Matt, On the Onan, the miss-firing cylinder is because the pintle valve in the injector is stuck open. What looks like air in the fuel is compression backing up through the injector. Try swapping the front injector with the bad one, I'll bet the problem follows the injector. If so just replace the injector with a good one.
I am not a diesel guy. But I was kinda thinking that. How would one cylinder be getting air out of pump? The injector being stuck makes since to me. Thanks for sharing your adventures Matt!!!
@@BIllMcCambridge in the junction pump each injector has its own piston pumping fuel. Thats what tells the injector when to squirt. I was initially thinking it was the pump as well but after reading this comment by robert he might be kn to something. I have actually seen this on a cat 3116 engine where it was pushing compression into the fuel system. Slightly different fuel design but moral of the story it would be worth swapping injectors to see if the issue follows
Hey Matt, I wasn't surprised to hear that you feel the same way about the lovely smell that hangs over everything after the flooding. Also thanks for that little shoutout (in disguise) :)
Hi, I met a veteran who was a seabee at pearl harbor. He was on recovery crew recovering any usable components off of damaged war ships. He said anything submerged in and water was put in 55gal drums of diesel and soaked for a minimum of 7ndays to disburse and neutralize any contamination including sea salt. . 99% of the equipment was salvaged and put back in service with little to no mechanical care
not a whole lot of sea water to be found between Pittsburg and West Virginia, but still potentially good info. Except, now what do I do with those drums of contaminated diesel at $4.00+ per gallon.
If the needle valve in the nozzle is stuck, compression pressure from the cylinder will enter the nozzle and push the fuel backwards giving you the bubbles you see. Yes it is possible it could be the delivery valve for that cylinder in the top of the pump too. Next step is to verify nozzle or pump, by switching nozzle 3 with a known good one, like number 1. If skip follows nozzle it's a bad nozzle, if skip stays on number 3 it's the pump.
@michael kennedy you know I've heard of water cracking the tip, seen pictures of it in textbooks and service literature, and totally believe it does happen. That being said, after 40 plus years of working on all types of equipment, that is running harsh conditions like coal mines, scrap yards, demolition, and construction, I've never actually seen it happen with my own eyes. And believe me I have worked in conditions where the fuel handling was really sloppy
Client came in asking to have a full engine overhaul because of a bad skip. Left injectors in head (tips looked intact, a little sooty) did full out of frame overhaul. Put head back on ran the exact same. One of the injectors was letting engine compression all the way through, pushing fuel out of the line, had all the injectors rebuilt, ran like a charm.
When I was a teen ager ,1963,I worked for a Dairy Farmer that had a Fordson Dexter Diesel tractor. We used it to round up the Cows for milking. The Farmers Daughter drove the tractor into the creek and flooded it until it stopped running. It sat in the creek until the next day when we pulled it out with an old GMC one ton truck. We drained all the fluids and dried the tractor out with a big fan for a couple of days before we put new fluids in it and it started right up and ran for years and years afterwards. Tough old tractors.
I don't see how a high pressure diesel line will suck in air. If anything, it would be shooting diesel out. I am not a diesel mechanic but I just don't see how it will suck air.
I agree with this advise. Just a little bit of corrosion could keep the hard lines from sealing good. Or anything else that needs to be sealing good. I would like to see you check out the generator too.
Bad injector, cylinder compression is blowing through the injector. The electronics need WD-40 or ACF-50 on all the components and in generator head. The bad news is the voltage regulator might be toast. Brushless AVRs are everywhere, AVR for brush generators are more difficult. The beauty of brush alternators is they are anvil solid and easy to fix. That 3 cyl is overkill for 4kw, my bet is the generator is more like a 10-12kw unit, enough to run several houses. It’s a nice unit and worth saving.
We have used the ruclips.net/user/postUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!
Take #3 line off and turn it around so it points out, shove a piece of clear fuel line on #3 line, or let it pump into a bottle to see if air bubble coming from pump. Could also be injector leaking compression back from cylinder.
If the motor was direct injected the pump might be suspect. Direct injection is where the injector truly does the injecting and is operated by a rocker arm off the camshaft. On this engine the injector is merely a spray nozzle with a spring loaded valve that "breaks" at a given pressure. If there is air already in the injector the compression can "fight" the injection pump as there is more volume in the cylinder than the pump. So you get a see-saw effect if there is anything keeping the injector cracked open like a chunk of that nasty trash that was in the fuel tank. In theory nothing should get past the filters And nasties should exit while bleeding the lines.......BUT.......... why were all the lines loose and unclipped from each other? My guess is that there was a problem before the flood. Probably a sticking or leaking injector. As said above I would move the injector to another cylinder LONG before I would crack open that pump. Nice little unit. Most on the electrical side is sealed up pretty good as they are designed to run in mobile or less than ideal conditions. I do know that you should figure out the wiring soon and get a load on it as Onan genders don't like inactivity very much. There is a great bunch of guys at a place there in Pennsylvania I believe, Flight Control Systems. They can advise you on anything Onan electrical. Let me look up their contact info and post it. They helped me out on my motorhome gender and they are the ones that said to load and exercise the unit for at least an hour every month. Trust me it didn't bother me at all to fire up those dual A/C units this summer maybe a bit more than an hour a month.........😎. That unit should power your shop at the farm quite nicely. Terry from South Carolina
Now you know why the fuel lines were loose, someone was chasing that problem before. Before you tear into the pump, swap the 1 & 3 injectors as others have suggested, and pray the problem follows the injector. Good luck.
Blow those cylinders out with cornpressed hair lol and the bearings. And crank case too tilt the whole thing over and flush with a little more diesel.get more water and fuel out.water and diesel in a crankcase is real bad on a engine. I was a tranny tec. I always saved trans fluid for flushing. It is even good for lube in these low sulphur fuels.so is old engine oil if clean enough
I've been watching you for a few months now and went back and watched all your older videos. You are without a doubt my new favorite RUclipsr. Thanks for all the entertainment and also thanks for bringing back old equipment that would otherwise have been scrapped.
Small Engine Mechanic is located in Southern New Jersey which will be a 6hr drive from Matt in SW Pa. He may be a good one to ask for some guidance of ideas to try.:)
Really? I saw a guy that I thought was pretty smart until it come to ohm meters then he said you could not check a coil with one and I quit watching him can't deal with a smart la even if he is a good mechanic taarol fixes all
If you are a real mechanic and a electrician you don't need to consult with anybody what is what is this consulting stuff why does everyone want this guy to consult with somebody else that may not know what the hell to wipe their ass with
Injector could be sticking/damaged and compression could be coming back through the injector when the line is cracked. Need to rule out faulty injector before opening/moving on to the injection pump. Keep up the great work. 👍
I had a Yanmar three cylinder in my JD X595 starting to miss just like yours is doing. I bled the injector lines at the injectors and there was always air at the missing cylinder. Just by chance I tightened the adaptor between the pump and injector line coming out of the pump while it was running and within seconds the engine ran smoothly so I loosened that fitting coming out of the pump then the engine started running rough with lots of air at that injector so I tightened the fittings all up and it’s been running great. I have new injectors for the engine but the pump was shimmed by a JD mechanic that gave me 27 to 28 hp instead of 23 hp. It had a 1,000 hrs when that fitting came loose but it sounded and acted like Matt’s generator.
If the pintle has sat in water for a long time, it could well be corroded and not sealing correctly, leading to low pressure, a poor spray pattern, and fuel dribbling into the cylinder causing the smoke.
Your level of excitement (which I share) when the thing finally fires off is what brings me back to the channel. I’m living vicariously through Diesel Creek as my wife would kill me if I brought any of these toys home. Thanks, Matt!
Says the guy who is obviously not married. Relationships are give & take, not many people are gonna want their partner dragging home mountains of old "junk" to clutter up the place. @@stevejones1318
I know sometimes on the diesels I work on, if any water runs through the injectors, it blows the tips out. Something to do with steam explosion instead of spraying fuel. If air is getting in the system, it has to be suction side. That's the only place air comes from. Any leaks on the pressure side would just push fuel, not suck air. And air in the system would show up on all cylinders, not just one. I think your problem is the injector tip is blown out and compression is going back through the injector. To confirm, it is easier to swap #3 and #1 as you said and see if the problem follows.
I don't know shit about this stuff but that's exactly what I was thinking. That's probably why you can see a little bit of exhaust pop out of the bubbles, and the foam is brown.
Changing new injector tips to the injector bodies shouldn't also be too hard nor expensive. I would definitely take the injectors off and take a look at them. Also some heavier load on the engine might help, but I wouldn't advice to run it loaded for too long if the problem persists.
@@hoakuroija1089 problem with that is having the right tooling and those injector nozzles are extremely precise and lapped together. You can't really change individual parts on the injector nozzles. They have to be replaced as an assembly.
Being an old Air Force computer repairman, my advice Matt is to pull the generator and give it a complete cleaning. You need to get all the fine silt out of it. The electronics should be fine. It wasn't running when it went under. After the cleaning, make certain everything is completely dry before trying to use the generator to make electricity. Have fun.
Yes, yes, and soon please. Turn it off already and dismantle and clean it. Test as possible as you go. That is likely completely rebuildable if one is careful.
@Diesel Creek - Matt - the clue about cleaning is to NOT worry about getting it wet - any old water will be OK. In fact get it really wet with any old water to help getting the thing really clean of the silt - lots of water. BUT - when it is as clean as you can get it then give it a REALLY GOOD rinse with distilled water (de-ionized water) and then (as @KLS&C 85 suggests) get it completely dry. Since it was not run with power on it should be OK. An electrician might give a clue about a local brand name water repellent, non-conductive best suitable to final coat before running.
@@mrfrenzy. Not needed, steam clean the box and windings, air dry for a day, then run to warm the whole unit up, heat will dissipate the moisture. Water cleaning will not hurt it but this all needs to be done before he lets it sit, clean it, dry it out, then store it, otherwise the rust monster will have a field day.
Jumping around different projects is a good thing especially if you're having trouble with one. Sometimes working on something else will let your brain reset and you come up with ideas for the previous project. At least for me it does lol
Also gives time for the answer to appear in the comments. Let the commenters brainstorm the possibilities and suggest possible ways to zero in on the issue. So far from the comments I have read the bad injector letting compression air back to the fuel side seems the most plausible. Would also explain why the bubbles are only in one line. Also swapping around the injectors seems like a simpler first step rather than tearing into the pump.
Some times you have to jump around to different projects waiting on parts to get. Shipped in . Plus some times you need a Pic of equipment for another projects.
