Genset is about to become my own private mooring ball! Help!

[KSalibs]

OK.. So 2002 Kohler 5e no digital panel on unit... strange things are happening. I’ll start with some history. When I got the boat last May it would bog on load and the exhaust would get steamy and oily... this eventually stopped happening as i used it. Since then I have done all the routine service, water pump, oil, coolant, Zink, flushed the heat exchanger as the old zink had broken up inside... Last season it would run fine for days then out of nowhere it would shut down... I’d go take a look and the overflow bottle would be full and there would appear to be coolant stains near the fill cap indicating that coolant leaked out, then boiled and evaporated leaving this marking not much about the size of a dollar ripped in half. I would fill it back up, burp it and she would run for a while (15 -20 hrs) then same thing... so then at the end of last season I go to change the oil and... NO oil comes out!

oddly enough the unit was running the entire way to the haul out without issue... idk what to think. So I add oil flush it with more oil… nothing out of the ordinary and WTF say see you next year.


This year... Boat in, starts right up put 10 hrs on it... back to the overheating issue paired with the full reservoir and stain near fill cap... I also notice a strange watery / oily consistency in the pan under the unit... like not oil and water separated but oily water... (if that makes any sense). So this time I burp the unit fill it up drain the reservoir halfway down... and start the unit with the fill cap off... I immediately notice VERY small white bubbles finding their way to the fill cap... so i put the fill cap on and then watch the reservoir... I notice that there is bubbling going on in there not a tone like half of what you would see from a fish tank bubbler…... my initial thought is that this is a head gasket... can anyone firm up on this before I go nuts trying to make this repair?

Also id say I rank around a 8.5 out of 10 in regards to mechanically inclined, can i take this on myself?
A direction on where to find the parts would be really appreciated as well. Thanks guys! Hope everyone is enjoying their season or at least about to!

 

[ttmott]

that is a classic case of blown head gasket or high pressure exhaust getting into the cooling jacket. It will blow the coolant out of the pressure cap, overflow the expansion bottle then overheat the engine. Have someone check for CO2 in the coolant when running and hot; if CO2 is detected start looking for where the high pressure exhaust is leaking; typically head gasket....
You should be very concerned as coolant can get into the cylinders and oil just as easily when not running.

 

[KSalibs]

that is a classic case of blown head gasket or high pressure exhaust getting into the cooling jacket. It will blow the coolant out of the pressure cap, overflow the expansion bottle then overheat the engine. Have someone check for CO2 in the coolant when running and hot; if CO2 is detected start looking for where the high pressure exhaust is leaking; typically head gasket....
You should be very concerned as coolant can get into the cylinders and oil just as easily when not running.

thanks for the response! I will look into this test. Can anyone offer information regarding where to buy a head gasket replacement kit? I know these motors are Kawasaki but unsure how to crossrefrence parts etc. would hope to do this repair myself. Let me know thank you!

 

[bankyf]

thanks for the response! I will look into this test. Can anyone offer information regarding where to buy a head gasket replacement kit? I know these motors are Kawasaki but unsure how to crossrefrence parts etc. would hope to do this repair myself. Let me know thank you!

Unfortunately, you probably will not find a cross reference. The Kawasaki engine is likely the FD501D-DS04. Parts are readily available for other sub models of the FD501D, but Kohler has the lock down on the DS04. Although parts will likely cross over, Kawasaki dealers have no way to look up parts for the DS04 and extensive searching on the internet just lead to dead ends. There seem to be a few guys out of Florida that refurb these generators and sell them on ebay. Perhaps they would sell you cheap parts. Otherwise, you are going to be tied to a Kohler dealer for parts and I am sure that means $$$.

 

[KSalibs]

Unfortunately, you probably will not find a cross reference. The Kawasaki engine is likely the FD501D-DS04. Parts are readily available for other sub models of the FD501D, but Kohler has the lock down on the DS04. Although parts will likely cross over, Kawasaki dealers have no way to look up parts for the DS04 and extensive searching on the internet just lead to dead ends. There seem to be a few guys out of Florida that refurb these generators and sell them on ebay. Perhaps they would sell you cheap parts. Otherwise, you are going to be tied to a Kohler dealer for parts and I am sure that means $$$.

Ok, well thanks for tips guys I'll see what I can dig up!