Yanmar diesel genset start up
 

My parents moved way up in the mountains, and last year I got them a 6500 watt Honda generator at an auction for backup power just in case the weather was ugly and they lost power for some reason. Their neighbor asked me to keep an eye out for one for him too. So I managed to find a 6000 watt generator with a 10hp Yanmar diesel on it. Only trouble is I have no idea if it runs or not. I already bought it so if it's dead I am already out of luck, but it came from a municipal govt surplus auction so it might have a chance. I don't know how long it's been sitting, so is there anything I should do before I try to get it running? Any advice on getting one of these to fire up if it has been sitting a while, or should I just hit it with some fresh fuel and roll the dice?

Diesel fuel doesn't go bad, so I wouldn't even bother with the fresh fuel. Just light er up.

Check the oil, inspect the fuel, fire that mug up.

diesel fuel does go bad. but chances are in winter its just heavy. prime crank over couple times and start Diesel engines are the best.

Those single cylinder Yanmar diesels have got to be hands down the toughest stationary engine ever built. I have traffic control arrow boards at work that run them. When they are cold, they smoke like crazy and take a minute or two to smooth out. I'd just change the oil, clean and service the air filter if it's an oil bath, and light it up. If it doesn't start, there is a lever on the head that lifts the exhaust valve to shut it off. Sometimes they will stick and all you have to do is move it back to the run position.

Cool, thanks everyone, I will try and get someone to video it just in case it puts on a good show when it fires up lol

It might sputter like crazy... if it does, crack the fuel line to the injector while it's cranking/running and let the fuel dribble out for a second and it should smooth out.

If the engine is bad, there's a chinese copy on eBay for like $700 shipped. They will run on used motor oil after filtering, and I run mine on trans fluid and pretty much anything else, including mixes with raw gas.

Dang, that's almost twice what I paid for the whole setup, if it turns out to be dead I will just put it on Craigslist as a non runner and plead ignorance ha ha.

You can find them cheaper, mine was brand new with a warranty, etc. I bought it for a bike project that never kicked off and then mother nature decided my trailer was a good test bed for sheer wind resistance. ;)

Trans fluid is a great flush for Diesel fuel systems. pull off the fuel filter, drain, replace with ATF, and cycle that through!