Having worked at large hydro dams they get flooded more often than one might think,one thing that worked on most electrical components was heat. Actually build a tent around it put a heat source in side and maintain a temp of 125+ degrees for up to 12 to 24 hours usually worked. Not 100% every time but if the equipment was decent shape to start with.
I agree WATER is a good solvent, just apply a tent heat just done this on my running machine mortor deck and did it forst on an ebay tv (EHT cap off the tube ) seriously water can be good but dont rush the heated tent Here in thaialdn we get 35C every day which fixes most back in the UK I got a military tent heater (fuel/air) and thats great too.
Usually water is only an issue because it's allowing electricity to go places it shouldn't. Once the water evaporates, all those unwanted connections go away and things usually start working again. Unless of course the electrical equipment was running when it was flooded. Then it's likely that at least some components were fried because higher voltage was allowed through them by water...
A similar thing works for old computer motherboards (and game consoles) that stop working as good as they used to, just stick the bare board in an oven at around 200 degrees C and it effectively re-solders and cleans up all the connections, doesn't work all the time but it's a very handy fix for old slow tech.
Well I’m thinking it’s the compression leaking back I bet if you replaces the copper o ring on the bottom of the injector it would seal back up they might have cracked it loose when they were messing with it
@@longsautoshop9104 The copper washer prevents compression leaking past the injector to the outside of the engine, it doesn't stop compression leaking back through the injector itself and into the fuel line. This seems more like a sealing problem on the pintle.
My 3 cylinder diesel had the same symptoms. The solution was tightening the "nut" on top of the injector pump less than a 1/4 turn (it was just barrely lose). This set the tollerance of the cam in the injector pump. Now my engine runs perfect. Worth a try.
Without meaning to minimise the consequences of bad flooding, the thing about flood water is that it backflows sewage systems. If you live in a built-up area, even a 'mild' flood is full of... well you get the idea.
My Lifes Experience was enough for me to have a Great Loud Laugh ... ill never forget the first time... was damn young and freeked out for a second lol
I'll leave the diesel question to the diesel guys, but I can tell you there's a couple of ways to keep the genny and electronical stuff rolling along - it's not technically the water that does the damage - it's the shit that floats in with the water and makes it conductive and corrosive. One option is to just flood the damn thing with deionized water, but that gets expensive, fast, unless you've got a buddy that works somewhere with their own DI plant. A gallon is maybe $20, so it isn't too bad. Another is pull the circuit board and clean it with electronics cleaner or isopropyl alcohol. You leave the crap in there, it'll work fine for a while, then Goodbye. You might be a little young to remember Hurricane Katrina, but for a couple of years after, we'd see loads of "Katrina Cars" on ebay and at the used car lots. They'd run fine for a few months, then the computers and sensors would go tits-up.
Yes, N Ferraro, you're correct. If you hose the electrical components out with just plain water while all the geek is still wet it will help minimize the damage. Matt will have to clean everything with isopropyl alcohol and that is no guarantee that things will work for long. Hey, but it's worth a try. I've been there it's not a lot of fun.
In general, circuit boards can be washed after being in a flood. I spray them with Mean Green household cleaner/degreaser and scrub the board with a toothbrush or acid type brush. This will get the "mud" and other gunk off the board. Next, rinse with warm water. Now clean the board with 99% isopropyl alcohol and dry the board with a hair dryer. I've rescued many flood damaged circuit boards this way.
Yes. I agree with all of above. Clean and pure water is an insulator eg cooling high wattage broadcast transmitters with 5000volts plus. It’s the dirt and rubbish that cause the problems. I would have cleaned all the electrics and let dry for a few days BEFORE running motor. As soon as the motor runs the alternator is producing power. Might have got away with it this time. Looking forward to next episode. 😎
These old school Onans don't use computers or digital sensors. The new ones? You don't wanna know! I work on that stuff but all of the stuff own or reccomend to friends is, basically, World War Two Technology. Built from the '30s through the '90s. Easy to fix, hard to break.
Let me suggest that you label by # all the wires around the board with paper and transparent tape, so that everything can go back as before. Take several well lit fotos, before you start. Pull the board(s) out and drop them into an ultrasonic cleaning bath with DI water. To dry them, shake off excess & compressed air, then place on a wooden cutting board in your kitchen oven at about 140-150 degrees to sit for several hours. (I've successfully recovered wet cell phones that went into a toilet by accident several times using the oven technique!) Relay contacts may just need contact wiping with a dry, non-wax business card . Or use the same ultrasonic wash/dry process on them first if they look bad. Probably standard commercial off the shelf parts.
HI Matt , that injector return line to the tank needs a restrictor in it so you have more positive pressure at the rail . Thats what I found in mine. the return line had a brass plug with a tinny hole 0.2 of a mm. hope it helps. Dave
I'm from Germany right out of the flood area and after that I can tell that it smells awful. I restored a bunch of flooded engines and I just took out the injectors and let it turn till nothing came out anymore. Keep up the good work Matt. Greetings from Germany.
I am subscribed to a lot of RUclips channels (side benefit of being retired), and yours is one of the few that I get excited to see new videos pop up on. It's like an old friend drops by for a visit... with broken stuff that needs fixing! Thanks a lot, Matt! Keep up the good work!
@@GuyRWood I am subscribed to his channel as well! One of the best diagnostic mechanics on YT for sure! I'll bet that you are a Mustie1 fan as well! Hmmm... Pennsylvania, New York state, Vermont... sounds like a trend!
@@GCSol Hey buddy... I AM a "mechanical guy", and I still welcome someone who explains what they are doing and how it all works... especially on diesel engines! I always seem to learn something new (or maybe I'm just re-learning something that I've forgotten-- happens more often than I'd like to admit!)
I, as one, think how much effort does it take to just open the battery cable clamp before you put the clamp on the battery post. Too lazy for words. Michael said that, bye for now my friend. ( P.S. and I'm not even going to remind you to clean the clamp and post an grease them inside and out. )
Glad it's not just me. Too bad he's so far away, seems like a fun dude to hang out and turn wrenches with. I unfortunately don't have the space for the sort of toys he collects or I'd be doing the same thing. Nothing like the rush of hearing a long neglected machine fire up. I get the same rush when I repair a piece of electronic equipment and it powers up.
as someone who worked on these for near 25 years the "wash, brush, and rinse" with clear water is the way to go, followed by another rinse with isopropyl and a little warm air.... then allow to sit in the shop for several more days before running the unit. The killer of circuit boards is the dirt attracts moisture so removing the dirt is key for longevity down the road. I usually follow that up with some WD-40 on all electrical connectors and screw terminals. (those had machine oil on them from the factory)
I was yelling all of this same info during the video- funny stuff. A lot of novice comments he made I was like should he be doing a instructional video.....?
@@TH3GR33NG33K I never heard him say that it was an instructional video. It was a vlog or documentation of him working on his project the way he knows how. Unless he stated it was an instructional video, anyone who assumed it was or assumed he knows what he is doing, just isn't very observant or logical. The video is for entertainment, primarily. He did show a way to get the generator running and if people watch and read the comments, they can gather how other people would have done it differently and learn from all of this. Those people have to be smart enough to weed out the good information from the bad. We can learn from other people's mistakes. Luckily, I am good at learning this way and it is easy to find this information. I taught myself to do some tig welding, 20 years ago before youtube. Miller's website had good info. I was taking SMAW in college at that time and took TIG the next semester, so I was ahead of others in the class by doing some reading and trial on my own. Of course, there are plenty of people who may think this must be the proper way to handle this generator just because he has a video of it, but it doesn't mean he shouldn't make the video. I don't even take the opinion of a pro (doctor, mechanic, anyone) without considering what the downside may be if they aren't spot on and I will get more opinions from other pros and people in my shoes (patients, consumers, tool users, etc.) so I have a more rounded idea of how things may work out.
Already been said to try the injector swap. But since the lines were cracked at the pump already, I'm betting someone else was thinking the injection pump before you, so don't think this was caused by the flooding. If you can't quite decipher that diagram, maybe smallenginemechanic will give you some advice, though I'm betting he's going crazy repairing and replacing flooded gensets himself right now.
ruclips.net/user/SmallEngineMechanicabout Mike can explain anything that you might need to know about both the engine and the Genset. The diesel fuel being sold today has much less sulfur than the dyed diesel of a few years ago. The old high sulfur diesel fuel would not allow any algae to grow at the bottom of the fuel tank where the condensation standing under the fuel for long periods would\will allow algae to grow long strands that choke the fuel filter quickly. I use Killum to add to all my diesel equipment. Killum kills any algae before it can cause a problem. everyone owning equip that is idle for extended periods of time should treat their main tanks with Killum or a like product.
Some people don't need any advice from anyone on RUclips especially tarrell fixes everything lol You can only use an OHM meter on a coil when he says to I don't watch channels with smart elec know it all,, this guy here is okay diesel Creek is cool he's not a smart ass you don't need to figure out where to send something this guy is going to fix his own stuff
As a certified RUclips mechanic....it is clear to me that you, Matt, know way more about getting stuff running than I ever will. My last boat also had a 3 cylinder diesel. Volvo marine. Never had any fuel delivery problems with that so I'm of zero help to you. My only issue with that motor was the Swedes decided to mount the ECM directly to the engine. So it naturally would get hot and fail.
I've been around generators for more than 40 years, and I can tell you for sure that you got very lucky when you got that generator. It's got a very durable engine and an alterantor that can't be beat. So, it should be a good one to keep for your own house or shop. 4 kW will cover normal loads in most homes. It would be cool to see what you end up doing with it.
Hi Gary; Please could you give a bit of advice; setting up a Hire, Sales and Workshop Company. Which way is best to recruit the eight talented individual that can know and fix Generator
With the exhaust valves shimmied open. Turning it till the intake opens and hooking the shop vacuum to the exhaust port to pull out water from the cylinders
Most important for the electrics end is the be sure it is dry before you run it. CRC makes electric motor cleaner and WD 40 is made to displace water, hence WD
If the injector is sticking open intermittently, those bubbles can be from cylinder compression pushing back through the injector. That's what it looks like to me.
100% agree, definitely looks like bad injector that is sticking open intermittently. When it does stick open, it’s allowing cylinder pressure to bleed back past the injector, which caused that large pressure release when he initially cracked the line and then the air bubbles showing when he left the line cracked. That also explains the lower manifold temp and the smoke when the injector would briefly fire and the cylinder would try come back.
One trick to see if some injectors are out of spec is to read their themprature,if you have an bad injector it will be much warmer than those others since the compression bleeds to it
Matt...been watching you for a couple years now: One thing that never changes, your "yuck...ewwwww" at grease/water/fuel is the equivalent to a vomit during a bad hangover. This is one of your best videos, great work, Matt.
