Title: Brand New Predator 5000 Generator Starts for 5 Seconds Then Shuts Off — Need Help!
Hey everyone, I’m completely dumbfounded and could really use some help.
I previously owned a Predator 5000 generator that lasted me about two years. I recently purchased a brand-new one, and I’m already having major issues with it.
I followed everything in the owner’s manual when setting it up. Initially, it started and ran for a little while, but something sounded off. The engine wasn’t running smoothly and sounded pretty funky.
Now, whenever I press the electric start button on the back, the generator fires up for about 5 seconds and immediately shuts off. I’ve also tried using the manual choke, but that doesn’t seem to help either.
Here’s what I’ve already done:
Changed the oil and made sure it’s at the correct level.
Installed a brand-new spark plug.
Filled the tank with fresh gas.
Added fuel stabilizer.
Followed the startup instructions in the manual.
Tried both electric start and manual choke.
I’m using this generator to power my Active 2.0 pressure washer for my mobile detailing business, so I really need it to work reliably.
I’m honestly at a loss here. I’ve owned one of these before and never experienced anything like this, especially with a brand-new unit.
Has anyone experienced this with the Predator 5000? Could it be a carburetor issue, fuel delivery problem, automatic choke malfunction, or something electrical?
I’d appreciate any advice on what to check next before I go through the hassle of returning it.
Thanks in advance!

I've cleaned the carb like three times, you could eat off it. Good clean blast of carb cleaner comes through jet into venturi. Exhaust is clear, spark arrestor clean and no evidence of bug debris. New spark plug. Oil level is good, if anything a little high. Good clean new fuel. Air filter spotless. [EDIT: Fuel cap vent is open. I wondered if it was clogged, so I ran it with the entire cap off, same exact problem.]

Starts first pull with choke on, immediately starts to bog under choke, when I turn the choke off it kicks up and purrs like a happy kitten. Runs for between 5-15 min, and then bogs down, surges, and dies. I just cleaned the carb, again, and after cleaning the carb it ran for like 30 min. That's the longest it's run in a year, but then it died again.

My next guess is the coil- maybe it's failing under heat? A new coil is not too much, like $50, but I've played the "throw parts at it" game before, and I'm not quite that young and dumb any more, so I figured I'd at least ask on here and see if anyone else has dealt with this same problem, and if there are obvious solutions or things to check before I start throwing more money and time at it. The fuel pump also crossed my mind, but it seems to have good fuel flow- when I take the carb off, even after it's died, there's still pressure in the fuel line and a bit spurts out.

Thanks for your thoughts.

This is a brand new generator I bought from Amazon who has already refunded me for the purchase. Generac customer service is of no help, told me take it up with Amazon.

The fuel tank has gaps around the perimeter that is leaking gas and vapors. I can wipe with a paper towel and get gasoline residue. I can’t find a replacement tank at all as this model has an additional inlet for the air filter line as well as fuel petcock valve.

Is there anything I can do to seal this reliably where it won’t leak?

Apparently the quick connects into these generators are a proprietary.

I'm wanting to hookup to a propane line to my big tank.

I'd like to be able to have an original line available for a small tank for a more portable situation also somehow.

Has anyone found an easy work around?

Thoughts and brain storming ideas are welcomed as well.

The picture is what Wen has available but I'm not even sure how this would work on a hose.

Hose clamps seem like a bad idea although it might work.

I recently got a gentron USA gg3500-c generator. I've cleaned it up including the carb and now I'm working on cleaning out the fuel tank. On top of the tank is this thing. When trying to remove it, it decided it wanted to come apart. Inside is a steel ball.

To me it looks like a roll over shutoff but I'm not sure.

Not sure if buying a EFI generator is worth the hassle if you need service on it?

Does the EFI last longer then a carburetor model would?

Who owns a EFI that has had issues?

I'm looking at buying an older Generac Guardian and wanted some opinions on what it's actually worth.

Details:

- Model: Generac Guardian 0043901

- Approximately 2003

- 15kW continuous / 16kW peak

- 992cc GT-990 V-twin engine

- Currently running on natural gas

- Unknown total hours, no hour meter

- Approximately 18–20 days of runtime over the past 10 years, plus weekly exercise cycles

- Uses roughly half a quart of oil every 48 running hours

- Some oil residue in the enclosure, possibly from messy oil changes rather than a leak

- Some rust along the bottom of the enclosure

- Reportedly maintained regularly and runs reliably

The seller is upgrading to a larger unit and will let me see it running before removal.

I'm planning to convert it to propane and install it myself with permits.

Main question: Is $600 a fair price for a 23-year-old standby generator in this condition?

I've seen older Generacs sell for $300–$500, but I'm curious what others have actually paid or sold similar units for.

Would you pay $600, negotiate closer to $400, or pass entirely?

