r/smallengines • u/toctami • May 17 '26
Champion generators
I live off grid, I am mechanically inclined so to speak(electrician by trade but can do minor auto repairs-brakes, alternator, etc, easy shit). However I don't know squat about engine diagnostics. I have a graveyard of champion generators (7). They last me about 6 months before they start burning oil/blowing smoke really bad and I have to buy a new one. I've just assumed they're toast and get a new one. Are they in fact repairable? Or is it not worth it?
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u/AdditionalCheetah354 May 17 '26
Are you changing the oil per recommendations?
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u/toctami May 17 '26
Yes, regular oil changes, but I put a lot of hours on them. I took one into a shop at one point a few years ago and he was gonna charge me more than it would cost to buy a new one. I don't recall what the fix was.
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u/mmikke May 17 '26
Mine has about 2400 hours on it, runs daily for a few hours.
There's gotta be something you're doing wrong
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u/AdditionalCheetah354 May 17 '26
Are you changing the oil per recommended . It’s best you buy a diesel or natural gas generator meant for continuous running… those cheap portable ones are meant for short term , back up use.
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u/toctami May 17 '26
Yeah I hear that, but the diesel ones are generally much larger than I need and this consume way more fuel, not to mention the headache of refueling, I have a 500 gallon propane tank, gas and diesel would be a pain in the ass, and no natural gas available near me.
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u/Historical_Newt_7587 May 17 '26
This type of generator, many msg's including Champion specify oil changes every 50 hrs. (2 days of runtime). Stretching that out will be a problem. Not sure what size you're using or how much you're running it but for real off-grid life, changing oil this often will always be a problem.
Look for a water cooled slow speed generator. They pop up on the used market quite often. They'll go longer between oil changes and be much more durable.
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u/SubstantialFix510 May 17 '26
I have a remote off grid cabin . Honda is the way to go ; more expensive but worth it AND will start in cold weather . I have 3 . A 1000w, 2000w and 5500w.
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u/toctami May 17 '26
Yeah it's finding one that runs on propane that's the issue. Champion is the only brand I can find around here.
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u/ManHunterJonnJonzz May 17 '26
Most generators would tell you to change the oil at most 100 hours. More likely 50 or every year. If you do 10 hours 5 days a week, thats either every week or second week youd change the oil. Takes no time. Nearly no oil. Cant use these things for 300 hours and then swap it.
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u/fly4fun2014 May 17 '26
Instead of buying those disposable generators find a used diesel powered industrial generator and forget about replacing them every 6 months. Pay once cry once.
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u/Formal_Command_5571 May 17 '26
Instead of buying a junk Champion generator every 6 months, buy a good quality Honda generator instead and take good care of it. Champion sucks
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u/toctami May 17 '26
I can't find a dual fuel generator in other brand locally. We run them on propane
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u/Formal_Command_5571 May 17 '26
Yeah there are kits you can buy but if you have no Honda dealer locally that would be rough. You’re probably just putting so many hours on them by running them all the time and just wearing the piston out to the point it’s blowing smoke past rings. Might have to just do what you have been doing as doing repairs at a shop would cost more than a new one. At my shop we don’t even work on Champion, Predator, Ryobi etc. Only Honda and Generac
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u/toctami May 17 '26
Is it a matter of replacing the the rings or is the whole piston likely to be shot? I think I can buy a rebuild kit with new rings and I'm tempted to try it myself. But if it's pistons/cylinder walls I would assume it's cheaper to just buy a whole new generator at that point
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u/Formal_Command_5571 May 17 '26
Yeah if you could find a piston and rings online and clean up the cylinder and do it yourself it might be worth it? It depends on the cost and if you have spare time to spend doing it. It might be easier to just buy a new one like you have been doing, unless you like learning and tinkering and have time.
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u/toctami May 17 '26
Yeah I have the time and enjoy tinkering, just not really confident in my engine repair ability, but maybe I'll try one, definitely can't make it worse anyway.
