf blower.
When it’s off season for anything I top off the gas/oil so there's no air space, remove batteries if equipped & the unit sits.
Have never had anything that didn’t start when needed next.

I keep up with maintenance as outlined in each of the owner’s manuals.

[KyDan]

Follow up--
Thanks to Milzat for pointing out that I should have read my owners
manual. (I'm a guy and I hate reading directions!)
Turns out my honda genny has a carb drain screw with a built on
carb drain hose. No drain on the tank tho.... ya gotta siphon the
tank if you want it empty.
I also discovered it has a fuel pump! The owners manual
referenced above gives several steps to short, medium and long
term storage. Very good reading.

I siphoned the tank, ran it until it quit and then drained the carb.
I put it away under a dust cover. 3 weeks later we took a "last
trip of the season" and on a whim, I took it "just in case".
We visited Cumberland Gap National Park for 4 days.
No reservations allowed.
The electric sites were mostly full and the non-electric were
mostly empty. We grabbed a nice flat, secluded non-electric.
We watched TV every night using a little cigarette socket inverter
and used the LP furnace to keep the temps above 50 while
we were in bed and closer to 65 during breakfast and supper.
I ran the honda for 2 hours during breakfast on the 3rd morning
to top up the batteries.

It was an awesome trip made all the better by the flexibility of
being able to grab a GOOD site vs one that was much smaller
and un-level and right in the middle of the action.

If we get a warm day when I'm "piddling" around in the garage
I may drain it again but after reading the posts above (and
the owners manual) it's probably fine as is. (Tank is full
of Stabil-ized gas.)

[SaskCampers]

I just make sure I have a full gas tank that has stabil added and run the genny for abt 10 min. I then shut the fuel off and let it run till it dies. I have 6 small engines I od this with and it have never been let down. In the spring when I turn the fuel on, they all fire on the 2nd or 3rd pull or in the case of the EU3000is it turns over for maybe 2 seconds and starts..

[KyDan]

I can't run the carb dry on my EU 2000 unless I siphon the
tank MT.
The fuel shut off is also the ignition cut off.

[The_Stuff]

yup stabilizer in the fuel is good to. another helper is to use premium fuel. i guess the octane level helps it.

[SaskCampers]

Originally Posted by KyDan

I can't run the carb dry on my EU 2000 unless I siphon the
tank MT.
The fuel shut off is also the ignition cut off.

That is one weird setup. My EU3000is has a seperate fuel shutoff and ignition. It would be a real PIA to have to access the carb drain on it with all the panels hiding the engine.

[campnqueen]

Our Honda's live in our heated/cooled garage when not in use. We do use "Sta-bil" in the gas...works really. My hubby has been using it in all of our gas powered tools/generators. They never get gummed up!

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by TheSasks

That is one weird setup. My EU3000is has a seperate fuel shutoff and ignition. It would be a real PIA to have to access the carb drain on it with all the panels hiding the engine.

John, our 3000 also has a carb drain screw under the bowl. There is a vinyl hose from the drain screw outlet to a port on the bottom of the case. The drain screw is easily reached through the access panel on the side opposite the key switch.

[MotocrossCamper]

I actually went to a 2 year college for motorcycles and small engines, your very best option for not having any spring time problems is to use stabilizer and and start the engine every 2 weeks and let it run for 5 minutes to burn out the fuel in the carb. You can do all the draining you want but even the gas that is still inside the jets and up in the carb will gel up and turn rock hard and ruin the carb.

If you own a motorhome with a generator that pulls off the vehicles tank this is a must! Replacing those carbs is not fun and if you have somebody else do it your probably looking at 700 bucks. Most places won't even try to fix them, they have become a throw away carb so you just get a new one every time.

[mm12348]

I personally do not use fuel stablizer per say in small engines the stabilizer can be the problem for carb trouble. I do run engines every 2-3 weeks to keep them going, An ol' timer told me to add a pint of mystery oil to gas can to keep things lubed up in the vales carb cylinder everywhere the gas goes if gas evaporates it leaves slight oil residue, stuff been around since oil was invented just about and I never have trouble with my machines. PS they dont smoke either lol

[Oakman]

Jeez, I never knew people were taking such precautions with their gennys. I put STA-BIL in the fuel tank every winter and that's all I do. We just finished our 7th season with our Honda EU2000i without any problems yet.

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by Oakman

Jeez, I never knew people were taking such precautions with their gennys. I put STA-BIL in the fuel tank every winter and that's all I do. We just finished our 7th season with our Honda EU2000i without any problems yet.

Question for ya. Honestly now think before you answer.....
how many pulls does it normally take to start your honda
after it's been sitting for a few weeks???

Mine takes at least 10-15 pulls to start.
It was that way brand new out of the box and every
time since unless I started it yesterday or sometime
very recently.
When it was brand new I started it at home in Kentucky.
I played with it a couple times at home just testing.
I plugged in a heater to give it a load and burn the
paint off the muffler.

I put it in my truck and hauled it to Utah on vacation.
I decided to start it one day and I pulled that
!@#$%&*! thing until my arm was so weak I couldn't
pull it any more and it would NOT start.
I opened the gas cap. I removed the gas cap just in case
the high elevation had it vapor locked someohow.
I took out the plug and checked for spark- it had spark.
It was not wet with gas.
I pulled some more....
NADA.
ZIP.
ZILCH it would not start.
I called my son an home and had him look for a small
engine shop in Moab Utah. He found one on the internet
and I drove to this man's house to find a yard full of old
lawn mowers and garden tractors.
He said leave it and he'd look at it tomorrow.
Just on a whim I told him I was going to try it one more
time.
I pulled it one time and it started immediately

I took it back to our camp ground and started it and charged batteries.
It worked the rest of the trip but it usually takes me
5 or 10 pulls at best with the choke on to get it to start.

IS THIS NORMAL???

My Briggs and straton lawn mower starts with 1 or 2 pulls
after sitting all winter but it does not have a fuel pump
like the honda.
What's up with that??

[Herk7769]

Pull?

Starting my Yamaha depends on whether I am inside the camper (and use the remote start button) or outside where I just turn the key. Startup is immediate in either case. Beer Please...