# Honda eb 5000x



## Jadawg27 (Jan 16, 2020)

Hey guys I’ve been working on my eb5000x and can’t get it to start on it’s own without a shot of carb cleaner down the carb. I first cleaned the carb It wasn’t very dirty But I couldn’t get the main jet out. I ended up ordering a new carb and it’s doing the exact same thing. Runs great once it’s running but the initial start always needs a shot of carb clean to persuade it to fire. Any ideas what else to check? Thanks


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Jadawg27 said:


> Hey guys I’ve been working on my eb5000x and can’t get it to start on it’s own without a shot of carb cleaner down the carb. I first cleaned the carb It wasn’t very dirty But I couldn’t get the main jet out. I ended up ordering a new carb and it’s doing the exact same thing. Runs great once it’s running but the initial start always needs a shot of carb clean to persuade it to fire. Any ideas what else to check? Thanks


 Is the choke working properly? When you engage the Choke control fully before starting (#25 in the diagram below), does the plate fully close the intake?


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## Jadawg27 (Jan 16, 2020)

Yes it does.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

1. How's the quality of the spark during the initial cold start? Is the plug fouled at all?
2. Since you've replaced the whole carb, perhaps the fuel line/filter going from the tank to the carb is gummed up?
3. The only other thing might be valves sticking or in need of adjustment?


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## Melson (Dec 8, 2019)

I would add a check of compression to the steps @tabora suggests.


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## Jadawg27 (Jan 16, 2020)

Spark looks strong. I replaced the fuel line and filter plenty of fuel flow out of the petcock. Compression feels strong but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to throw a gauge on it do you know what the compression should be on this motor?


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## Melson (Dec 8, 2019)

There are many variables. But... A rough rule of thumb is you need around 90 psi to start without a lot of assistance.

For comparison, a new engine could have as little as 130 psi, or as much as 200 or more. The higher compression equates to higher combustion temperature and, thus, more power. 
Note that an engine with very low compression can still run somewhat productivity. 
But for reasonable starting there needs to be a certain minimum of compression and I believe that 90 psi is getting pretty low.


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