The smile and the excitement on Matt’s face when he gets engines running is priceless. That’s another reason why I love this channel and also is my favorite to watch on RUclips. Keep up the good work buddy, can’t wait for next week for another video!
There's a common assumption anything electrical is scrap after being submerged. That's lead to me picking up some real bargains in the past. Just dry things like motors for WAY longer than you'd think (like more than a week), preferably with a good flow of warm air.
Totally agree..I've dished remote controls in the sink. As long as the electric parts were not "energized" when submerged, all you need to do is clean them out and dry very well..
Years back I worked at a sewer plant , plenty of times the 3 phase pump motors would be under water , flip the disconnect it would buzz and smoke a bit but it would pump down .
how do you deal with corrosion? most flooded cars or generator develop nasty green corrosion at terminals which lead development of nasty intermittent electric issues down the line
The red dye is the only difference. You don't want to be caught with a dyed fuel tank on your on-road vehicle during a traffic stop or other inspection. I think it's immediate impound.
@@millomweb I think in Germany the rule is you're only allowed to use red in something that's bolted down to a solid surface. As soon as it moves, it's clear/green only. Might be different elsewhere.
@@Ragnar8504 UK is not that stupid - so generators run on red as does 'plant' (diggers, farm tractors etc.) and they can even be using red on the road !
All diesel currently supplied in the US complies with the < 15ppm sulfur ULSD specs, no matter what application it's supplied for. There was a period between 2010 and 2014 where ULSD was mandated for highway use but some small refiners were given more time to change over to the new spec if they were making fuel for non-road use. So yeah, there was a period of time when "farm diesel" could possibly have been higher sulfur than the stuff supplied for road use, and using it could damage the emission control equipment on cars that were designed for ULSD - but this is no longer the case, and it's all the same now.
Much of the heavy equipment we use has the same particulate filters and DEF systems that our trucks use, so it all requires ULSD anyway. I also read that in the past the red diesel could be higher. Our receipt from the fuel truck has dyed ULSD listed for product dispensed.
That's the straight info there. There was a period of time when red diesel *could* have been different, but not any more. Even when it could have been different, it doesn't mean that it was in all cases.
Yup it’s all the same these days. And if your going to add anything to your fuel for lubricity then use 2 cycle oil. It’s designed to burn and also lubricate.
I actually enjoy your jumping around on projects, great content. Content variety. Not just the same content recycled over and over. Please keep your channel as is, by that, just keep doing what your doing. Besides, a free genny!!!!!!!
Watch Wes Work has a diesel injector and injection pump specialist in his area. See if they can give u a hand sorting out ur issues. That would probably be a great power source for the farm.
If it's that terrel, with those messed up teeth , he's smart but he's an a******..he doesn't know how to use an OHM meter and says you cannot check a coil with one and I said you're full of s*** that's when I quit watching his channel he was getting smart with everybody that did know a different way of doing things..then I saw his Union sticker and I thought well there's the problem
@@ronalddaub7965 Smallengine mechanic is not the same guy. check him out sometime. I would agree with your comment on the teeth guy and yes a coil can be checked with an ohm meter too.
That flood smell? Raw sewage. Thanks for the great content. Had my Dad lived long enough to see RUclips, he would have loved your channel, he was always outside fixing cars.
THANK YOU for clarifying that off-road is the exact same as on-road! I get so tired of hearing that they’re different😂 Your videos are awesome, thank you!
The colour die has only ONE purpose, if a truck is stopped, it's common for them to dip the tank to check for coloured diesel (colour can vary country to country) ... Getting stopped running a truck on the road with coloured diesel can be very expensive.
There was no doubt that you would get it going. Love that smile on your face. Been watching for a long time and your videos just keep getting better. I really look forward to these each week. You are for sure one of the best content creators out there. Thanks for sharing your adventures. Peace
That, my friend, is a Cummins 3-cylinder diesel. The injector pump is $995 on e-bay, but you can pull that pump and take it to ANY Cummins injector rebuild shop and pay about $350-$400 for a 'like-new' rebuild...and FYI, a ragged 2,000 hour version of what you have there sells for $4,500...so it would be money WELL INVESTED to have that pump rebuilt...That sound IS the #3 injector not working...not a wrist-pin, by the way. Simple, affordable fix on a 'Rolls-Royce' generator you CAN'T lose money on... Kubota DID provided Onan diesels back 'in-the-day', but so did Cummins...and that is a Cummins. You'll need the 'model number' for injector pump service, but it looks like injection pump number 185-5425, HDKAH, HDKAJ, HDKAK, HDKAT or HDKAU.
The miss was there before the flooding, that is why the lines were loose and the clips removed. You have to swap injectors 1 & 3 to make sure that those bubbles you saw are not combustion gases - which would mean defective injector. Other specialists will probably have more detailed background and specifics on this issue. Great content - as always. Thanks!
I remember many of those moments of joy a very long time ago when it came "alive." Haven't gotten grease on my hands in many years...and I do miss it although now I'd be inclined to use latex gloves. Great job. Many thanks for these vicarious moments/hours.
Was working my way through the auction crane Ford playlists and seen this pop up. Looks like my Saturday morning gonna be a nice relaxing one. Spend the day building and fixing tow trucks of all sizes nice to see some one who relates.
Your comments on red diesel are absolutely correct. Our diesel delivery company adds the red dye. I volunteer at the California State Railroad Museum. We use a lot of red diesel.
⚠️ I can see from your finger that you put it where it didn't belong before, and I have to tell you that tightening those fuel lines with your fingers while it's running or even cranking is setting a bad example! If that fuel gets injected in your finger they'll just cut her off at the nearest knuckle. 40 years experience.
I love to see your excitement in getting these engines to fire up. Your enthusiasm is infectious and very fun to watch. One of my favorite channels. Great stuff Matt!
Before starting the engine, you should have turned off the alternator's excitation, so that while it does not dry, it does not generate tension and does not burn due to humidity. The starter motor also wanted disassembled, clean and dry. Greetings from Portugal
Yup. 1 hour, 1000 hours - whatever. Run 'em up once a month, and new oil and filters every year. Cheaper than finding out it doesn't work when you need it.. For a standby, low hours is perfectly possible - test run hours plus the odd rare use in anger... Nice machine.
@@johnmccallum8512 Oh yes... definitely - although the ones we had were big enough that you'd notice :) The other points were - is the battery any good?, and DIESEL not Petrol, for the baby ones.. Gennys - got to love them ..
No rust coming out of the various places is a really good sign it'll be fine once it's thoroughly cleaned and lubricated. Even that generator should be able to be refurbished to running condition.
Instead of pulling the valve cover and spacing the exhaust valves, next time you can pull the glow plugs out and spin the water out that way without worrying about damaging valves.
Hey Matt, I love your channel. As an electronics tech, and ex sparky I’d try to avoid using water. Water is conductive (and potentially corrosive) so you probably don’t want to be introducing more of that, as tempting as it might be to wash it. Get yourself a few cans of CRC 2.26 (or similar product) and drench any electrical components including inside the gen, and on top in the control box. Soak it, then flush it out with more (agitating with an old toothbrush or similar). Blast it out with air ( carefully, not to much pressure) and soak it again. The CRC will flush out all the nasties including displacing any residual water, silt etc. Craig from Oz.
As someone who services generators, I can tell you that the air filter was replaced simply because it is part of yearly maintenance, and it is done whether it is needed or not
I think the off road fuel used to still be high sulfur for a short time when low sulfur fuel was introduced at the road fuel pumps. Now the only difference is the road tax and red dye.
I used to know a guy (lovely bloke with a huge heart, dead now bless him) who ran his Toyota truck on the stuff (highly illegal of course). When it broke down it was a blockage in the fuel filter housing, and the recovery guy who towed the truck home swore blind that it contains more impurities and he keeps seeing red diesel causing fuel system issues. Not sure if I believed it or if he'd heard it from someone else. This is in the UK though, there aren't many places that sell red diesel at the pumps anymore so most people tend to get it from hire places or similar in big jugs, who knows what their system for filtering out impurities etc is like.
@@rowanwilson8896 ... When there are issues with storage of the fuel, then there might be issues with contamination. At the standard bulk distribution level the fuel is exactly the same, after that storage and handling can introduce contaminants.
Wouldn’t surprise me if that injector is leaking compression pressure back up through itself. Run it with the injection line off the top of the injector and see if gas is coming up through the injector.
My Thoughts Exactly! I have had both a Kubota engine and a Iseki engine do this! (both 3 cylinders) Also, the great majority of the Onan gensets I have seen are either gasoline or propane.... (in the RV world) I would think that a diesel Onan would be the "Holy Grail" and worth investing a little time and $ into- It must be a lot more fuel efficient than its counterparts. I think she's a "keeper" for sure!
After draining water from the tank, add a few ounces alcohol to remove a small amount of residual water. The alcohol will go into a solution with the water, then drain out the water-alcohol solution. Any remaining solution in the tank will mix with the fuel. Quick and dirty, which seems to be your motto.
We once needed 50 kW of 50 Hz power for testing and burn-in of a couple of systems destined to Europe. The house power was the American 60 Hz. So, we got a 50 kW Onan diesel generator tuned for 50 Hz. We needed it for some 9 months and then had no further use. The guy who eventually purchased the Onan, re-tuned it to 60 Hz and sold it for some good profit. That was before the eBay or other resale outlets emerged on the Net.
That looks just like my Onan but I was very surprised to see only 4.0Kw on it. Mine is the the 7.5Kw version. I built a steel 40 gallon fuel tank base for mine and its bolted to the shop floor on rubber motor mounts in case of a quake. My unit gets started and run once a month under half load for 20 minutes each time. It has been utterly reliable. I sincerely hope you get yours running well.
@@ahmedlz9495 Ahmed, I do everything manually. We are subject to earthquakes and wildfires here. I don't need automated equipment adding to troubles. In any event, I prefer to assess damages first, determine if anything volatile or combustible broke open and left vapors, check for damaged electrical circuits before energizing anything.
@@kimmer6 i understand in my case its summer heat and bad powergrid that when it passes 40C the hight demand for running AC cause current to be low or even cuts
@@ahmedlz9495 Ahmed....are you in Northern California? This is what we faced since 2017. The utility company will shut off power for a few hours to several days in wind, wildfire, and grid overload emergencies. I have battery backup to run refrigerator and freezers quietly. But the Onan is there if needed. We had a week of 38-43C peak temperatures and heavy smoke from fires. The power was out for 47 hours. The house needs to be sealed up with the AC running under those conditions. The battery backup system will operate a small window AC in one room to allow a night of sleep. The Onan generator can also run the battery chargers. Stay cool!
