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Crazy Generator Behavior
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Jon, I think what your saying makes sense when the coach is sitting still. Dont forget the problem shows up after driving for awhile and the tanks contents are sloshing around. Although point taken about the filters if ,are in fact clear.
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Not to get off subject, but get yourself a spare fuel pump for your gen. I replaced mine in March as a preventive measure and it lasted 3 months and quit while dry camping for 5 days. They’re only about 70 bucks at Napa and I now have a new spare in my parts box.
Sorry Chris, now carry on….
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Tom, Chris knows how to change out a gen fuel pump. Al and I caught him using hemostats from his medical bag to clamp off the in and out fuel lines while changing the pump at the snot ball fest. If they will stop blood flow, they should stop diesel flow.
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Just curious:
My generator seems to smoke more than it should. Just wondering if loading it to the max and running it for a while might improve that. Often, the AGS fires it up with no more than a single AC and other light duty stuff on line….Think that might be getting it jammed up? ty
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Well, on a month trip out west. Generator still acting up and now won’t run for more than a minute or so. Oh well. Took it to the Kohler service people in Salt Lake City, EC Power. Great people had me in ASAP. Went over the issues with me, thought out loud and the inspected the generator. 3 minutes into the inspection the tech says, “There is the problem!” Marathon has the fuel line tied to the cable that moves in and out as the generator is slid out. When new it was apparently pretty stiff and would not kink. With age and also warmth it had become softer and was kinking at the fuel filter. Made sense. At first the gen worked fine sitting still but died with the bus moving and bouncing. As time went on the line became more flexible and started kinking whenever the generator shook like when a load was added.
Solution: a piece of new and extended fuel line. Now the generator runs perfectly on the road or sitting still. So again it’s the simple things. Humbled by the bus yet again – LOL
CHRIS
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Excellent post Chris because there may be a lot of Marathon owners with the same situation as yours that can now catch the problem before it impacts them. You just happened to be the guy that took one for the team.
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Glad you got the matter resolved Chris!
After I changed all my fluids and filters in my generator, belt, hoses & bought a new air filter, Tom’s post reminded me to carry that extra fuel feed pump, just in case. Is this the only fuel pump on the generator? The diagram doesn’t show any other fuel pump.
Anyone have any issues with their fuel pumps for their generators? I looked through the posts on here and I only found Peter (and Tom) switching out their fuel pumps. In other words, it doesn’t seem to be a major PM issue.
Do you have to turn anything off before you replace the fuel feed pump so you don’t lose fuel? The manual says to close the fuel supply valve. I’ve looked and cannot locate mine.
Looks like the fuel feed pump bolts on and off, with the electrical connections below, right?
Anyone who has done this before have the procedures, i.e, Steps 1, 2, 3, etc?
Back to Napa …
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Tim,
I changed mine at Oysterfest this year trying to rule the fuel pump out as an issue. Very easy. I went to harbor freight and bought two of the large hemostat clamps that they sell. Clamped both the inlet and outlet line. Removed the two wires (mark them) unbolted the pump, disconnected the fittings, hooked lines to the new pump, bolted it back and placed the wires back on (the pump instructions says polarity matters which is why I marked the wires), unclamped the lines, started the generator and checked for leaks several times over the next several hours. Took about 45 minutes with Fred laughing at my “heart transplant” technique with hemostats. This compared to some stuff was easy
Chris
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Thanks Chris!
Does sound an easy procedure. A couple questions:
Did you turn off your 12v power at the disconnect in the bay?
Also, did you have to prime the fuel pump or is that just done when replacing the fuel filter?
Finally, I’m assuming you can also use vice grips, but there’s a harbor freight near me,
so that’s probably not a bad idea. -
Always good to have a couple of cheap fuel line clamps in the tool box.
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Great news Chris. The simple fixes are sometimes the hardest to find. Good to hear that You got that resolved.
Les, Will have to add one or two of those to the list. That is a cool tool, I did not even know they made such a thing.
Bsafe,
Rocky -
You shouldn’t have to prime it just replacing the inline fuel pump.
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Confirming what others have said, no priming, no electronic disconnects, try to minimize fuel loss in the lines. Mine quit about eight years ago at 2100 hours. Bought two pumps. The spare is doing a good job as it hasn’t been needed.
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Ordered a spare pump, as well as a set of three fuel clamps.
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