# Honda eu2000i milky oil won’t start



## AndrewJay (Jan 4, 2019)

Hello, so I have 2 Honda eu2000i generators. they are 6 months old, been well taken care of, never sat for long periods of time, clean gas etc etc. 

So one of them ran out of gas so I cycled out to the other one, after it ran out of gas I cycled back to the first one. It wouldn’t start... so of course I took it apart. The carburetor is spotless, like new. But for good measure I cleaned it with carb cleaner. The oil level was good, but I changed it anyways (Mobil1 10w/30) put it back together still won’t start.. it’s getting spark, and it’s getting fuel to the bowl in the (clean) carburetor. So I used a very tiny amount of starting fluid, it will run for a few seconds and shut off.. like I said a very very tiny amount of stating fluid to get it running a few times for a total of mayb 20 seconds. After that I check the oil again because I’m running out of things to check and the oil is milky.. is that from starting fluid? And of course why will this thing still not start? I called the local small engine shop and told him everything and he doesn’t even want to look at it because I’ve already done everything he would to fix it


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## RedOctobyr (Aug 8, 2018)

So you demonstrated that you have compression, and spark, since it ran off starting fluid. So it must be a fuel problem.

The fuel pump would be one possible source of trouble. When I drain the carb bowl in mine (for storage), I need to pull the cord around 10 times, before it will start again. The fuel pump is refilling the empty carb bowl during this time, I assume. You would have needed to do the same after running out of gas. 

If you pull it that much, do you have gas in the bowl again when you open the bowl drain?

I suppose maybe the electronic throttle might not be opening the throttle plate properly. Perhaps there's a problem with the motor for the throttle plate, though that seems unlikely. 

On some other Honda carbs, the bowl alignment is apparently important, to let the float work correctly, etc. Is the bowl definitely on there correctly?

The milky oil won't cause it to not start, at least, as long as your oil level is ok (for the oil level sensor). It might be milky due to having tiny air bubbles in it, from just running? The starting fluid should not be able to get into the oil, so it should be unrelated. I think milky oil can sometimes be due to condensation in the oil.


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

It's hard to imagine what would make oil milky in that little unit, unless like RedOctobyr said bubbles, which could be a result of trying to start if it is overfilled, or condensation. My two are a little over a year old and I have not seen the problem. I keep them in a shed that is well insulated and I keep a little electric radiator heater going to keep temp fluctuations down, to prevent rust and problems like condensation. I use the same oil and have never had a problem.

Milky oil is usually a problem in liquid cooled engines, where the coolant gets into the oil and makes an emulsion.


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