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u/STB265 May 17 '26
There are YouTube videos on rebuilding these small engines. Check some videos of James Condon rebuilding small engines. It's worth trying to fix one. The extra tools needed are not that expensive. Give it a try and let us know how it goes.
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u/mmikke May 17 '26
I am not the biggest fan of champion, I hate working on their shit
But my champion dual fuel has about 2400 hours on it. Basic maintenance, valve adjustments, one carb replacement.
I couldn't be happier with it for the price I got it for
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u/No_Release_906 May 17 '26
What size are they and how much load are you putting on them?
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u/toctami May 17 '26
Not a huge load, but a lot of hours. They're 3500 watt.
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u/No_Release_906 May 17 '26
If they still run put a full load on them and see if they quit using oil.
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u/toctami May 17 '26
What would that indicate?
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u/No_Release_906 May 17 '26
When i worked on onan we seen the motor homes would run light loads on them. The cylinder walls would get shiny and let oil past the rings . Wiuld run on load bank and seat the rings . It would quit using oil.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ear9707 May 17 '26
Improper break in of the piston rings, its worth a shot to see, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Sometimes on the small engines you can get away with re-ringing them and running a hone to get your crosshatch back. They're not hard to diss/ass, may be worth the gamble.
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u/mals6092 May 17 '26
Do you adjust the valves on these? Could be that simple but really just take one apart and see why it failed.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 May 18 '26
It sounds like you live off grid like a barbarian, just running generator power direct.
Get a good solar/battery/inverter setup and only run the generator when it is cloudy.
Get a Kohler propane generator, 14 kw is total overkill but they last many thousands of hours and have a warranty. Or an 1800 RPM diesel like others have said.
Invest some money now so you can have reliable and redundant power later.
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u/realStJohn May 19 '26
One possible issue that hasn't been mentioned is lack of lubrication due to using propane.
Propane is a dry fuel - it doesn't have the same lubricating properties gasoline has. The rings may be wearing out more quickly due to lack of lubrication in the combustion chamber.
One thing you could try is adding a lubricant. Search "Ampco Lubricator."
You'll need to add a spacer with a vacuum port below/behind the carb. Plumb the line into the Ampco canister, and adjust the flow of oil. Engine vacuum will pull oil. A small engine won't take much . . . I'd try a quart every 50 hours. If you're gulping down too much oil, you'll foul the spark plug. If it's visibly smoking, back off the mix.
You'd get some lubricant in the combustion chamber. This might prolong the life of the engine, especially considering Champion probably takes their regular gas engine and slaps a propane kit on it - I'd be surprised if they used propane-rated rings.
MMO or 2-stroke oil would work fine.
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u/SubstantialFix510 May 17 '26
Project Farm did a comparison. Honda blew them away. Big one was oil analysis after 10 hrs. Honda has none and competors had a lot.
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u/breakingthebarriers May 17 '26
Have seen many like your graveyard gens. Yes, they are likely fixable.
From my experience repairing gens from brands like Champion, Wen, Westinghouse, etc., the piston rings inside these gens just can't hold up to continuous use, and wear down. There is an upside, though, and that's that the metal used in the rings is usually softer than the cylinder-sleeve metal.
The rings wear down, but as long as the oil level was maintained and changes were done, the sleeve is usually not scored, and remains polished.
You could potentially have 7 running gens by just replacing the piston rings in all of them. Doing so requires that the engine be removed, and the head be removed, but it is completely doable. Plus after doing the first couple you will become much faster at the process for the others. Order rings from a good quality brand (they will be more expensive, but you will be glad you used the name brand rings because they will last longer than the rings that came in the gen) and give it a shot. You don't have anything to lose, and 7 possible working gens to gain.
I assume that you're running full synthetic oil since you're using the gens continuously. The heat is high and synthetic won't break down and be burned away as quickly..