westerbeke issues

Xplicitlnck

Xplicitlnck

Well-Known Member
Jan 2, 2012
4,030
Long island ny
Boat Info
330ec
Engines
Twin 7.4 straight drive
I have a westerbeke 4.5 bcga. I fired it up to cook breakfast and she ran for 15-20 minutes then shut down. I don't have a display so no codes. I tried starting it and it did start but as soon as I let go pf the start switch (not the ignition to spin the starter but the switch u hold b4 pressing the start switch) she shuts down. It acted lile thia for about half a day then I tried again a couple hours later and she runs fine now for hours and houra without a hickup... water flow was perfect. Could it b the oil pressure sensor. I hear they did have issues with them. .. oil levels are good with fresh oil last week. Any ideas
 
that switch bypasses the shut down sensors so thats why it stopped running when you let it go.....could you have had reduced flow due to a plastic bag or jellyfish (remember those from BI) - if you moved the boat (or it floated away when you shut down) your problem may have disappeared.....if it happens again bypass the sensors one by one to find the culprate....
 
Gotcha thanks . I had good water flow the entire time so yea but It's very possible and yes those jellyfish were nasty lol
 
It could be a couple of things.....but my bet is a sensor got tripped based on what you described. If it is a sensor, it will happen again.

If this is the first time you have used it this season.....I would also place a bet on fuel. These are small engines and are very sensitive to water in the fuel.

-John
 
I don't think it's the fuel because if I hope the button down it runs and when u Let it go she emediatly shuts down. So what sensors do I have? Oil temp and water pressure? Any others? There was a thread up a couple weeks ago about the oil pressure sensor having a none problem I think I'm gunna change that and hope it never happens again. The start button bypasses the oil pressure sensor until u build enough pressure for the sensor to register and when u release the switch it allows the sensor to take over I'm thinking the sensor is bad therefore when u release the switch the sensor turns the engine off? Sounds good? Next question were can I get the sensor other then westerbeke. I could only imagine what they r asking for it
 
You probably have engine temp, exhaust temp, oil press - I dont know if you have overspeed on that unit or not.....best thing is to bypass one at a time if it ever happens again (as long as your sure all is ok with water flow, oil level, etc) if your hell bent on replacing the sensor, I have the best luck with CARP out of Grant, FL for the best price on westerbeke stuff, I have no idea where they source that sensor...
 
Ours will do that, with as little as 1/2 qt low. They don't hold much, so a little low is a large percentage of capacity.
 
You can pull the manuals for the generator from Westerbeke, look at the wiring diagram and determine which of the sensors is normally open (NO) vs normally close(NC). You simply then find where they are on your particular engine. Hope that helps..
 
I’m having the same trouble but without a manual I’m fumbling through the motor oil pressure sensor jumped., not that one
 
If I am understanding this correctly, the engine stops running when you release the "PreHeat" switch? I believe this switch controls the chock. My genny would not run without that switch activated. I actually taped it down to keep things running. It turned out that the carburetor was all gummed up and the chock was not functioning correctly. Perhaps you need to clean the carb and maybe add some fuel treatment and see if the problem resolves itself. An easy first step. Good luck!
 
In Two Deep said:
If I am understanding this correctly, the engine stops running when you release the "PreHeat" switch? I believe this switch controls the chock. My genny would not run without that switch activated. I actually taped it down to keep things running. It turned out that the carburetor was all gummed up and the chock was not functioning correctly. Perhaps you need to clean the carb and maybe add some fuel treatment and see if the problem resolves itself. An easy first step. Good luck!
Click to expand...

You taped the pre-heat switch down? Yikes. That switch also bypasses all of your safety sensors (heat, water, oil). Most folks would not recommend defeating that safety feature for a substantial period of time unless you were 100% certain there were no actual problems with any of the systems.
 
One of the more frequent things I have seen lately with new boat owners is that they try to start the generator at the generator and the remote panel switch is in the OFF position. It will start but immediately die once the Pre-Heat switch is released.

Under no circumstances do you want to tape down the preheat switch. First, that means the control board, choke circuit and fuel pump are energized bypassing the safeties and the stop switch....really bad idea.

In regards to safeties, if the generator starts and runs for a while then quits after 15-20 minutes it may be one of the safeties:

First in line and most common is the raw water intake is clogged and water flow is restricted to the point that the exhaust high temperature switch trips and shuts down the generator. Unfortunately, clearing the blockage (at the intake port or strainer) does not solve the problem because the impeller or pump has been damaged by the time it shuts down.

Second in line is low oil or the wrong oil. Generators have oil pressure safety sensors and will shut down if oil pressure drops below their minimum.

Last is the generator engine itself is overheating. This can be caused by a bad thermostat, clogged heat exchanger or that raw water flow is insufficient to cool the heat exchanger.

The easiest way to determine a safety has been tripped on a running generator is to restart it. If it starts and dies immediately (upon releasing the Preheat switch) or shortly after starting....there is a good chance a safety has tripped.
 
PlayDate said:
One of the more frequent things I have seen lately with new boat owners is that they try to start the generator at the generator and the remote panel switch is in the OFF position. It will start but immediately die once the Pre-Heat switch is released.

