kohler 5e overheating argh!

[Rick T]

Well I changed the thermostat it was quite easy

All you need is a 1/2 wrench, 7/16 wrench, 5/16 socket for clamps.

the round tube is the heat exchanger, which is attached to the exhaust manifold the thermostat is between the two on the right.


you need to remove the 4 1/2 bolts. first remove the hoses connected to the exchanger and drain antifreeze.



I flushed the heat exchanger to make sure there were no pieces of impeller in there.



once everything is together you need to bleed the systems as these models have a tendency to air lock mine had a 7/16 plug which I used to bleed system.


The bad news is it still overheats......:smt089

Anybody know how to check if the new thermostat is opening while still installed in generator?

Mine was doing the same exact thing and I did the same thing you did, inspect thermostat and try and bleed the air out of the system using the pipe plug opposite of the cap. What I found out is that even though you bled the system using the pipe plug and the radiator cap there is still air trapped someplace near the coolant circulation pump. I went to another site and someone suggested (as he has the same problem and the fix he used) to bleed system using pipe plug and cap method. Make sure full to the top as much as possible. Then fill the overflow bottle with coolant to the top. What will happen (it happened to his and mine as well) is when the coolant heats up and expands it will force coolant to the area that is vapor locked thereby removing the air pocket and the vapor lock. When the system cools down you will notice that the overflow bottle is not full anymore and you will need to add coolant to bring it up to the correct level.

This method worked for me. My gen was shutting down after 5 minutes and I could not figure it out. Once I did this, it has worked since then, no problems at all....knock on wood.

Hope this helps.

Let us know if this worked for you as well.

 

[Rick T]

Overflow bottle is impossible to reach what’s the best way to fill it
Where do you buy a new plug