PSA - FOR GENERAC OR SIMILAR BRAND GENERATORS

[Tom S.]

Generac Generators come with two manuals. A user guide and an installation manual. While the guide is useful for maintenance, anything beyond that requires the installation manual and sometimes, a Youtube search. We leave both with the customer after the install but caution them about trying to do repairs themselves. We've had one generator require a service call when it wouldn't fire up after installation and one that wouldn't start four years after installation. Both had bad motherboards and were replaced for free by Generac. A third unit died after about 20 years of a fried armature. At that age, it wasn't worth fixing.

 

[Tom S.]

Here's some pics from one of the last ones we did. The home owner wanted it next to his pool heater. That meant we had to run the feed more than 24 feet from the generator to the transfer switch, through 2" conduit with 4 - 90 degree bends buried underground. We also custom made stand-offs for the transfer switch so it would sit even with the meter box. This job took two trips, one to run the conduit and gas pipe before the slab was poured and then one for the actual install.

Transfer switch next to meter box.


Generator in relationship to the transfer switch.


Transfer switch buttoned up.

 

[M1A4ME]

Our youngest son works on generators for a living.

He loves the Kohler 2 cylinder engines used on generators. The ones around 22 to 24 hp in size/output. He told me he's been called to work on them and found no air filters, oil so old/used it was black and thick as syrup, spark plugs with the tips almost burned off and they were in use/running right up to the last time the customer needed them and they didn't run.

When he got a big riding mower he told me he wanted a big Cub Cadet because they used the same Kohler 2 cylinder engines in them. I checked and found my zero turn has the same engine.

That Kohler engine is awesome. Been cutting 2&1/2 acres for about 13 years now. Zero issues till this year when the spindles started growling. But, back to the engine. Several years ago I got some bad gas at a local gas station. Filled up some 5 gallon cans, filled up my truck and came home. Couple weeks later the truck wouldn't start (didn't drive it often). Had to pull the bed and take the sending unit out of the tank to pump it empty (no way I was going to try to lower 36 gallon gas tank full of gas to the ground to drag out from under the truck). At the bottom was about an inch of something that looked like Crisco we used to buy to fry our food with. Got it all cleaned out, installed a new pump/filter/sending unit and it still wouldn't start. Pulled the injectors and they were nasty/crudded up/rusty looking so we flushed the fuel line/rails out and installed new injectors and the truck would start up and run fine.

So, the gas killed that 4.8 GM fuel system.

Prior to all that I'd already put gas from those cans in my push mower (Jonsered AWD walk behind) and zero turn mower (Troybilt Mustang 50" with the Kohler 2 cylinder engine.) The Jonsered would not start at all. Pulled the rope till I was ready to shoot it and put it out of my misery.

The big Kohler fired right up with a puff of white smoke and I cut the yard with it. Only thing I noticed was in tall grass it would sort of lug down and rattle as it puffed white smoke till it got out of the tall grass and the load on the engine stopped. That was all the effect the bad gas had on the Kohler. The Jonsered had to have the carb pulled and cleaned and the gas tank drained and refilled with good gas.

I would not purposely abuse a Kohler by not doing the recommended oil/filter changes but they are some tough, awesome running engines.

 

[WR Moore]

About valve lash......unless you have hydraulic valve lifters, adjustment may be necessary. While it's dependent upon how much the unit is run, checking/adjusting the lash is going to be necessary. If there's an hour meter on the unit, maintenance may depend upon how many hours on the engine.

 

[greenwellg]

Generally speaking a valve lash adjustment is something I have done thousands of times. Check them before you touch any adjustment, Ever hear of checking tires before you balance them? If the unit is new and you are doing the first "adjustment" why not check the existing adjustment. In a car a valve adjustment is good for 30 k miles. At an average speed of 30 MPH that's 1000 hours. If you ran a generator constantly (24-7) a day, that's 168 hours a week.

Check them first.

Then you will know what changed. That gives you a report card on that engine in those circumstances.

I checked a Honda that had never been touched in 65k miles. Half of the valves needed no adjustment, the other half needed less that two thousandths to get them at max spec, where they could go another 65 k miles. (5k hours ?)

Do the initial oil change and check the valve lash. If you watch the valves as you manually turn the engine over at 180 degrees after the intake valve has closed you are on top dead center and the valves are where they need to be to do a proper check.

I totally agree with keeping service parts on hand.

Another way to check for TDC is to pull the plugs and check them for condition. With the plugs out crank the engine over until you feel compression in the plug holes. MOVE THE PLUG WIRES WHERE THEY WILL NOT SHOCK YOU!!!!!!!!!

Engines that run on propane or natural gas are very easy on spark plugs. If you see any significant deposits on the plugs, suspect fuel age, but not on natural gas.

Run the unit at least for 30 minutes every month, then check the oil. Change it at the manufacturers recommended intervals in hours running assuming you have an hour clock or timer.

 

[hyena]

Thankful my 18K Generac has hydraulic valve adjust. Sold my old BMW motorcycle a few years ago after doing valve adjusts on it for 42 years. That still leaves me two Deere mowers with Kawsaki V twin engines that call for periodic checks of the valve clearance. Adjustment similar to the BMW. Just need feeler gage and a couple wrenches. Not difficult, but not something I enjoy doing.

 

[Snapping Twig]

I have a Honda clone (Honeywell) 5500w/7000w surge and had a switch box installed to supply the whole house.
Heating duties are natural gas here, so that takes a bunch of the load off the generator. Cooking, central heating, showers, all natural gas.
I serviced the generator, start it up every 6 months.
My entire house will run on 25amps, the generator will provide 35a, so we're covered.
Caveat: our dryer is electric, so it can't be used, but no big deal really. We can use everything else.