Generator quits when pre heat released

Dec 8, 2007
1,139
Dartmouth MA
Boat Info
1997 Sea Ray 400DA
Cat 3116 TA
1994 Sea Ray Laguna CC 250 Tohatsu
Engines
:
So, I tried to start my one year old, 230 hour diesel westerbeke generator today the same way I always do. Hold the preheat for a few seconds,. Engage starter, release starter,. Wait for oil pressure to level off at 50psi then release preheat. The only thing different today is when I hold the preheat I hear a ticking like a solenoid also,.when I release the preheat the engine stalls.. water temp is below the scale(cold) so no overheat. Almost like there is a fuel shutoff solenoid that won't stay energized open. I am on the boat for the next 3 days and this is going to ruin a trip. Any help is welcomed. Thank you.
 
Ours has been doing that the last couple times. I start the gen at the gen panel and hold the solenoid for a few seconds. Seems to work, need to change solenoid though.
 
Also, Westerbekes will shut down being just a little low on oil.
 
Ours has been doing that the last couple times. I start the gen at the gen panel and hold the solenoid for a few seconds. Seems to work, need to change solenoid though.
Is the clicking that I hear when holding the preheat the solenoid getting weak? What do you mean by "holding the solenoid?". Do you mean holding the preheat switch after it starts for a while longer? I have tried that for about 30 seconds.
 
The rapid clicking is the electric fuel pump; the single loud click is the fuel supply solenoid opening.

Westerbeke's warning or safety circuit is bypassed during starting so the engine can be started when there is no oil pressure. When the engine is running and you release the starter switch, the engine should run because you will have oil pressure then. Your problem is that one of the senders is bad so the safety circuit is shutting down the generator when the start switch is released.

Check the all the senders in the safety circuit, even the hi temp one even though you know the engines is not over heated. A shorted or open sender will shut down the engine just as though the engine is overheated or has no oil pressure.
 
If it is a sender,. Could I disconnect the wire or ground it out to get me thru the weekend? Obviously I would have no protection. I woul assume ground out oil ....open circuit temp..
 
I agree. I just replaced it last season. 8.0kw about $12000. That's $1250 per kw. Going to bed. Thanks guys for your input.
 
The senders are fairly inexpensive. I replaced one last year. I had this same thing happen and found it was just a wire that had come off the sender as well so go down below and make sure all the sender wires are actually connected.
 
I'm trying to troubleshoot it now. Jumped the oil psi switch. That didn't do it. Then bypassed the temp switch. No luck there. There is a third switch in the wiring diagram on the exhaust elbow. I can't see it or get to it if I could see it if it is on the back side of the engine. Not real happy right now. Might have to cut the trip short.
 
Do you have a westerbeke mechanic you can call? My guess is he has the parts and could fix it within an hour...

Josh
 
Turns out the problem is the exhaust elbow temp.temp switch. I bypassed it until I can install a new one. Thank you guys.
 
water temp is below the scale(cold) so no overheat. Almost like there is a fuel shutoff solenoid that won't stay energized open. I am on the boat for the next 3 days and this is going to ruin a trip. Any help is welcomed. Thank you.
I just help a friend fix his genny last week. His would run for a bit, and then stop after a couple of minutes. You have given 2 very valuable clues. #1 - "water temp is below the scale(cold) so no overheat". #2 - Bypassing exhaust manifold temperature switch allows genny to run. My friend's genny had low coolant. He added some and it corrected his issue. He had to open up a plug to let the air out of the system while he filled it. I think your's has a similar issue. My experience with engines in general has been that when a engine is reporting cooler than normal temperatures, the coolant is not hitting the sender so all it is measuring is the air in the cooling system that has been heated by the coolant. Air in the system can prevent the coolant circulating pump from being able to properly circulate the coolant. I suspect that your coolant is low, which is why the temperature is reading low but the EM switch still thinks it is overheating (because it really is). Since the low coolant is preventing proper coolant circulation, the exhaust manifold gets hot and triggers the (properly working) temperature switch.

Check the coolant level. While researching my friend's issue, I ran across lots of posts from people stating that they had to purge air out of the system. The methods varied from removing a plug to allow air to escape while adding coolant to squeezing a hose with a plug removed, reinstalling the plug before letting the hose go, removing the plug, squeezing the hose, reinstalling the plug, etc. a few times until coolant started to flow out of the plug when they squeezed the hose.

Something simple to look at before buying a new switch, or possibly overheating your genny by running it with the safety switch bypassed.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,946
Messages
1,422,757
Members
60,929
Latest member
Henchman
Back
Top