I have a 1992 Dayton 8kW propane generator that has run perfectly when needed for 16 yrs until last Friday when I thought I heard it start and stop when it started its weekly exercise cycle. By the time I got outside it was running fine. Friday night after I heard the weather forecast I thought maybe I should check it out and so shut off the mains. It started up normally and then after a second or two it cut out, and then tried again, this time with some metallic scraping noise, and then stopped, and then it tried again and was successful. Not good.
I called a bunch of supposed electrician/generator service repair outfits, and most say either they don't service old equipment, or they don't service that brand, or they only service the units they sell. Turns out Dayton is or was a subsidiary of Generac, came from Grainger, still in Lansing, so I am not sure totally impossible to get parts. However most promising repair service would have come from Detroit, minimum travel charge $300.
Turned out the electrician that sold and installed it wouldn't service anything but the electrical components, and so I have taken care of it myself since it turned out to be easy to change the oil, wash the air filter, and replace the battery. BUT it has never had the spark plugs replaced He told me that spark plugs don't get dirty with propane like they do with gas, and so time drifted past, and they've never been changed.
Trouble shooting done so far:
It has oil both in makeup tank and where dipstick is.
Lots of propane which also is used for furnace.
Tried the mains off test again and this time it started and then stopped making a humming noise until I turned it off manually. Generator reeked of propane.
I pulled the battery out and took it off to battery store to be load tested, and it is fine.
Cleaned contacts and put it back, and retested, and this time it started and kept running.
Only thing is, it still hesitated briefly at the time when it had quit before, so I am not sure if cleaning contacts really fixed it, or was a fluke.
The manual says if it cranks but doesn't start, check fuel solenoid or ignition system. I am kind of stuck because there are no pictures and I can't find the spark plugs much less the fuel solenoid! Or at least they are well hidden under things that I am reluctant to take apart since I don't know what they are.
Question is, do these symptoms sound like it is something simple like spark plugs, or maybe something worn out where the motor engages whatever turns in the power generating coils? It fires up briskly and then dies, and I think it is supposed to start without a load and then engage something. Does the propane smell when it doesn't start right make it dangerous? Or?
It sounds like at the bare minimum I could have a $500 service call, even for something simple like spark plugs. New generators cost 2500 to 5000 plus installation. What is the general lifetime of the more expensive parts of generators? On the one hand this one has been reliable, on the other hand it provides minimum power, and power is dirty, clocks run fast, and I was told when it was new not to try to run tv, microwave or computer since it wasn't clean power.
What do you guys think?
I called a bunch of supposed electrician/generator service repair outfits, and most say either they don't service old equipment, or they don't service that brand, or they only service the units they sell. Turns out Dayton is or was a subsidiary of Generac, came from Grainger, still in Lansing, so I am not sure totally impossible to get parts. However most promising repair service would have come from Detroit, minimum travel charge $300.
Turned out the electrician that sold and installed it wouldn't service anything but the electrical components, and so I have taken care of it myself since it turned out to be easy to change the oil, wash the air filter, and replace the battery. BUT it has never had the spark plugs replaced He told me that spark plugs don't get dirty with propane like they do with gas, and so time drifted past, and they've never been changed.
Trouble shooting done so far:
It has oil both in makeup tank and where dipstick is.
Lots of propane which also is used for furnace.
Tried the mains off test again and this time it started and then stopped making a humming noise until I turned it off manually. Generator reeked of propane.
I pulled the battery out and took it off to battery store to be load tested, and it is fine.
Cleaned contacts and put it back, and retested, and this time it started and kept running.
Only thing is, it still hesitated briefly at the time when it had quit before, so I am not sure if cleaning contacts really fixed it, or was a fluke.
The manual says if it cranks but doesn't start, check fuel solenoid or ignition system. I am kind of stuck because there are no pictures and I can't find the spark plugs much less the fuel solenoid! Or at least they are well hidden under things that I am reluctant to take apart since I don't know what they are.
Question is, do these symptoms sound like it is something simple like spark plugs, or maybe something worn out where the motor engages whatever turns in the power generating coils? It fires up briskly and then dies, and I think it is supposed to start without a load and then engage something. Does the propane smell when it doesn't start right make it dangerous? Or?
It sounds like at the bare minimum I could have a $500 service call, even for something simple like spark plugs. New generators cost 2500 to 5000 plus installation. What is the general lifetime of the more expensive parts of generators? On the one hand this one has been reliable, on the other hand it provides minimum power, and power is dirty, clocks run fast, and I was told when it was new not to try to run tv, microwave or computer since it wasn't clean power.
What do you guys think?