# Lifan esi4000ier



## Mbeaubien (May 30, 2020)

My Lifan esi 4000 ier runs for exactly 3 minutes before shutting down.

inverter generator, fuel injected

you can set your watch by it. Exactly three .minutes.
After shutting down you can turn the key off then on and it starts and runs for three minutes.

there is a loss of electricity to the display every time. I turn the key off then on and the display lights up again and it starts.
I bypassed the oil sending unit and it still happens.

Any advice?

thank you


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

first things first is it under factory warranty??

well the link for the manuals are here
Lifan esi4000ier manuals
you need to walk down through the trouble shooting.
first test with no load and no connection.
if it runs then
it is a load or connection issue.

if it does not, then check the basics.
first loosen the fuel tank cap or check the fuel tank vent. this is where most of the issues are.

next check the tank and bowl for water.

from there you are checking electrical in the generator.


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## RedOctobyr (Aug 8, 2018)

He said it's fuel injected, so there should be no carb bowl to worry about. And something like a clogged cap vent wouldn't be _that_ consistent for timing, and wouldn't "reset" and give another 3 minutes if you immediately restarted after it dies.

OP, sorry, some sort of oil pressure timeout was the best idea that came to mind, but you appear to have ruled that out. 

Well, as I say that, maybe not necessarily? I had a pressurized lube generator, which would shut down with a "low oil" light after maybe 5-10 seconds. Turns out the oil pressure sensor itself had failed. So the pressure was good, but the generator didn't realize that. So once it checked for pressure (after letting it run a few seconds), it would shut down, for safety. 

Depending on how your system works, it's possible it's looking for a "pressure is good" signal from the pressure sensor, which it would not see if you disconnect it. 

Rather than running _unless_ it sees a "low pressure" signal from the sensor, which you would have prevented by disconnecting it.

I don't know what other sorts of timeouts the system might have, and fuel injection is something I haven't used yet.

Does it change if you have a load on the generator, just to try and help understand if it's somehow heat related? 

And what if, before it shuts off, you turn the key off, and then quickly back on again before it slows to a stop? If it keeps running, do you get another 3 minutes?


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## Melson (Dec 8, 2019)

My vote is with RedOctobyr.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Per the manual: https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/2e/2e16b32e-7bf3-46c0-bb25-dedcbc6ed2de.pdf

Periodically on the initial start-up or after the unit has been stored for a long period of time, the float for the “Low Oil Alarm System” will stick to the bottom of your oil pan. Locate the two (2) wires to the Low Oil Sensor Diode (refer to figure on the right) located on the side of the engine block. Unplug these wires and, only after ensuring the engine is full of oil, start the engine and allow to run until warm (normally 20 minutes, as this will heat the oil and release the float on the Low Oil Alert System). Then re-plug the wires to the terminals on the Low Oil Alarm Sending Unit.
So, it's not an oil pressure sensor... It's a normally open level sensor.

The ECU can stop the engine for a number of different faults; see page 43 of the manual for all the codes and steps to resolve.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

well if it is efi then i has a fuel pump as well for the 40-70 psi fuel for the injection.
they may have a shut off for the fuel pump.
i would say test lights would be a good thing!!
put on on the fuel pump electric feed
and run a spark tester at the same time
and a test light on the low oil sense too.

i still think a vac on the fuel tank would do this...
so still try it with the fuel cap loose.
i had it back 3 years on a first gen eu7000is... brand new unit... darn cap was not venting.
but it ran for 10 min then shut off...
the tip off was i checked the fuel level and had suction on the cap!!
made me jump for sure!! lol!
i had spares here so it was an easy fix.


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## Melson (Dec 8, 2019)

As tabora implies always read the manual first.


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## RedOctobyr (Aug 8, 2018)

It does sound like it's not the oil sensor switch. The manual seems to imply that low oil would prevent the engine from running at all, and that the low-oil sensor would trigger a light and/or message on the display.

If the display is also simply shutting off, it may be something more serious. But checking for engine codes seems like a good place to start. I was unclear on whether these are shown automatically on the display, if they're triggered.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

time to talk with a service center tech for this gen!


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## Mbeaubien (May 30, 2020)

RedOctobyr said:


> He said it's fuel injected, so there should be no carb bowl to worry about. And something like a clogged cap vent wouldn't be _that_ consistent for timing, and wouldn't "reset" and give another 3 minutes if you immediately restarted after it dies.
> 
> OP, sorry, some sort of oil pressure timeout was the best idea that came to mind, but you appear to have ruled that out.
> 
> ...


I’ll test the restart and see how long it takes to shutdown.

I think you could be right on the oil sensor. A cheap test.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Mbeaubien said:


> I’ll test the restart and see how long it takes to shutdown.
> I think you could be right on the oil sensor. A cheap test.


Again, look at the troubleshooting steps in the manual. The ECU can stop the engine for a number of different faults; see page 43 of the manual for all the codes and steps to resolve: https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/2e/2e16b32e-7bf3-46c0-bb25-dedcbc6ed2de.pdf


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

yea tab that is the only down fall of efi gens...
a "smart computer"
open loop issues to a bad sensor or sender with trouble fault shut down the gen set...
so far these do not have a generic standard can buss like on the cars and trucks..
if it did then a simple scan tool would tell you everything!!

and let you see the data stream live.
the dealer / repair shop has a computer connection so they can see the live data stream.

I have that for the honda eu7000is gens.
cool tool... PRICY!! lol!
but you have to have it when repairing the hard core issues on these new generation generator units.

I love the way they deal with the fuel mixture!!
any changes in air pressure it adjusts the mixture automatic!
so even if the air filter is a bit over oiled it will lean out the mixture!
it does have a min max fuel trim range set in the program.
pretty cool!


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Mods: I'm getting this error message when trying to edit posts to add more info... Can this be eliminated?

You may not edit more than 10 different post(s) within 7 days
Here's the Error Code Page from the Lifan Manual:


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