5000 Watt Generator Attachment Inop....

[Docwheelhorse 2,708]

Hello All,

I was getting ready for this storm and hooked up my Wheel horse 5000 watt generator attachment that was made by Generac in the 70's. I spun it up and there is zero output, the voltage gauge jumps all over the place and occasionally stays on dead zero and then pegs out then flits around and on and on.

I had heard somewhere that its possible that these older generators can loose magnetism and if you take an old school non variable speed drill and plug it in/hold the trigger down and spin the chuck with your hand you can "jump start" the field and be on your way. (This is all done with the generator spinning at full speed).

Well I put on a leather glove and grabbed "grandpas" old school 3/8" drill and did just as I said..... all I managed to do was prove how fast and how many times I can spin a drill before I get fed up

I also heard that sometimes you have to spin the bejesus out of the genset to bring it back... so I held the govenor and let the motor go to 4000 or so which is 1000 more than the generator requires with my pulley ratio. Again nothing...

In the end I pulled it off (yes I checked the fuses too) and snapped in my backup 5kw unit I have and I am ready for ther storm.

Anybody have any ideas or know where I can get a Generac belt drive brush type genset repaired in Connecticut?

Thanks and good luck to anybody and everybody in the storms path

Tony

[SousaKerry 502]

Sounds like it is a paperweight you should send it to me so I can properly dispose of it for you

I would assume that any qualified motor repair shop should be able to fix it or at least point you in the right direction

[dclarke 4,077]

Sometimes the brushes get stuck in the brush holders if it's been sitting around a while. I have an older portable generator here that happens to once in a while.

[shorts 182]

go to the generac website and find your closest authorized generac repair facility, someone has to be close :thumbs2:

[Docwheelhorse 2,708]

Hi---I have spoken to Generac about this unit in the past... they consider it obsolete (hence junk) and wouldn't offer any old manuals or parts list or anything.... I guess I will look into local generator shops and go from there. I just wondered if anybody knew of a good generator repair shop.

Tony

[DoctorHfuhruhurr 137]

save_old_iron would probably be able to point you in the right direction but I haven't seen him on lately. You may want to try posting on his forum SOI University that's specific to electrical issues http://saveoldiron.47.forumer.com

[mrocket49 23]

I checked the owners manual for my Powermate generator and here is what it has to say;

The brushes in the generator should be checked every year and replaced when they are worn to 1/4 inch.

Exciting the generator:

If there is a loss of residual magnetism (voltage will not build up), it may be necessary to re-excite the unit.

1) Use a 6-volt lantern battery (dry cell) or a 12-volt automotive battery.

2) Disconnect all loads from generator.

3) Remove the brush cover.

4) Plug a lamp or light into the generator before starting the engine. The light source will illuminate when voltage has returned.

5) Start the engine. (PTO in your case)

6) Attach the - lead of the battery to the negative brush. Very briefly, touch the + lead of the battery to the positive brush. Remove as soon as voltage builds up. To measure voltage, use a plug-in voltmeter.

I tried this with a Coleman generator and it worked. When I touched the positive lead to the brush, I could really hear the engine straining. It didn't seem like it would work but it did restore the generator.

Hope it helps.