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Electronic governor going haywire... help?

Rednecktek

Rednecktek

Solar Wizard
Joined
Sep 8, 2021
Messages
5,568
Location
On a boat usually.
Ok, here's a brain scratcher for y'all:

Predator 2kw inverter generator can't carry a load and the governor seems to be acting up. Here's a short video:


According to my Kill-a-Watt it's pulling ~700w (698-731w) constant load with a heat gun on low. In Eco mode the startup surge from a mini fridge will often bog it down to the point it dies. Holds about 350w OK but at 700+ it has real issues, and at 1500w it does the same thing more often.

I started by running a tank of fresh gas with some STP fuel system cleaner at about 3x strength. The bowl and jet are so clean I can see my distorted face in the reflections so it's NOT clogged jets.

Pulled the hoses, all clear.
Pulled the bowl and side jet, pristine clean.
Blew out the port into the fuel tank.

I noticed the governor freaking out under load so took a video hoping it will help. At this point I'm thinking the control board or the electric governor? Any other ideas? According to Youtube and Google I'm the only person in the world with this problem.
 
Wow, that is an odd one. What is moving the throttle plate? Is it actually just an electronic servo, no mechanical governor arm?

How old is the generator? About how many hours are on it?

My first guess is that the engine is way down on power. 700 watts is only 35% of the 2,000 watt rating. It should have no trouble covering that without having to rev up fully. If the generator has a lot of hours on it, maybe the engine is getting tired. Check the oil and see if it has any fine metal in it. If it has any metallic look to it, it could be the cam wearing off the lobes. I saw this a few times on Predator engines. They would still start up and seem to run fine at a light load, but they have no power since the cam is only opening the valves half way. Since it is not making enough power, the governor then opens the throttle further to try and make power, but it's not helping.

Just a thought.
 
The throttle plate has what looks like a small motor on top of it wired to the control board.

I don't know how many hours are on it for sure, I've only put about 30 hours on it. It was an open box so not returnable.

I put fresh oil in it when I got it and it's still pretty clear. I know these things work better than this, mine at my camp will power all the lights, coffee maker, ice machine, fans, and 9k BTU aircon all day long, and it's the same make & model.

The weirdest part is it flinging back and forth even after it settles. I didn't touch the heat gun through the entire video so it's not like it was a variable draw...
 
That is very odd. How long ago did you buy it? Did it work fine for a while before it started acting up?
 
If it has a Torch spark plug replace it with a NGK or similar good quality. Torch spark plugs can give erratic performance.
 
If you only bought it last week, I would certainly take it back to a harbor freight. Open box or not, if it does not work when you get it, you should get a refund. You won't get a new generator at the discount price though. It was probably returned because it didn't work for the first purchaser.
 
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