Generator issues.....?

[Groucho]

Hi all,
New to me 2004 320 DA last fall. The generator seems to run fine while docked, but while out today going 7-8 Knots it ran for a few minutes then shut down. I restarted and it again shut down shortly after. It was hot today (96) and water temp was mid 70's.
Any thoughts please?
I am guessing strainer slightly plugged?

 

[stephens013]

Strainer, impeller and maybe heat exchanger servicing

 

[Loyd Dinneen]

Check your oil the sensor may be sensing low oil level.

 

[Stee6043]

Welcome to boating with generators in 15+ year old boats! If your generator is working perfectly, you're sailing under some lucky stars.

Once you get her running correctly some of the best free advice you might get is to run that thing every time you leave the slip, and don't shut it off until you return to the slip. Run run run...I'm convinced it is the only thing that keeps marine generators running correctly.

One thought on the strainer - it should be pretty obvious when the generator is starving for water. Get in the practice of checking the amount of water coming from the exhaust. Once you know what it normally looks like you'll quickly be able to tell when it's starting to slow down due to either a clogged strainer or bad impeller.

 

[Henry Boyd]

G,
You didn’t mention your fuel level. Generator fuel pickups are generally mounted higher than the engine pick up to prevent the gen from sucking the tank dry. When the boat is moving and fuel sloshing around, the pickup can become exposed and pull in air and shutting down. When the tank is full it’s not an issue, but get near half and the pickup will start to suck air under the right conditions.

 

[Groucho]

G,
You didn’t mention your fuel level. Generator fuel pickups are generally mounted higher than the engine pick up to prevent the gen from sucking the tank dry. When the boat is moving and fuel sloshing around, the pickup can become exposed and pull in air and shutting down. When the tank is full it’s not an issue, but get near half and the pickup will start to suck air under the right conditions.

Thanks Henry. Good point. Way back when money was an issue I would run down to 1/4 tank and put fuel till 3/4.
I know it's stupid to carry around all the extra weight but I am happy with a fuel tank (s) near full and an empty holding tank! So I had filled up the day before our outing.