@@kimmer6 no am from djerba a small island in north africa luckly we had no fire but it never goes under 40C in August our power grid is overcharged and poorly maintained so it can't cope with the high demand i use the generator to backup in those days
Just here to echo the comments about trying the injector first, I had an old Peugeot diesel that had been sitting for years. Fired right up, but after a few journeys it developed a nasty misfire at start-up that took a good long while to clear out. Huge amounts of white smoke too, just like that Onan does as that cylinder comes and goes. Found bubbles in the leak-off lines, got the injectors rebuilt on a recommendation, and it's been brilliant ever since. Also, you didn't have bubbles at that injector when bleeding the lines, and it was giving good spurts of fuel at 36:09. Only with the added engine speed (and compression) did you get those bubbles.
Maybe the person that mentioned compression blowing back up thru the injector because the pintle gets stuck open may be on to something. Good observation on your part. 🙂👍 P.S: I went to your time stamp. On the dead injector your can see the fuel run BUT on the other two it actually sprays away from the nut-injector joint. So maybe it was already dead and the added speed and compression just augmented the problem.
Those are most often connected to a transfer switch hanging on the wall somewhere close by. Also, if that was connected to support commercial refrigeration units, it's a good chance it's a three-phase generator. Not a house current single phase. Cheers from Louisiana.
If you look at 30:39 , the wires and the colours tell me thats a single split phase Generator , the US standard for domestic wiring 115/230V. Before starting the engine I suggest remove the exciter wires from the field, marked with F1 F2. If the motor spin the generator start to generating electricity . With moist in winding and wiring it could easilay damage the Generator and its accociated parts. You should use a fan heater and place it to the open end of the gerator and leave it on to dry the electrics . let it run over the night . Tha common prctice with wet or moist eletrics. When you start the engine , why you do not preheat the engine?
So many have already said my suggestion on the injector leaking compression back. That gen would work really well at the farm and run all you needed there. For the electronic use compressed air and alcohol to clean the silt. Use an RV moisture bucket and wrap the gen tight and let it sit a a week or so. My current project is fixing my IH Cub 123 and putting in new seals in the hydrostatic! Can’t wait to see that video
Check out the return spring on the plunger in the injection pump. These are often problematic. That would also account for extended quantities of air being in the injection line.
Does the injector have an internal check valve? Looks like the air bubbles are combustion coming back. Maybe some scale in the injector keeping it from sealing the check valve. Bubbles from the injector pump would have to be an air leak on the suction side and would affect all the cylinders.
Right on. The Pintle closes against cylinder compression. Corrosion, a piece of crud or a crack is gonna allow combustion gasses back into the injector. A leak after the pump would be leaking fuel. A leak before the pump would affect all the cylinders. Could still be an issue AT the pump though. Swapping an injector would still be the no-cost next step.
You are correct about the sulphur content in the fuel. However, there was a point in 2007-2009 when the red fuel had a higher sulphur content right before off-road equipment, cranes, dozers,excavators etc started using DPF emissions. They both have under 15ppm sulphur since then.
Im in Canada just found your RUclips site a couple of weeks ago, I like all the videos i like how you like to take something that's been sitting for years and years and get it running again, keep the videos coming,
May have been ran annually and lost prime in between each use. Maybe they left the lines ready to bleed in case of emergency. I really enjoy your videos and you do great work. Pennsylvania proud brother.
Hey Matt love your channel. I have learned so much. I am beginning to start small engine school, I thought it be easier since I'm disabled, btw did you know bulldogs love scateboards , anyways much love and respect from Kentucky and thank you for helping me through my mechanic journey
Hey Matt. Love the videos I was a pump tech in Canada. What you call red diesel, we call purple diesel. Same stuff. I can confirm that we would install diesel dispensers (pumps) that pulled clear diesel from the very same storage tank as the taxed fuel. The designated purple fuel dispensers actually had a small dye pump mounted on them that would inject a metered amount of purple dye from a tank also contained on the pump. The fuel was dyed as it was dispensed. We would purposely turn the dye injector off while testing to prevent our equipment from being dyed purple. The dye is horrible stuff. Even a small amount permanently dyes everything it comes into contact with. Of course, it could also be dyed at the loading rack or on the truck as you described. Bottom line, same fuel.
That was Onan’s 1st and last attempt at the Aqua Generator. And that old fuel is “mint” for Slave Lake! BTW, a blue sky and a grey sky are actually the SAME sky!
Start simple, then go complicated. Could it be a clogged injector line? Then swap the injectors. Then go to the injector pump. Thanks for the videos. Sounds like you may have a great power source at your farm shop.Jon
When he was bleeding the system, he was getting fuel at all the injectors, so I would try swapping injectors and see if the problem moves with the injector. If not, I’d be looking at the pump.
I agree with swapping injectors, it could also be pulling air from the return line since its right there, not sure if its actually possible, but just another thing to consider
Like you, I can not stand an unsolved mystry. Please continue. This engine has many of the same characterics as the Perkins that is on my 1968 3000D Ford tractor. You will get it going good as new. Be safe and thanks.
40:25 "Look, Ma, a twin engine forklift!" :-D I would check the injector of #3, wheter there's some dirt in it, looks that it doesn't close properly and gets air back from the tank via the return line. Swapping it with one of the others could clear that. The connection box could be cleaned out with compressed air and some IPA (isopropyl alcohol), the finnish guy from OddTinkering works wonders with that stuff... Thx for showing, hope your belongings had survived better! :-D
Remove the fuel line completely from the injector to see if 1) there is fuel pumping and 2) the air comes from the injector or pump. It oscillating could be the ignition pushing "air" into the fuel line and then it needs to run for a while to clear out, and then it repeats. I know I'm late to this party, but it might help someone out.
I used to jack up one rear wheel on my garden tractor, put hot water and soap in the tank, and strap it to the tractor wheel. If rust is a problem throw in a couple handfuls of crushed gravel. Works well.
Diesel Creek literally pulls diesel engines out of creeks.
Underrated comment of the day!
most EPIC comment on this video.
... AND pushes creeks out of diesel engines...
Has to be the best comment I've ever seen 😂
🤣🤣🤣
Matt, On the Onan, the miss-firing cylinder is because the pintle valve in the injector is stuck open. What looks like air in the fuel is compression backing up through the injector. Try swapping the front injector with the bad one, I'll bet the problem follows the injector. If so just replace the injector with a good one.
I am not a diesel guy. But I was kinda thinking that. How would one cylinder be getting air out of pump? The injector being stuck makes since to me.
Thanks for sharing your adventures Matt!!!
@@BIllMcCambridge in the junction pump each injector has its own piston pumping fuel. Thats what tells the injector when to squirt. I was initially thinking it was the pump as well but after reading this comment by robert he might be kn to something. I have actually seen this on a cat 3116 engine where it was pushing compression into the fuel system. Slightly different fuel design but moral of the story it would be worth swapping injectors to see if the issue follows
Exactly what I’m thinking same thing happens on 6.0 fords sometimes
I had a kubota that did that. Cleaned the needle with toothpaste and it has ran perfectly for years since.
@@BIllMcCambridge yep
Hey Matt, I wasn't surprised to hear that you feel the same way about the lovely smell that hangs over everything after the flooding. Also thanks for that little shoutout (in disguise) :)
PAI you get quite a few mentions from subscribers in the comments. Many of us subscribe both to you and Diesel Creek.
@@rangercv4263 allrighty then👍
if it ain't TPAI , eagirly waiting forthose new lathe restoration/refurbish videos.
wow cool to see u here
swampy smell?
Hi, I met a veteran who was a seabee at pearl harbor. He was on recovery crew recovering any usable components off of damaged war ships. He said anything submerged in and water was put in 55gal drums of diesel and soaked for a minimum of 7ndays to disburse and neutralize any contamination including sea salt. .
99% of the equipment was salvaged and put back in service with little to no mechanical care
My step-dad was a Seabreeze around that same time
Seabee
Thats what s I love about you Matt...you will tackle anything! Greetings from Montreal!
not a whole lot of sea water to be found between Pittsburg and West Virginia, but still potentially good info. Except, now what do I do with those drums of contaminated diesel at $4.00+ per gallon.
Was in nam and one of the five ton dumps too a mother in the body, they said it never ran proper after that, pressure affect sensor thanks Jim
If the needle valve in the nozzle is stuck, compression pressure from the cylinder will enter the nozzle and push the fuel backwards giving you the bubbles you see. Yes it is possible it could be the delivery valve for that cylinder in the top of the pump too. Next step is to verify nozzle or pump, by switching nozzle 3 with a known good one, like number 1. If skip follows nozzle it's a bad nozzle, if skip stays on number 3 it's the pump.
@michael kennedy you know I've heard of water cracking the tip, seen pictures of it in textbooks and service literature, and totally believe it does happen.
That being said, after 40 plus years of working on all types of equipment, that is running harsh conditions like coal mines, scrap yards, demolition, and construction, I've never actually seen it happen with my own eyes. And believe me I have worked in conditions where the fuel handling was really sloppy
@@dancarney106 Ooooh I learned something!!
Yes... a possibility..
Just swap injectors. If it follows its the injector.
Client came in asking to have a full engine overhaul because of a bad skip. Left injectors in head (tips looked intact, a little sooty) did full out of frame overhaul. Put head back on ran the exact same. One of the injectors was letting engine compression all the way through, pushing fuel out of the line, had all the injectors rebuilt, ran like a charm.
When I was a teen ager ,1963,I worked for a Dairy Farmer that had a Fordson Dexter Diesel tractor. We used it to round up the Cows for milking. The Farmers Daughter drove the tractor into the creek and flooded it until it stopped running. It sat in the creek until the next day when we pulled it out with an old GMC one ton truck. We drained all the fluids and dried the tractor out with a big fan for a couple of days before we put new fluids in it and it started right up and ran for years and years afterwards. Tough old tractors.
Greetings: Did U ever get the tractor out and get it running? :).
It makes a lot of difference if the water was fresh water.
Start with swapping the injector to another cylinder. Then look over the hard line unions, it may be sucking air. Leave the injector pump until last.
Agree. Probably why the line brackets were off when you got it.
I don't see how a high pressure diesel line will suck in air. If anything, it would be shooting diesel out. I am not a diesel mechanic but I just don't see how it will suck air.
I agree with this advise. Just a little bit of corrosion could keep the hard lines from sealing good. Or anything else that needs to be sealing good. I would like to see you check out the generator too.
See if the problem follows the injector and easier to do then pulling the pump.
Bad injector, cylinder compression is blowing through the injector. The electronics need WD-40 or ACF-50 on all the components and in generator head. The bad news is the voltage regulator might be toast. Brushless AVRs are everywhere, AVR for brush generators are more difficult. The beauty of brush alternators is they are anvil solid and easy to fix. That 3 cyl is overkill for 4kw, my bet is the generator is more like a 10-12kw unit, enough to run several houses. It’s a nice unit and worth saving.
