Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Generator engine problem, gas in oil

Question
I have a UST generator. It runs well for about 20 to 30 seconds. Then gas starts to spit or pour out of the OHV cover and stops running. There is also alot of smoke from the muffler and when I took off the oil fill cap I think gas came out of it. It is an air cooled engine (straight gas) I would appreciate any advice you could offer. Thank you for your time , Chuck

Answer
Don't try and run the engine until this is fixed.  That gas in the oil can ruin the engine in a matter of minutes.

I'm not familiar with the UST name.  Looking at a couple of pictures they look like one of the Chinese machines that's available under many different labels.  Most of these have a Honda clone engine.

The likely problem is that the needle and seat in the carburetor isn't seating properly and allowing excess fuel to pass by.  The carburetor will need to be gone through to fix this.  Also, the oil will need to be changed and if gas is coming out of the rocker cover, that should be removed and left to dry.

It may be that some damage has been done.  The gas in the oil prevents the oil wedge that the rotating parts ride on from forming and causes metal on metal contact.

So after getting the oil changed and carburetor rebuilt, I would pay very close attention to the engine the first time I started it.

Let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks, PK.