Free to me Craftsman generator-help me fix it!

[Badfish740]

My father-in-law gave me this 4200 watt 7.8 HP generator for free today. It's been sitting in his garage taking up space and he hasn't used it in years. Their power used to be very unreliable but now the utility company has beefed up the grid and they never lose power. Anyway, he told me that if I could get it running I'd have a pretty nice free generator. I can't figure out what kind of engine is on it though. It looks a lot like a Honda engine with overhead valves (the valve cover is stamped "OHV" just like on the Hondas), low oil shutdown, and bright red paint. It seems kind of weird though because I've never seen Craftsman equipment with anything other than a Briggs and Stratton, Techumseh, or Kohler engine. To complicate matters the recoil starter assembly is missing which usually has the brand name on it. Here are some pictures:

There is a sticker on the side that says "Generac" on it, but I'm sure that just means that Generac manufactured the units for Craftsman. Any ideas? I'm thinking that with a new recoil starter and a good carb/tank flushing I can have it humming pretty soon-just in time for summer thunderstorms! In the wintertime it should be able to run the blower on my Englander without a problem too.

 

[fossil]

Looks a little tired to me, the front panel is wanting to fall asleep...but find a model number on it, or otherwise identify it. Sears has great parts support available. You can probably download the owner's manual and parts list, and order anything you need from them. Generac may well be the manufacturer, as their name is on a whole lot of generators and pressure washers and who knows what all. You could try them too. Then there are a slew of aftermarket parts manufacturers & suppliers. All you gotta do is find something on the machine that nails down the model and then Google is your friend. Rick

 

[benjamin]

Is that black thing I see an oil filter? That's a good sign. What's the story on the starter? Did the FIL convert it to a wind up or is that rope just all that's left?

I'd do whatever it takes to get it started and run a couple of gallons of new gas though it, then decide if it needs anything.

 

[thewoodlands]

Bought ours in 1998 before the big Ice Storm, we have always changed the oil plus the filter on the generator. The low oil sensor is the only new part that we needed to change since we bought it.

It's been a great little generator for us, we have the microwave,fan for the propane fireplace & the fan for the woodstove, outlets on the island, the well pump some lights plus the furnace on the generator transfer panel. We added the fan for the woodstove on the generator box from the original setup and never had any problems with it.

Badfish740 here is a phone number off my owner's manual 1.800.222.3136 for the generator hotline the hours are m-f 8a.m. - 5 p.m. (cst) and if you give them the serial number & model number off the motor they will be able to help you.

zap

 

[webie]

That craftsman looks Identical to my Generac 4000 xl which is also a 7.8 hp . Its a great unit . I have only had to replace the low oil sensor and the breaker last year for the 30 amp outlet . The motor was built by Generac in Waukesha Wi . I was able to get a part for mine last year and I be willing to bet this is a generac rebadged for craftsman . Now here is the tricky part Generac was bought out by briggs .
Now if your FIL ran the gas out of it you are in good shape I have left mine sit for 3 years no gas and it fired up on the first pull , it always does but always run the gas out of the carb , I also empty my fuel tank . Look if there is some other id on the engine like GN220 . That would be a generac oh by the way the cross reference for the oil filter is for a fram is PH4967 .
I have a number for brigs (generac ) parts its 800-210-0393 . If it is a GN220 engine the recoil assembly part number is 81671GS.
Try your best to get this going it was and still is one of the most economical generators to run . I can easily get 16 hours from the 4 gal tank and have gotten as much as 24 hours .
I hope this all helps .
Ok so now whats the story behind the missing recoil ?
Ps my generac is a 1996 but they sold them up till a few years ago . I know as of recently you could still get complete engines .

 

[kenny chaos]

There's plenty you can do to try to get it running no matter what make it is.
I salvaged an old kawasaki years ago that was doomed because of lack of recoil.
I keep it in good shape and still use a rope to start it, even on the coldest winter days.
The recoil was over $80 and that was 15 years ago.

 

[Badfish740]

Is that black thing I see an oil filter? That's a good sign.

Yep-that should be easy to find as it seems like a lot of small engines use the same one.

What's the story on the starter? Did the FIL convert it to a wind up or is that rope just all that's left?

It was recoil start to begin with and the spring mechanism that winds the cord back up broke so he took it off and was starting it just by wrapping the rope around the pulley. I found a manual for it online and apparently you could get these in electric start as well with wheels, a handle, etc... I'll find some wheels and a handle to throw on it but if I can just get a new recoil starter I'll be happy.

