Opinion please: Champion Inverter

Not directly a track riding question but somewhat related...

Looking for opinion.

I bought a Champion Inverter today because it was on sale at crappy tire. I opened it to fill with oil and fuel and test it out but its SOAKED in oil. They are supposed to come without oil in them!

The outside of it, especially on the back maintenance cover and bottom and all through the inside bottom of the case is covered in oil. There is a little oil on the dipstick that was maybe 1/2 threaded in and on the little rubber spill catcher under the oil fill. One of the foam pads on the cover was not attached but looks like it had oil splashed on it and it got into the glue holding it on. The bag it was in inside the box also had a substantial amount of oil in it.

It was in its package like it came from the factory but I'm getting the feeling it was sold and then returned. If that is the case I have no idea of both what previous owner did with it or how many hours are on it. Or do they get filled with oil/fuel and tested at the factory before they are shipped out and this ones oil filler wasn't put on tight?

So, opinion: Keep it and not worry about it, or return for a fresh one (this was the last one there!)

One thing is for sure, this one will never rust!!!!

(I'm not looking for a "you should have bought honda/yamaha debate.")

I would be very surprised if something like this did not get test-run at the factory.

Check the spark plug. That will tell you if it has significant run time on it.

At this point you might as well check the oil level and put some gas in it and make sure it works before making a decision of what to do with it.

They come with oil.

You should of bought at Costco!

I just prepped one out of the box this past weekend. It had no oil in it. I'm looking at the two tags it had on it right now, both telling me NO OIL IN UNIT. One of them is even shaped like a stop sign and was held in place by one of the rear cover screws.

If your's didn't have those two tags then I was most likely a return. Up to you if you take it back. It's crappy tire, they will replace it.

I've bought several (4) over the years and all had oil and were new.

They may have changed their practice but as Brian pointed out they test run them before packaging.

Hey Joey... when you say that one had no oil in it was it completely dry... as in not even oil residue?

All the warning tags for no oil etc. are in place still.

I don't think it was run by another customer now that I look at it more, the gas tank has never had fuel in it.

I'm thinking they put oil in the engine, run from another fuel source, then recover their oil at the factory before shipping it out.

OMMRA- I looked at Costco as well, with this sale crappy was slightly cheaper.

It had residue, but when I checked the oil stick it was hardly registering anything. I added about 150ml. That brought the level just below the max on the stick.

Thanks, I'm leaning now that it was a factory test run and its was on a Friday afternoon and the dipstick wasn't threaded home and made a mess.

Was probably factory test oil.

Box probably ended up upside down at some point (trust me, it happens, I know) and the oil that was left in the crankcase after the bulk of the test oil was drained out at the factory ended up all over everything.

If the spark plug looks clean (ie, it wasn't a return that someone put 20 hours on camping somewhere and then returned), you could clean it up and go with it....or, IMHO, you'd be within your rights to return it and request a replacement.

I didn't notice this on sale. I don't see it online. Was this a previous sale?

JoeyB said:

I just prepped one out of the box this past weekend. It had no oil in it. I'm looking at the two tags it had on it right now, both telling me NO OIL IN UNIT. One of them is even shaped like a stop sign and was held in place by one of the rear cover screws.

If your's didn't have those two tags then I was most likely a return. Up to you if you take it back. It's crappy tire, they will replace it.

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I bought one from costso a few years ago, same thing as you. Said to add oil


op...I would take it back and get another