Westerbeke 4.5kw low voltage

[Horton177]

New to me boat. 2000 340, genny sounds good and smooth but voltage hangs around 95. Now this thing only has 40 hours on it, crazy i know. Fresh gas ran it several hours different days and no change. Local repair guy says governor probably just needs increased, i read it could be a capacitor.

Any opinions before paying this guy? He does come highly recommended.

 

[370Dancer]

capacitor. Only half the coil is getting excited. If you are not intimately familiar with your genset, leave it to a pro, but not one says to just turn up the governor. You HAVE to maintain 1800 rpm to get 120v and 60 hz. Period.
Search for 7.0 BCG Westerbeke here, and you'll find manuals, troubleshooting guides, etc for this vintage of genset. they are pretty much the same manual wise.

 

[dmorris800]

New to me boat. 2000 340, genny sounds good and smooth but voltage hangs around 95. Now this thing only has 40 hours on it, crazy i know. Fresh gas ran it several hours different days and no change. Local repair guy says governor probably just needs increased, i read it could be a capacitor.

Any opinions before paying this guy? He does come highly recommended.

I have had similar issue and it was the capacitor. What year and model is the generator? At 40 hours doesn't sound like it came with the boat.

1. Westerbeke has on their website somewhere a guide to diagnosing electrical repairs. On this issue if I remember correctly it will be either bad capacitor or bad diode, capacitor is easier to fix.
2. If you are trying to replace it, there are 2 sets located in the box on the left side of the genny, most likely heat did one of them in. Before touching them MAKE SURE THEY ARE DISCHARGED! Don't want to get zapped, if it is a good capacitor it can hold a charge even after it is off and disconnected. Normally when they go you can see it / they split open, but not always.

 

[Horton177]

This is definitely the original genny from 2000 it was just never used.

I ordered a capacitor I’ll take with me this weekend and pop the cover off.

Btw what coolant do
I use on this? Reservoir is a little
Low

 

[370Dancer]

Read up. You'll need to remember what connector went to which terminal, and how to adjust it for the correct exciter voltage. In my case, the cap had just changed value, and the circuit had changed value enough that I had to experiment with different sized caps to get the right voltage. 5 bucks for the capacitor, not Westerbeke red paint prices. That was 15 years ago.

 

[Horton177]

so i have changed many capacitors on phase converters and such but never heard of adjusting for exciter voltage? Usually its plug and play being it just stores power. but i'll read up.

 

[Horton177]

The 3rd manual you attached actually lists for low voltage under no load adjusting the governor to correct rpm. Guess this guy isn't all too wrong on his thought.

 

[370Dancer]

The 3rd manual you attached actually lists for low voltage under no load adjusting the governor to correct rpm. Guess this guy isn't all too wrong on his thought.

only if the RPM is off. Frequency meter. I have a full time freq and voltage meter in my dash to monitor it. I have an electricity monitor that I plug into an extension cord to have it near the genset when adjusting. If you are at 55 volts, I'm still betting on the cap(s).

 

[dmorris800]

This is definitely the original genny from 2000 it was just never used.

I ordered a capacitor I’ll take with me this weekend and pop the cover off.

Btw what coolant do
I use on this? Reservoir is a little
Low

Coolant- whatever the maintenance book says, I think for mine it doesn't specify so I use the 5 year pink stuff from mercury that I use for the engines.

With regards to the capacitor, I bought the original set through westerbeke, the part numbers are on the side and you can then purchase them off the internet instead of westerbeke to save cash. They are Romanian if I remember correctly. I am sure there are american versions (Chinese version is supposed to have quality issues) but I go with the original product for ease of replacement / no need to tune. When new the voltage runs a little high like 124 volts but settles down to about 120 with the Air Conditioner running. As the caps get old, the voltage drops a bit. Never had to touch the governor which I believe really makes sure the speed on the motor stays at 1800 RPM which converts into 60 hertz power.

Since this is new to you and the previous owner most likely did not maintain it, please do yourself a big favor and change the zinc on the heat exchanger. May also want to take the cap off and inspect it while back there.

Please let us know how it goes and good luck!

 

[Horton177]

Update:

I changed the plugs in it, had a weird denso model in it. And it runs so much smoother. And is putting out 110volts seems to run everything fine now. Is 110 proper for a genny?

I also have a new problem. The rocker switch in the breaker panel will no longer shut the genny off. I have to climb in hatch and use the toggle switch on it.

 

[Horton177]

Also, when I flip the breaker on in the panel inside I hear a constant clicking I don’t remember hearing? Is that normal and I never noticed or is something stuck?

 

[dmorris800]

Update:

I changed the plugs in it, had a weird denso model in it. And it runs so much smoother. And is putting out 110volts seems to run everything fine now. Is 110 proper for a genny?

I also have a new problem. The rocker switch in the breaker panel will no longer shut the genny off. I have to climb in hatch and use the toggle switch on it.

Is plugs = spark plugs or capacitors?

110 under load or no load? The voltage will drop a little with load, that is normal. Mine without load is 120-124 volts. Under heavy load / the AC on it runs about 116-117 volts. Something similar when I am on shore power. So as long as things are running I think you are ok. With the voltage lower, the current draw will be higher for items but most current sensitive items have an internal cutoff / breaker for low voltage to protect them.

As a second thought.. there are 2 capacitors for my unit and if one was shot my guess is the other one is on the way out which could cause it to run a little low. In my case I wound up replacing the second capacitor about a month latter for the same issue.

Rocker switch not working- I would start with wiring around the unit my guess is you knocked something apart while poking it.

Let us know how it goes so we can all learn.

 

[Horton177]

Spark plugs. It’s 110 with no load but it doesn’t drop much if any when I run ac. Did not change capacitor. The rocker switch starts it just fine. Just won’t kill power when I flip it down

 

[dmorris800]

Spark plugs. It’s 110 with no load but it doesn’t drop much if any when I run ac. Did not change capacitor. The rocker switch starts it just fine. Just won’t kill power when I flip it down

Wow, I guess one of them was misfiring, are you getting 60 hertz? Regarding the wiring my best guess is something is loose for it to stop working remotely.

 

[Horton177]

Wow, I guess one of them was misfiring, are you getting 60 hertz? Regarding the wiring my best guess is something is loose for it to stop working remotely.

I am not sure how to check the hertz. Definitely had a miss. It sounds so smooth now.

 

[dwna1a]

Do yourself a favor, as you’ve already done some maintenance go on and do the rest. Check the oil and change it. Check the oil in the governor and change it as well. Zinc!!! Change it! Impeller, and strainer basket. Very few even know of the governor oil, it’s 30W and only needs about 6oz., but what a difference it makes if it is low or dirty and a new governor isn’t cheap

 

[370Dancer]

I am not sure how to check the hertz. Definitely had a miss. It sounds so smooth now.

Westerbeke 4.5kw low voltage

New to me boat. 2000 340, genny sounds good and smooth but voltage hangs around 95. Now this thing only has 40 hours on it, crazy i know. Fresh gas ran it several hours different days and no change. Local repair guy says governor probably just needs increased, i read it could be a capacitor...

clubsearay.com

 

[Wanderer 290]

Also, when I flip the breaker on in the panel inside I hear a constant clicking I don’t remember hearing? Is that normal and I never noticed or is something stuck?

The clicking sound is probably the hour meter.