Hooray!!!

[roddyo]

You can't always be the best

 

[profrooky]

Ditto, Thanks Steve!

I was looking for info on an older genset and couldn't find a Genset forum. I can't be the only guy running into roadblocks looking for service info and wiring diagrams so lets hope this turns into a great information exchange.

BTW anyone familiar with propane gensets? We have an 25kw unit with a 3.0 GM 4 cyl that is giving us grief. Anyone have any fuel system info for that engine?

Thanks in advance.

 

[roddyo]

It was a shame to see a lonely forum

About your engine...what's it doing?

 

[profrooky]

Brand new unit, trying to get it to run off the vapour from a 100 lb tank. Seems like its starving for fuel.

Not even sure if its set up for propane or NG.

What would change to convert it from one to the other?

 

[roddyo]

How big is the regulator on your tank?

If it's starved for fuel that's one thing that comes to mind running off a 100lb bottle

 

[lantraxco]

Different fuel pressures, depends on how the propane regulators are set up..... do you have a regulator at the tank, and a demand regulator near the carb?

 

[roddyo]

Different fuel pressures, depends on how the propane regulators are set up..... do you have a regulator at the tank, and a demand regulator near the carb?

Will a 100lb bottle gas off enough propane to supply the fuel demand of the engine? For me, that was the second thing that come to mind.

 

[lantraxco]

Depends on the air temperature, but it should run fine for a while. If you're pulling vapor the regulator will freeze up and the tank will form ice all around where the liquid is in the tank after a bit. The other possibility here is that many LP systems like on the forklifts I used to work on pulled liquid propane and used a coolant water heated regulator/convertor to turn liquid into vapor for the carb. If you're feeding a liquid system vapor it won't run much if at all. Have a look around and see if you don't have a round unit with coolant hoses running to it along with a high pressure gas hose and a low pressure hose to the carb?

 

[profrooky]

Yes the bottle has a small regulator and there's a larger one (demand?) at the engine's mixer. Should we loose the small regulator?

I don't see a heated regulator.

We were told it would need 3 420 lb tanks to feed it at full load. We just want to run it with a very light load so thought it should run off a 100 lb bottle at room temp. Might try some gentle heat on the bottle next.

 

[digger242j]

It was a shame to see a lonely forum

I searched the forum for "genset", and found a handful of threads that would've been posted here if it had existed at the time.

Now it's not so lonely.

 

[willie59]

I don't see a heated regulator.

Wait, what? If it has a GM liquid cooled engine, it should have hoses connected to the cooling system to heat the regulator.

 

[profrooky]

I'll double check but pretty sure it doesn't.

Just looks like a carb with an electronically controlled butterfly with a 3" square regulator hanging off it. Definitely no coolant lines to that regulator.

 

[lantraxco]

Information off all the tags please, and pictures if possible. If your tank and regulator are not icing up, lack of vapor pressure is not the problem, but probably would be running under full load.

 

[Old JD]

Most Generators and forklifts draw liquid from the tank, then convert to vapor at the engine. You need the correct tank, to draw liquid.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Pictures before we do any more speculating. Or at least some model numbers off the regulators and mixer (carburetor). There are only a handful of fuel systems out there for gaseous fuels and once we know what yours is it will be pretty easy. Propane generators are my specialty.

 

[profrooky]

Pictures before we do any more speculating. Or at least some model numbers off the regulators and mixer (carburetor). There are only a handful of fuel systems out there for gaseous fuels and once we know what yours is it will be pretty easy. Propane generators are my specialty.

Pictures will be coming shortly.

Thanks, BV.

PS- would I be able to attach a short video here?

 

[pajibson]

I'm not sure if you could post an actual video itself on here but you can definitely put the video on youtube and put a link to it on here.

 

[profrooky]

I'm not sure if you could post an actual video itself on here but you can definitely put the video on youtube and put a link to it on here.[/Q

I tried a few things today and have it narrowed down to the 100 lb tank shutting off because of the flow control valve in the end of the hose that connects to the tank. It appears to have a check ball that prevents excessive flow for safety reasons.
Engine will run ok with the tank valve slightly cracked open, but starts to hunt with no load. If the valve is opened more then then engine quits because the valve closes.
Does that sound right?

 

[profrooky]

 

[lantraxco]

Yeah, the flow check sounds like it's working properly.

Sounds like the engine was originally set up for natural gas where you have constant flow because they suggested three LARGE propane tanks. I'm guessing (Guessing!) that it's set up for vapor not liquid, and you need bigger tank(s), or put a heated convertor/regulator on there and feed it liquid (turn the 100# tank upside down). That's why rather large forklifts can be run off a 25 pound tank until the propane is used up, they feed liquid and the engine heat converts it to vapor.