Honda 350 gennie 2 stroke mixture question

I picked up a little Honda 350 last summer for camping. The basic specs were I should get about 7 - 8 hours of running time off of a tank of gas. Last summer I ran my CPAP off it and only got about 4 hours. The gennie would hardly change idle sound when I turned the CPAP on.

Question - The guy I bought it off of recommended I used 50:1 premium fuel mixture instead of the Honda recommended mixture of 100:1. Would burning such a rich mixture significantly reduce my running time? If I switched to the 100:1 mixture do you think I would get closer to the 7 - 8 hours?

Thanks,

Musky

If you go to 100:1 you better be running very high quality oil. Likely synthetic.

I know that is pretty lean but that is what is printed on the side of the gennie. From what I have read you should use Honda oil.

That Honda generator is a 2 stroke? I've never heard of one so I guess you can learn something everyday.
As long as the API standards printed on the oil bottle label are met then you don't need Yamaha or Skidoo or Jonsered or Honda labeled oil. None of those companies are in the business of making oil but are in the business of promoting their own product line.
The only thing I would suggest is to burn a premium gas rather than the standard 87 octane.

don't like running ratios of 100:1 . High ratios such as 100 to 1 are usually environmental reasons, such as for outboard boat motors The exhaust of an outboard motor goes directly into the water, and environmental­ists are worried about the oil in the mix polluting the lakes and rivers.The seal of the piston is critical. If you remove the lubricants from the gas, the viscosity of the mixture becomes lighter and more prone to vaporization. With a lean mixture, there is less oil to seal the rings. you don't need to run at 50:1 but just a little extra oil helps to keep bearings lubricated and rings sealed a bit better. and I also use a premium gas no ethanol if you can get it

I was fascinated by the thought that there actually was a 2 stroke Honda generator so I looked it up on you tube.
The Honda specs I found on the 350 was that fuel was to be mixed 100:1 using a premium Honda oil OR TC-W 2 stroke oil. As I mentioned before you should go to a premium gas and that should run far better.

How does the carb look? It is possible that it sat and the fuel mixture sitting in the carb separated and gummed up parts of the carb.

Carbs are easy to clean, give that a try.

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Originally Posted by Fox

How does the carb look? It is possible that it sat and the fuel mixture sitting in the carb separated and gummed up parts of the carb.

Carbs are easy to clean, give that a try.

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Quite likely an easy fix like Fox said. I wouldn't think your mix would change your run time so drastically. First I've heard of a 2-stroke as well. She a little loud under load?

Check and clean the air filter first and then work your way down the list.

My older brother [now passed away] used to have one on his boat to use for shore power when they went cruising, mainly to top up the batteries it worked great and was quite a quiet running generator.
One thing he found was that the gas he was using in it had to be "fresh" do not use fuel that has been sitting around for any lenght of time. Unleaded gas just does not have the shelf life like the old leaded fuel did.
I find this to be true when using my old 2- stroke lawnboy gas mower, it just doesn't run well on stale fuel.
As for the generator, my younger brother still uses it periodically up at his cottage , and it still runs well [good old honda]

Yup she purrs like a kitten and is quiet. I will head over to the Honda dealer next week and get some good 2 stroke oil, clean the filter and if necessary the carb. Thanks lads will let you know how she runs.

Toss a can of Seafoam on your list and add a smidgen to your gas. That should clean the carb without having to tear it apart. There'll be lots of Seafoam left for use in your other small gas engines--lawnmower, o/b motor, snowblower, chainsaw, ATV etc.

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Originally Posted by Muskyhunter

I will head over to the Honda dealer next week and get some good 2 stroke oil,

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See if they carry Amsoil 2 stroke 100% synthetic, can't beat that stuff, never fouls up the plug.

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Originally Posted by Fisherman

See if they carry Amsoil 2 stroke 100% synthetic, can't beat that stuff, never fouls up the plug.

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Yep, that's all I use. They even say that it's so good you can use that stuff at 100:1 on engines that are rated for 50:1. Not that I would do that anyway. All my small engines get high test with no ethanol and a dose of seafoam, which I swear by. Tune-up in a can I call it. Plus it's a great stabilizer and phase separation inhibitor.

Cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Muskyhunter

Yup she purrs like a kitten and is quiet. I will head over to the Honda dealer next week and get some good 2 stroke oil, clean the filter and if necessary the carb. Thanks lads will let you know how she runs.

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Clean everything, new plug, new air filter, new fuel filter and clean the carb, it is the only way to actually know what you have.

If you just put in new fuel and oil and clean the filter you are no where near finding out what it is fresh, cleaning a small engine carb is very simple.