We have used the ruclips.net/user/postUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!
Take #3 line off and turn it around so it points out, shove a piece of clear fuel line on #3 line, or let it pump into a bottle to see if air bubble coming from pump. Could also be injector leaking compression back from cylinder.
Good idea, I got an old diesel fordson tractor and all tips are appreciated.
We already know there is air..
@@finleypatmalcolm but not where it is coming from, injection pump or leaking injector
If the motor was direct injected the pump might be suspect. Direct injection is where the injector truly does the injecting and is operated by a rocker arm off the camshaft. On this engine the injector is merely a spray nozzle with a spring loaded valve that "breaks" at a given pressure. If there is air already in the injector the compression can "fight" the injection pump as there is more volume in the cylinder than the pump. So you get a see-saw effect if there is anything keeping the injector cracked open like a chunk of that nasty trash that was in the fuel tank. In theory nothing should get past the filters And nasties should exit while bleeding the lines.......BUT..........
why were all the lines loose and unclipped from each other? My guess is that there was a problem before the flood. Probably a sticking or leaking injector. As said above I would move the injector to another cylinder LONG before I would crack open that pump. Nice little unit. Most on the electrical side is sealed up pretty good as they are designed to run in mobile or less than ideal conditions. I do know that you should figure out the wiring soon and get a load on it as Onan genders don't like inactivity very much. There is a great bunch of guys at a place there in Pennsylvania I believe, Flight Control Systems. They can advise you on anything Onan electrical. Let me look up their contact info and post it. They helped me out on my motorhome gender and they are the ones that said to load and exercise the unit for at least an hour every month. Trust me it didn't bother me at all to fire up those dual A/C units this summer maybe a bit more than an hour a month.........😎.
That unit should power your shop at the farm quite nicely.
Terry from South Carolina
@@terryfromsouthcarolina4601 THANK YOU for the concise thought...
That misfire may have existed prior to the flood, could be the reason they had those little locks taken off the injector lines.
Now you know why the fuel lines were loose, someone was chasing that problem before. Before you tear into the pump, swap the 1 & 3 injectors as others have suggested, and pray the problem follows the injector. Good luck.
He should know this, thought he was a diesel mechanic. Nozzles dont get compression from the pump
Replace the injector. It's a common problem with them.
@@joebrenner2560 he is not a mechanic he has made that clear. just works on stuff in his spare time
Blow those cylinders out with cornpressed hair lol and the bearings. And crank case too tilt the whole thing over and flush with a little more diesel.get more water and fuel out.water and diesel in a crankcase is real bad on a engine. I was a tranny tec. I always saved trans fluid for flushing. It is even good for lube in these low sulphur fuels.so is old engine oil if clean enough
What was the old rattle tat tat sound? I love the long nose pliers holder (battery) man that can go boom
Best down to earth and no bs theoretical and educational engine repair on RUclips. Thank you.
I've been watching you for a few months now and went back and watched all your older videos. You are without a doubt my new favorite RUclipsr. Thanks for all the entertainment and also thanks for bringing back old equipment that would otherwise have been scrapped.
Wow thanks for this comment!!!
Love watching all your stuff good job. I live about 30mi south of state college Pa. Also.
AMEN on what he said!!!
@@harryfiller9348 Another fellow Pa. guy. Harrisburg here.
I use a spray attachment sucking isopropyl alcohol to wash electrical circuits followed by a dry air then allowed to dry out.
I'd consult with the Small Engine Mechanic, a RUclipsr. He maintains Onan generators for a living, and is a wizard of the diesel engine.
+1, this is a good idea. He's not terribly far from Matt either, I believe. That would be a great collab.
Small Engine Mechanic is located in Southern New Jersey which will be a 6hr drive from Matt in SW Pa. He may be a good one to ask for some guidance of ideas to try.:)
Really? I saw a guy that I thought was pretty smart until it come to ohm meters then he said you could not check a coil with one and I quit watching him can't deal with a smart la even if he is a good mechanic taarol fixes all
If you are a real mechanic and a electrician you don't need to consult with anybody what is what is this consulting stuff why does everyone want this guy to consult with somebody else that may not know what the hell to wipe their ass with
Good idea to check up with Mike @ SME. His knowledge of gensets and especially Onan would be a big help.
Injector could be sticking/damaged and compression could be coming back through the injector when the line is cracked. Need to rule out faulty injector before opening/moving on to the injection pump.
Keep up the great work. 👍
I had a Yanmar three cylinder in my JD X595 starting to miss just like yours is doing. I bled the injector lines at the injectors and there was always air at the missing cylinder. Just by chance I tightened the adaptor between the pump and injector line coming out of the pump while it was running and within seconds the engine ran smoothly so I loosened that fitting coming out of the pump then the engine started running rough with lots of air at that injector so I tightened the fittings all up and it’s been running great. I have new injectors for the engine but the pump was shimmed by a JD mechanic that gave me 27 to 28 hp instead of 23 hp. It had a 1,000 hrs when that fitting came loose but it sounded and acted like Matt’s generator.
If the pintle has sat in water for a long time, it could well be corroded and not sealing correctly, leading to low pressure, a poor spray pattern, and fuel dribbling into the cylinder causing the smoke.
Your level of excitement (which I share) when the thing finally fires off is what brings me back to the channel. I’m living vicariously through Diesel Creek as my wife would kill me if I brought any of these toys home. Thanks, Matt!
What a sad life you live, dominated by your wife.
Says the guy who is obviously not married. Relationships are give & take, not many people are gonna want their partner dragging home mountains of old "junk" to clutter up the place. @@stevejones1318
I know sometimes on the diesels I work on, if any water runs through the injectors, it blows the tips out. Something to do with steam explosion instead of spraying fuel. If air is getting in the system, it has to be suction side. That's the only place air comes from. Any leaks on the pressure side would just push fuel, not suck air. And air in the system would show up on all cylinders, not just one. I think your problem is the injector tip is blown out and compression is going back through the injector. To confirm, it is easier to swap #3 and #1 as you said and see if the problem follows.
Yep I agree
I don't know shit about this stuff but that's exactly what I was thinking. That's probably why you can see a little bit of exhaust pop out of the bubbles, and the foam is brown.
This i agree
Changing new injector tips to the injector bodies shouldn't also be too hard nor expensive. I would definitely take the injectors off and take a look at them. Also some heavier load on the engine might help, but I wouldn't advice to run it loaded for too long if the problem persists.
@@hoakuroija1089 problem with that is having the right tooling and those injector nozzles are extremely precise and lapped together. You can't really change individual parts on the injector nozzles. They have to be replaced as an assembly.
Being an old Air Force computer repairman, my advice Matt is to pull the generator and give it a complete cleaning. You need to get all the fine silt out of it. The electronics should be fine. It wasn't running when it went under. After the cleaning, make certain everything is completely dry before trying to use the generator to make electricity. Have fun.
Yes, yes, and soon please. Turn it off already and dismantle and clean it. Test as possible as you go. That is likely completely rebuildable if one is careful.
@Diesel Creek - Matt - the clue about cleaning is to NOT worry about getting it wet - any old water will be OK. In fact get it really wet with any old water to help getting the thing really clean of the silt - lots of water. BUT - when it is as clean as you can get it then give it a REALLY GOOD rinse with distilled water (de-ionized water) and then (as @KLS&C 85 suggests) get it completely dry. Since it was not run with power on it should be OK. An electrician might give a clue about a local brand name water repellent, non-conductive best suitable to final coat before running.
Yes, clean the electronics and flush it with alcohol after.
@@mrfrenzy. Not needed, steam clean the box and windings, air dry for a day, then run to warm the whole unit up, heat will dissipate the moisture. Water cleaning will not hurt it but this all needs to be done before he lets it sit, clean it, dry it out, then store it, otherwise the rust monster will have a field day.
Jumping around different projects is a good thing especially if you're having trouble with one. Sometimes working on something else will let your brain reset and you come up with ideas for the previous project. At least for me it does lol
Also gives time for the answer to appear in the comments. Let the commenters brainstorm the possibilities and suggest possible ways to zero in on the issue. So far from the comments I have read the bad injector letting compression air back to the fuel side seems the most plausible. Would also explain why the bubbles are only in one line. Also swapping around the injectors seems like a simpler first step rather than tearing into the pump.
I feel the same way which is why I have dozens of projects I’ll never finish lol
Some times you have to jump around to different projects waiting on parts to get. Shipped in . Plus some times you need a Pic of equipment for another projects.
Having worked at large hydro dams they get flooded more often than one might think,one thing that worked on most electrical components was heat. Actually build a tent around it put a heat source in side and maintain a temp of 125+ degrees for up to 12 to 24 hours usually worked. Not 100% every time but if the equipment was decent shape to start with.
I would like to see that . Interresting Idea Sir!
I also work at a hydro and we use large heaters with dehumidifiers and build tents.
I agree WATER is a good solvent, just apply a tent heat just done this on my running machine mortor deck and did it forst on an ebay tv (EHT cap off the tube ) seriously water can be good but dont rush the heated tent Here in thaialdn we get 35C every day which fixes most back in the UK I got a military tent heater (fuel/air) and thats great too.
Usually water is only an issue because it's allowing electricity to go places it shouldn't. Once the water evaporates, all those unwanted connections go away and things usually start working again. Unless of course the electrical equipment was running when it was flooded. Then it's likely that at least some components were fried because higher voltage was allowed through them by water...
A similar thing works for old computer motherboards (and game consoles) that stop working as good as they used to, just stick the bare board in an oven at around 200 degrees C and it effectively re-solders and cleans up all the connections, doesn't work all the time but it's a very handy fix for old slow tech.
Spit my coffee out at 15:20 - "She's a squirtter"...giggidy. 🤣
Was wondering the same, and wonder if he needs to change the not suitable for children setting :)
"That might have been cool three years ago... Turns out it's just piss..!" - AvE
And I my tea. Came here to make the exact same comment!
and i went crazy when Mustie joked about these nuts..
@@dubuque1 If a child knows what that means, you have to question the parents.
I’m pretty sure that’s compression leaking back through the injector. It’s worth to swap them to be sure.
Quite possibly. That is probably why the injector lines were loose to begin with
Well I’m thinking it’s the compression leaking back I bet if you replaces the copper o ring on the bottom of the injector it would seal back up they might have cracked it loose when they were messing with it
A bad injector is a mofo to trouble shoot. Swap that thang with a good one and follow the trail.
