[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;181058]I think you are arguing semantics here.
[/QUOTE]
Indeed perhaps. But there are those occasions where the meaning of words and a modicum of precision come in handy when dealing with that magnificent beast, the infernal combustion engine.
Happy shopping with Uncle Henry. Alas for me when home it’s more a case of the cobblers kid that needs shoes or the painters house that needs painting, I try to stay away from those sorts of things. Except toilets, just can’t seem to escape toilet repairs. Maybe some day that’ll end with me using some of the advice offered above and I’ll stuff a gasoline soaked rag in there and it will quite literally hit the fan. Ah I can hear the gentle swish of the vacuum transport system flowing overhead even now. It seems to be whispering “You too have a nice day”.
An important item to check when you have the starting issues sorted out is that oil supply line fitting at the top of the turbo.
The photos appear to show that that model uses a rubber sealed compression fitting. If it leaks even the slightest amount, replace the seal (if you can find one) or replace the entire line with flexible high temperature hose (a good hydraulic shop will make one for you) and JIC fittings. A leak in that fitting will spray hot oil all over the turbocharger.
Flush the coolant system.*
If you plan to keep the generator, or even if you don’t, check with Ballard Insulation about having an insulation blanket made. If you are going to sell it, reconnect it for 240/120 single phase to make it attractive to the greatest number of potential buyers. There should be a connection diagram on the backside of one of the generator control box panels. Get a set of manuals off eBay as well.
Speaking of coolant systems … I notice you mentioned not changing the impellers on your new set of Detroits. If they are the Jabsco rubber type, change them now. They take a set after not being used for a long time and the vanes will break off in fairly short order. The broken vanes will join the stubs of old zincs that are clogging your heat exchangers.
[QUOTE=KPChief;181079]Indeed perhaps. But there are those occasions where the meaning of words and a modicum of precision come in handy when dealing with that magnificent beast, the infernal combustion engine. [/QUOTE]
Yes, sometimes understanding in detail is required and here Steamer is taking some of us to school. But for some of us deckies the take-away is going to be fewer details and more of a rule of thumb.
[QUOTE=Steamer;181095]An important item to check when you have the starting issues sorted out is that oil supply line fitting at the top of the turbo.
The photos appear to show that that model uses a rubber sealed compression fitting. If it leaks even the slightest amount, replace the seal (if you can find one) or replace the entire line with flexible high temperature hose (a good hydraulic shop will make one for you) and JIC fittings. A leak in that fitting will spray hot oil all over the turbocharger. [/QUOTE]
absolutely…will do
Flush the coolant system.
already done
If you plan to keep the generator, or even if you don’t, check with Ballard Insulation about having an insulation blanket made.
I assume you are talking about for the turbo?
If you are going to sell it, reconnect it for 240/120 single phase to make it attractive to the greatest number of potential buyers. There should be a connection diagram on the backside of one of the generator control box panels.
most people who want it like the three phase but I wished it was a gen end wired for 480v…240v seems low for a 100kW output so lots of amps
Get a set of manuals off eBay as well.
I see how much they are but likely let the next guy pay for those
Speaking of coolant systems … I notice you mentioned not changing the impellers on your new set of Detroits. If they are the Jabsco rubber type, change them now. They take a set after not being used for a long time and the vanes will break off in fairly short order. The broken vanes will join the stubs of old zincs that are clogging your heat exchangers.
ok…point taken, ordering new impellers today and will replace the old ones in the YP
most people who want it like the three phase but I wished it was a gen end wired for 480v…
That is an easy reconnect. Look in the side panels for the connection diagram. It is almost certainly a 12 wire generator and you can connect it for 480/3PH very easily
I see how much they are but likely let the next guy pay for those …
Send me the model number, or a pic of the dataplate and I will see what I have in my collection.
