Kohler Generator switching issue

Three Seasons

Long time member
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Jun 10, 2009
254
Minnetonka
Boat Info
380 Sundancer 2006
Engines
Twin 8.1 V-Drives
2006 380SD - Kohler gen will only run if turned on from generator panel in bilge and runs great with no issues. If we try to turn on from cabin panel it starts up but dies immediately.

Could that be a bad switch in on the cabin panel?

Thank you
 
2006 380SD - Kohler gen will only run if turned on from generator panel in bilge and runs great with no issues. If we try to turn on from cabin panel it starts up but dies immediately.

Could that be a bad switch in on the cabin panel?

Thank you
Odd. You have two switches on the cabin panel, correct? An "energize" switch between the two battery bank switches and then an on/off switch above that? And then in the bilge, you have an "energize" switch on the panel but the on/off switch is then on the genset itself. You're switching the genset on via energize and then the on/off switch on the unit works, but the one on the panel results in the shutdown?
 
Thanks for replying & sorry I missed this.
You are correct, I energize at the cabin panel and turn gen on at the cabin panel, the gen starts up fine and kills 3 seconds later (1 out of 3 times). When it kills I try again on the cabin panel and it dies again. Then I raise the hatch climb down take the sound proofing cover off and start it at the gen and runs perfect with no codes. I’m thinking the cabin on/off switch could be bad.

I was at Coeur d Alene resort ID last week, Beautiful part of the country! Sad the smoke and fires are so bad. We had one awesome sunset.
 
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Once it runs, can you shut it down in the cabin? After it has run long enough to fully warm up can you you shut it down and then restart it from the cabin?
 
View attachment 110465
Once it runs, can you shut it down in the cabin? After it has run long enough to fully warm up can you you shut it down and then restart it from the cabin?
Curious what you’re getting at? I was staring at this trying to think of anything that would cause this behavior except the in cabin switch popping back to OFF after a few seconds. Since the startup routine is entirely local to the Genset, the switch shouldn’t really be involved at all. The idea that the location of a switch could affect the unit doesn’t make much sense to me. Doesn’t it have to be that the cabin switch is fault as the OP speculates or do you see something I’m not seeing?
 
Curious what you’re getting at? I was staring at this trying to think of anything that would cause this behavior except the in cabin switch popping back to OFF after a few seconds. Since the startup routine is entirely local to the Genset, the switch shouldn’t really be involved at all. The idea that the location of a switch could affect the unit doesn’t make much sense to me. Doesn’t it have to be that the cabin switch is fault as the OP speculates or do you see something I’m not seeing?
5E8388F2-4702-4E4C-B75C-5ED6359DBCE5.jpeg

My genny seldom starts from the salon when it is cold. I start it in the ER because it needs to have the fuel pump switch held down for 3-4 seconds before hitting the starter. Even then, I need to add additional fuel pumping off and on for about a minute before it runs on its own. After it is warmed up, the salon switch will start it easily for an entire day. It has to be really warm in the ER for the salon switch to start it when the genny has not been run for several days. It is sort of a WB quirk. I realize we are talking about a Koehler in this case but wondering if it might be similarly quirky?
 
Thanks again, In the event where I have to start it in the ER I’m able to turn it off from the cabin switch. The cabin switch has always worked to turn it off.
 
Thanks again, In the event where I have to start it in the ER I’m able to turn it off from the cabin switch. The cabin switch has always worked to turn it off.
ED554112-AD7D-4763-8899-219196A4FBDE.jpeg

After it is warm from running for a while, perhaps try turning it off in cabin and then try to start it from the switch in the cabin?
 
Thanks again, In the event where I have to start it in the ER I’m able to turn it off from the cabin switch. The cabin switch has always worked to turn it off.
Seems like a cheap switch from fisheries would go a long way here. Just to exclude the switch or not.
 
Holy hell. I can't believe this, but I have a problem also related. Here's what happened to me. I was working on my genset to clear a blocked raw water line (see other thread I've been posting in in this forum). Today, I cleared the raw water blockage but now have a switching issue.

The sequence was as follows:
1. Wanted to suck a couple gallons of a descaler through the genset, so pulled the raw water line and pushed it to the bottom of a bottle of the descaler.
2. Needed to start the genset but didn't want to be standing next to a bottle of acid when I did, so I started it from the salon by "energizing" and then hitting start. Generator fires up.
3. I'm back in the bilge watching the descaler bottle empty out and right when it was about to bottom out, I hit the "energize" button off on the panel on the bilge since, again, I didn't want to lean over the acid bottle while switching the genset off at the unit and didn't want to go back to the salon as the unit was about to run out of liquid to pull.

Ever since then, the salon on/off switch is stuck in the on position. Meaning if the genset is in "Auto" mode with the switch on the unit, as soon as I "energize" the generator starts up immediate. The on/off switch has been rendered useless. Pressing it up/down has no effect on anything. If I use either "energize" switches, bilge or salon, the genset shuts down. As soon as I switch them on again, the on/off switch lights up and the genset starts. Switching the genset to off at the unit did not fix this.

I'm thinking I might pull the battery entirely to ensure no power is at the genset and see if that resets things.

I think I confused the generator. :)
 

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