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Possible Head Gasket issue
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You had mentioned wishing you had a slide out. Did the new one come with one?
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Tom , the floor insulation will be changed but all other looks new .
Jeff, the bay Vantare used is not able to accommodate a slide however with my updates I think all will be well .
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Since there’s no coolant, why not put in a new thermostat?
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So here is what we found to be the issue . I was told those lines should not be their .
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Well the Generator has been installed and the engine runs like a top , however the same can not be said for the Power head . Inverter #1 trips out when a large load is added. The guys her are working with Jeff to determine if the stator or another portion of the head is shot.
Worst case scenario will be to use this motor and the old units head which was fine . Or have the old motor rebuilt and pull this unit . Until then it’s pole to pole for us . Thank the lord above for OTR as it is getting warm down here .
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Well , after a few crazy non genny days we are no longer in need of OTR . Sitting in Chattanooga waiting on a Vanner Eq for a battery issue .
Sitting in the back of the PU is the genny head off my old unit that needs to be installed on the running genny motor . If you ever need to separate the 2 give me a call and I will give you the wrench you need lol Now I need to decide whether to drive North to Jeff and be there for 6 days or so , or head south and work with the boys who started this whole project for me . Decisions , can’t wait till this chapter is closed . Then i need to deal with the guy who sold me a damaged unit . So far i will say he wants to make it write . We shall see .
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Update;
I need a qualified Genny repair facility. From reading the Powertech manual it seems when restarting a unit that has sat for a long period of time there is a Procedure that must be followed prior to placing a Load . This did not occur so now I need the used unit removed and repaired .
Does any one know of such a Place ? Makes no sense Powertech does not stand by and repair there older units .
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Wish I knew of one (repair facility) in the Central Texas area. 78639.
2000 Featherlite H3-45
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Leesburg, FL -
Erika:
What does the manual state as not started for a long time (months/years)?
We all let our generators set unused for varying amounts of time. Not exceeding the Long Time would be a big assest.
Chuck
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PowerTech has a service locator on their website which will show locations and their distance from your location.
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UPDATE :
We now have a running working Generator ! I have not added up all the receipts but with summer here who cares . I did need to purchase a new Genny head from Powertech and was lucky enough to have Jeff who works on the side install it Tues. He said it was there last and no more are avalable so do take care of the ones you have .
He stated the Vanatre did the Genny no favor by locking it air tight in that box , so make sure there so do make sure your Fan is working .
As to the one that blew up she is now being rebuilt and when complete we will reattach the good head and have a spare lol or one to sell down the road .
So far what I learned was a 21 year old Genny with 624 hours that has sat unused for 2 years is not a good idea . In hindsight I would have had the unit pulled and replaced and inspected safety shut offs and replaced the water pump . The builder told me Anti Freeze had gummed up a seal in the pump and she was leaking but being hot you do not notice the leak . And with overheat and low coolant sensors not working she blew up . He used more technical words but these are my translation. Rebuild is going to run around 6k he said .
Thank you all for the ideas along the way and have a great summer 🙂
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Tough getting to your resolution, but VERY HAPPY for you that all is now well! Safe travels!
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Glad of the outcome. Unhappy about you having to go through what you did. But your experience is instructional.
For whatever reason there are a lot of owners who avoid using their generators. Why they do that I do not know, but with the preponderance of coaches without whole coach A/C systems like the Prevost OTR system, a lot of owners are driving down the highway running one or more house A/Cs through inverters.
With as little fuel as our generators consume, if I did not have an OTR equipped coach, I would start my generator when I started the coach and turn everything on the coach on. In that way several benefits come to mind. First the generator is being exercised and because the generators when used hard and often have a life span somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 hours heavy use does not hurt them.
Another benefit is with all house A/Cs on the entire coach stays comfortable, and with everything turned on such as the microwave, coffee maker, water pump, TV circuits etc nobody has to worry about what switches to turn on and when. Inverters usually do not power everything, so with the generator running someone unfamiliar with how the bus systems work doesn’t have to find where power is disconnected.
Finally, our current model inverters lack the robust design of the older inverters which could handle a current demand of as much as 9000 watts. That over built type of inverter is no longer produced and when less robust inverters get hit with a demand for A/C starting current of up to 40 amps they are getting a hard hit. Those current demands are never going to pose a problem for the generator. On an inverter however, the harder they work the hotter they get and if a cooling fan fails or the interior of the inverter has dust, lint and dirt inside the case cooling becomes difficult adding to the problem.
Finally depending on house DC voltage, the loads on the alternator can be pushing the alternator, which in turn generates heat as the current demand goes up so it not only draws engine power, and adds heat to the oil cooling it, the life of the alternator is compromised.
Run your generators often and hard. They will thank you.
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Al,
If you know anyone with an end unit for Koehler 20KW for a Marathon let me know. Jeff the gen guy struck out and one of our members is down with no working gen.
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Make that another member with a doa generator. Mine blew a hose, over temp switch did not shut it down. Cylinder walls scored. I’m about done with this coach. It will be for sale soon.
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