Briggs & Stratton Elite Series Operator's Manual page 23

Inspect Muffler and Spark Arrester
Inspect the muffler for cracks, corrosion, or other damage.
Remove the spark arrester, if equipped, and inspect for
damage or carbon blockage. If replacement parts are
required, make sure to use only original equipment
replacement parts.
WARNING Exhaust heat/gases could ignite
combustibles, structures or damage fuel
tank causing a fire, resulting in death,
serious injury and/or property damage.
Contact with muffler area could cause burns resulting in
serious injury.
• DO NOT touch hot parts and AVOID hot exhaust gases.
• Allow equipment to cool before touching.
• Keep at least 5 feet (152 cm) of clearance on all sides of
generator including overhead.
• It is a violation of California Public Resource Code, Section
4442, to use or operate the engine on any forest-covered,
brush-covered, or grass-covered land unless the exhaust
system is equipped with a spark arrester, as defined in Section
4442, maintained in effective working order. Other states or
federal jurisdictions may have similar laws.
Contact the original equipment manufacturer, retailer, or dealer
to obtain a spark arrester designed for the exhaust system
installed on this engine.
• Replacement parts must be the same and installed in the same
position as the original parts.
Clean and inspect the spark arrester as follows:
1. Remove four screws that attach the spark arrester
screen.
2. Inspect screen and replace if torn, perforated or
otherwise damaged. DO NOT USE a defective screen. If
screen is not damaged, clean it with commercial
solvent.
3. Reattach the screen with four screws.
Clean Cooling System
Over time debris may accumulate in cylinder cooling fins and
cannot be observed without partial engine disassembly. For
this reason, we recommend you have an authorized service
dealer clean the cooling system per recommended intervals
(see Maintenance Schedule in the Maintenance section).
Equally important is to keep top of engine free from debris.
Also see Cleaning.
Check Valve Clearance
Regular valve clearance check and adjustment will improve
performance and extend engine life. This procedure cannot
be done without partial engine disassembly and the use of
special tools. For this reason we recommend that you have
an authorized Service Dealer check and adjust valve
clearance at recommended intervals (see Maintenance
Schedule in the Maintenance section).
Carburetor Adjustment
The carburetor on this engine is low emission. It is equipped
with a non-adjustable idle mixture valve. Top speed has been
set at the factory. If adjustment is required, see an
authorized service dealer.
CAUTION Excessively high operating speeds could
result in minor injury and/or generator damage.
Excessively low speeds impose a heavy load.
• DO NOT tamper with governor spring, links or other parts to
increase engine speed. Generator supplies correct rated
frequency and voltage when running at governed speed.
• DO NOT modify generator in any way.
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