Posted: 1/9/2008 7:34:03 PM EDT
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My dad has a Generac stationary 15kw LPG generator that has started giving problems. It will turn over, but not crank. He has checked everything he can think of. Fuses are all good, fuel is ok, wiring appears ok, just won't start. All the red lights on the panel come on and gives an overcrank problem. The generator is less than 3 years old. Came from Home Depot. Any ideas on what to check. thanks........ |
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OK.. If the first thing to check is the oil ... they have an low oil level switch that WILL NOT allow it to crank if it is only " SLIGHTLY " low on oil. The second thing to check is to make sure the unit is LEVEL. If the oil in the crankcase is not level, the sensor " thinks " it is low. ( I had a generator that would not run if the darn thing was one inch off level ground.) Next, check for FUEL... a quick way is to spray some ether in the carb, and give it a pull... if it fires for a second ... you are not getting fuel. I suspect since you are burning propane, you " should have " had it attempt to fire even if the mixture was too rich.... If not, shut off the propane, give it a short shot of ether, and hit the starter... it should fire. If everything is level, and it still won't start, check for SPARK. Get a gullible subject, have them hold the sparkplug wire while you give it a short crank... If they go into a spaz mode and start cussing... you have SPARK. ( Little brothers are good for this test )  If that does not work.. pull the plug, check the gap, or just swap it out. |
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He has spark. I am going to check the oil. He changed it recently and that may be the problem. Maybe he didn't get it up the safety switch. It has been running fine up until the week of Christmas. It does it's auto start every Monday morning and runs 30 min. It it turns out to be the board, any references on where to get the replacement on the net? |
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+1 on the spray some carb cleaner/ether in the intake while cranking. I would think that its a fuel problem, if not check the Mag Pick Up. If it does fire check the fuel sol. it has 2 wires coming out of it. It looks like a threaded rod with a wire coming out of the end. Generacs do not have a "low oil level" switch. Only low oil pressure but there should be a 15 sec. delay when its running. You should have gotten a manual with the unit that has all of the wiring diagrams and parts break downs in it. There is a number to call Generac and they will direct you to your nearest dealer. FWIW I was a Generac tech for the last 6 years and most of the problems are fuel related. I hope that helps if not e-mail me. |
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If you have spark then you probably don't need a board. It's probably the fuel solenoid as someone else said. ALL of the manuals you could ever possibly want are available at one of these two web sites: www.guardiangenerators.com/HomePage.aspx That first site is the most likely one. That's where all the inexpensive Home Depot units come from. If not then try: www.generac.com/Default.aspx You've got to hand it to Generac. They do a very good job of putting their documentation on the web. |
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Good resource to bookmark for expertise on generators and small engines in general: PER Small Engine Technical Forums |
Glad you got it started.. maybe there was air in the propane line. |
I hope that was the problem. |