# Mass oil loss on Honda generator.



## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

I'm helping a friend do some work on his home. Off grid no power so we're using a generator. he got a really good deal on a liquid Honda ES 6500. It's been sitting in the front yard while we use a smaller generator, and the electrician gets things wired up. Today, we ran the big Honda. It ran about an hour then quit. Huge puddle of oil under it. Against my advice he added more oil, fired it up and it again ran about an hour then stopped. Another huge puddle of oil. Guy he got it from said that it leaked oil and couldn't be fixed. I looked it over really well, but could not spot the source of the leak. Anyone familiar with these engines to know what it could be? My first thought is cracked crankcase, but thought it would be fairly obvious given the amount of oil it leakes in an hour.


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

Where they usually pop a leak that is hard to locate is one of the two the gaskets on the thermostat case where the governor gear is housed, or the case itself.

Here are the parts diagrams by serial number: http://www.hondalawnparts.com/oemparts#/s/HONPE/es6500/


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Thanks RC. The owner later told me that the guy who sold it to him told him that the oil leak was not fixable so it must be a crack in the block or head.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Thinking about it now, the filler tube ran under the engine and the drain plug was in the filler tube itself under the engine and the valve had oil dripping from it not surprisingly, but I bet the tube got hit and broke from the block.....


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Monday, I'll check that location you pointed out......


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## thepumpguysc (Jan 25, 2015)

That's a shame.. no wonder he "got a GREAT deal".. I don't have a Honda but mine leaks at the low oil shut down switch in the crank case.. & I don't see any way to fix it..
no screws or bolts holding it.. I just put an "puppy pad" under it while its running..
It doesnt effect anything, like yours..


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

I am only familiar with the versions that have the two bolts holding the filler tube to the engine case. Those have a 12 mm oil drain plug with a hose bib and a gasket in the crankcase.

We have had problems with those Honda GX360 water cooled engines blowing out the gasket maker between the upper and lower engine cases. Splitting the case and resealing with Yamabond repaired those. Never broke a case, and they get bounced around on service trucks like beach balls. 

That case seal failure happens when they are operated hours on end in dusty fields and the crankcase breather (side cover with the four bolts) clogs. Some of those ran for many harvest seasons without that breather being cleaned. They have a silly flapper valve under that cover that eventually sticks shut and lets crankcase pressure build excessively, or now if the service guy loses the internal oil deflector when cleaning the breather then oil starts blowing out.


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## PJ161 (Sep 12, 2016)

And I thought Hondas were supposed to be the cream of the crop! I have three Kohlers in various use, other than a new carb on one, the two V twins have been problem free, a single cylinder vertical needs a set of rings, *after 20 years!*  PJ


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