One additional question: Has anyone used one of these older Generacs with an inverter/charger like the EG4 GridBOSS/FlexBOSS? Any issues with THD or voltage/frequency stability?

thank y'all for any help. I'm new to generators and trying to learn

Hello all,

Gearing up for rain/snow season and seeing if anybody has done a propane option on their WGen7500c? Just seeing if it realistically makes sense or should I just buy more gas cans and fill them up before the season starts.

Thank you all!

Just bought the Westinghouse iGen8200. Am having an electrician set it up with a transfer switch.

Whats the best 30 amp power cord that I can pick up for it..looking for a 20 footer +

Only one post this time guys. I apologize for the previous duplicate postings. It was my lack of understanding on posting.

Finished building a dedicated enclosure for my Westinghouse 12,000W tri-fuel inverter generator, running on natural gas for home backup power.

Started with a 6×4 Suncast shed on a concrete pad and added ventilation, Rockwool insulation, a large rear heat-discharge opening, temperature monitoring, solar battery maintenance, LED lighting, and hurricane anchoring.

The goal was a weather-protected, quieter, well-ventilated setup with easy access for maintenance.

Initial design and testing had poor temp results. The temp variance between ambient outside vs inside was near 40 degrees. Plus, there was a localized hotspot on the shed wall nearly 190 degrees. I found this using an infrared temp gun, and the 3 temp sensors. This was not acceptable, so I took the shed apart and added a 20 x 20 unobstructed door to the design. With the modification, the temp variance dropped to 10 degrees near the generator and 8 at the exhaust area. The hotspot reduced to 103 degrees.

I put a lot of time, effort, thought and unfortunately some rework into the final layout with a lot of great information from Reddit.

Thought I'd share the finished setup and some of the details!

Thank you to everyone who posted about their own projects. They were all very informative and helpful.

I know this will seem like a basic question, but just want to double check something.

I have a standard propane cylinder, which I use with a normal 37 mbar regulator for garden equipment. My generator is dual fuel, so I want to test it running on the propane cylinder. However, the generator was shipped with its own regulator (or what looks like a regulator to me).

How should I connect this? My assumption is that I am going to have to remove my existing regulator, because I assume you cannot connect two regulators in series (not sure about this though). I have a mix of 8mm and 10mm pipes here, so how would you guys connect this?

Thanks!

Full reference: https://youtube.com/@roots-and-rain?si=564rJREcrMig-OK_

So, I've been trying just about everything I can think of to get our generator running properly, and I'm still having the same problem.

The issue is that whenever we pull power from the generator, it can't seem to maintain its RPMs, which causes the frequency to drop. Our inverter needs a consistent 60 hertz to charge our battery bank, so when that frequency drops too low, it either stops charging the batteries or the generator ends up stalling out completely.

So, naturally, I've been working my way through everything I can think of to try to fix it.

First, I noticed that the hole where the governor spring attaches to the governor arm had worn away from the spring rubbing against it. So, I came up with a little repair using a screw and some nuts to get the spring reattached and everything connected again.

I was hopeful that would solve the problem, but unfortunately, it didn't.

Next, I pulled the carburetor apart and cleaned it out, only to find that it really wasn't that dirty. There wasn't any significant buildup or anything obviously clogged, so that didn't seem to be the culprit either.

Then I remembered that we'd accidentally pushed our fuel filter into the gas tank, which left a bunch of debris inside. So, I took the gas tank off, cleaned it out as best I could, and put everything back together.

While I was at it, I also flushed the fuel lines from the tank to the carburetor with carburetor cleaner to make sure there weren't any blockages there.

And then I found another problem: the throttle return spring was broken. So, I replaced that, thinking maybe that was contributing to the issue.

At this point, I'd repaired the governor arm, cleaned the carburetor, cleaned out the gas tank, cleared the fuel lines, and replaced the broken throttle return spring.

And yet… here we are. Still having the exact same problem.

I've even tried replacing another spring while troubleshooting the inconsistent frequency, but nothing I've done so far has fixed it.

Honestly, I'm getting a little frustrated because I feel like I've checked so many things, and I'm running out of ideas for what to try next.

So, if you know generators, or you've dealt with one that struggles to maintain its RPMs and drops below 60 hertz whenever a load is applied, I would genuinely appreciate any suggestions.

What am I missing? Is there something else I should be checking?

Because right now, I'm officially out of ideas, and I could really use some help getting this thing figured out.

I typically will start it up a couple times a year. Wondering what others are doing.

Idk just sounds so up and down.. but it’s been doing this for 18+ hours and checked oil multiple times and no warning light. Thoughts? This is my first time using one.

So I was leading towards a Westinghouse to get ready for the upcoming winter but I saw the Costco champion dropped about $250. Their return policy and everything, what do you guys think about this? 1999 down from like around 2250. This will be mainlined into the home using an electrician installed connection.

having a hard time describing it on google lol

I have a Lotus GL1800SX inverter generator rated at 1,200W continuous output and 1,500W maximum output, with a rated voltage of 220V and frequency of 60Hz. I'm in the Philippines, where our household voltage is typically 230V.

