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View Full Version : Generator won't turn over/start Quick, I hope question.


Kurt Baumann
09-27-2003, 11:31 PM
My coach's generator isn't starting. I left the inside lights on and the converter turned on for about 12 hours without either the generator or the engine running in the bus. Now, the generator won't start, did just fine the day before.

Any ideas? I have tried starting with merge on, merge off, let it run with the engine for several hours still generator won't even turn over...

??? I am at a loss.

Any help would be great.

TechTalk
09-28-2003, 01:45 PM
Important additional information to help trouble shoot your situation would be the year of your coach, as well as the makes and models of the converter/charger and the genset you have. We
have installed several genset combinations over the years, with different
controls and fuses located in various locations. You mentioned that
your coach has a converter rather than an inverter/charger, so I will take a "swag" and discuss the situation based upon a Kohler 12.5 KW genset with a Triad converter/charger, the typical Newell setup from the mid-1970s until the early 1990s when the Heart Interface inverter/charger and larger, turbocharged gen sets were introduced . If you have the 12.5 Kohler, look just behind the engine
rocker cover for a rectangular box with one or two toggle switches and
a screw out fuse. If the toggle switch does not activate the starter,
unscrew the adjacent fuse and check that. If that isn't the problem, and
you feel comfortable doing electrical trouble shooting, I would first
check for current to the starter and starter solenoid. If you have
voltage at both, with the starter switch activated, I would suspect
the starter. If you lack current to the starter, I would start back
tracking towards the battery. If you have current to the starter, but
not to the starter solenoid with the start switch activated, I would
consider seeking professional assistance, as this system is more
complex and has some built in safeguards.

TechTalk
09-29-2003, 07:37 PM
Another posibility: Early model Kohler's had a starter reset toggle switch over the fuse panel in front of the passenger
seat. The toggle feels "loose" all the
time, so it doesn't feel like it is resetting. This may be your problem.