What a great place Ebay is to grab a bargain and meet new and interesting people.

I have found that some ebay sellers are not giving the full story in their description of the generator they are selling.

Here are some tips.
Read the description carefully, if in doubt ask a question.
Look for signs of repair.
Don’t be misled by term like “could be a simple repair” or “bargain for someone that knows about these things.

I have bought numerous generators that have been repaired by people that do not have the tools to effect a proper repair so you end up buying something that has had the original fault made worse.

As an example the Honda EU10i which is a popular generator…..these are very expensive to repair if the inverter pack has a short or fault, the inverter pack cannot be repaired so a replacement is needed but at £300 approx it renders the complete set as scrap.
 
Symptoms are :-
Stiffness when pulling the recoil.
Engine will not reach operating speed also the green pilot lamp will not be illuminated
Engine racing also the green pilot lamp will not be illuminated

Another example is difficult starting. This may not be the obvious blocked carburettor or low oil, in fact it could be the pulser coil, ignition control unit or worse…. the flywheel.
If it is the flywheel it could be that there are magnets missing due to the flywheel being removed with the aid of a hammer. Removing with a hammer not only dislodges magnets which are glued in place but also buckles the flywheel, either way you are looking at a new flywheel.
All flywheels should only be removed with a flywheel puller.

Symptoms of flywheel problems are:-
Starts then stops.
Grinding sound,
Excessive whining noise
 
Just one more thing.
Often with self repairs parts are missing, parts like:- mounting rubbers, washers, tank and support rubbers. All are important to save the generator from excessive vibration.
If you need to contact me you can ask a question on one of my auctions.
Please visit my ebay shop or call 07717840688