-
Dale ,
This may not be relevant but on my generator once somehow it ended up with like an air bubble in the line and it made it quit pumping coolant it went up hot and I was still at the dealer years ago he started it up squeezed the hose several times and then ended up adding a touch of fluid but it never happened again ? Like an airlock ?
-
I think air locks on cooling systems are more common when the radiators have to be mounted lower than usual causing a high point in the radiator hose, but usually happen right after someone drains the system and is refilling it but could also happen if the system was a little low at one time ?
-
I appreciate everyone's comments. I will get back on this in a few days. I looked at the water lines, and they are very well insulated so they may not be that easy to see or check temperature. I don't see anything obvious that could be causing the problem. The antifreeze is full and looks clean. I'll report back when I get a chance to get back on the issue.
-
2 Attachment(s)
I ran the generator for an hour today with both 2 1/2 ton A/Cs running. After about 20 minutes the temperature was 200 degrees according to the gauges. I have 3 different gauges and 3 sensors. They are shown in the picture. The little black knobs attach the wire to the sensor. After an hour, the temp on the gauges said it was about 220 degrees.
I used my temperature gun to check at the base of each of the sensors and the hoses. At no place, could I get a reading over 190. The reading on the hose in the hottest spot was 188. The base of the sensors was between 175 and 182. It isn't feasible to assume that the 3 sensors or the 3 gauges could all be wrong, especially since they were all reading about 220 after an hour or running. My temperature gun is one of the better ones that cost around $75, and it has always seemed to be accurate, but the difference between what it is saying and what the 3 gauges are saying doesn't make any sense.
I looked in the generator book, but couldn't find what the temperature should be or when the thermostat opens. It did say with 50% antifreeze, the boiling point is 226. I assume at some temp, there should be an auto shutdown, but I'm not sure. My generator is one of the standard 17.5K. Everything about the generator looks exceptionally clean, and there are no visible signs of over heating. I suppose I could have a partially clogged radiator, a water pump that isn't working at full capacity or a bad thermostat???
-
Can you tell if the water is circulating ? Maybe when it's cold run it with the cap off for a little while , then see if it circulates or will take any more fluid,
You should be able to tell when the thermostat opens up probably around 200 deg,
-
It's hard to believe three gauges wrong ?
I didn't notice what the temp on mine was a few years ago when I had air in the system and it had an hi temp auto shut down ?
What temp do the heads read ?
-
Dale, If you run the generator with no load does the temp stay at a normal range or increase to the high temps ? I assume you are doing this test with the bay door closed.
-
I think I can rule out the gauges being wrong, because they all three read virtually the same and each has its own sending unit coming from within 4 inches of each other. I haven't run the generator with no load long enough to determine what it will do. I am keeping the door closed while running. I will try to see what I can determine with the cap off.
-
If an increase in the sensors' resistance equals a greater temperature reading, I'd check for a high resistance ground. Measure resistance between a sensor's housing and a known good ground. You are looking for 0 ohms. You may want use a hose clamp and attach a wire on a sensor and the other end to a good ground. You may have to make same check at a gauge.
-
2 Attachment(s)
Here's the latest. I checked the resistance from the sensor to ground and had virtually none on any of the three.
I ran the generator with the cap off until the temperature reached between 210 and 215. As shown in the picture, the radiator cap is angled. Right after I started running it, the antifreeze would slosh out a little at a time. That may have been from the vibration of the generator. Never did I see what appeared to be a distinct flowing of the water, although I am not sure what it would look like from the way the setup is configured. The radiator tank is shown in the picture with the water pump located just beside it. The actual radiator is located under the bus for air ventilation. I looked at the core and it does not appear to be dirty.
I probably ran it about 20-30 minutes and during that time, probably a little over a quart sloshed out the opening. When I shut the generator off, it immediately started blowing water out the opening. When I say "immediately", I mean in one second or less.
I am assuming I have a bad thermostat or water pump. Any suggestions as to how I can determine which one it is before I start removing parts. I can't find the thermostat in my manual, but I assume it is located just below the polygon shaped fixture in the top picture (the one with the petcock on it). It appears there is a housing under it that might have a thermostat in it. I tried to show that housing in the second picture but only a little is visible.
In summary I have two questions: Can I determine if it is the water pump or thermostat without removing the thermostat and placing it in hot water?
Is the thermostat located beneath the polygon shaped fixture?