# EU2200i plug fouling



## EW Zuber (Dec 10, 2020)

I've had this EU2200i for a couple years and it has never run right. The spark plug fouls with a light powdery carbon after one or two hours of operation. Most of the time it won't burn a complete tank of gas. Loses power, misses.
I replaced the carburetor and air filter, no difference. Seems to be much worse in the cold (I live in Alaska) so thinking this is a thermal related problem.
Any ideas? 
Thanks


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## Dutchy491 (Sep 18, 2019)

I have an eu2200 and it has a sticker that says Cold Climate Technology (I think those are the words). I'm in Canada and that option comes standard on ours here. It has a small heater wire in the intake I believe, to prevent carb icing. It is a wonderful machine for me. So since you've had it now for about 2 years you must have used it in warm weather too? It's not always cold in Alaska... Or has it never run right in warm or cold weather? Have you taken it back to a Honda dealer for diagnosis? What make and number is the spark plug? Maybe a hotter plug might be an option to try? What is the quality of fuel that you use in it? There are some folks here that are very familiar with the Honda inverters so I'm sure that they will chime in shortly. You have one of the best and most popular inverters so someone will have some ideas for you soon... Dutchy


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## Dutchy491 (Sep 18, 2019)

.....and of course you always remember to open the vent in the gas cap, or it will quit in about 30 minutes....


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

Being in E Texas mine will never see the cold that is possible there. I converted mine to dual fuel, gasoline and propane and replaced the factory spark plugs with these

Propane Iridium Spark Plug - Eu2000i, Eu2200i & Eu3000is Generators – Hutch Mountain 

as recommended by the folks at Hutch Mountain. Seems to start easier and I have not run enough hours to give a long term or long run performance evaluation.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

EW Zuber said:


> I've had this EU2200i for a couple years and it has never run right. The spark plug fouls with a light powdery carbon after one or two hours of operation. Most of the time it won't burn a complete tank of gas. Loses power, misses.
> I replaced the carburetor and air filter, no difference. Seems to be much worse in the cold (I live in Alaska) so thinking this is a thermal related problem.
> Any ideas?
> Thanks


try cleaning or removing the screen on the exhaust.
and 5-30 engine oil
and yes it is advised to get the heater for the crank case vent hose
*click here for the eu2200i parts pages*
make sure the air filter is un oiled for up north when it is cold
or use the oil made for k&n air filters that is what we use here.

they come with thick oil on the air filter...
that will make the engine burn rich.


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## EW Zuber (Dec 10, 2020)

Dutchy491 said:


> I have an eu2200 and it has a sticker that says Cold Climate Technology (I think those are the words). I'm in Canada and that option comes standard on ours here. It has a small heater wire in the intake I believe, to prevent carb icing. It is a wonderful machine for me. So since you've had it now for about 2 years you must have used it in warm weather too? It's not always cold in Alaska... Or has it never run right in warm or cold weather? Have you taken it back to a Honda dealer for diagnosis? What make and number is the spark plug? Maybe a hotter plug might be an option to try? What is the quality of fuel that you use in it? There are some folks here that are very familiar with the Honda inverters so I'm sure that they will chime in shortly. You have one of the best and most popular inverters so someone will have some ideas for you soon... Dutchy


I bought a weatherization kit from the local Honda dealer and installed the heater in the breather hose as the instructions call for. Didn't seem to do anything.
Warm weather it runs better but not perfect.
The engine has gotten all carboned up. The cylinder, the muffler and the spark arrester (which needs to be cleaned constantly). I tried running it without an air filter to see if there was any change. None.
Spark plug is an NGK CR5HSB. I would love to try a hotter plug if one is available.
At one point it quit running altogether and I took it to the dealer. He said the jet was clogged and ran a wire through it. I have since read that this can damage them. That's when I replaced the carb (less than a week ago). 
Yes, I always check the gas cap.
Also wondering if the muffler (not the arrester) has accumulated so much carbon that it is causing a problem. Thinking about dumping some gas in it and shaking it.
I hate to just replace parts but thinking of replacing the coil and ignition unit.
I had a Honda 2000i for about 6 years and even without a weatherization kit it was nowhere near the trouble that this one is. I think I may have changed the spark plug twice in all that time and it ran great, even at -30F.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

EW Zuber said:


> I bought a weatherization kit from the local Honda dealer and installed the heater in the breather hose as the instructions call for. Didn't seem to do anything.
> Warm weather it runs better but not perfect.
> The engine has gotten all carboned up. The cylinder, the muffler and the spark arrester (which needs to be cleaned constantly). I tried running it without an air filter to see if there was any change. None.
> Spark plug is an NGK CR5HSB. I would love to try a hotter plug if one is available.
> ...


have you removed the spark arrester yet?

any chance the fuel is lower grade? like part diesel?
try the next hotter range plug
*NGK (4695) Spark Plug - CR4HSB*
you need to clean the trash out of the cyl and rings...
also do a compression check asap.
make sure it is not a broken ring thing.

is the flapper working for the crank case vent?
something is making it rich..
maybe excess engine oil or bad fuel in the combustion?

or something is choking off air or way over fueling the engine.
if it was in the shop here i would look at the afr...

is LP fuel an option in your area?


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## Dutchy491 (Sep 18, 2019)

iowagold said:


> have you removed the spark arrester yet?
> 
> any chance the fuel is lower grade? like part diesel?
> try the next hotter range plug
> ...





iowagold said:


> have you removed the spark arrester yet?
> 
> any chance the fuel is lower grade? like part diesel?
> try the next hotter range plug
> ...


I'm watching this topic with interest. Not too many serious issues with these Inverters, so hopefully there is a quick resolution. Dutchy


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## EW Zuber (Dec 10, 2020)

iowagold said:


> have you removed the spark arrester yet?
> 
> any chance the fuel is lower grade? like part diesel?
> try the next hotter range plug
> ...


I have been having similar thoughts about cleaning up the cylinder although I don't know that I am up to the task of tearing the engine down. 
It could be ring damage I suppose but the carbon buildup is very light and not oily or heavy so that has made me think in terms of gas/air ratios. I'm no expert on this though.
I will see if I can get a hotter plug. Although that won't fix the fundamental malfunction, if it makes it run cleaner I'm all for it.
LP gas is available. And I like that idea.Is that a conversion that maybe I could do or would I need to take it to a dealer?


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

EW Zuber said:


> I have been having similar thoughts about cleaning up the cylinder although I don't know that I am up to the task of tearing the engine down.
> It could be ring damage I suppose but the carbon buildup is very light and not oily or heavy so that has made me think in terms of gas/air ratios. I'm no expert on this though.
> I will see if I can get a hotter plug. Although that won't fix the fundamental malfunction, if it makes it run cleaner I'm all for it.
> LP gas is available. And I like that idea.Is that a conversion that maybe I could do or would I need to take it to a dealer?


Look at the link I gave for the spark plug from Hutch Mountain. I got their kits a couple of years ago for my EU2000's and they now have one specific for the EU2200. I did them myself with no problems. Just go slow and pay attention to the instructins. If you need they also give good telephone support.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

EW Zuber said:


> I have been having similar thoughts about cleaning up the cylinder although I don't know that I am up to the task of tearing the engine down.
> It could be ring damage I suppose but the carbon buildup is very light and not oily or heavy so that has made me think in terms of gas/air ratios. I'm no expert on this though.
> I will see if I can get a hotter plug. Although that won't fix the fundamental malfunction, if it makes it run cleaner I'm all for it.
> LP gas is available. And I like that idea.Is that a conversion that maybe I could do or would I need to take it to a dealer?


conversion is easy
last one took longer to dig out the basic tools!! lol!
click here for the eu2200i parts page
I like the hutch kit with a few extra parts.
I added a load block to help dial in the afr better.


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## EW Zuber (Dec 10, 2020)

I appreciate the information on LP gas conversion. Definitely going to look into it.
Ran a very interesting experiment today. I went out and started the gen without bringing it inside and warming it up.
It only ran for a few minutes before the spark plug, an autolite solid copper core, was completely fouled. Pulled it, cleaned it tried again, fouled before I could get back inside the house.
Cleaned it, tried again, same result. Next, I removed the air filter and used a hair dryer to heat the carburetor. Tried it again. This time it then ran the entire tank of gas without any problem.
Just pulled the plug and it is spotless, no carbon what so ever.. The white insulator is more brilliant white than when cleaned it and put it back in.
My question is, will carburetor icing cause the plug to foul? My old 2000i had icing problems also but no plug fouling. Thanks


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

Carburetor icing could definetly cause fouling as it is acting like apply a choke making the engine run rich. Did you check or have checked the weatherization kit you installed,and is is actually the breather heater. I remember years ago when I was taking flying lessions, we applied carburetor heat when descending( I think) for landings to prevent carburetor icing.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

yea you might want to look in to a grid heater for the air intake..

