Generator problems

[tnhunter]

Hopefully someone can help me troubleshoot a problem I am having with a genset.

I have a Dayton (generac manufactured) 10 KW genset that just quit generating electricity. The engine starts and runs great but there is NO power output. That gages on the panel shows 0 volts and 0 amps. The Hertz meter shows > 65 Hz, (the meter is pegged out).

The genset ran fine on December 27th, but on Sunday no power. There was no indications that anything was going bad or anything.

The generator head is a brush design (all generacs are no matter what the salesman says). Could the brushes be bad? If so, how hard are they to replace?

Does anyone have any troubleshooting tips?

The local generator repair shop wants $100.00 just to troubleshoot it for me. Any tips would be appreciated. :'( :'(

[kawalekm]

I could suggest two problems to check based on what happened to my own generator. *The first was a leaky fuel line that was allowing air to be sucked in. *The generator was starved for fuel to the point that power generation stopped, but for some reason the gas engine didn't actually stall. *I was pumping water at the time, so I noticed immediately when water stopped flowing. *After repairing the leak, power (and the water)was immediately restored. *A second problem might be a flipped breaker or a burned out fuse. *My older Olin wouldn't start once because the screw-on fuse cover vibrated loose and the electrical circuit was broken. *Since power just stopped, that suggests it's the latter problem. *Check all the fuses/breakers first, then go over the unit and check for any loose/broken wires. *Do you have an owner's manual that has any troubleshooting section? I don't have any experience with generator brushes, but I have replaced electrical motor brushes, and I've seen those fail without any warning.

[DM]

There's a generator forum here http://www.smokstak.com/forum/index.php? that has some really great helpfull guys on it.... I think it's the best on the net...

DM

[bee_pipes]

Thanx DM, that was a link worth saving.

Are there points on the generator where you can independently measure power with a meter? Could the pannel be busted? If it's a fuse or a breaker, can you check the power before the fuse or breaker? I'm not familiar with your generator - is there a clutch? Is the generator part moving?

Just a couple of thoughts without seeing the generator.

If all is working well and just no juice, brushes sound likely and inspection would be good before commiting to repair, if possible.

Regards,
Pat

[12vman]

Try this.. (Without the engine running) * ;D

With your volt/ohm meter, Insert the probes into one of the outlets on the back of the head unit where you normally plug things into. Read "Ohms" and there should be some resistance there. (200/300 ohms or less) This can be done with a continuity (sp) tester also. There should be some kind of a connection through the brushes and the stator. If not, Can the back cover be removed easily to check the circuit breaker and/or the connections to the outlets? There's something goin' on in there if it still reads the cycles..

To Edit..

On the rear of the "Amp" meter or connected in parallel with it, there should be a resistor. All of the current flows through this resistor from the genset to whatever you have connected to it. It will be a low resistance value. See if it is open..

[WRTN]

tnhunter,

Did you ever get the generator running?