I used to have a FP mini and had non-stop problems. We used to buddy boat with a boat that had 2 minis on it, 1 which was just used for spare parts. We would have generator rebuilding "parties" when their diesel engine mechanic son would come down and visit. I finally got so tired of it that I created www.fischerpandasucks.com where people could blog about their experiences, and I sued FP. I basically broke even on the law suit, but quite a few other people got new generators out of it. If you want to depress yourself, you can find lots of history on this by googling "geoff schultz fischer panda". So, all that I can say is that I feel your pain. I now run a Next Generation Power 3.5 KW unit and am happy with it now that they've updated their exhaust elbow.
-- Geoff
-- Geoff