# Predator 3500 won't start



## Prowhistler (Jul 26, 2020)

Howdy all my three-month-old Predator which has been running like a champ and starting on the first 1st pull has developed a very stiff compression stroke that I cannot pull through and thus will not start. this is out of the blue after Flawless running from Breakin up to now. The only other symptom that also appeared overnight is that the ground-fault test buttons do not depress as per usual and I am somewhat at sea....
Grateful for any insight or advice!


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## Inno (Jul 14, 2020)

Does it spin "normally" other than the compression stroke? How about with the spark plug out?


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

Step one: Disconnect the plug to the inverter and see if it then turns over easily. If so, there's a problem in the inverter wiring.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

pull the spark plug first to see if it spins free... if not then

the stator could have a hot spot on it.
yea unplug all the wires to the inverter unit.

if it spins free then replace the stator.
rare common issue..
most of the time it is from over load or over heating in the gen set.
the winding gets too hot and melts the insulation (hot spot)
and shorts to its self making a super low impedance 
you can also check the winding with a vom.
all 3 sections of the 3 phase should be 0.5 ohms give or take a bit.
but they should be equal on the output winding.
there are other sections as well that measure different.


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## Prowhistler (Jul 26, 2020)

Many thanks for the helpful replies, problem went away virtually unaided several hours later after first popping the valve cover to check clearances and operation...

if that hadn't worked I was going to try to find out what size socket the spark plug takes as my 21 millimeter is too large


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## fwight (Aug 4, 2020)

How do you post a question? We bought the same generated. Put it all together. The first moment we started it, it worked like a charm. 10 minutes later we turned it off, but decided to turn it on again. The starter worked fine but the engine could not turn over. I am praying we don't lose our electricity with tomorrow's storm. Can anyone help?


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## Inno (Jul 14, 2020)

Not entirely sure what you mean by "starter worked fine but the engine could not turn over".........I presume you mean the engine spins when you turn the starter but it will not actually run? Check the simple things like fuel level and make sure the fuel shut off (if equipped) is turned on.


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## fwight (Aug 4, 2020)

Yes, the engine was turning over but would not kick in. This morning we discovered a small puddle of oil under the generator from last night. We cleaned it up, rechecked the oil. Oil was fine. We may ave over filled the oil reserve. We gambled and tried to start it up. And that it did. We left it humming for a half hour. Turned it off and I pray that if our electric goes off due to the storm we are now getting. Thank you for your reply to my SOS.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

the low oil sensor could to have been sticking as low.
also make sure you check the oil level every time you fuel the generator
or every 24 hours. (every day)
oil needs to be changed every 100-200 hours of run depending if you are running a magnetic dipstick and or a magnetic drain plug.
so make sure you have plenty of oil on hand for an extended run outage.


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## Rtg1986 (12 mo ago)

I have a new predator 3500 that was gifted but has never been fueled or oiled in which I currently have done so. I can’t get it to fire. It’s a year or two old and never tried to crank it until now. I’ve changed the battery the electric start will attempt to crank but it acts like it isn’t getting fuel or firing.


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## GenKnot (Dec 20, 2021)

Do you have a can of starter fluid? If it fires with starter fluid then it could be a stuck float in the carb.


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## Rtg1986 (12 mo ago)

Rtg1986 said:


> I have a new predator 3500 that was gifted but has never been fueled or oiled in which I currently have done so. I can’t get it to fire. It’s a year or two old and never tried to crank it until now. I’ve changed the battery the electric start will attempt to crank but it acts like it isn’t getting fuel or firing.


I’ve since then gotten the spark plug out and it looks brand new as it should and then motor turns over freely. I feel like it’s not getting spark to the plug maybe now . I’m getting fuel to the carb and all. Tried to ground them plug out and start it to check for visual spark but no luck on anything close as we know the wire won’t let you move it anywhere really.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

You need to check for spark as the engine cranks over. You can do this with a tester or with the spark removed from the engine, install it into the plug wire and lay the plug onto a metal part of the engine and observe for spark. The plug needs to be grounded to the engine.


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## OrlyP (Oct 19, 2021)

Use alligator clips to ground the sparkplug to any unpainted metal part of the chassis. In a pinch, use the jumper cable you might have in your car (everyone should have one anyway).


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