60 degree drop in temp or more in a carb.
a couple of proper large wattage resistors connected to the dc connection would do the trick
just do the math to not over load the 5 amps of dc available on the generator.
you could also use a thermal blanket pad heater that is on 120 vac.
they make silicone pads for this.
and use a heat sensor switch to keep the temp at 100 deg f.


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## EW Zuber (Dec 10, 2020)

jkingrph said:


> Carburetor icing could definetly cause fouling as it is acting like apply a choke making the engine run rich. Did you check or have checked the weatherization kit you installed,and is is actually the breather heater. I remember years ago when I was taking flying lessions, we applied carburetor heat when descending( I think) for landings to prevent carburetor icing.


I have not done any testing of the carburetor weatherization kit. Probably should do that. I have had my reservations about it from the start since it is only a 10 watt heating element.Now that the problem seems to be nailed down to icing it is more worthwhile to check it.


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## Dutchy491 (Sep 18, 2019)

EWZ,
I think that you found the issue, carb icing. What was the temperature yesterday when you ran it until the tank was dry? Dutchy


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## EW Zuber (Dec 10, 2020)

iowagold said:


> yea you might want to look in to a grid heater for the air intake..
> 
> 60 degree drop in temp or more in a carb.
> a couple of proper large wattage resistors connected to the dc connection would do the trick
> ...


That is interesting. There is no way the 10 watt heating element in the weatherization kit is going to raise the temperature by 60 degrees. If that temperature drop is linear at -30F it would drop it to -90F. 
The fact that icing certainly appears to be the problem opens up all kinds of possibilities. I have always been disappointed that Honda can't make a generator that will run in the cold and I know others have complained about this also. 
I have been thinking about possibly making an air to air heat exchanger that runs off the exhaust. A copper tube coming off the exhaust that has 3 or 4 other tubes soldered to the outside circumference that all connect to a header, with filter material, that has a small fan that forces warm air into the carb through a hole in the stock air filter.
A power resister would also probably work, as you suggest. Maybe stick it in the hole that goes from the filter to the carb and use a fan to make up for the reduced air flow.
Thanks much guys. Really appreciate you helping me with this extremely annoying problem. 
I will make a final post when I get a permanent fix working.


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

I had no idea that temp could drop that much, but just thinking you have two things going. Air passing through the venturi expands, so that cools it and as gasoline is sprayed in it evaporates, further cooling the mix. I think the aircraft carb heat was set up somewhat like you are thinking, a shroud around exhaust so it would warm air and some kind of baffle system so heated air could be drawn in. Never really looked at one, just checked oil. It would need to be arranged so air would be drawn in through the filter. Maybe an exhaust extension, then a larger pipe around it, large enough for air flow,tap it for a pipe or pipes to go around to the carb, and make a sheet metal shroud to fit over the air filter and connect it all together. If tight enough you should not need a fan, the engine would draw air through your home built heating manifold. downside is that you will probably have to cut an access hole in the cover on the side where you access to change oil,& clean air filter or just leave that cover off during the cold weather.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

EW Zuber said:


> That is interesting. There is no way the 10 watt heating element in the weatherization kit is going to raise the temperature by 60 degrees. If that temperature drop is linear at -30F it would drop it to -90F.
> The fact that icing certainly appears to be the problem opens up all kinds of possibilities. I have always been disappointed that Honda can't make a generator that will run in the cold and I know others have complained about this also.
> I have been thinking about possibly making an air to air heat exchanger that runs off the exhaust. A copper tube coming off the exhaust that has 3 or 4 other tubes soldered to the outside circumference that all connect to a header, with filter material, that has a small fan that forces warm air into the carb through a hole in the stock air filter.
> A power resister would also probably work, as you suggest. Maybe stick it in the hole that goes from the filter to the carb and use a fan to make up for the reduced air flow.
> ...


the cold wx honda kits are for the breather kits are for the breather moisture only to keep that line from letting the moisture building up to a blockage.

they have nothing to do with the main intake air.
yea i like the idea of a heat ex-changer for intake air pre heat 
it will be tricky getting the air at a hot enough to off set the venturi.

other brands suffer the same in diesel as well as ng and lp at super cold temps.

a gen shed or generator shack sure would be a great idea!
I use them and do not have those below 30 deg f issues.
but if i set the gen outside at zero... and add some wind yea it will carry on unless it is full warm temp.
there is a bit of air preheat on the small eu series honda gens..
but it works best if the outside temps are 60 deg f to 80 deg f.


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