Okay guys ive been fighting with this for months. I have a robin ex13 generator that constantly surges with or without load. I cant find out whats causing it. Ive replaced the carb which cant be adjusted. Its got new plug, timing is set, freash gas. It runs pretty good fully choked but as soon as you remove or even try half choke it revs up for a sec and then surges down. Please help.
Surging on a governed engine is nearly always lean fuel .
So the next trick is to heavily spray around the inlet with some WD 40 or sililar from A TRIGGER PACK.
You are looking for an air leak which will suck in the WD 40 and cause white smoke & the engine to change speed.
Second trick is to check the fuel supply is aequate.
If the engine starts uo OK and runs a minute or so then starts to hunt that generally shows the fuel line is blocked .
And don't forget the filter inside the tank.
Okay tried wd40 around the spark plug and carb gaskets with no change. I also tried spraying gas directly through the air base and the engine would just try to die. But after trying the 2 previous i will now run 5 to 6 seconds before roughly idling down then back up. Any suggestions
#5
reynoldston
Carburetor problem, surging is something wrong in the low speed circuit of the carburetor.
The best of luck with the Sea Foam. Just never a believer in additives but hope the best for you. As I said its in the low speed circuit in the carburetor and if your carb has a low speed air adjustment you might have better luck adjusting that after you try the seafoam if the seafoam doesn't fix it.
#8
BlazNT
Seafoam is just really really really clean kerosene.
Sadly unlike the original carb the replacement carbs for the robin ex13 have no adjustments on them. Trust me ive looked everywhere on this carb and it has no adjustments.
Try holding the throttle in one position and prevent the surging and see how it runs. If it sputters or tries to die then you have a fuel problem. If it runs steady without sputtering and rough running then the problem would be in the governor.
Okay tried the seafoam. No changes. The throttle sits naturally in the open position. If i try to hold the throttle all the way open if runs fast and sputters quickly. If i hold it closed the speed drops and it dies. If i wedge the throttle in like half open it runs good but can still feel the surges but its not affecting it. I cleaned the carb again and tried poking a small wire in every hole.
Pinch the tank from you push mower and hang this above the mower so you get a good gravity meal.
Problem goes away the you need to clean out the fuel tank and lines and look at the pump if it has one.
Problem stays then there is still something clogging up the carb or stopping the float bowl filling properly.
You can be flooding or starving the engine or both by doing that which is why I asked for the alternative tank to be used.
We are trying to eliminate possabilities and narrow down the probles.
We already know you can get it to run badly on starter fluid so we know it has spark and can assume the ignition timing is somewhere near where it should be.
So now we have to work out where in the fuel system the problem lies.
Bit by bit it is a slow & methodical process unles you want to go but a box load of bits and just keep shovonmg them on till the problem is solved or your wallet is empty.
Okay finally got out there tried new hose with clean tank no filter and still the same thing. Only time it runs good is when the governor isnt moving or moves very little. When i first tried it ran good but then i seen the fuel line was in the way of the governor.
So now you have done what Illingine asked you to day way back on the 27th.
While it was by accident looks like you have isolated it to the govenor itself.
Contry to popular belief, the govenor SLOWS down the engine.
And it is the govenor that is connected to the carb.
The throttle cable puts tension on the govenor via the govenor spring to stop it closing down the throttle.
To prevent hysterious there is a tiny spring on the govenor linkage.
Before you rip into the engine do as Illingine asked.
Run the engine and manually work the govenor with your finger.
Loosen the govenor arm and reset it on the govenor shaft ( assuming this is a mechanical govenor )
Check the parts books to ensure all the bits are there
If this is on a generator there is generally a throttle adjustment screw these tend to go out of adjustment due to vibrations.
The book says its a flywheel governor but its nothing like those on the briggs. It has a spring going to a screw adjust speed lever, the spring and rod for the carb, and the governor is held on a small shaft with a clamp and nut combo.
The book says its a flywheel governor but its nothing like those on the briggs. It has a spring going to a screw adjust speed lever, the spring and rod for the carb, and the governor is held on a small shaft with a clamp and nut combo.
Okay i havent gotten back out there to check it. But i do have a question. Its a centrifugal governor and does anyone know what position its supposed to be in or does it connect to the governor gear on the sump cover?
At rest the govenor should allow the throttle to be fully open.
So you set it by holding the throttle full open and turning the govenor shaft backwards so as soon as it starts moving it closes doown the throttle from the fully open position.
Finally back at it again. Adjusted the governor per manual i turned as far as i could while holding the throttle open and it runs a little better but i noticed it wont close the throttle completely it only close to like half way.
Surging on a governed engine is nearly always lean fuel .
So the next trick is to heavily spray around the inlet with some WD 40 or sililar from A TRIGGER PACK.
You are looking for an air leak which will suck in the WD 40 and cause white smoke & the engine to change speed.
Second trick is to check the fuel supply is aequate.
If the engine starts uo OK and runs a minute or so then starts to hunt that generally shows the fuel line is blocked .
And don't forget the filter inside the tank.
Try holding the throttle in one position and prevent the surging and see how it runs. If it sputters or tries to die then you have a fuel problem. If it runs steady without sputtering and rough running then the problem would be in the governor.
Thanks but i have tried all those things. I am give in. Sorry but both my experiences with robin engines have been bad. They may be good on other equipment but generators are not it. I had a generator that surged from the store. Ill likely replace the engine with a horizontal briggs or a Predator. I really appreciate all the help guys and gals super thanks.
