Thanks for your advice. I did just that, disconnected the co2 monitor, but the problem remained. The engine runs fine with no load. I plugged in a LED work light and it worked fine.
Tried to start a 120V 1/4 hp motor and the generator didn't like that. It misfired, backfired, belched and burped and generally freaked out. Engine almost died. Disconnect the load and the engine (eventually) comes back to normal. Any idea of what else it might be?