@@longsautoshop9104 The copper washer prevents compression leaking past the injector to the outside of the engine, it doesn't stop compression leaking back through the injector itself and into the fuel line. This seems more like a sealing problem on the pintle.
Ditto
My 3 cylinder diesel had the same symptoms. The solution was tightening the "nut" on top of the injector pump less than a 1/4 turn (it was just barrely lose). This set the tollerance of the cam in the injector pump. Now my engine runs perfect. Worth a try.
Without meaning to minimise the consequences of bad flooding, the thing about flood water is that it backflows sewage systems. If you live in a built-up area, even a 'mild' flood is full of... well you get the idea.
Battery installation tool-As Derek says, "The 'ole Tanya Harding". "I always overfill the filters"-PERFECT!!
This is great 😂
"That's waaayyy too much, perfect"
~Derek, Vise Grip Garage
Yep, VGG!
He does a really great job acting as an idiot! He's far from that!
"she's a squirter" laughed a while on that one. i've been to some bad bad places on the internet too
That’s what everybody thought!
Right next to "Lets slap the nuts on" from the Cub cadet mower I belive it was
@John Hutchinson not yet, but soon will be. bye
Onan was a "squirter".
Check the Bible...
My Lifes Experience was enough for me to have a Great Loud Laugh ... ill never forget the first time... was damn young and freeked out for a second lol
I'll leave the diesel question to the diesel guys, but I can tell you there's a couple of ways to keep the genny and electronical stuff rolling along - it's not technically the water that does the damage - it's the shit that floats in with the water and makes it conductive and corrosive. One option is to just flood the damn thing with deionized water, but that gets expensive, fast, unless you've got a buddy that works somewhere with their own DI plant. A gallon is maybe $20, so it isn't too bad. Another is pull the circuit board and clean it with electronics cleaner or isopropyl alcohol. You leave the crap in there, it'll work fine for a while, then Goodbye. You might be a little young to remember Hurricane Katrina, but for a couple of years after, we'd see loads of "Katrina Cars" on ebay and at the used car lots. They'd run fine for a few months, then the computers and sensors would go tits-up.
Yes, N Ferraro, you're correct. If you hose the electrical components out with just plain water while all the geek is still wet it will help minimize the damage. Matt will have to clean everything with isopropyl alcohol and that is no guarantee that things will work for long. Hey, but it's worth a try. I've been there it's not a lot of fun.
In general, circuit boards can be washed after being in a flood. I spray them with Mean Green household cleaner/degreaser and scrub the board with a toothbrush or acid type brush. This will get the "mud" and other gunk off the board. Next, rinse with warm water. Now clean the board with 99% isopropyl alcohol and dry the board with a hair dryer. I've rescued many flood damaged circuit boards this way.
Yes. I agree with all of above. Clean and pure water is an insulator eg cooling high wattage broadcast transmitters with 5000volts plus. It’s the dirt and rubbish that cause the problems. I would have cleaned all the electrics and let dry for a few days BEFORE running motor. As soon as the motor runs the alternator is producing power. Might have got away with it this time. Looking forward to next episode. 😎
These old school Onans don't use computers or digital sensors. The new ones? You don't wanna know! I work on that stuff but all of the stuff own or reccomend to friends is, basically, World War Two Technology. Built from the '30s through the '90s. Easy to fix, hard to break.
Let me suggest that you label by # all the wires around the board with paper and transparent tape, so that everything can go back as before. Take several well lit fotos, before you start.
Pull the board(s) out and drop them into an ultrasonic cleaning bath with DI water.
To dry them, shake off excess & compressed air, then place on a wooden cutting board in your kitchen oven at about 140-150 degrees to sit for several hours. (I've successfully recovered wet cell phones that went into a toilet by accident several times using the oven technique!)
Relay contacts may just need contact wiping with a dry, non-wax business card . Or use the same ultrasonic wash/dry process on them first if they look bad. Probably standard commercial off the shelf parts.
HI Matt , that injector return line to the tank needs a restrictor in it so you have more positive pressure at the rail . Thats what I found in mine. the return line had a brass plug with a tinny hole 0.2 of a mm. hope it helps. Dave
I'm from Germany right out of the flood area and after that I can tell that it smells awful. I restored a bunch of flooded engines and I just took out the injectors and let it turn till nothing came out anymore.
Keep up the good work Matt.
Greetings from Germany.
I am subscribed to a lot of RUclips channels (side benefit of being retired), and yours is one of the few that I get excited to see new videos pop up on. It's like an old friend drops by for a visit... with broken stuff that needs fixing! Thanks a lot, Matt! Keep up the good work!
If you don't know it already, check out South Main Auto, it's superb.
I'm not a mechanical guy, I like the way Matt explains what each part does.
@@GuyRWood I am subscribed to his channel as well! One of the best diagnostic mechanics on YT for sure! I'll bet that you are a Mustie1 fan as well! Hmmm... Pennsylvania, New York state, Vermont... sounds like a trend!
@@GCSol Hey buddy... I AM a "mechanical guy", and I still welcome someone who explains what they are doing and how it all works... especially on diesel engines! I always seem to learn something new (or maybe I'm just re-learning something that I've forgotten-- happens more often than I'd like to admit!)
@@braxtonnelson7422 Get out and fix something 😉
I think you're OK hammering on those battery posts. That looked like a fully calibrated and vendor certified metric battery post beater tool.
looked SAE to me :D
I, as one, think how much effort does it take to just open the battery cable clamp before you put the clamp on the battery post. Too lazy for words. Michael said that, bye for now my friend. ( P.S. and I'm not even going to remind you to clean the clamp and post an grease them inside and out. )
@@michaeld.coulombesr.583 please for the love of God, don't be one of those guys greasing a fucking battery terminal.
@@brianwalk108 Greasy Terminal was my band's name, sadly we never charged, so we died out.
@@Robby4Jesus lol, touche
The sheer joy on Matt’s face when he gets motors backup and running cracks me up. He’s like a little kid.
Glad it's not just me. Too bad he's so far away, seems like a fun dude to hang out and turn wrenches with. I unfortunately don't have the space for the sort of toys he collects or I'd be doing the same thing. Nothing like the rush of hearing a long neglected machine fire up. I get the same rush when I repair a piece of electronic equipment and it powers up.
I'd go down the road of swapping an injector before pulling the pump out, a much easier option.
as someone who worked on these for near 25 years the "wash, brush, and rinse" with clear water is the way to go, followed by another rinse with isopropyl and a little warm air.... then allow to sit in the shop for several more days before running the unit. The killer of circuit boards is the dirt attracts moisture so removing the dirt is key for longevity down the road. I usually follow that up with some WD-40 on all electrical connectors and screw terminals. (those had machine oil on them from the factory)
I was yelling all of this same info during the video- funny stuff. A lot of novice comments he made I was like should he be doing a instructional video.....?
Could it have been compression coming back through a sticky injector
@@TH3GR33NG33K I never heard him say that it was an instructional video. It was a vlog or documentation of him working on his project the way he knows how. Unless he stated it was an instructional video, anyone who assumed it was or assumed he knows what he is doing, just isn't very observant or logical. The video is for entertainment, primarily. He did show a way to get the generator running and if people watch and read the comments, they can gather how other people would have done it differently and learn from all of this. Those people have to be smart enough to weed out the good information from the bad. We can learn from other people's mistakes. Luckily, I am good at learning this way and it is easy to find this information. I taught myself to do some tig welding, 20 years ago before youtube. Miller's website had good info. I was taking SMAW in college at that time and took TIG the next semester, so I was ahead of others in the class by doing some reading and trial on my own. Of course, there are plenty of people who may think this must be the proper way to handle this generator just because he has a video of it, but it doesn't mean he shouldn't make the video. I don't even take the opinion of a pro (doctor, mechanic, anyone) without considering what the downside may be if they aren't spot on and I will get more opinions from other pros and people in my shoes (patients, consumers, tool users, etc.) so I have a more rounded idea of how things may work out.
Already been said to try the injector swap. But since the lines were cracked at the pump already, I'm betting someone else was thinking the injection pump before you, so don't think this was caused by the flooding.
If you can't quite decipher that diagram, maybe smallenginemechanic will give you some advice, though I'm betting he's going crazy repairing and replacing flooded gensets himself right now.
ruclips.net/user/SmallEngineMechanicabout Mike can explain anything that you might need to know about both the engine and the Genset. The diesel fuel being sold today has much less sulfur than the dyed diesel of a few years ago. The old high sulfur diesel fuel would not allow any algae to grow at the bottom of the fuel tank where the condensation standing under the fuel for long periods would\will allow algae to grow long strands that choke the fuel filter quickly. I use Killum to add to all my diesel equipment. Killum kills any algae before it can cause a problem. everyone owning equip that is idle for extended periods of time should treat their main tanks with Killum or a like product.
Some people don't need any advice from anyone on RUclips especially tarrell fixes everything lol
You can only use an OHM meter on a coil when he says to I don't watch channels with smart elec know it all,, this guy here is okay diesel Creek is cool he's not a smart ass
you don't need to figure out where to send something this guy is going to fix his own stuff
As a certified RUclips mechanic....it is clear to me that you, Matt, know way more about getting stuff running than I ever will. My last boat also had a 3 cylinder diesel. Volvo marine. Never had any fuel delivery problems with that so I'm of zero help to you. My only issue with that motor was the Swedes decided to mount the ECM directly to the engine. So it naturally would get hot and fail.
I've been around generators for more than 40 years, and I can tell you for sure that you got very lucky when you got that generator. It's got a very durable engine and an alterantor that can't be beat. So, it should be a good one to keep for your own house or shop. 4 kW will cover normal loads in most homes. It would be cool to see what you end up doing with it.
Hi Gary; Please could you give a bit of advice; setting up a Hire, Sales and Workshop Company. Which way is best to recruit the eight talented individual that can know and fix Generator
Those kubota engines are practically indestructible.
I use to haul fuel I can confirm what he said is true we filled up with the same fuel and just added the dye when it was off-road fuel.
With the exhaust valves shimmied open. Turning it till the intake opens and hooking the shop vacuum to the exhaust port to pull out water from the cylinders
Was thinking the same thing 👍
Excellent idea.
Nothing nicer than making smoke after a serious repair.
Most important for the electrics end is the be sure it is dry before you run it. CRC makes electric motor cleaner and WD 40 is made to displace water, hence WD
If the injector is sticking open intermittently, those bubbles can be from cylinder compression pushing back through the injector.
That's what it looks like to me.
100% agree, definitely looks like bad injector that is sticking open intermittently. When it does stick open, it’s allowing cylinder pressure to bleed back past the injector, which caused that large pressure release when he initially cracked the line and then the air bubbles showing when he left the line cracked. That also explains the lower manifold temp and the smoke when the injector would briefly fire and the cylinder would try come back.
