Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] natural gas generator

From: "Bill Engle Sr" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 11:04:15 -0400

Check the oil level my Generac has a low oil switch that prevents starting.
Bill
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: John Niolon
  To: shop-talk
  Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2013 6:12 PM
  Subject: [Shop-talk] natural gas generator

  well... today I need a natural gas fed generator guru...

  I've got a Generac Standby Generator for my home 30kw that is powered with
  natural gas.   Has worked fine for 7 years... consistantly comes on once a
  week and exercises itself...   this week it didn't ???

  It has a v6 Ford 3.0L engine, solid state ignition... pretty bullet proof.
  So I try to start it manually.. the engine spins normally and actually
tries
  to fire off but won't continue to run.   I checked fire... It's got it
  (knocked the crap out of me)  I can smell natural gas from the exhaust.

  There is a 1/2" gas line connected to a 'regulator/valve which feeds the
  intake manifold.  The valve has a low fuel pressure switch which trips a
micro
  switch to signal a fault.  The pressure switch activates when gas is turned
on
  and the microswitch (NO) closes when the pressure button activates it.
There
  is a solonoid on top of the valve that I hear/feel actuate when the start
  cycle starts (and again I smell gas.   But the dang thing just won't catch
up
  and run..

  I'm thinking it's a fuel problem...  something maybe in the valve...

  another odd thing...  It wouldn't run Sunday when I tried it manually...  I
  tried it again Tuesday and it started perfectly and ran with no problem...
  tried it again today... NO START!   so now it's intermittent also...

  any ideas, expert direction, CWAG, sorcery, ?????

  thanks
  John
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---

From: "John Niolon" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 12:34:43 -0500

good suggestion Bill, but oil is full and if the switch was bad I don't
imagine that the gen would try to fire off at all... seems I remember the oil
switch kills the ignition...  This one will try to start but won't continue to
run...  consensus is a bad regulator but until I can find a water column gauge
and test it... we're still guessing...

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: John Niolon
    To: shop-talk
    Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2013 6:12 PM
    Subject: [Shop-talk] natural gas generator

    I've got a Generac Standby Generator for my home 30kw that is powered
with
    natural gas.   Has worked fine for 7 years... consistantly comes on once
a
    week and exercises itself...   this week it didn't ???

    It has a v6 Ford 3.0L engine, solid state ignition... pretty bullet
proof.
    So I try to start it manually.. the engine spins normally and actually
tries
    to fire off but won't continue to run.   I checked fire... It's got it
    (knocked the crap out of me)  I can smell natural gas from the exhaust.

    switch to signal a fault.  The pressure switch activates when gas is
turned on

    another odd thing...  It wouldn't run Sunday when I tried it manually...
I
    tried it again Tuesday and it started perfectly and ran with no
problem...
    tried it again today... NO START!   so now it's intermittent also...

    thanks
    John

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