Starting Problems

Champion generator won’t start, won’t stay running, or has no power? These dual-fuel and inverter units have a few common faults. Here’s how to diagnose and fix them.

Predator generator won’t start after sitting? On these Harbor Freight units it’s almost always stale fuel and a gummed carb, the fuel valve, or the low-oil sensor. Here’s how to fix it.

Generator hard to start but eventually catches? It’s almost always weak spark, a partly-gummed carb, or a choke and technique problem. Here’s how to find which one.

A generator that fights you on a cold morning and then runs fine the rest of the day is telling

You press the electric-start button and get a click, or nothing at all. On an aircraft flight line you learn

You grab the pull cord, give it a yank, and it won’t move — or it pulls out an inch

The dipstick reads full but the generator keeps shutting down on low-oil protection. Three causes in order: tilted unit, failed sensor, wrong oil viscosity. Most fixes are under 30 minutes.

A generator that starts then dies in 2-5 seconds is almost always a gummed carburetor. The 60-second test that confirms it, the three-tier fix from $0 to $45, and how to stop it happening next season.

Generator won’t start? 9 common causes ranked by frequency, with field-tested fixes for each. The carburetor is behind two of every three stored-generator no-starts — here’s how to confirm yours.