@@Dippinonthis I think the spark plug is misfiring.
One trick to see if some injectors are out of spec is to read their themprature,if you have an bad injector it will be much warmer than those others since the compression bleeds to it
@@mountainman5025 I hope you mean injector. No spark on a compression ignition system
I agree, I think it's injector related.
Matt...been watching you for a couple years now: One thing that never changes, your "yuck...ewwwww" at grease/water/fuel is the equivalent to a vomit during a bad hangover.
This is one of your best videos, great work, Matt.
You’re absolutely correct about the fuel color. Red diesel are used for boats as well since they don’t pay road taxes.
The smile and the excitement on Matt’s face when he gets engines running is priceless. That’s another reason why I love this channel and also is my favorite to watch on RUclips. Keep up the good work buddy, can’t wait for next week for another video!
There's a common assumption anything electrical is scrap after being submerged. That's lead to me picking up some real bargains in the past.
Just dry things like motors for WAY longer than you'd think (like more than a week), preferably with a good flow of warm air.
Totally agree..I've dished remote controls in the sink. As long as the electric parts were not "energized" when submerged, all you need to do is clean them out and dry very well..
Years back I worked at a sewer plant , plenty of times the 3 phase pump motors would be under water , flip the disconnect it would buzz and smoke a bit but it would pump down .
a good rinse of alcohol will help too. the alcohol will absorb the moisture. The biggest deal is not to turn on electronics while they're still wet
how do you deal with corrosion? most flooded cars or generator develop nasty green corrosion at terminals which lead development of nasty intermittent electric issues down the line
Yep. I routinely wash computer keyboards at work. Got some strange looks at first, but give them plenty of time to dry and they work fine.
Nobody actually thinks off road diesel is different do they? 🤣
If more people grew up on farms they'd be considerably smarter
Some people do.
The red dye is the only difference. You don't want to be caught with a dyed fuel tank on your on-road vehicle during a traffic stop or other inspection. I think it's immediate impound.
@@leestokes6761 Buy an EV. Fit a tow bar. Get a trailer, add red diesel tank & generator. Connect to EV !
@@millomweb I think in Germany the rule is you're only allowed to use red in something that's bolted down to a solid surface. As soon as it moves, it's clear/green only. Might be different elsewhere.
@@Ragnar8504 UK is not that stupid - so generators run on red as does 'plant' (diggers, farm tractors etc.) and they can even be using red on the road !
Onans are built very strong, I used them for many years without any problems in the oilfield
All diesel currently supplied in the US complies with the < 15ppm sulfur ULSD specs, no matter what application it's supplied for. There was a period between 2010 and 2014 where ULSD was mandated for highway use but some small refiners were given more time to change over to the new spec if they were making fuel for non-road use. So yeah, there was a period of time when "farm diesel" could possibly have been higher sulfur than the stuff supplied for road use, and using it could damage the emission control equipment on cars that were designed for ULSD - but this is no longer the case, and it's all the same now.
Much of the heavy equipment we use has the same particulate filters and DEF systems that our trucks use, so it all requires ULSD anyway. I also read that in the past the red diesel could be higher. Our receipt from the fuel truck has dyed ULSD listed for product dispensed.
That's the straight info there. There was a period of time when red diesel *could* have been different, but not any more. Even when it could have been different, it doesn't mean that it was in all cases.
Yup it’s all the same these days. And if your going to add anything to your fuel for lubricity then use 2 cycle oil. It’s designed to burn and also lubricate.
I actually enjoy your jumping around on projects, great content. Content variety. Not just the same content recycled over and over. Please keep your channel as is, by that, just keep doing what your doing. Besides, a free genny!!!!!!!
This would make an excellent collaboration project with SmallEngineMechanic and his channel. Restoring gensets is his bread and butter.
Great Recommendation.
Watch Wes Work has a diesel injector and injection pump specialist in his area. See if they can give u a hand sorting out ur issues. That would probably be a great power source for the farm.
If it's that terrel, with those messed up teeth , he's smart but he's an a******..he doesn't know how to use an OHM meter and says you cannot check a coil with one and I said you're full of s*** that's when I quit watching his channel he was getting smart with everybody that did know a different way of doing things..then I saw his Union sticker and I thought well there's the problem
@@ronalddaub7965 Smallengine mechanic is not the same guy. check him out sometime. I would agree with your comment on the teeth guy and yes a coil can be checked with an ohm meter too.
That flood smell? Raw sewage. Thanks for the great content. Had my Dad lived long enough to see RUclips, he would have loved your channel, he was always outside fixing cars.
THANK YOU for clarifying that off-road is the exact same as on-road! I get so tired of hearing that they’re different😂 Your videos are awesome, thank you!
The colour die has only ONE purpose, if a truck is stopped, it's common for them to dip the tank to check for coloured diesel (colour can vary country to country) ... Getting stopped running a truck on the road with coloured diesel can be very expensive.
There was no doubt that you would get it going. Love that smile on your face. Been watching for a long time and your videos just keep getting better. I really look forward to these each week. You are for sure one of the best content creators out there. Thanks for sharing your adventures. Peace
Wow thanks a lot!!!!
I completely agree. Love your content!
Fullt agreed. 👍
One “angry pixies”.
One “tappy tap”.
Eight “contact!”
AvE Score: Perfect ten! 😃
"She's a squirter"
hw shoulda said key orn tack
or corn tack
Also, elecchicken
@@rrazvanell: Damn, missed one! Thank you.
There must be a Dewclaw or two in PA you can befriend to sort out the copper knitting on that thing.
That, my friend, is a Cummins 3-cylinder diesel. The injector pump is $995 on e-bay, but you can pull that pump and take it to ANY Cummins injector rebuild shop and pay about $350-$400 for a 'like-new' rebuild...and FYI, a ragged 2,000 hour version of what you have there sells for $4,500...so it would be money WELL INVESTED to have that pump rebuilt...That sound IS the #3 injector not working...not a wrist-pin, by the way. Simple, affordable fix on a 'Rolls-Royce' generator you CAN'T lose money on...
Kubota DID provided Onan diesels back 'in-the-day', but so did Cummins...and that is a Cummins. You'll need the 'model number' for injector pump service, but it looks like injection pump number 185-5425, HDKAH, HDKAJ, HDKAK, HDKAT or HDKAU.
The miss was there before the flooding, that is why the lines were loose and the clips removed. You have to swap injectors 1 & 3 to make sure that those bubbles you saw are not combustion gases - which would mean defective injector. Other specialists will probably have more detailed background and specifics on this issue. Great content - as always. Thanks!
That´s realy worth a try
@ Michael: 100% correct
I just love how excited you get when you start an engine.
I remember many of those moments of joy a very long time ago when it came "alive." Haven't gotten grease on my hands in many years...and I do miss it although now I'd be inclined to use latex gloves. Great job. Many thanks for these vicarious moments/hours.
Was working my way through the auction crane Ford playlists and seen this pop up. Looks like my Saturday morning gonna be a nice relaxing one. Spend the day building and fixing tow trucks of all sizes nice to see some one who relates.
Your comments on red diesel are absolutely correct. Our diesel delivery company adds the red dye. I volunteer at the California State Railroad Museum. We use a lot of red diesel.
⚠️ I can see from your finger that you put it where it didn't belong before, and I have to tell you that tightening those fuel lines with your fingers while it's running or even cranking is setting a bad example! If that fuel gets injected in your finger they'll just cut her off at the nearest knuckle. 40 years experience.
who cares
I love to see your excitement in getting these engines to fire up. Your enthusiasm is infectious and very fun to watch. One of my favorite channels. Great stuff Matt!
#see cu gf
D to 9
I agree. Wonder if he managed to get it up and running yet?! It's almost a new diesel generator that must be still worth something...
Would be cool if he didn't try to be AvE all the time
31:19 For future reference use CRC QD electronics cleaner on circuit boards, Switches or any sensitive electronics like that. Works real good.
I've always just used 99% IPA and no problems.
@@ThePhoenixAscendant I've always cleaned circuit boards with denatured alcohol and then used wd40 to protect them.
Crc QD
IS THE ultimate best to use
But alot of people don't want to spend a few extra $$
Great video
Screw it, brake parts cleaner is close enough.
Before starting the engine, you should have turned off the alternator's excitation, so that while it does not dry, it does not generate tension and does not burn due to humidity.
The starter motor also wanted disassembled, clean and dry.
Greetings from Portugal
a lot of equipment like generators used in standby applications like emergency power are serviced every year regardless of hours actually used
Yup. 1 hour, 1000 hours - whatever. Run 'em up once a month, and new oil and filters every year. Cheaper than finding out it doesn't work when you need it.. For a standby, low hours is perfectly possible - test run hours plus the odd rare use in anger... Nice machine.
@@timwatson682 ...and donot forget to top up the diesel tank or when you need it it just coughs farts and dies.
@@johnmccallum8512 Oh yes... definitely - although the ones we had were big enough that you'd notice :)
The other points were - is the battery any good?, and DIESEL not Petrol, for the baby ones.. Gennys - got to love them ..
No rust coming out of the various places is a really good sign it'll be fine once it's thoroughly cleaned and lubricated.
Even that generator should be able to be refurbished to running condition.
Heat to dry it
I was afraid you were going to break into a Colin Furz dance! Nearly choked over "she's a squirter", still laughing.
Engine porn
I am a petroleum mechanic. I work on the terminals that fill the fuel trucks. The diesel fuel has the dye injected. The fuel comes from the same tank.
Instead of pulling the valve cover and spacing the exhaust valves, next time you can pull the glow plugs out and spin the water out that way without worrying about damaging valves.
It's not always trivial to remove and install glow plugs.
He say she got the glow plugs, he not think about them! Eh! Someone is awake! Eh!
@@erik_dk842 it is on that engine. They have a buss bar with finger nuts. Pull the buss bar and then remove the glow plugs
Hey Matt, I love your channel. As an electronics tech, and ex sparky I’d try to avoid using water. Water is conductive (and potentially corrosive) so you probably don’t want to be introducing more of that, as tempting as it might be to wash it. Get yourself a few cans of CRC 2.26 (or similar product) and drench any electrical components including inside the gen, and on top in the control box. Soak it, then flush it out with more (agitating with an old toothbrush or similar). Blast it out with air ( carefully, not to much pressure) and soak it again. The CRC will flush out all the nasties including displacing any residual water, silt etc.
Craig from Oz.
Switch the injectors around and see if the miss follows the injector. That way you can tell if it is an injector or possible pump issue.
