# Honda Generator EU1000i Idle Rough



## phurley

I have recently purchased a Honda Generator and I must choke the engine and leave it choked for the engine to idle smoothly. If I don't choke it, it hunts. I must keep it choked throughout use to keep it running smooth. I can never take it off or it hunts or runs rough again.

I have pulled the carburetor and cleaned it completely, installed a new spark plug, put in new gas and cleaned the air cleaner even though this is a relatively new generator. 


What would cause this? Am I okay to keep the generator choked to smooth out the idle? 

Thanks,

Patrick


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## bugman

yes man some have to be choked to start. my 12 hp briggs has to have the throttle up all the way choking it and i have to let it run like that for a couple secends then let off it. if its a big engine it's got a fuel bowl and will be hard to start. always start on choke.


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## scrench

if you have to keep it choked for it to idle smooth then the carburator is still plugged somewhere on the low side or could be sucking air somewhere possible throttle shaft or intake gasket ,,if it has not been ran alot then i would rule out throttle shaft .. easy to find vacuum leak , with a few careful squirts of wd .. check for leaks ,, if no leaks then i'd re-clean the carb ,just my 2 cents not normal to have to keep it on choke ,,does it have magnetic idle down ? hold the throtle linkage and see if it still surges with the choke off , i'm willing to bett that it is a dirty carb problem typical on things like generators that have a lot of sitting time


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## phurley

Yeah I did notice that the gasket between the intake and the carb was loose. What should I use to seal it to the intake and the carb?


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## bugman

um tightening it down should work unless its messed up. then either a new one or some rtv sealer that permatex stuff should work but get the stuff that can handle gas. its simpler to get a new one. i only use the rtv sealer on bolt on mufflers beats the hell outta those other gaskets. gives a tight seal and doesn't burn. but get it for gas it should read on the pack if you choose to go that route. napa advance or autozone should carry it. mechanic approved. used in racin stands up to high pressure. doesn't dry out neither.


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## scrench

a new gasket or make one ,, the carb should tighten up no problem


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## phurley

I have feeling this isn't the issue. Its a brand new generator. It did sit in Arizona for a couple years in a box. The gaskets are in perfect shape. I took the carburetor apart though and the jet was clean. Argggg.


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## bugman

probably outta tune a little.


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## scrench

outta tune verry possible ..oh yea honda verry good engine


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## bugman

yep in arizona he says. 2 years out there. heating up then settling down to cold got it loose and not to mention they are mass produced some will be outta wack and your elevation and air pressure all pertaining to weather will affect it even more. honda good engine to me if its the commercial types. the consumers are good but to me just don't last long and have less torque for the hard stuff but they are good mostly.


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## bbnissan

Just something to remember about generators...they will hunt at idle until you put an electrical load on them (unless they have an electronic idle control). If the generator is just running rough instead of hunting, you definately have a carb problem. Also, I just recently worked on a Northern Equipment generator with a Honda engine on it that had a problem similar to yours. It was a new generator but it kept running rough no matter what I did to it. I pulled the carb apart and it looked spotless, but there was definately something wrong with it. I completely tore down the carb and put it in the carb cleaner/agitator for 15 minutes to make sure it was completely spotless. After that it ran perfectly!

You have to remember that even though a carb looks clean, it can have varnish in the ports and passages that can cause problems even though you can see them.


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## phurley

After my 4 cleanings, I have it under 900 watts of load. It still needs to be slightly choked to run smooth. This unit has a throttle control motor. I believe this is for the eco-throttle which varies the RPM under load. I can't throw it into an agitator without completely removing that throttle control motor which sits on top of the carb. The Japanese.... should have bought a Yamaha. Oh that's Japanese too.


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## bugman

ahhhhhhh i'd sell it and buy something with a good old briggs engine or tec or kohler. my old briggs 3000 watt starts first pull no hunting or nothing. even when i forgot and started it under load. that ohv engine i just pop the throttle off and a couple other simple things and its ready to be worked on. god i hate eco's though i hope it isn't an eco but it just might be the high speed screw needs a little adjusting backwards.


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## scrench

does it still "hunt " or run rough with choke full open if you hold the linkage to the carburator on idle ?


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## phurley

There isn't a linkage. Its an eco-throttle so its either full open or on eco which then throttles it back based upon the load. If there is no load then it hunts. As soon as I put a load on it, it needs to be slightly choked to run smooth. If I take the choke off, it will runs rough occasionally.


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## bugman

oh man that sucks no linkage. hardly nothing to be done to those. not much to work with.


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## scrench

eco-throttle There isn't a linkage no governor ? have not seen that one dont think i want to ! hope i never do ! i better leave this one alone ! i would have have to agree with bug man ahhhhhhh i'd sell it not even a spring ? no that aint right .what is this world coming too ?


