I just bought a Firman W01682 inverter generator - it was cheap and seems capable and also I expect to never use it.

Is there any reason to run it purely for the break in period? The manual doesn't suggest it but there's some 'wisdom' out there that says its a good idea.

It calls for 5W30 oil but I have 0W40 on hand for my car. Can I use the 0W40?

I'll test it to make sure it works but shortly after that I hope to drain the oil and put it in storage for a very long time.

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Update - I mistyped - drain the fuel, not the oil!

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2024 07:13PM by mattkime.

I have a similar sized generator, a Pulsar Dual Fuel gd400bn. [pulsar-products.com]

We run it solely on propane, runs great off a grill tank and that way you don't need to do any prep for storage. We have around 10 hours on it, I changed the oil recently and it was disgusting.

I would personally run it for about an hour with no load and then another hour with a load to break it in. After the break-in I would change the oil.

There is no reason to drain the oil to store it and it might harm it if there are any seals that could dry out.

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C(-)ris
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mattkime
I'll test it to make sure it works but shortly after that I hope to drain the oil and put it in storage for a very long time.

And drain the fuel especially from the carburetor.

But I wouldn't bother draining the oil for storage unless you are concerned about it being tipped far away from upright or potentially leaking oil.

I would get the 5w30 - it’s lighter weight, and the motor will run easier.

I also wouldn’t drain the oil, except when changing it.

I would run the carb dry after use for storage, to avoid gum and varnish clogging the carb.

I'm honestly having a hard time coming up with something to use as a load. Maybe I need to borrow an electric heater from a neighbor.

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Don't use a lighter weight oil than recommended. There's a reason that the manufacturer recommended a certain weight oil.

Don't drain it out when storing. You may get rust on the crankshaft. Plus you run the risk of it being run without oil. Plus, I like to run my generator every so often to make sure that it starts easily. Nothing worse than trying to get a generator running when the power is out.

Instead of shutting the generator down, turn the gas valve off and let the engine run the carb dry. Most generator carburetors don't do well with pump gas sitting in them. The alcohol caused plugging of the small orifices in the carb.

use the recommended oil

run a space heater as lot

Run it for a few hours, if something is really wrong hopefully the defect shows up and you can return it or make a warranty claim.


I think I put fresh oil in mine a year ago when I put in storage, I should test it again. Any reason to change the oil after one year, if not used? does oil "go bad"? I do not use gasoline, only propane.

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mattkime
I'm honestly having a hard time coming up with something to use as a load. Maybe I need to borrow an electric heater from a neighbor.

Plug in whatever you were planning on powering with it.

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C(-)ris
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I would get the oil you need (the correct weight) and store it with the generator. Don't test it. Don't break it in. Add the oil and run it only when you need it.

You run the risk of it being defective and not working when you need it, but that is a pretty unlikely risk. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, especially since you expect to never use it.

Plug in whatever you were planning on powering with it.

Nah, I would probably run the fridge and some lights, but I am NOT going to pull the fridge forward to access the plug and run extension cords into the house just to test the generator.

Easier to move a portable space heater outside.

Borrow pRICE's fembot to break it in?


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I ran a break-in cycle on both of my portable inverter generators (use space heaters or high-wattage halogen work lights for load) and changed the oil after the break-in cycle to get rid of any manufacturing junk.

If you want to really dive into it, search some generator forums. There are some really dedicated obsessive people who have written whole break-in routines/cookbooks that they swear will allow your new generator to live a long healthy well-lived life.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2024 09:31PM by John B..

.....flip it....and reverse it.....

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_____________________________________

I reject your reality and substitute my own!

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John B.
There are some really dedicated obsessive people who have written whole break-in routines/cookbooks that they swear will allow your new generator to live a long healthy well-lived life.

I have a "healthy" skepticism of that sort of thing from the world of cars. I'm happy to go the extra mile but I'd like to proof that I'm not performing greasemonkey voodoo. Main point - sooo many car guys are sooo sure that its much better to do more frequent oil changes. Lots of suspicions of big companies and no proof.

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mattkime

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John B.
There are some really dedicated obsessive people who have written whole break-in routines/cookbooks that they swear will allow your new generator to live a long healthy well-lived life.

I have a "healthy" skepticism of that sort of thing from the world of cars. I'm happy to go the extra mile but I'd like to proof that I'm not performing greasemonkey voodoo. Main point - sooo many car guys are sooo sure that its much better to do more frequent oil changes. Lots of suspicions of big companies and no proof.

There are absolutely some scenarios and models of cars that benefit from more frequent changes, but anything newer can do 5k and pre-2008ish can go 3k. Turbo cars and GDI engines would be ones where I wouldn't be pushing the oil changes.

This was my break in oil after 10 hours on my generator. I should have done the oil change earlier. Probably after the first 2 hours. The old oil on the left is completely black. New oil on the right.

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C(-)ris
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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2024 10:33PM by C(-)ris.

How much oil does a typical generator produce during a change?

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mattkime
I'm honestly having a hard time coming up with something to use as a load. Maybe I need to borrow an electric heater from a neighbor.

Shut off the Main circuit breaker at your electrical box, cutting off outside power. Then plug the generator into any wall circuit, inside or outside. That will feed juice back to the electric box and out again to all outlets on that leg (half the house).

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Ed (modelamac)

Trying to figure out some people is like trying to smell the number 9.

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modelamac

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mattkime
I'm honestly having a hard time coming up with something to use as a load. Maybe I need to borrow an electric heater from a neighbor.

Shut off the Main circuit breaker at your electrical box, cutting off outside power. Then plug the generator into any wall circuit, inside or outside. That will feed juice back to the electric box and out again to all outlets on that leg (half the house).

While this will technically work and will require what's commonly called a "suicide cable", connecting a generator to your house wiring without using a "transfer switch" or a similar safety interlock is dangerous and is illegal in many areas.

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TheTominator

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modelamac

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mattkime
I'm honestly having a hard time coming up with something to use as a load. Maybe I need to borrow an electric heater from a neighbor.

Shut off the Main circuit breaker at your electrical box, cutting off outside power. Then plug the generator into any wall circuit, inside or outside. That will feed juice back to the electric box and out again to all outlets on that leg (half the house).

While this will technically work and will require what's commonly called a "suicide cable", connecting a generator to your house wiring without using a "transfer switch" or a similar safety interlock is dangerous and is illegal in many areas.

Agree - don’t do this. Very dangerous. And if something goes wrong and you have a fire, your insurance company may fight paying the claim.

Oil color has little bearing on its effectiveness. The only real way to determine oil condition is to submit it for analysis.

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Acer
How much oil does a typical generator produce during a change?

12oz in mine. Smaller inverter generator.

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C(-)ris
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