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Troy-Bilt Generator won't generate

Started by routestep, August 15, 2010, 01:59:42 PM

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routestep

Started up my 5500 watt Troy-Bilt generator and couldn't get my saw to run. So I got the little Honda out and cut some boards to length.

The generator has a problem and I'm a little more mechanical than electrical inclined. However, the circuit breaker switch was in "on" positioin and I cyclied it once to check if that would help. I plugged the saw into a different outlet but that didn't help either. The saw worked fine with the other generator so it's not the saw. The owner's manual just says if the engine runs (it does) but no AC current then there is a fault in the generator and contact an authorized service facility.

Just wondering if someone knows what might be a common fault in the generator?

Is there something other than the generator that might go bad and stop the flow of electricity to the outlets?

pineywoods

There are a couple of things that can do that, If the generator hasn't been run for a while, the rotor may need to be "flashed" to get it going. I have seen a few of them that had broken windings from all the vibration. On most of the smaller ones, there's a diode rectifier that supplies voltage to the slip rings. Any or all the above results in no juice.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
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SPIKER

If you have a drill that is variable speed you can plug that into the outlet and hold the trigger down, then spin the drill chuck by hand and that will often re-flash the generator enough to get the the field to start generating.   many small variable speed devices will work for this function.   drills are the most common, though there are a couple types of drills that run variable one uses a diode bridge and others use a variable speed switch.    I cant remember which works to re-flash the field windings.

mark
I'm looking for help all the shrinks have given up on me :o

D Hagens

Quote from: pineywoods on August 15, 2010, 02:24:01 PM
There are a couple of things that can do that, If the generator hasn't been run for a while, the rotor may need to be "flashed" to get it going. I have seen a few of them that had broken windings from all the vibration. On most of the smaller ones, there's a diode rectifier that supplies voltage to the slip rings. Any or all the above results in no juice.

Ditto on that, it has to be flashed. My Yamaha gen does this at times, my Honda gen never does this. My gen repair guy told me that this is a normal thing so there's nothing to worry about.
Let us know if things work out for you. :)

routestep

I'll give the drill a try tomorrow when I'm on the site.
Thanks

Buck

If this works on my coleman with that DANG techumseh 10hp i guess i will be looking for a new idea for a trot line weight.  After I got it to run it pulled the no gen stunt.
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routestep

I tried plugging the drill in to the generator and spinning the chuck, but that did not work. So I decided to see if there was a burnt diode and looked around back and under the generator.  There to my suprize was hanging the big cable coming from the generator to the control panel. So I plugged it in to its socket and power was restored. I don't know how the wire bundle could have come unplugged, the connector itself looks like what is used on a car headlight. Vibration I guess.  Thanks for the advise.

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