Sportsman 800 generator on sale at home depot

[B and C]

If mine ends up needing adjustment, an adjustment it will get. For this old carb (not CARB) guy, these little carburetors are very simple. I will take my chances with the carburetor police. I know, I have been warned.

 

[Gr8ful]

What's the black screw head above & right above the arrow?

 

[tx2sturgis]

What's the black screw head above & right above the arrow?

Thats an idle stop...but anytime the engine is running, that scew has no purpose. It only sets the starting throttle level and of course that is when the choke is normally on. This is a noisy jobsite/RV genset and not an inverter generator, so it runs at 3600 RPM all the time.

Changing this 'idle adjustment', in other words, would have no effect when running the generator at high altitudes, other than when its on choke and pulling on the rope trying to start it. As soon as the engine is turning close to normal speed, the governor rod moves the throttle cam up off that screw.

By the way, directly under that black plastic screw is the pilot jet. It pops out for cleaning if needed, and trust me, that orifice is [size=xx-small]tiny[/size].

It's been around 15 to 20 degrees here for daytime highs the last several days, so work on this genset is on hold till it warms up. Small parts and cold hands dont go well together!

 

[tx2sturgis]

I assume that cap is covering an idle mixture screw but as soon as it warms up here, I will resume working on the generator..(pending some other projects). I plan to dig into the old carb again, when I remove it AGAIN.  It's been in the mid-teen temps here for a few days, just too dang cold to work outside, with cold hands and small parts. 

  also the EPA is adopting many CARB rules and in that article it does say it's against federal law to tamper with.

you can try to argue that you are not tampering but adjusting.  take my word that will not cut it.  they will not throw you in jail,  they will fine you if you don't pay the fine then they will throw you in jail.  not for tampering with the carb but for failure to pay(FTP).  I know what I speak of I got real close with the friendly people at CARB when I had my auto shop.  the only people allowed to tamper with the carburetor are authorized repair shops. 

This is only true for repair shops and aftermarket suppliers, businesses, etc. CARB regulations do not apply to small engine equipment owners in other states besides California.

HDR, if you had an auto shop in California, I understand the reason you think it's illegal to adjust or 'tamper' with small engines like generators and lawnmowers and other non-road equipment. Business owners in all states are held to certain legal standards that in almost all cases do not apply to the owner of the item.

For the end user, the consumer, the owner of the item, there is NO state or federal 'law' concerning this in most states. Regulations that apply to a business working on the engine are not the same as laws that apply to the owners of the equipment.

Some counties and municipalities do have their own regulations, sometimes triggered by someone using a very obviously smoky old rototiller or really noisy old tractor. 

But there are no carburetor police chasing after most of us homeowners and/or private individuals.

The same can be said for OSHA....most of those federal safety in the workplace laws do not apply to us (other than practices like dumping oil or gasoline into the ground or heavy spray paint fumes wafting into your neighbors home).  For the most part we are 'on our own' when working in our own garage or shop at our private residence, or working on our own vehicle or lawnmower or generator in our own driveway or even a campground.

No one from OSHA will come calling if you dont wear goggles and a particle mask, or dont have a first aid kit on the wall or a hardhat on your head when trimming the trees on your lot.

I can legally by-pass or modify the 'emissions controls' and features on the generators I own, IF I wanted to, and no one else will know or care.  I am NOT a business working on other people's equipment, I am maintaining and adjusting engines I own. Heck, I could tear off the crankcase ventilation hose, remove the gas vapor hose, mount that engine on a small go-cart, with a high-flow intake and straight exhaust pipe and cruise around making noise and lots of smoke on the local off-road go-cart track and the EPA can't say anything about it. 

Small generators, lawnmowers, weed eaters, gas engine compressors, chainsaws, etc, once they are in the end-user's possession, here and in most states, are not subject to small-engine EPA regs, which only apply to manufacturers, service facilities, rental stores, commercial users, and retailers. 

In California they seem to have a lot of 'laws' that just don't apply anywhere else.

 

[Gr8ful]

It's like the matress tag that says "Do not remove under peanalty of the law" doesn''t mean the end user.

 

[highdesertranger]

once more, I am only trying to get across that it ain't easy, as some were saying. also if mine needed adjusting I sure would do it myself. I do know how to get the plugs out without ruining the carb. highdesertranger

 

[tx2sturgis]

And you know things could change if the guv-mint decided to. 

Like handguns, someday we might have to be over 18 to purchase, and then have to 'register' the item when we buy something like a generator, weedeater, or a lawnmower. 

Pay a fee for EPA registration, and then get a renewal notice every year or every two years. This could be tied to your driver's license or address like a voter registration. In Texas you have to be 18 or over to buy a single can of spray paint, so that's easy to do.

You would have to take the unit to a 'licensed' shop, when you get the renewal notice, and get it tested for clean emissions and no evidence of 'tampering'. Then you'd pay another fee, they slap a sticker on it and you're good to go.

If you sell it you have to certify you did so, and provide the name of the new owner.

Yep, Big Brother could even employ lawnmower cops, generator constables, and weed-eater patrols. Spot checking for compliance stickers when anyone is running one on public or private property. 

Dont laugh, rangers can check for compliance with permit stickers and self-containment rules on BLM land, game wardens can do this when you haul in a large bucket of fish or a nice 12-point buck, and city cops can now check for FAA registration numbers if you are flying a small drone, even just above your own front yard.

Hmmm..I guess I should stop giving them ideas!

:dodgy:

 

[bigskybob]

Damn,I was just starting to relax about the mattress tag thing.I can see where generators put a lot of smoke in the air,especially 2 cycle.I'm really surprised 2 cycle motors haven't been banned.I don't think I could manage a 4 cycle chain saw.Of course it will soon be illegal to burn wood in a heater.

 

[Gr8ful]

Look at how much we pay & how clumsey it now is to start & keep a push mower because 2 idiots decided to trim a hedge & could have used the wheels & kept their fingers. Common sense is not common anymore.