[QUOTE=c.captain;181074]first you are taking the wrong course. You need to one I offer at C.Captain University where I teach how to find and identify prime equipment at all the various government auction sites and then how to bid competitively. If I wasn’t located in a remote corner of the nation, I could easily do a $150k plus income just on surplus but my problem is that all the best stuff is more than a thousand miles from me and the cost to acquire the equipment sucks up the profits. I am limited to a very narrow band of territory. Lockburne, Ohio is the best single location in the US for ex DoD surplus with many other bases and facilities in a day’s drive in any direction.[/QUOTE]
You’re competing with a ton of other shit-kickers in the surplus/junk market. Additionally, tons of good equipment is available for pennies from the dried up oil patch.
The best way to make money in the surplus business is to have a need for the stuff that lets one offer services or use parts to make new do-hickeys. This way, one’s capital costs are significantly below that of competitors since the equipment was bought nearly free.
As you stated, reselling it is tough because transport costs eat into margins greatly–even with cheap fuel costs.
[QUOTE=injunear;181125]On another note, is there an internal heater in the generator end? If the genset has been sitting up for years, you might want to megger the windings.[/QUOTE]
Doesn’t even take years of setting. . . be careful putting any excitation to it. . . .
What’s your climate out there? Is it damp and humid? If so, put some hair driers in the generator to dry out the wingdings a bit before you juice it up.
If you ever need voltage regulator repaired or a new one, call these guys up: http://www.flightsystems.com/ They can repair damn near any electrical device for cheap.
[QUOTE=cmakin;181126]Doesn’t even take years of setting. . . be careful putting any excitation to it. . . .[/QUOTE]
I just noticed it’s wired for 240 so the insulation will hold up much better than 480 or 600. I’d still heat the gen end and megger. It’s delta wound and generally easy to isolate for testing. The 120 tap will usually be on only one winding.
Tugs mentioned bleeding the injector lines. It’s possible to still have an air bubble in the injector pump housing causing low injection pressure. Some pump housings have a purge plug. Generally, all you need to do is purge the lines at the nozzle as he said.
Geez, you guys are beginning to sound like a bunch of recreational boaters!
Cap, once you get the block warm go ahead and start the darn thing. Don’t worry about the electrical end yet, just get the engine so it runs and starts easily without a lot of theatrics. I seriously doubt that there is any issue at all with grounds. Unless the thing was left in the rain for years or got dunked in seawater it will be fine. Just blow the dust and dirt out and watch the aft bearing temperature after you get the engine running. Hook up as many space heaters as you can get your hands on for a load and run it for a few hours. That way you can say it has been “load tested.” Try and avoid electrocuting yourself.
I still can’t find any documentation for that electrical end. Where did you get the info or idea that it is a GE? All the references to any of the dataplate numbers just go back to the multitude of ads for the thing before or since you bought it. It might help if you would open the side plates on the generator control box and see if there is a wiring diagram there. It is possible that the original installation contractor reconnected the thing specifically for the plant where it lived. That might explain the unusual dataplate. Onan built most of the generator ends for those generators and their wiring schematics use a distinctive graphic style. Here is an example: http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=99950
Send some photos of the interior of the connection box and control box that show the identifying labels on the CTs and the several circuit cards and terminal strips. Also, ask on the forums I linked, those guys are real enthusiasts and can probably tell you the name of the guy who assembled the unit in the factory.
When you have it open, look at the leads and see if there are 12 and if they are still identified and readable. Hopefully they are and you can offer it wired anyway the buyer wants if you feel like doing it, or at least be able to say that it is reconfigurable. That 4-wire Delta is a bit unusual for home users and it is hard to imagine a commercial user wanting to mess with an old beater.
I have the 75kW version of that generator (along with the manuals) that I use in a test cell for exhaust treatment system development work. It’s nice and dirty with respect to emissions so it serves the purpose well and would probably be fine for home standby use if it were not for the noise … they do a good job of converting diesel fuel to decibels.
[QUOTE=c.captain;181181]again many thanks for the advice…
I was thinking the genend was GE but it may be Onan…the switchgear is all GE is all I know for sure[/QUOTE]
I don’t know didlysquat about generators, or diesel engines, but does that sticker on the side have any relevance? Was the Instrument Laboratory (ILI) only a distributor of electrical equipment, or could they have been the generator manufacturer?
Due to the fact that I’m failing to churn up information on ILI, is it safe to assume they went under?