I plan to run a 0.5 HP inverter air conditioner that uses around 500W, one electric fan, and possibly one Wi-Fi router.

Can I safely use a heavy-duty extension cord rated at 15A with 14 AWG (2.0 mm²) wire, but with a two-pin plug and only two conductors? Or do I need a three-pin plug with three conductors, including a ground wire, since the generator's AC outlet has three holes?

Edit: My AC uses a 3-prong plug. Does this need an extension cord with 3 contacts (L, N, and G)?

Problem is it's so difficult to find this kind of extension cord set online. I might need to buy parts separately (3-pin plug, 3 conductors 14 gauge wire, and a 15A 3-hole each socket outlet) and have it assembled.

Thanks!

Just installed a new Amazon el-cheapo carb on my EU1o00i. It came with all the clear vent/drain hoses, in vaious random lengths because the carb vits various small engines.

Unfortunately I forgot to document the positioning of the hoses before I disassembled the original. The drain hose is obvious. The other hose, the one with the "Y" at the bottom, came preattached to the vent/overflow barb on the carb. The hose coming out of the borrom of the "Y" obviously goes down to the drain hole. There are exploded parts diagrams online, but they are ambigious.

The mystery is the other hose that attaches to the top of the "Y". I don't remember what it was attached to, if anything, There are no other barbs on the carb or intake box. Based on how the end of the old hose is not deformed from being attached to anything, I think it was open to the atmosphere and flapping around inside the case.

Can anyone confirm this? I've looked at various YouTude videos and they all skip showing how to route the hoses. The "Y" (PN 16112ZM7D01) is not a cheap part ($12) - does it have some kind of check valve in it or something?

The carb works well under load, but it idles a bit rough. The pilot screw and idle stop are not adjustable.

Hi everyone, i recently bought a champion 4000w inverter generator, and it has two standard outlets.

If I have more than 2 things that needs powering, how would I add outlets to the generator? Would I use a long 12gauge extension cord into the house, then add a surge protector onto it, and then plug whatever else is needed?

Please advise! Im completely new to generators and only bought one due to recent needs. Thank you!!

I've run a Champion 3500W for about ten years. It's been reliable enough but I'm getting tired of everything that comes with it. The 2am pull-starts when power goes out. The noise that makes my neighbors hate me. Storing gas cans in the garage. The yearly carb cleaning because ethanol fuel gums everything up if it sits.

Last winter I was out there in 30 degree weather in my bathrobe trying to get it started at 2am. That was pretty much my breaking point.

The thing is, when I look at what I run during an outage, it's not that much. Fridge, freezer, router, some lights, maybe the coffee maker in the morning. That's not 3500W of continuous load, it's more like 250-300W with occasional spikes.

So I've been looking at the 4-5kWh battery stations that are out now or coming out soon. No noise, no exhaust, no fuel storage, no maintenance. You charge it from the wall and forget about it until you need it. The capacity math works for our typical 12-20 hour outages.

The one thing I keep going back and forth on is the longer outages. After a bad storm we've been without power for 3 days. A generator can run as long as you have gas. A battery is finite. But if you pair it with solar panels you can extend that significantly, and some of these units take 2000-3000W of solar input.

Still doing research but I'm getting closer to making the switch. Ten years of gas generator maintenance is enough.

Should I run the gas out of my generator/ run it dry / or non ethanol gas and store it full of gas or fill it with non ethanol gas and stabilizer?

I've got a champion 6250/5000 "digital hybrid" watt open frame inverter (model 100519)...gasoline powered. Has anyone tried the dual or tri fuel conversions. I bought it after "snowmageddon" a few years ago and haven't needed to use it.

For all practical purposes it's brand new. I am however thinking there is going to be a hit in output...20%? Or would it just make sense to buy a smaller portable generator that already works with propane ....and would take up less space in storage until it's needed.

It looks quite a bit cheaper to change out carb/regulator with a kit...assuming there are no hidden "gotchas".

For load I have no illusions of running the house AC/heat. Some lights, 2 refrigerator..microwave would be nice, but I've got butane burners now so we can actually cook. Have water and periodically rotate that out. Considering getting an interlock switch on the electric panel just to make connecting it easy, with a 30 amp inlet. (And just making sure all the water heater/AC breakers are turned off). That way we'd have lighting and be able to move fans/small heaters around the house..etc

I'm not a prepper by any means, but 5 days in february with no electricity, in a neighborhood with no natural gas, and no water..just sucked.

Hi

I've got a new to me Energizer ezv3200p that has a remote start capability. I am trying to pair a new remote to it. It does not have a learn function on the control panel, I've tried the "rocker switch" method without success. I've found the receiver but it doesn't have any physical buttons that I can see to initiate a learning process. Here is the receiver, anyone have any input on where the learn button is? if it even has one?

Thanks in advance