Generac Prime Pac 50 - expelling oil

[jelag]

My BIL has worn out one Generac in his RV and installed a new 4800W Prime Pac 50, Model 2010-3 about 14 months ago, the generator now has 950 hours on it... He is a full time RV'er



From day 1 it has expelled oil out both the air breather and the vent system to the engine. .



It has been removed and repaired 5 times by Generac Distributors in 5 different locations bases on calls to the factory and their warranty support... In each case the generator is good for a few days than starts to expel oil again.



He is a retired Pilot (Learjets) and is anal about how he takes care of his stuff. I can assure you that he's followed all the maintenance schedules. And assure you he's putting in the exact amount of oil in the correct weight when he changes the oil and filter.



The factory is still supporting him even though he's out of warranty but the last repair in Alaska cost him several hundred dollars in travel costs and generator rental while his unit was in the shop.



We're after 2 suggestions... 1 - any clue to what is actually wrong, in each case the factory has told the service departments what to do and what parts to replace yet the problem continues. We've run an old fashioned leak down test on the cylinders looking for excessive blow by and we don't see a problem with the piston/ring/cylinder sealing. 2 - the factory won't replace the unit, even though they have at least 5 documented repairs for the same issue. . what must he say to get a replacement or a repair that will take care of the problems. .



Thanks for your input.



JIM

 

[NIsaacs]

Does it have a dip stick? If so, any chance the dip stick is wrong or marked wrong and it is over full?



Nick

 

[jelag]

He has been putting oil in when he changes it based on the service manual he has. . he's checked it with the dipstick and has compared that with what the dipstick has said when it comes back from one of the factory service centers. We're almost 100% sure that it starts with the correct amount of oil...

 

[HBarlow]

IMO, your BIL's problem is the brand of generator. I don't think a Generac is in the same league as an Onan. I wonder if Generac has given up. I read a couple of days ago on a daily RV news blog that Generac has quit the RV generator market and is no longer making RV generator units.

If I was a full time RVer depending on an installed generator as much as your BIL apparently is I would dump the Generac and install an Onan. NuWa (HitchHiker) offered an Onan as an extra cost option when I ordered my trailer and I bit the bullet and ordered the 5. 5 kw LP model. It doesn't have many hours on it but is a great product so far.

 

[jhenderson]

Does the state in which the generator was originally purchased have a lemon law?

 

[NIsaacs]

From day 1 it has expelled oil out both the air breather and the vent system to the engine. .



It has been removed and repaired 5 times by Generac Distributors in 5 different locations bases on calls to the factory and their warranty support... In each case the generator is good for a few days than starts to expel oil again.



JIM

Do you have any idea what the repairs were each time? Were they always the same? Since the repair seems short lived each time, they might be looking at it with a blank look for several hours, changing the air filter and sending it back out. When the filter fills up with oil it pukes again. It still sounds like it is over full on oil, maybe the book is wrong. That little engine probably has an oil fill of about 1. 5 quarts. Sorry to keep harping on this but..... I can't think of anything else... .



Nick

 

[jelag]

Harvey. . my son's trailer has the Onan on LP, its a great unit. . your right about the quality...

Nick... I really call this blow by... and it continues even as the oil level gets lower... its like there's something missing, a baffle in the engine housing, I'm just not sure. . My BIL has receipts from each repair but they just list part #'s and vague descriptions

jhenderson... . your thought really makes sense... he'd love to just be rid of the thing and buy something with better dependability...

Thanks for your thoughts...

 

[CBari]

I have a generac unit on my Horse trailer and it has seeped oil from numerous places on it from day one. The air filter has some but never has it been enough to plug it up between changes. I don't see any real loss on the dip stick between changes either. I have put over 2500hrs on it since I bought it new. Is it as good as an onan, no way but at at less than half the cost I have been pleased.

 

[Bill Stockard]

Jim,

I sent you a PM.

Bill

 

[TLane]

I looked and Generac's web site, and they indicate that this is a single cylinder, air cooled unit (if I looked at the right place). They also indicate that it has a 3 year warranty... Here's a couple of things to check:



Most single cylinder engines use a one-way valve on the crankcase breather. This allows air out but not back in, and causes the crankcase to operate under partial vacuum. This vacuum is critical to cutting down on oil leaks as well as limiting the amount of oil that goes out the breather tube. If the crankcase can suck in air, either from a faulty valve or other air leaks, it will pump a lot more air (and hence oil) as the piston moves up and down. This is usually part of the PCV valve. Check the valve and make sure air only flows one way.



Since this is a replacement unit, it's possible that it was not installed properly and hot air from the engine is recirculating back to the cooling air input. This will cause the unit to run hot, although it may not be hot enough to trip the over-temp protection. An overheated engine will have thin oil and lots of blow-by. Check to make sure baffles were installed to keep the cooling air input separate from the hot air output. This could also cause plastic parts, such as the crankcase breather parts, to fail.



Let us know what you find.

 

[TFucili]

Breather, as pointed out, is something to check. I'd be interested to know what they have done to date. If it did not involve a teardown, I'd wager you might find a broken ring from original assembly. Many moons ago we bought a new '72 F600 with a 330 gasser. They were known to be a dog of an engine, but this thing was unbelievably weak. I can't tell you how many hours I spent with the hazards flashing, grinding up a grade in low right against the governor. Ford would never do anything about it. Years later, when I couldn't stand it anymore, I built a 390 from some spare engines(we had lots of Fords), and after swapping engines we tore down that old dog and found broken rings in multiple cylinders. You never know.