LOC generator error

Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams

Member
Jun 30, 2008
609
Lexington, SC / Lake Keowee and coastal SC
Boat Info
2007 260 Sundancer, F-250 4x4, zodiac/yam dinghy.

1996 18' Chapparall bowrider
Engines
350Mag BravoIII
Ran the 07 5kw Kohler for about an hour at the dock today and turned it off. On attempt to restart, got the LOC error. Cleaned to strainer of grass. Have good flow up through seacock. Coolant tank and radiator are and were full. Have reset and restarted a but it soon cuts off and we still get LOC error message. Gen has 8 hours on it. When it is running the few seconds, water is coming out the side of the boat. Kind of spitting and not streaming though. Is is logical to expect it could be the impellor with this few hours and how t check it?
 
I was about to post the same question! I had exactly the same problem today. Ran about 30 minutes and shut down. Same symptoms.
 
Dang, I was hoping you were going to offer insight! lol. Well I read somewhere else (another boat forum) that genny hours is irrelevant when it comes to the impeller being bad. Just cant figure out from the manual WHERE the impeller is and how to get to it to inspect.
 
Sweet Dreams said:
Dang, I was hoping you were going to offer insight! lol. Well I read somewhere else (another boat forum) that genny hours is irrelevant when it comes to the impeller being bad. Just cant figure out from the manual WHERE the impeller is and how to get to it to inspect.
Click to expand...

The impeller is worth a check and easy to do. Standing in the bilge the impeller is on the right side of the generator...follow the hose. Take the 4 screws out and you can see the impeller without actually removing it. Mine was hosed by 100 hrs but with only 8 hours yours should be fine.

Spitting water is typical from the side discharge.....no steady stream...kind of burbling water I would say.
 
Ha...we're working two posts here :) Thanks for answering my strainer question!

I'll let you know if the strainer is the issue. I don't know how to get to the impeller either. My guess is it's gotta be somewhere between the strainer and the river :)
 
Sweet Dreams said:
... Just cant figure out from the manual WHERE the impeller is and how to get to it to inspect.
Click to expand...


In manual page 27, Seawater Pump, Section 3.7.3 Information on replacing the impeller

It'll take you 5 min to check. There are only 4 bolts that hold the impeller cover.

Good luck,
Alex.
 
Does it just shut off or does it surge and shut off? If it goes off on one of the three safety shut offs, water level, water temp, or oil pressure, it will just cut out, if it surges four or five times and goes off, check your battery. Hook a volt meter up to the battery and hit the starter. If it maintains 12 volts, look at the fuel pump, if not it's the battery. I doubt with short hours you have on it, it's the impellor, but that is on the side behind an easily removed hatch, and then the four bolts.

Bill
 
Diagnosis confirmed:smt038 Impeller had 2 broken vanes that have undoubtedly been ingested. So going fishing now...for the vanes. No impeller in Beaufort. Hoping Searay of SAvannah will have in stock and we can pick up when we head south.
 
On my list of things to do today is replace the 5E impeller. Ran fine all day powering the AC for the kids naps, but wouldn't stay running again after being off for about an hour. Needed to microwave some veggies for dinner so I started it and ran for maybe 5 seconds, then died with no water coming out the exhaust. Classic signs impeller failure (and hopefully nothing else).

The impellers seem to last no more than about 35 hours, and that's with pretty infrequent use. I probably don't run it 'enough' to keep the impeller in good shape or something. It's an easy enough job, just a hassle climbing over the engines and getting access to it. Which reminds me to bring along the mover quilt blanket to keep the hose clamps from jabbing me.

Who sells the impellers alone at a good price? I like to keep a spare on board and don't usually have to replace the whole kit.
 
Sweet Dreams said:
Diagnosis confirmed:smt038 Impeller had 2 broken vanes that have undoubtedly been ingested. So going fishing now...for the vanes. No impeller in Beaufort. Hoping Searay of SAvannah will have in stock and we can pick up when we head south.
Click to expand...

Guys, part of the job here if you're missing vanes, is to save the impellor, and back flush the heat exchanger into a bucket to get the parts back. Pieces of impellor can block the exchanger tubes and cause your genny to overheat.

Bill
 
Good to hear it was an easy fix, and that the 5E burbles water out the side, not a steady stream.

While we're on the subject, my genset is spitting out exhaust with a whitish hue to it, I wouldn't call it white smoke. It also runs rough for the first few minutes, and there is black soot on the side below the exhaust. It only has 18hrs on it, and hasn't been used in the past few years. I'm going to go ahead and rebuild the carb/replace the plugs...I'm betting that'll fix it up?
 
Will do. I'll try that first before we head out. I'd hate to have to rebuild the carb if I don't have to. After 3 or 4 minutes she runs great, just smokes a bit....
 
If you go to MTSpowersystems.com you can get the whole Kohler sea spares kit, which includes the impeller among all the other items you should change out on a regular basis, and you can also order individual parts as well. I had to remove and replace my impeller while I was over in Bimini, and luckily had replaced the items in the kit before I left. While it took only about 10 minutes to remove (you only need to take out 3 of the 4 screws), it took a little while to press down the vanes to fit the new one in; especially with all the sweat dripping down from the 95 degree heat.
 
Here's a trick for the vanes on any impellor. Get a tie wrap and fit it in the middle around the vanes, as you bend them in the proper direction tighten the tie wrap a little at a time to hold them all bent. Then slide the unit into place, push the impellor down and the tie wrap will slide right off. SAve it in your kit for next time. Now you know the trick, if you're taking the impellor out, once you get it half way, put a tie wrap around it tightly, pull it out, voila, your tie wrap is set up to put it back......

Billy
 
Big Billy, that's a great tip!

Laying on top of the engine cover, trying not to lay too hard, squeezing that hard rubber impeller to fit into the genny, is a wicked project. (I'm convinced that working in the 330 engine compartment is a CIA-approved form of torture).

Tie-wraps...love those damn things!
 
great tip Billy...how do you know which way the vanes are supposed to go? When taking out the old one most of the vanes were gone..it was hard to tell
 
I just coat mine with liquid soap and it slides right in. Then when you fire it up you can see the suds come out. Acts as a temporary lubricant until the water gets back in the system.
 
barryg said:
If you go to MTSpowersystems.com you can get the whole Kohler sea spares kit, which includes the impeller among all the other items you should change out on a regular basis, and you can also order individual parts as well. I had to remove and replace my impeller while I was over in Bimini, and luckily had replaced the items in the kit before I left. While it took only about 10 minutes to remove (you only need to take out 3 of the 4 screws), it took a little while to press down the vanes to fit the new one in; especially with all the sweat dripping down from the 95 degree heat.
Click to expand...

Barry -

I got mine here:

http://www.partsfortechs.com/asapcart/kohler-gm12310-sea-spares-maintenance-kit-for-4ef-5e-6ef-73e-p-433.html

$75.76
 
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