Another Kohler Genset Issue - 2007 DA 310

[marbelliana]

Hi all,

Figured I'd start here after reading many other similar issues regarding Kohler generators. I bought a 2007 Dancer 310 down in Prince William just about a month ago and it passed its survey with flying colors...generator started and ran fine, took a load, and powered the boat's systems no problem. I was doing a final "stretching" activity before having her pulled out of the water on Saturday. I started the generator and it fired right up. I probably ran it for a minute or 2 (I read on the forums that I likely should have run it longer before putting a load on it).

I turned on the AC under generator power and ran the generator for a good 8 minutes. Water was pumping out the side. Took a quick walk to my car and when I came back, the generator had swtiched off with no option to restart it. Generator code "LOC" (Low on Coolant). I didn't get to do much troubleshooting because I was getting ready to leave for the day and the boat is being taken out of the water today (and I don't actually live in Virginia, I live in Philadelphia) so I won't get to truly dig into this until April of 2016 when we launch for spring. Just figured I'd start the dialogue so I know what to look at when it's time. Of course it worked great when we were surveying it Somehow, after I took delivery, the problems begin

Generator was giving me a solid 110V while it WAS running. And before it did shut down, it started right up, purrs like a kitten. I'm guessing it's either impeller, it COULD actually be low on coolant (wondering if that's Generator coolant or actual engine coolant), or something clogged somewhere? I realize I'm not in a position to troubleshoot right now, but was wondering if anyone had that specific error code and maybe could get me "thinking" in the right direction. I'll have the generator winterized this week along with the rest of the boat, and will replace the hoses, impeller and other items as part of spring launch. Problem might disappear as a result of those activities, but thought I'd ask here for reference.

Thank you in advance, everyone. This forum has been wildly helpful so far.

G

 

[Bay B's]

Hi, If it is model 5ecd like mine, LOC code is actually Loss Of Coolant. I most recently was getting that fault code and found the hose between the water inlet and sea strainer had debris clogging it. That was a relatively easy one to diagnose and fix with no cost except my time. Now for the bad of my 5ecd: 2-3 times a season it will start and run fine for 15 minutes or 5 hours. It may shutdown with LOC or UU codes. It may or may not start back up, ultimately not starting. After a few rounds of this behavior last season and early this season, changing the impeller, changing the spark plugs and checking the systems for clogs, I have only been able to resolve the issue by replacing the fuel injector. I have 2 spares. Once I have to change it out, I send the "bad" one to get cleaned.

 

[marbelliana]

Ok thanks for the reply. I guest at this point, I won't know until I start with some of the "easier" fixes and see if that resolves it. I believe my generator is the same model as yours (kohler 5k). I will certainly see if we can check the basic stuff and then see if we can keep it running consistently. I'll certainly keep you posted and would welcome any further experiences with this as well!

 

[bbwhitejr]

We are just finishing up on the 2nd season of ownership on ours. They can be very aggravating, but for the most part, we have not had a whole lot of issues. We have had the "LOC" code a few times. If I shut it down and try to restart it right away, it doesn't like that and I get that code. I have never had the impeller fail, but did have the small coupling between the shaft that drives the impeller and the crank shaft fail and got that code. If you crank it in the spring and water is coming from the through hull, likely not the impeller and certainly not the coupling. The coupling and impeller are both very easy to change out. If you remove the coupling, you will see the shaft that it mounts on and makes it turn. With the gen turned off, you should not be able to turn this little shaft with your fingers. If you can turn it with fingers, the coupling will be laying in the bottom of the housing.

Hope this helps!

Bennett

 

[marbelliana]

We are just finishing up on the 2nd season of ownership on ours. They can be very aggravating, but for the most part, we have not had a whole lot of issues. We have had the "LOC" code a few times. If I shut it down and try to restart it right away, it doesn't like that and I get that code. I have never had the impeller fail, but did have the small coupling between the shaft that drives the impeller and the crank shaft fail and got that code. If you crank it in the spring and water is coming from the through hull, likely not the impeller and certainly not the coupling. The coupling and impeller are both very easy to change out. If you remove the coupling, you will see the shaft that it mounts on and makes it turn. With the gen turned off, you should not be able to turn this little shaft with your fingers. If you can turn it with fingers, the coupling will be laying in the bottom of the housing.

Hope this helps!

Bennett

Hey Bennett,

Thanks for the info. So, you mentioned you got that code a few times. Did it resolve itself, or did you need to do something specifically when you got that error code in order to resolve it? Sounds like you replaced a coupler? Thanks again!

GG

 

[bbwhitejr]

Hey Bennett,

Thanks for the info. So, you mentioned you got that code a few times. Did it resolve itself, or did you need to do something specifically when you got that error code in order to resolve it? Sounds like you replaced a coupler? Thanks again!

GG

A couple of times, before I learned, I would shut the gen down only for the admiral to say-"I wasn't done quite yet." I would attempt to restart and it would fire up and then just die. "LOC" code-reset by turning the breaker off on the front of the gen, wait 2-3 minutes, and turn it back on and restart. The one time it shut itself off at night, it had the "LOC" code. I reset, restarted, and it ran maybe 15-20 seconds and shut down again. Repeated, looked and no water flow. Checked the intake, the seacock/strainer, etc. The next am, removed the infeed hose from the sea cock and placed it in a bucket of water. When it did not suck it up, I knew it was something to do with the impeller. Took the impeller apart and it was perfect. Got on here and found where another member-Bucit-had experienced the coupling failure. Removed the housing behind the impeller and found the broken coupling. Maybe a $13 part and 10 minutes of labor and we were up and going again.

Bennett

 

[marbelliana]

Ok great info. Will keep you posted on this, alas, not for several months, however!

 

[spirt320]

I had the LOC error code once on the 320 I had with a Kohler 5ecd. Turned out that the coolant level was fine, it was actually that it was not getting enough water flow due to one of the impeller fins breaking off. Changed the impeller, problem gone. Also, make sure you have no air bubbles in your coolant tank. Sometimes that causes issues as well.

 

[marbelliana]

Thanks, Greg. Hopefully it'll be simple..seems like the LOC code is one of the more simple codes to rectify. Appreciate you sharing your experience on how to deal with this!

 

[Pierpressure1]

I had this same error code and it turned out to be a clogged hose between water inlet in hull and sea strainer. You can check this by opening the cover of the strainer and opening the sea cock to see if water comes in.