honda generator warranty issue

My eu2001i quit on me on the job site. Took it in to honda dealer shop to get it looked at. They came up up with low compresion caused by burnt exhaust valve. They say what caused the exhaust valve failur was running lean air mixture from bad gas in the carb. Found residue in float bowl.They say Honda wont warranty engine failure do to bad gas, understandable I guess. I always use fresh gas so I’m not sure how contaminates got in there.
Anyways, the shop said they would do an end around and not mention the carb or bad gas.I have to pay for new carb and install for $120 if honda oks the rest of repair.
Got the ok from Honda for repair but they only will pay 1 1/2 hours of shop time. So now on top of the carb and install I have to pay another 1 1/2 hours shop time to complete the repair totalling $291. Something is not adding up in my mind.
Generator is 13 m8nths old.

Easy to get contaminated gas. Happens more often than people think.
As for the other part of that, ??????? something isn’t right

This new warranty get out of jail free warranty exception card for “fuel-related problems” is complete bullsh!t IMO. Almost anything that goes wrong with an internal combustion engine can be blamed on fuel and the customer has little or no recourse.

Had exactly the same issue with Stihl last year. Brand new, in warranty machine and I end up paying to have it fixed because it was a “fuel problem”. Bad gas they said. BS, I said. No, said the service tech. The gas smelled bad.

Why does Honda not come with a fuel filter installed if their machines are prone to self destruction like this and the owner is then left with an expensive repair on an “in warranty” machine? Seems like a design flaw.

Ultimately, you probably don’t have any choice. You could try to complain to Honda directly and see if they will budge.

Or you write it off and use the $300 toward a new generator that can actually be used for something besides a monthly 1 hour tailgate party before the game.

Grouse

This is a multi implement dealership that is pretty big in our area and has been around a long time. No name will be submitted.
I have some negotiating to do so I want get my arguements in order when its fixed.
I hoping tearing into it for diagnostics is not a tactic to charge more.

The size of the geny works out well for powering the portable bandsaw and other tools. Works great for powering up new security gate installs when power has not been run yet. The welder generator I have is so big and loud its just a hassle to use in many cases.

My question would be can they actually show you where they found contamination blocking the carb, such that it was running lean?

If they cannot actually show this to you, then this is speculation, not a diagnosis. They’re telling you what they think may have happened, not what did happen. So where in the carb did they actually find the blockage?

Finding contamination in the float bowl is meaningless. That is proof of exactly nothing. That’s where particles SHOULD settle and finding particles there means that they didn’t get any further. Only finding contamination actually blocking somewhere in the carb is proof that their diagnosis is correct.

I find residue in the float bowl of every carb I take apart. It is virtually impossible to get gasoline that is 100% free of particles. That’s why engines have fuel filters. Why Honda does not have a fuel filter on a generator is a complete mystery to me.

Grouse

Thanks. I definitely will bring that up.
I know these are diiferent worlds. With my plate compactor I have to clean the carb ounce a year do to all the dust it generates. It has not blown up yet after 10 years of hard service. Than again its a Mitsubishi motor.

I’m pretty sure that you can go after the gas station that sold you bad gas if that’s the case. They have insurance for these things, I believe.

hl&sinker wrote:

They say what caused the exhaust valve failur was running lean air mixture from bad gas in the carb. Found residue in float bowl.quote]

I have to agree with Grouse on this one…This makes no sense unless there is more than just residue in the float bowl for their diagnosis. How do they know for sure it was even running lean let alone from bad gas?? Even if it was from bad gas, Honda has to do a better job of poka yoking their design so exhaust vales don’t fail after 13 months.

I really thought Honda was the way to go on small engines…I guess NOT!! I think it’s total BULLSHIT also that they are blaming it on bad gas!!

joe_the_fisher wrote:

I really thought Honda was the way to go on small engines…I guess NOT!! I think it’s total BULLSHIT also that they are blaming it on bad gas!!

This is, IMO, a classic case of coasting on a reputation from over 20 years ago.

When Honda was the first mass maker of small engines to make overhead valve engines, they WERE dramatically better engines. They started easier, ran well, and lasted a long time.

That was over 25 years ago. Everybody else caught up. I’d have no hesitation running a Briggs, Kawasaki, Yamaha or other brands these days. Honda’s engines may have been worth the up charge 20 years ago, but IMO those days have passed and they have been coasting on their past reputation while milking a huge price premium.

This is not unique to Honda. I’ve been less than impressed with a certain well-known maker of orange and white power equipment recently as well. I’m two for two as far as total failures of brand new Stihl power tools lately. Neither one made it a full year before crapping out. Legendary German quality…

Grouse