LOC generator error

[Sweet Dreams]

New impeller installed and running AC great! :grin: THANK GOODNESS cause its hot today and index will be higher tomorrow! Genny only had 8 hours but apparently infrequent use causes the impellor to go lacking in lube and vanes break off. BTW...by land, DO NOT FOLLOW your GPS to Searay of Savannah! Go by verbal directions and/or map. GPS takes you to Tybee Island! :smt013

 

[Big Billy]

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

Mine goes counterclockwise on my 5E, before or after you take it out have someone bump the starter so you can see which way it turns. I put about a hundred hours on mine a year so I change the impellor and heat exchanger zinc every year, actually the zinc every 50 hours. My zinc broke off one year, and what a job to get it, and the rest of the pieces out of the exchanger...every 50 hours now.......yup that tie wrap trick is priceless.....especially on the big babies.....

Bill

 

[Loneranger]

I broke several vanes off of my impeller this weekend with less than 2 hours on the generator total. It had only 0.7 hours when I bought it "used" but it had set for 18 months without use. I agree that lack of use contributes to the demise of an impeller. I now have 2 spares onboard.

Usually the pieces of the vanes catch in the fittings at the pump housing; if the pieces are not there then they will make it through the fuel cooler but will trap in the heat exchanger. To get them out remove the hose going to the heat exchanger and then remove the zinc. Place the hose back on and crank it up. Water will spray everywhere but the pieces will flush out of the heat exchanger and you can catch them in your hand. A clean out plug for the heat exchanger would be nice.

John

 

[wkearney99]

...To get them out remove the hose going to the heat exchanger and then remove the zinc. Place the hose back on and crank it up. Water will spray everywhere but the pieces will flush out of the heat exchanger and you can catch them in your hand. A clean out plug for the heat exchanger would be nice.

Thanks for the tip John and the PM exchange. The zinc on my 5E is accessible without removing any hoses. I removed the zinc and then slipped a length of 3/4" tubing on the port. This to redirect the water away from the unit (into a bucket). I ran it as you suggested and a few bits did get kicked out. The hole for the zinc is pretty small though. But it worked otherwise. I suppose it would be better to remove the larger hose at the end of the exchanger but that would require removing a lot more of the soundshield.

I agree, some sort of clean-out plug would be very handy.

 

[Steve.Lynette]

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?

MM came out and fixed my gen. The LOC (loss of coolant) warning was a result of an air bubble in the system stopping the flow. The mechanic removed the small filler plug on the top/rear and topped off the coolant - forcing the air out.

Works great now. MM guy says this is a common mistake when setting up new generators.

 

[JV II]

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).

Wait till you see pics of my ER.