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## bugman

i know what is it coming to. my 6hp ohv briggs barely two years old thank god there's no eco crap on it. just stick my finger down there very easily and rev her up.


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## scrench

phurley said:


> There isn't a linkage. Its an eco-throttle so its either full open or on eco which then throttles it back based upon the load. If there is no load then it hunts. As soon as I put a load on it, it needs to be slightly choked to run smooth. If I take the choke off, it will runs rough occasionally.


ok one more ? then i give plug gap ? ??


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## phurley

Does anyone own a Honda EU on this board? Its its own beast. Its very quiet to use for camping.


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## bugman

not many people own those probablly if its quiet most will like it. me i love straight pipes on my mowers and all alike. i'll try to ask around. but not many want em because they own new ones since the hurricane a year or so ago. oh yeah do make sure your plug gap is right. you can pick up a gapper for nearly nothing. :thumbsup:


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## McDuck

Hi Guys,

I had the same problem. My Honda EU1000i was running rough, and I had to use the choke to settle it down. It seemed to be surging. Since I had to use the choke to settle it down, regardless of whether it was on econo or full power mode, it seemed to me that the unit was running lean. I did what some of you did, I took it apart, took of the float bowl, and cleaned the main jet that is in the tube straight up in the middle of the carb. Note that you'll have to remove the brass holding screw to get that main jet to drop down. That main jet looked pretty darn clean, but I cleaned it with carb cleaner anyway. That did not solve the problem!!

I did some more research, after I took it apart at least twice more and cleaned the whole darn thing again. I was really keen to find air leaks if there were any. The gaskets on the little Honda EU1000I are good quality and forgiving, if you're careful with them. 

So here's how I fixed my Honda EU1000i and got it to run perfectly like when it was new. I changed the FLO JET, which cost me $18.00 Canadian. That flo jet is what controls the idle and it's on TOP of the carb, not in the float bowl. I've attached a link to a guy that shows how to replace it. Note that it has to go back in with the "ears" on the top of it facing sideways, so that the holes in the bottom of it are lined up with the low-speed idle holes in the carb itself. The video isn't all that clear on that issue, but it's a real easy repair. You WILL have to remove the carb, but that's also a no-brainer.

So with the new flo jet in place, my little Honda runs like new. Low speed idle and full power run properly and there's no more surging. 

My part number was 99204-ZE00350 (Jet Set Pilot 35) 

I started with this forum thread but nobody found that issue. Here's my cure, and I hope it helps someone else.

Watch the video on YouTube to find the flo jet and how to replace it. Note the placement of the flo jet when it goes back in. Apparently I can't post the YouTube image as I'm a newbie, but you'll find it if you search > Honda Generator EU10i how to fix rough idle.

BY THE WAY, YOU SHOULD DRAIN THE FLOAT BOAT AFTER EACH USE UNLESS YOU'RE GOING TO USE THE GENERATOR WITHIN A WEEK OR SO.

My local Honda dealer pointed that out to me when I had similar issues with a Honda mower. I've hear that using Chevron 94 octane fuel helps as it doesn't degrade as quickly, but I'd suggest using at least some fuel stabilizer, and DRAIN THAT CARB!! 

The drain screw is on the float bowl! It'll drain about a couple of large tablespoons on gas so keep some paper towel handy. Good luck and enjoy that quite little Honda!:smile2:


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## finaprint

In my view it's lean due to a carb issue. The choke should never be left on on a warmed up engine. Probably won't hurt as long as it runs fine on as the choke is simply making up for missing fuel. If it has auto-throttle then it should compensate for load but NOT rpm, the RPM needs to stay pretty close to the same to keep the power at the correct Hz.


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## RCF

phurley said:


> After my 4 cleanings, I have it under 900 watts of load. It still needs to be slightly choked to run smooth. This unit has a throttle control motor. I believe this is for the eco-throttle which varies the RPM under load. I can't throw it into an agitator without completely removing that throttle control motor which sits on top of the carb. The Japanese.... should have bought a Yamaha. Oh that's Japanese too.


Two screw on top, and the automatic throttle motor comes off. I have found that the return spring is not strong enough to close the butterfly valve after high rpm. I sprayed WD40 on the motor and linkages, and it still won't return. I will look for an exploded view of the carburetor parts to see if there is another spring missing.


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## RCF

RCF said:


> Two screw on top, and the automatic throttle motor comes off. I have found that the return spring is not strong enough to close the butterfly valve after high rpm. I sprayed WD40 on the motor and linkages, and it still won't return. I will look for an exploded view of the carburetor parts to see if there is another spring missing.


I found the YouTube video showing the idle flow jet clogged. Works great!
Thanks McDuck


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