[Nameless Drudge]

Hello,i have just taken delivery of a Loncin 13hp 6.5 kva generator,meccalte,electric start.Got it pm yesterday from Robinson pumps,its new.Today i filled it with oil,petrol etc. and it won`t start.I took the spark plug out, i`ve got fuel getting there,when i put the plug to the bare chassis i`ve got no spark.I suspect the low oil sensor circuit and am hoping someone might know a way of bypassing this to rule it out.I`ll be on the phone obviously monday morning but with a bit of luck i can tell them what to send me if necessary,i`m in York,they are in Essex i don`t want to have to send it back.

[BDCS]

I'm going to assume you've got enough oil in it but to prove that put a brick under the wheel the opposite side to the oil level sensor - try to start it.
  The sensor will have one wire that you could just disconnect and again try to start it. It could also be an issue with the on / off switch. It could also be the fact that they are bean sprout made snides of a decent engine 

[Nameless Drudge]

Cheers for the reply,i thought long and hard about the loncin but then decided for infrequent use i would save a few quid,they have some decent reviews now as well.I think they now make engines for BMW under licence.
Anyway this non-starting is almost certainly electrical and the same wiring as on my honda 13hp,well it would be if it didn`t have electric start so there is no on/off button on the side of the cowling,just an ignition switch to help complicate matters.I don`t know where the oil pressure sensor is though,should i be able to see it or just a wire dissapearing through a hole?

[BDCS]

Its the same as the Honda - I've got an 11hp Honda and a 5.5hp Lochin in the garage at home and they are identical - even the wire colour. Thats why I bang on about buying the real thing - if it was a Honda you could take it to the nearest Honda dealer and get it fixed rather than sending it back to Robinsons. I know I have a locin but it came with the Stephill generator and gutter vac package that I bought from a window cleaner on this forum.

[Matt Gibson]

The sensor is for low oil. it should just be a wire going into the engine block somewhere.

[Nameless Drudge]

I`ll be having a bash at it tommorrow,this will be the same so it should help me know what i`m looking at,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-LOW-OIL-SENSOR-SWITCH-8HP-9HP-11HP-13HP-FITS-HONDA-GX240-GX270-GX340-GX390-/120865700920

[Nameless Drudge]

I think it fits inside the crankcase which is not good news but googling about seems to suggest unplugging it will stop it grounding the spark if its faulty.Very common problem apparently.

[BDCS]

I did say that in an earlier post - the black parts are in the crankcase with only the yellow wire coming out next to where the on / off switch would be on a recoil start engine

[Nameless Drudge]

I have a spark,yellow wire out of the crankcase into a 2cm square metal box,just 1 black wire out of this,it meets a connector and splits into 2 wires,a yellow which is connected to earth and a black that disappears into the electric start module.Splitting the black before it gets to the start module allows a spark and i have it running and my concern that it wouldn`t turn off again as i`d interfered with the circuitry was unfounded though i could have always rejoined the wire i split.
   So i have a dodgy low oil pressure switch needing the whole generator to be nearly disassembled to replace it or has it got upset in transit and might settle down.I`m wondering if its been on its side,bathed in cold oil(there would be a bit of oil in it) and is sticking,it might function again when its run up to temp.,i`ll ring them monday morning.

More importantly is a question to BDCS,do you regard the guttervac as a handy tool or a full solution?

[BDCS]

The oil sensor takes about an hour to change if you know what your doing but I'd expect Robinsons to send you another one and when the courier arrives swop for yours. I used to race pro-karts 

I don't think there is ever a full solution for anything but the gutter vac makes gutter clearance very lucrative. I don't use much of the original omni kit - only the power pole with the hook or a zero nozzle for unblocking swan necks. I have a sol 3000 by cfm and carbon poles.
http://www.ankef-cs.co.uk/NILFISK_CFM_SOL_2000_3000.shtml

[BDCS]

Well what was the outcome ?

[Nameless Drudge]

Fired it up yesterday and let it run,the revs started hunting after a minute so i stopped it.Rang Robinsons this morning and said i`m happy talking to an engineer for a remedy rather than send it back,waited for a call back and didn`t get one so called back at 10 to 5,got to talk to an "engineer".I said i can live with the oil pressure switch as it might decide to work once full temp is reached so what about a simple fix for the revs hunting.He suggested a screw adjustment underneath the air box somewhere so i said i`d have a go when its light tommorrow.He did say oil pressure switches tend to either work or not work rather than be intermittent. So i had a google about for 13hp revs hunting,its pointing to the governor wherever that is and some of this can be internal,could be carburettor gaskets etc etc. I`ll have 10 mins at it in the morning and i feel its on its way back.This came empty of oil with a sticker saying oil emptied for transit but i think thats how it came to them,i`m nearly sure this wasn`t run and fully tested before being sent out to me.Why would they bother to drain only .6 litres or so?
 When i first rang them enquiring whether a generator they had on ebay was up to the job i had a nice long conversation,was recommended to have a meccalte gen,a step up from the £478 model they sell,the chap said he`d have a look in the workshop/warehouse and see if there were any components hanging about to offer a bargain,so i got the 13hp loncin with 6.5kva meccalte and electric start for £470 delivered and i said yes because i was about to part with a grand or so for a stephill honda and was about sick of shelling out so it seemed a good idea at the time.

[BDCS]

I have a Stephill Honda and although I bought it secondhand its never missed a beat  The Locin that came in the same deal kept seizing valves so I run it on 2 stroke mix to keep the valves lubricated. There is a reason the Locins are cheap

[Nameless Drudge]

Its heading back to Essex,i managed to stop it hunting most of the time but  it still fancied doing it occasionaly so i thought i`ll try it under load.Before loading it with anything i flicked the switch to 110v and the engine revs increased and the whole thing shook/vibrated as if it was going to self-destruct,on 240v its happy so i put a 3kw load on it and it never murmured.The thing is cursed! They are sending a courier to pick it up,via e-mail i`ve suggested a refund.I`m thinking they would be in their rights to repair it/make it fit for purpose.I`d prefer a refund.Anyone know if i have a right to choose?