Koehler gen set won't crank

W

Windjammer

Well-Known Member
Nov 10, 2007
726
Acworth, GA
Boat Info
340 Sundancer 2006
Engines
8.1 Mercruiser V-Drives
Koehler 5 generator on my 06 340da won't start. Won't turn over. Main battery solenoid in engine compartment will not turn on. Have changed the 3 fuses on the generator but no luck. What am I missing. Am on the boat now.
 
Windjammer said:
Koehler 5 generator on my 06 340da won't start. Won't turn over. Main battery solenoid in engine compartment will not turn on. Have changed the 3 fuses on the generator but no luck. What am I missing. Am on the boat now.
Click to expand...
I suspect the battery is dead. I did measure voltage on the top of the battery terminals while the engine was running. The way I think the boat is wired with 2 batteries port and 2 starboard, that port has 1 for engine and the other is house. Starboard is 1 for engine & helm operations, and 1 for the generator. I did have to use the emergency start switch to get port engine started. Plus the marina had to cut electricity to the dock due to the high water.
Silver lining on this is Sam's Club has the Duracell Group 31 AGM's on sale right now.
 
Last year my batteries started my engines just fine, but not the generator. Four new batteries and it started just fine.
Always replace all batteries in the bank.
 
12.66 = full charge
11.9v = dead battery
12.4v = will start most motors
 
David, your battery banks are in parallel - so the port pair is for the port engine and house. The stbd pair is stbd engine and genny. As I recall...but a mind is a terrible thing to lose!!!

As Wryman said, always replace in pairs...
 
Carter, did not know the battery banks are paralleled. The port side is completely dead but stbd has/had enough juice to start the engine and after it started, used the cross over switch to start the port. Ran both engines for about 40 minutes at 1200 rpm. Eventho the gen switch was turned on inside the cabin, the switch on the bulkhead in the engine compartment did not energize (i.e. green light on). That's why I was thinking at least the stbd side is not paralleled, or there's another fuse somewhere.
Getting new batteries to the boat is going to be a challenge. The lake is higher than it was in 2009 when you and I were at Park. So I've got to lug these things (69 lb each) from the parking lot, down a narrow temporary walkway to an adjacent dock. Then put them on one of the marina's pontoon "ferry" boats and unload onto current dock, before wrestle on board and then into the engine compartment for installation. Then the reverse for the old batteries. Maybe I ought to buy some stock in the makers of Aleve!
 
Yours are different from my '05 then. I would have liked a separate genny battery...

I had heard the TN River was way up, but I had not checked Allatoona - Wow - that's high!!
 
Windjammer said:
Carter, did not know the battery banks are paralleled. The port side is completely dead but stbd has/had enough juice to start the engine and after it started, used the cross over switch to start the port. Ran both engines for about 40 minutes at 1200 rpm. Eventho the gen switch was turned on inside the cabin, the switch on the bulkhead in the engine compartment did not energize (i.e. green light on). That's why I was thinking at least the stbd side is not paralleled, or there's another fuse somewhere.
Getting new batteries to the boat is going to be a challenge. The lake is higher than it was in 2009 when you and I were at Park. So I've got to lug these things (69 lb each) from the parking lot, down a narrow temporary walkway to an adjacent dock. Then put them on one of the marina's pontoon "ferry" boats and unload onto current dock, before wrestle on board and then into the engine compartment for installation. Then the reverse for the old batteries. Maybe I ought to buy some stock in the makers of Aleve!
Click to expand...
I stand corrected and you are right - batteries are paralleled. Got the stbd ones replaced today - man are those group 31's are heavy! May try to get port done tomorrow. Still "no start" on the generator.
 
All is well. After installing the stbd side yesterday and leaving the charger "on" (I did have some reservations about leaving this on while knowing the port side was dead), the generator started right up when I got to the boat this morning.Guessing the batteries were not fully charged when I purchased them. Got the port side installed today - what a pain.. I am hurting all over, but at least it's done.
 
Windjammer said:
All is well. After installing the stbd side yesterday and leaving the charger "on" (I did have some reservations about leaving this on while knowing the port side was dead), the generator started right up when I got to the boat this morning.Guessing the batteries were not fully charged when I purchased them. Got the port side installed today - what a pain.. I am hurting all over, but at least it's done.
Click to expand...

Well lets hope we don't have to do batteries but once every 5-6 years.
 
I had a similar issue earlier this year due to dock power at our slip being INOP due to Hurricane Michael. Could start engines using emergency crossover, but generator was no go. What helped me figure it was batteries was my the light on my bilge blower was blinking when I had them on. Turns out this is the notification what only one blower is running not both. As soon as we got reliable dock power and were able to run the battery charger a couple of nights, all was good.
 
Windjammer said:
I suspect the battery is dead. I did measure voltage on the top of the battery terminals while the engine was running. The way I think the boat is wired with 2 batteries port and 2 starboard, that port has 1 for engine and the other is house. Starboard is 1 for engine & helm operations, and 1 for the generator. I did have to use the emergency start switch to get port engine started. Plus the marina had to cut electricity to the dock due to the high water.
Silver lining on this is Sam's Club has the Duracell Group 31 AGM's on sale right now.
Click to expand...
Where do you dock your boat? I am at Port Royale Dock 5.
 
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