Generator Replacement

We're facing a new generator for our 2000 380DA and I'm wondering if the Kohler is still the best upgrade/replacement path?
 
I am a Westerbeke fan, every boat we have owned has had a Westerbeke. Current boat has around 3000 hrs on it, we just replaced the head, but the motor has had nothing but normal oil changes, belts and hoses. We have friends with Onan's nothing but one sensor issue after another
 
I called this company a few weeks ago expecting the requisite BS or no return call at all regarding my W'beke 4.5 gas carb unit.

http://www.norwall.com/

He has a deal with UPS/FedEx (?) for crating and shipping. About $450 round trip to RIC.

He was very straight forward about my problem (hunting / surging) and the likely and not so likely causes. I am so sick of it I was considering a trade and swap out to a 5.0 FI/Lo CO 1800 RPM unit. He told me that mine was one of the better older units and should be a rock for thousands of hours. The fact that he returned my call makes me think of giving him a shot at it. Maybe he has an older sound shield.
 
Personally, I would never purchase another westerbeke. My original gen blew up with 45 hours on it. Westerbeke didn't want to know anything about my situation and even admitted that my specific model had issues. Very poor customer service is what I experienced even after speaking with the president of the company.

Do yourself a favor and call Mike Potter of Noah's Ark Repair in Cocoa, FL. He is a friend of Rusty Higgins and has worked at the Sea Ray plant. He will give you good advise as well as great pricing on replacing your unit. I can't say enough good things about him.
 
dpmulvey said:
I called this company a few weeks ago expecting the requisite BS or no return call at all regarding my W'beke 4.5 gas carb unit.
http://www.norwall.com/
He has a deal with UPS/FedEx (?) for crating and shipping. About $450 round trip to RIC.
He was very straight forward about my problem (hunting / surging) and the likely and not so likely causes. I am so sick of it I was considering a trade and swap out to a 5.0 FI/Lo CO 1800 RPM unit. He told me that mine was one of the better older units and should be a rock for thousands of hours. The fact that he returned my call makes me think of giving him a shot at it. Maybe he has an older sound shield.
Click to expand...

FYI

I found that my hunting problem was the carb, after replacing the lift pump with no change. I took the carb off, bought one from a Fiat guy off eBay (it's a Weber carb), put it on and the problem was much better, but, I had screwed with the governor linkage. I let the original carb soak for a month in a gallon of carb cleaner I got from the auto parts place, put it back on and adjusted the linkage and governor per the specs I found on the Internet:

http://www.foleyengines.com/resourc...-tags/hoofpierce-governor-instructional-guide

paying special attention to:


5.Check the speed “droop” by loading and unloading the engine.

1.If the drop in engine speed (“droop”) between no-load and full-load is too much, lower speed 100 RPM or so with speed change lever B, then raise speed back up to the desired no-load RPM with the regulation eye-screw C.
2.If governor tends to surge under load, lower the speed 100 RPM or so with regulation eye-screw C, then raise speed back up to the desired no-load RPM with speed change lever B.
3.Repeat either of these adjustments as necessary to achieve the desired performance

Plug in a good multi-meter with a hz scale. In the US you are looking for 60 hz +/-3hz according to Westerbeke. Make the adjustments according to the link I sent, including paying special attention to the small "bumper" screw that helps remove hunting. It took me a couple of hours of adjusting, but, after staying with it, I got to a 2.5hz difference in loaded and no-load, including when having two A/C units running and the stove turned on.
 
I love my Westerbeke because previously, I had a Kohler. The Westerbeke is quieter, running at only 1,800 RPM. If it ever dies, I'll be looking for another just like it. Only poblem is that parts are super expensive, and best located on E-Bay.

Don
 
Something to consider in replacement - The new westerbeke will be compatible with the old one's remote start system. So you connect the plumbing, the power cable OUT and plug in the remote start and you're good to go.
 
Jims380DA said:
Personally, I would never purchase another westerbeke.
Click to expand...

This is closer to my feeling about the westerbeke right now. In the past 3 years we've rebuild the hot end, had a four month ordeal replacing a leaking water pump, waited another 4 months to get a new exhaust manifold (both had to come from France), and now a carb that hydro-locked the motor and washed away the rings and any compression that was left.
We all know the drill, I wish I'd have just bitten the bullet then, but who knew.
At this point I just want to find the best option. The new Westerbeke's seem quieter, but my past experience isn't good, the Kohler's seem to be SR's choice now but they seem to have some issues as well.

Thanks for Mike's Info, I need all the great advice I can get right now!
 
Not to enter this conversation other than to add my word of approval to the advice offered by Jims380. Mike Potter and the folks at Noah's Arc have been a go-to source for us at the factory for years and have enjoyed a relationship with his outfit for even longer.

Good advice Jim !And even better to hear from you.....so looking forward to seeing Ms. Fran and the girls....oh, you too bro.

Capt. R
 
Southpaw II said:
I love my Westerbeke because previously, I had a Kohler. The Westerbeke is quieter, running at only 1,800 RPM. If it ever dies, I'll be looking for another just like it. Only poblem is that parts are super expensive, and best located on E-Bay.
Click to expand...

Which Kohler did you have? The specs on the 7.5ekd are certainly better than the original (but so is the new westerbeke)
Ours is the original 7.2BCGTC, so was running at 3600rpm (not too noisy, when it worked), but parts have always been an issue too.
 
My slip neighbor who owns a Carver with a sound-shielded Kohler was marveling at the quietness of this new 7.0 BCGD-LP. He said it's considerably quieter than his Kohler. I can't speak to the longevity of the unit b/c I only have about 5 hours on it, but I can say it handles both air condx units and the HWH without so much as a hiccup. Also has an electronic governor, which is a new concept for me. It is not fuel injected and it has no emissions stuff (keeps the cost down) but, unlike the old Quicksilver on my 340DB, there is zero CO smell when it runs. And I mean zero (yeah, I know - colorless odorless gas) - but even on startup it does not run rich and there is no smoke.

At his recommendation, I spoke to Rusty's guys prior to buying the WB and they were very accommodating. But WB's plug-n-play capability coupled with the lower costs (due to no emissions crap) led me to the WB.

After following these message boards for the past 9 years and reading just about every generator thread ever put up, I have come to three conclusions...
1. you need to run these thing UNDER LOAD to keep them happy
2. whether its QS, WB, Kohler or Onan, they're all quirky and if you survey multiple owners of each brand you will get an equal number of major gripes and major satisfaction.
3. see 1. above
 
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Agree with Ron 100% but would not give WB any of my $ based on how they treated me and my situation. Customer service sucked! They didn't stand by their product and in my mind, didn't deserve the sale, period. My kohler had some issues like anything else. All were under warranty and handled with ease.

Also, Kohler is just as plug and play as WB if your installer knows what he's doing. I used the original wiring for the WB and switches in the panel. With the help of Mike Potter, its just like a factory install.
 
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