Under no circumstances do you want to tape down the preheat switch. First, that means the control board, choke circuit and fuel pump are energized bypassing the safeties and the stop switch....really bad idea.

In regards to safeties, if the generator starts and runs for a while then quits after 15-20 minutes it may be one of the safeties:

First in line and most common is the raw water intake is clogged and water flow is restricted to the point that the exhaust high temperature switch trips and shuts down the generator. Unfortunately, clearing the blockage (at the intake port or strainer) does not solve the problem because the impeller or pump has been damaged by the time it shuts down.

Second in line is low oil or the wrong oil. Generators have oil pressure safety sensors and will shut down if oil pressure drops below their minimum.

Last is the generator engine itself is overheating. This can be caused by a bad thermostat, clogged heat exchanger or that raw water flow is insufficient to cool the heat exchanger.

The easiest way to determine a safety has been tripped on a running generator is to restart it. If it starts and dies immediately (upon releasing the Preheat switch) or shortly after starting....there is a good chance a safety has tripped.
Click to expand...
My westerbeke 4.5BCGB will run just fine for about 20 minutes and then shutdown. It will restart but for only 5 seconds after letting off the preheat button. It continues to do this. I replaced water temp switch, exhaust temp switch, and the 2 oil pressure switches and did an oil change with Mobil 1 10W-30 synthetic. It ran good for about 15 minutes and same thing. Exhaust is not hot. Can hold my hand on it. Water temp switch is closed and don’t know how I could test oil pressure switches since motor has to run to get that. Is the another switch I’m missing?
Does the preheat run a secondary fuel pump and the fuel pump on the generator itself is dead?
Thank you for your help
Larry
 
Larry Connally said:
My westerbeke 4.5BCGB will run just fine for about 20 minutes and then shutdown. It will restart but for only 5 seconds after letting off the preheat button. It continues to do this. I replaced water temp switch, exhaust temp switch, and the 2 oil pressure switches and did an oil change with Mobil 1 10W-30 synthetic. It ran good for about 15 minutes and same thing. Exhaust is not hot. Can hold my hand on it. Water temp switch is closed and don’t know how I could test oil pressure switches since motor has to run to get that. Is the another switch I’m missing?
Does the preheat run a secondary fuel pump and the fuel pump on the generator itself is dead?
Thank you for your help
Larry
Click to expand...
thats the exact thing mine was doing when my fuel pump started to go bad, couldn't keep up with it running.
 
Larry Connally said:
My westerbeke 4.5BCGB will run just fine for about 20 minutes and then shutdown. It will restart but for only 5 seconds after letting off the preheat button. It continues to do this. I replaced water temp switch, exhaust temp switch, and the 2 oil pressure switches and did an oil change with Mobil 1 10W-30 synthetic. It ran good for about 15 minutes and same thing. Exhaust is not hot. Can hold my hand on it. Water temp switch is closed and don’t know how I could test oil pressure switches since motor has to run to get that. Is the another switch I’m missing?
Does the preheat run a secondary fuel pump and the fuel pump on the generator itself is dead?
Thank you for your help
Larry
Click to expand...


Larry,

Welcome to CSR!


The part that I am concerned about is your generator is behaving like a safety got tripped. Holding down the pre-heat bypasses the safety's. If it runs with the preheat switch depressed.....generally the fuel system is okay. If you put a fuel pressure gauge on it ....it should read about 4 psi.

Get a IR temp gun and shoot the engine and the exhaust manifold cold and when it shuts down. That will tell us if the engine is actually overheating.

If the impeller is marginal.....that is usually the problem. Insufficient water flow will trigger the safety even though the exhaust water feels okay. Also if their are any blockages in the heat exchanger.....that could add to water flow issue.

How many hours on the generator?
When was the last time you replaced the impeller?
 
QUOTE="PlayDate, post: 1170451, member: 764"]Larry,

Welcome to CSR!


The part that I am concerned about is your generator is behaving like a safety got tripped. Holding down the pre-heat bypasses the safety's. If it runs with the preheat switch depressed.....generally the fuel system is okay. If you put a fuel pressure gauge on it ....it should read about 4 psi.

Get a IR temp gun and shoot the engine and the exhaust manifold cold and when it shuts down. That will tell us if the engine is actually overheating.

If the impeller is marginal.....that is usually the problem. Insufficient water flow will trigger the safety even though the exhaust water feels okay. Also if their are any blockages in the heat exchanger.....that could add to water flow issue.

How many hours on the generator?
When was the last time you replaced the impeller?[/QUOTE]
I just bought the beauty. The previous owner said he had everything working good. And that’s where the fun begins!! My bad!
I had to replace the impeller and seal on the raw water pump for the generator so that part is ok. It kind of pukes water out the side of the boat but I figured since it kind of has to fill the exhaust jug that might be normal. Maybe you can tell me different and the heat exchanger has a blockage causing flow restriction but I can hold my hand on the metal that the exhaust limit switch is on. And it’s a brand new switch
The meter on the generator reads 2337.2 hours
Thank you for your help
 
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