I'd do whatever it takes to get it started and run a couple of gallons of new gas though it, then decide if it needs anything.

My dad is retired and buys, sells, and repairs lawnmowers as a hobby/side business. I'm going to have him go through the fuel system and clean everything out, adjust the valves, etc...because I want to make sure that it's going to start easily when I need it. I opened up the fuel tank and it has "that smell" that indicates varnish so I'm sure there is gunk and sludge throughout the lines, carburetor, etc...just due to leaving old gas in it for too long. All that and an oil change/new filter ought to have it running like new. I just wanted to get a handle on parts because I'd rather not order a new recoil starter as I'm sure they're $$$. My dad has tons of parts laying around and if there's something that will interchange that I can just slap on there that would be ideal.

It's been a great little generator for us, we have the microwave,fan for the propane fireplace & the fan for the woodstove, outlets on the island, the well pump some lights plus the furnace on the generator transfer panel. We added the fan for the woodstove on the generator box from the original setup and never had any problems with it.

Can you elaborate on the transfer panel? I'm getting a little ahead of myself but I was trying to figure out the best way to get the power where I need it. I'm going to take a guess that you're using a NEMA L5-30 plug to bring the power to a small breaker box? Is that hardwired to the outlets in the house or does stuff plug directly into that?

Essentials:

Sump pump (2) - I could cycle them if need be-they run a fair amount, but we lost power for five hours in a heavy rain once and we were still ok.
1600 watts total/2400 watts surge (but they wouldn't likely start at the same time)

Wood furnace blower - In cold weather of course-in the summer we'll just make do because there's no way this thing could run our central air unit.
800 watts/1300 watts surge

Chest freezer - I store a lot of ice in this one so I could cycle it every few hours if needed.
500 watts/1000 watts surge

Refrigerator - Again, it could be cycled.
800 watts/1600 watts surge

Extras:

Lights - If we just wanted to be able to have some light in the kitchen and living room.
500 watts

TV/satellite box - You have to pass the time somehow!
500 watts

Laptop/modem/wireless - What better way to pass the time than on Hearth.com?
1000 watts

So my constant load if all of this stuff were running at once (highly unlikely) would be 5700 and the generator capacity is only 4200 constant. Total surge is 6300, but again, the likely hood of both sumps, the wood furnace, the chest freezer, and the refrigerator all kicking on at once is slim to none. I think I'll be ok as long as I don't try to overdo it, but having a box in the house where I could turn breakers on and off so that I could easily cycle things would be great so if anyone has any ideas on how to do that I'll all ears.

That craftsman looks Identical to my Generac 4000 xl which is also a 7.8 hp . Its a great unit . I have only had to replace the low oil sensor and the breaker last year for the 30 amp outlet . The motor was built by Generac in Waukesha Wi . I was able to get a part for mine last year and I be willing to bet this is a generac rebadged for craftsman . Now here is the tricky part Generac was bought out by briggs.

It's funny-the numbers off of the engine were "ENG 98912" and "90466". When I enter those on Generac's website it tells me that they are industrial engines and I need to contact an industrial dealer. However, when I look online at the GN220 engine it looks identical to what I have.

There's plenty you can do to try to get it running no matter what make it is. I salvaged an old kawasaki years ago that was doomed because of lack of recoil.

The best thing about outdoor power equipment is other people's unwillingness to maintain it when it's running and troubleshoot it when it's not. So far I've gotten a John Deere LX170 lawn tractor, a 6 HP self propelled bagging Craftsman push mower, a McCulloch 610 chainsaw, a 2 stroke Troy-Bilt leaf blower, and now this generator for free! I would say that I spent about $100 total fixing all of it.

 

[benjamin]

The transfer panel I'm thinking of is a panel that contains two breakers/disconnects and a thingie that turns the main off at the same time it turns the backup on, in order to keep your generator from trying to power up the grid and zap linemen. It's up to you to shut off the water heater etc, and not turn on the dryer while you're running on the generator. Also, it's not recomended to run sensitive electronics on a small generator.

Unless your fridge and freezer were made by International Harvestor, the watts should be less than half your estimates and on intermitently at that. I think it will run what you want without a problem.

 

[fbelec]

that cover that has ohv on it looks like my 7 horse Techumseh