4k BGE generator turns over slowly

Pulled the starter and that was totally the issue. Installed the new starter and works like a champ.

Sam Spade wrote:

falconbrother wrote:
I did roll the dice and order a starter.

Did you know:
That electrical parts usually are NOT returnable ?
That an electric motor shop can test (and repair) starters ?

It is possible that the price of that starter would have bought you a diagnosis at a generator shop.

Yea, I know but, I work from sun up till past sundown and am on a dead line. It wasn't as expensive as it would cost me to take a day off to do all of that. I was retired but, decided to do a second career so, the struggle is real.

falconbrother wrote:
I did roll the dice and order a starter.

Did you know:
That electrical parts usually are NOT returnable ?
That an electric motor shop can test (and repair) starters ?

It is possible that the price of that starter would have bought you a diagnosis at a generator shop.

Sam Spade wrote:

falconbrother wrote:

Question about hydro-lock. It does turn over a few times, very slowly. If it were hydrolocked it wouldn't even do that, right? The starter wouldn't be able to overcome liquid in the cylinders.

It is a long shot but the test is fairly easy and simple. It depends on how much liquid is in there and how/when it gets there.

So are further voltage tests.

What does it read on the battery side of the solenoid while cranking ?
What does it read at the battery while cranking ?

I can get back to it Wednesday night. The voltage drop I mentioned is being measured where the cable connects to the generator. So, there could be an issue in the cable route from the battery. I just haven't been willing to crawl under there in the dark and rain. From what I can see under the hood everything looks fine. Next Saturday I'll drive the RV over to my house where I have all my tools and jacks and I can do a much better job of things.

RLS7201 wrote:
OK, you check the ground, and it's good. What about the positive side? I'll bet the generator starter cable doesn't go straight to the battery. Find all the connections between the battery and starter and make sure they are good. Is there a house battery disconnect switch?

Richard

There is no house battery disconnect that I'm aware of. I haven't traced the cable from the battery to the generator. The weather has been cold and wet. I'll get to that though. I did roll the dice and order a starter. If that doesn't fix it then whatev's.. I'd like it ready to roll on the 19th.

falconbrother wrote:

Question about hydro-lock. It does turn over a few times, very slowly. If it were hydrolocked it wouldn't even do that, right? The starter wouldn't be able to overcome liquid in the cylinders.

It is a long shot but the test is fairly easy and simple. It depends on how much liquid is in there and how/when it gets there.

So are further voltage tests.

What does it read on the battery side of the solenoid while cranking ?
What does it read at the battery while cranking ?

OK, you check the ground, and it's good. What about the positive side? I'll bet the generator starter cable doesn't go straight to the battery. Find all the connections between the battery and starter and make sure they are good. Is there a house battery disconnect switch?

Richard

Well, I went out there tonight and played with it some more. First I put the multi-meter on the + post at the generator control board and grounded the - side to the frame. Got 13 volts. Hit the start button and it went down to 7 or 8 volts as the starter struggled to turn the generator over. I the pulled the battery and took it to Auto Zone to have them load test it. Their tester said the battery was fine under load, which is what I suspected. I came back, pulled the chassis battery and installed it in the house battery spot and tried it. Basically the same result. 13 volts pulls down to 7 or 8 at the generator. To eliminate a possible bad ground at the generator I used jumper cables as a ground strap to run from generator to frame. No difference. My theory at this juncture is that I have a bad starter. The starter is apparently located in the back side of the generator on the bottom. It was dark, cold and raining when I finished tonight so, I'll pull the tray later and see what I'm up against to get that starter replaced.

Question about hydro-lock. It does turn over a few times, very slowly. If it were hydrolocked it wouldn't even do that, right? The starter wouldn't be able to overcome liquid in the cylinders.

Sam Spade wrote:

falconbrother wrote:
The battery is two weeks old. I suppose it could be bad but, seems unlikely. I'm going to run jumper cables from my car to the battery and give it a try tomorrow.

And if that doesn't work either, before you go tearing the starter apart consider removing the spark plugs to see if any fuel or oil blows out the holes when it turns over that way (the problem might be hydro-lock).

It is also possible that the contacts in the solenoid are burnt, in which case jumping at the battery wouldn't help.

The solenoid clicks rapidly while I hold the start button down, like it would with a weak battery. I need to see what the voltage drops too when I hit the button. And, try a start with jumper cables maybe from the chassis battery while the RV is running.

From what I recall, a BGE uses a starter motor. It was a design that I didn't like a lot, but it worked. You can probably download a manual. Very few of the little Onans are exciter cranked.

Matt