Re: ef3000iSEB: fluctuating engine speed in economy mode w/no load

Thanks for the feedback Bruce.  For now, I'm headed down the controller route.  Everything from the service manual troubleshooting flow chart is pointing to the controller.  The problem is a controller is very expensive.  Fortunately, I've found a controller repair facility that is reasonably confident they can repair, at a fraction of the cost of a new one. (< $100)  They should receive it tomorrow so we'll see.

A little back ground, I bought this generator from a friend of mine for $250.  It wasn't running.  Mitch Williams pointed me in the direction of the spark arrestor and sure enough, this is what was preventing the motor from running.  But once running, this throttle hunting issue manifested.  It was a pre-existing condition of the generator prior to the spark arrestor clogging so I knew about it prior to purchase and thought I could resolve easily.  Boy was I mistaken.  Anyway, hopefully the controller will be repairable and I'll wind up with a nice running generator on the cheap.  But if the controller can't be fixed, I'm not sure the generator is worth enough to buy a $700+ part.  We'll see.

You'd be surprised how many email inquiries I've received from folks experiencing this exact same issue with this model generator.  I really hope to be able to report that the controller repair is the solution.  More later.