As someone who services generators, I can tell you that the air filter was replaced simply because it is part of yearly maintenance, and it is done whether it is needed or not
I think the off road fuel used to still be high sulfur for a short time when low sulfur fuel was introduced at the road fuel pumps. Now the only difference is the road tax and red dye.
You are correct sir 2007-2009
I used to know a guy (lovely bloke with a huge heart, dead now bless him) who ran his Toyota truck on the stuff (highly illegal of course). When it broke down it was a blockage in the fuel filter housing, and the recovery guy who towed the truck home swore blind that it contains more impurities and he keeps seeing red diesel causing fuel system issues. Not sure if I believed it or if he'd heard it from someone else. This is in the UK though, there aren't many places that sell red diesel at the pumps anymore so most people tend to get it from hire places or similar in big jugs, who knows what their system for filtering out impurities etc is like.
@@rowanwilson8896 ... When there are issues with storage of the fuel, then there might be issues with contamination. At the standard bulk distribution level the fuel is exactly the same, after that storage and handling can introduce contaminants.
Wouldn’t surprise me if that injector is leaking compression pressure back up through itself. Run it with the injection line off the top of the injector and see if gas is coming up through the injector.
^^^^^^^^
THIS!
My Thoughts Exactly! I have had both a Kubota engine and a Iseki engine do this! (both 3 cylinders) Also, the great majority of the Onan gensets I have seen are either gasoline or propane.... (in the RV world) I would think that a diesel Onan would be the "Holy Grail" and worth investing a little time and $ into- It must be a lot more fuel efficient than its counterparts. I think she's a "keeper" for sure!
Or switch it with one of the other.
See I was sure someone already said it.
After draining water from the tank, add a few ounces alcohol to remove a small amount of residual water. The alcohol will go into a solution with the water, then drain out the water-alcohol solution. Any remaining solution in the tank will mix with the fuel. Quick and dirty, which seems to be your motto.
I just take my blow gun hooked to my air compressor and blow air in the tank for several minutes. Usually dries it right out..
Methylated spirits works.
If one doesn't have alcohol, could modern gas with 10% ethanol content work?
We once needed 50 kW of 50 Hz power for testing and burn-in of a couple of systems destined to Europe. The house power was the American 60 Hz. So, we got a 50 kW Onan diesel generator tuned for 50 Hz. We needed it for some 9 months and then had no further use. The guy who eventually purchased the Onan, re-tuned it to 60 Hz and sold it for some good profit. That was before the eBay or other resale outlets emerged on the Net.
That looks just like my Onan but I was very surprised to see only 4.0Kw on it. Mine is the the 7.5Kw version. I built a steel 40 gallon fuel tank base for mine and its bolted to the shop floor on rubber motor mounts in case of a quake. My unit gets started and run once a month under half load for 20 minutes each time. It has been utterly reliable. I sincerely hope you get yours running well.
hi , are you turning it on evy month manually or auto ?
@@ahmedlz9495
Ahmed, I do everything manually. We are subject to earthquakes and wildfires here. I don't need automated equipment adding to troubles. In any event, I prefer to assess damages first, determine if anything volatile or combustible broke open and left vapors, check for damaged electrical circuits before energizing anything.
@@kimmer6 i understand in my case its summer heat and bad powergrid that when it passes 40C the hight demand for running AC cause current to be low or even cuts
@@ahmedlz9495 Ahmed....are you in Northern California? This is what we faced since 2017. The utility company will shut off power for a few hours to several days in wind, wildfire, and grid overload emergencies. I have battery backup to run refrigerator and freezers quietly. But the Onan is there if needed. We had a week of 38-43C peak temperatures and heavy smoke from fires. The power was out for 47 hours. The house needs to be sealed up with the AC running under those conditions. The battery backup system will operate a small window AC in one room to allow a night of sleep. The Onan generator can also run the battery chargers. Stay cool!
@@kimmer6 no am from djerba a small island in north africa luckly we had no fire but it never goes under 40C in August our power grid is overcharged and poorly maintained so it can't cope with the high demand i use the generator to backup in those days
Just here to echo the comments about trying the injector first, I had an old Peugeot diesel that had been sitting for years. Fired right up, but after a few journeys it developed a nasty misfire at start-up that took a good long while to clear out. Huge amounts of white smoke too, just like that Onan does as that cylinder comes and goes. Found bubbles in the leak-off lines, got the injectors rebuilt on a recommendation, and it's been brilliant ever since.
Also, you didn't have bubbles at that injector when bleeding the lines, and it was giving good spurts of fuel at 36:09. Only with the added engine speed (and compression) did you get those bubbles.
Maybe the person that mentioned compression blowing back up thru the injector because the pintle gets stuck open may be on to something.
Good observation on your part. 🙂👍
P.S: I went to your time stamp.
On the dead injector your can see the fuel run BUT on the other two it actually sprays away from the nut-injector joint.
So maybe it was already dead and the added speed and compression just augmented the problem.
Those are most often connected to a transfer switch hanging on the wall somewhere close by. Also, if that was connected to support commercial refrigeration units, it's a good chance it's a three-phase generator. Not a house current single phase.
Cheers from Louisiana.
If you look at 30:39 , the wires and the colours tell me thats a single split phase Generator , the US standard for domestic wiring 115/230V. Before starting the engine I suggest remove the exciter wires from the field, marked with F1 F2. If the motor spin the generator start to generating electricity . With moist in winding and wiring it could easilay damage the Generator and its accociated parts.
You should use a fan heater and place it to the open end of the gerator and leave it on to dry the electrics . let it run over the night . Tha common prctice with wet or moist eletrics.
When you start the engine , why you do not preheat the engine?
thats a pretty sweet deal , nice project to play around with, being retired, thank-you for the awesome video dc !!
Got to say, I have faith in you starting it Matt. Lets go.
So many have already said my suggestion on the injector leaking compression back. That gen would work really well at the farm and run all you needed there. For the electronic use compressed air and alcohol to clean the silt. Use an RV moisture bucket and wrap the gen tight and let it sit a a week or so. My current project is fixing my IH Cub 123 and putting in new seals in the hydrostatic! Can’t wait to see that video
"smallenginemechanic" 😁 would love to have hands on that ONAN GEN set 😎
I was going to say the same. He can probably tell you how to fix/wire up the generator too.
I’m sure you got it figured out by now but I would swap the injectors to eliminate or pin the problem
Great video Matt👍
Check out the return spring on the plunger in the injection pump. These are often problematic. That would also account for extended quantities of air being in the injection line.
Never knew that! Thank you for posting your comment!
That spring made my RV gen not run right.
Does the injector have an internal check valve? Looks like the air bubbles are combustion coming back. Maybe some scale in the injector keeping it from sealing the check valve. Bubbles from the injector pump would have to be an air leak on the suction side and would affect all the cylinders.
Right on. The Pintle closes against cylinder compression. Corrosion, a piece of crud or a crack is gonna allow combustion gasses back into the injector. A leak after the pump would be leaking fuel. A leak before the pump would affect all the cylinders. Could still be an issue AT the pump though. Swapping an injector would still be the no-cost next step.
@@rustyaxelrod I am placing my bet with this line of thought. I am in full agreement. Swapping holes with the injector would provide the answer.
I’m not that Great a mechanic but I’m betting on anything above the pump as the issue. Wish you would’ve change that injector out.
You are correct about the sulphur content in the fuel. However, there was a point in 2007-2009 when the red fuel had a higher sulphur content right before off-road equipment, cranes, dozers,excavators etc started using DPF emissions. They both have under 15ppm sulphur since then.
Im in Canada just found your RUclips site a couple of weeks ago, I like all the videos i like how you like to take something that's been sitting for years and years and get it running again, keep the videos coming,
May have been ran annually and lost prime in between each use. Maybe they left the lines ready to bleed in case of emergency. I really enjoy your videos and you do great work. Pennsylvania proud brother.
Hey Matt love your channel. I have learned so much. I am beginning to start small engine school, I thought it be easier since I'm disabled, btw did you know bulldogs love scateboards , anyways much love and respect from Kentucky and thank you for helping me through my mechanic journey
I have always been partial to the fuel filters with a settling bowl and drain for any engine. Good way to keep an eye on fuel quality.
Hey Matt. Love the videos
I was a pump tech in Canada. What you call red diesel, we call purple diesel. Same stuff. I can confirm that we would install diesel dispensers (pumps) that pulled clear diesel from the very same storage tank as the taxed fuel. The designated purple fuel dispensers actually had a small dye pump mounted on them that would inject a metered amount of purple dye from a tank also contained on the pump. The fuel was dyed as it was dispensed. We would purposely turn the dye injector off while testing to prevent our equipment from being dyed purple. The dye is horrible stuff. Even a small amount permanently dyes everything it comes into contact with. Of course, it could also be dyed at the loading rack or on the truck as you described.
Bottom line, same fuel.
Our punchline for many expeditions at sea: "Seawater and electronics: Never a happy ending..."
That was Onan’s 1st and last attempt at the Aqua Generator. And that old fuel is “mint” for Slave Lake! BTW, a blue sky and a grey sky are actually the SAME sky!
Start simple, then go complicated. Could it be a clogged injector line? Then swap the injectors. Then go to the injector pump. Thanks for the videos. Sounds like you may have a great power source at your farm shop.Jon
When he was bleeding the system, he was getting fuel at all the injectors, so I would try swapping injectors and see if the problem moves with the injector. If not, I’d be looking at the pump.
I agree with swapping injectors, it could also be pulling air from the return line since its right there, not sure if its actually possible, but just another thing to consider
Like you, I can not stand an unsolved mystry. Please continue. This engine has many of the same characterics as the Perkins that is on my 1968 3000D Ford tractor. You will get it going good as new. Be safe and thanks.
40:25 "Look, Ma, a twin engine forklift!"
:-D
I would check the injector of #3, wheter there's some dirt in it, looks that it doesn't close properly and gets air back from the tank via the return line. Swapping it with one of the others could clear that.
The connection box could be cleaned out with compressed air and some IPA (isopropyl alcohol), the finnish guy from OddTinkering works wonders with that stuff...
Thx for showing, hope your belongings had survived better!
:-D
Need 99% IPA the regular medical stuff has too much water in it
Definitely the injector sticking open leaking compression back into the fuel line.
Remove the fuel line completely from the injector to see if 1) there is fuel pumping and 2) the air comes from the injector or pump.
It oscillating could be the ignition pushing "air" into the fuel line and then it needs to run for a while to clear out, and then it repeats.
I know I'm late to this party, but it might help someone out.
I used to jack up one rear wheel on my garden tractor, put hot water and soap in the tank, and strap it to the tractor wheel. If rust is a problem throw in a couple handfuls of crushed gravel. Works well.