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Old 08-01-2015, 10:51 AM   #21
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Dies slowly

The original post stated that the engine dies slowly. I think a bad solenoid would tend to cause a quick shut down but I could be wrong. I have a Westerbeke 20B Two and was having a similar slowing down/shutting down of the engine. There is an oil pressure switch tied in series with the fuel pump. If the oil switch is bad or you have extremely low oil pressure the power to the fuel pump will be cut off but the engine in my set up was still able to get minimal fuel through the system and run poorly. A quick test for this is to hit the glow plug switch while the engine is running poorly. The power from the glow plug switch bypasses the oil switch for start up purposes. If you hit the glow plug switch while the engine is running poorly it will quickly recover if the problem is the oil switch. I believe the 8 kW generator is wired in the same way.
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Old 08-01-2015, 01:14 PM   #22
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Ski, diesels happened before gasoline engines did...
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Old 08-01-2015, 01:35 PM   #23
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I have the 8K westerbeke now it is virtually brand new with al the parts i parts I have replaced including the solenoid

when mine went bad it would start and run then when I put a load on it would die within a minute
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Old 08-01-2015, 01:50 PM   #24
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Ski, diesels happened before gasoline engines did...
Siegfried Marcus just rolled over in his grave.
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Old 08-01-2015, 03:45 PM   #25
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Sorry to all... Wikipedia says Diesel happened around 1900, while gas engines (of all types) happened starting around 1850's with many innovations leading to more reliable ones on about 1870's...
Stu
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Old 08-01-2015, 09:31 PM   #26
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Started the generator to do Duvie's test of hitting the preheat switch when it stared to fail, but 20 minutes later it was still running like a champ. Aggravating when you can't get a symptom to reoccurs on demand... I appreciate the feedback and will attempt to replicate the issue tomorrow and post an update.
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Old 08-02-2015, 02:51 AM   #27
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... I found a used spare in the box 'o parts, so i'll test both and see how it goes.
If the "used spare" is a solenoid, I bet you find it was removed because it was cactus. Onan manual says if they play up, replace. I know they would say that, and why, but experience says they are right.
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Old 08-03-2015, 09:22 AM   #28
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Update:

Ran the generator and it began to die as expected. Held the Preheat switch as the RPM's dropped. The result was not a return to normal operating RPM's, but it kept running at the lowered rate for slightly longer.

I also tested the seemingly used spare in the box and got no result.

I checked the fuel solenoid after it died an it was red hot. The generator will not start right back up after it dies and I had assumed it was lacking fuel. I now believe that the solenoid is overheating and it only starts back once it cools off. I'll be ordering the new part today and will update the thread in a few weeks once I'm able to make it back to the boat.
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Old 08-03-2015, 09:32 AM   #29
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if that doesn't fix it...my 8kw Westerbeke (1989 vintage) genset had the exact same symptoms...turned out to be a really bad connector on the exhaust overtemp safety. I too started trouble shooting the fuel pump based on other threads....even bough a new pump...but figured I needed a spare and could always jury rig it to the main if in a spot.


I really thought it may be the fuel pump as when I would check the filter...the housing would be empty...but the way my auto shutdown system works...it prevents juice getting to the fuel pump somehow...need to look into that as I hope that is not the only way it shuts it down.


new connectors and back in business....well it ran for an hour, high load with no issues and it hadn't done that for the previous 8 attempts.


if I have a problem again, I'll be checking my solenoid...but mine seemed ok from the beginning of my problems.
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Old 08-03-2015, 10:16 AM   #30
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If solenoid cannot bottom out when energized, it will overheat. Make sure there is a little slop in linkage when retracted fully.
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Old 08-03-2015, 12:07 PM   #31
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If solenoid cannot bottom out when energized, it will overheat. Make sure there is a little slop in linkage when retracted fully.
That's what I had to do after installing a new solenoid .
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Old 08-03-2015, 02:17 PM   #32
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http://www.westerbeke.com/service%20bulletin/sb_175.pdf

This is a link to a update that Westerbeke came out with on the 8.0 and other units. Make sure you have the correct voltage at the solenoid and the linkage is adjusted properly. I think Westerbeke also went to a larger gauge of the wire on the solenoid at one time.


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Old 08-03-2015, 03:35 PM   #33
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You may want to verify that your diesel tank pick up line does not have a wire screen covering the end at the bottom of your fuel tank. The screen can become blocked. The fix is to remove the pickup tube and shove an awl into it to break open the wire screen. With a primary and secondary fuel filter the screen serves no purpose
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Old 08-22-2015, 11:22 AM   #34
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Update: Made it back to the boat with a new solenoid. Pulled the old one and it tested out of spec. New one tested good, so installed and so far it is working properly. I did check the linkage and it appears to be correct in that it the solenoid can snap back completely.

I appreciate everyone's feedback.
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