Who has replaced a generator???

We just got word that the gen is in rough shape.

Findings..

Raw water pump needs rebuilding

Raw water strainer is plugged up

Heat exchanger is plugged solid

Engine passages are full of scale debris

Thermostat needs replacement

Exhaust elbow is plugged



We need to figure out if we want to move forward with this boat because if the gen.

Here is a video from YouTube. These folks replaced their dying generator on their Bayliner 4788. It's instructive. They hired the job out. They give the costs and why/how of their decisions. I hope this helps.

Generator Replacement

Replaced 6.5 kw Westerbeke with 6.5 kw Phasor using boat yard fork lift. Cost $10,000. Good move.

Gray Dog said:

Replaced 6.5 kw Westerbeke with 6.5 kw Phasor using boat yard fork lift. Cost $10,000. Good move.

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And how many hours did you put in? How much do you think you saved by doing some of the work?

Steve91T said:

We just got word that the gen is in rough shape.

Findings..

Raw water pump needs rebuilding

Raw water strainer is plugged up

Heat exchanger is plugged solid

Engine passages are full of scale debris

Thermostat needs replacement

Exhaust elbow is plugged



We need to figure out if we want to move forward with this boat because if the gen.

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That's not a death sentence. Normal DIY maintenance really. I would be more worried about those oil samples.

Raw water pump needs rebuilding.
A new one will cost about $500 depending on the pump or send out to Depco for a rebuild. Easy.

Raw water strainer is plugged up
Remove the basket and blow it out with a garden hose. Easy

Heat exchanger is plugged solid (The tubes are plugged the whole length, really? Its usually only the inlet side tube sheet.)
Remove the end caps and rod them out from the outlet side with a .22 cal rifle cleaning kit. 2 new gaskets. Easy

Engine passages are full of scale debris
Engine flush with Prestone Coolant Flush. Easy

Thermostat needs replacement
2 Bolts and a gasket. Easy

Exhaust elbow is plugged
Remove and take to an automotive engine repair/rebuild shop where they will acid clean (only if cast iron) or just buy a new one plus a new gasket. Easy.

My thought too Archie.

That’s good to know. I was on board and heard it run for 20 minutes runnng at least 2 AC’s. But I do have a really bad oil analysis and a shop that says it’s not worth putting any money into it. We are working with the owner to come up with a middle ground so we can move forward.


Thank you everyone.

This may sound like a strange question, but how many and what btu air conditioners do you run on a regular basis and how many hours a day do you run them when not at the dock?

If you have a lazerette in the cockpit, cut a hole in the bulk head and take it out that way. Seen that done before.

Orvil said:

Here is a video from YouTube. These folks replaced their dying generator on their Bayliner 4788. It's instructive. They hired the job out. They give the costs and why/how of their decisions. I hope this helps.

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Great video. But they spent $16,000?!?!?!

CapnCrunch said:

This may sound like a strange question, but how many and what btu air conditioners do you run on a regular basis and how many hours a day do you run them when not at the dock?

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3 reverse cycle AC units. Don’t know the btu’s. We plan to be on the hook a lot and we will most likely be using them nearly all the time.

Why are marine generators sooooo expensive??? I can get a 10 kw home generator for $2k!!!

Steve91T said:

Great video. But they spent $16,000?!?!?!

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That number includes the generator purchase itself plus the optional sound shield and some extra prep work.
That’s typical unless you can do it yourself.

Steve91T said:

Why are marine generators sooooo expensive??? I can get a 10 kw home generator for $2k!!!

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You pay for what you get. 2k for a home gen is going to be a pos genajunk more than likely. Get the extended warranty because you're going to need it.

I rebuilt the Mitsubishi K3D on my Westerbeke 8.0. Had to remove the head to get it out and back in place. While out a replaced the bearing on the armature, it was almost gone, no lubricant and rusty. It was probably a good thing the engine needed work because rebuilding it was cheaper than the cost of the gen end if the bearing failed. Unit weighs @460 lbs and it starts, runs fine and puts out good power. I lost a good portion of the season without it but still anchored out using a Honda 2000 to power everything except the AC units.

Our boat came to us without a generator. A previous owner appears to have removed it for a reason unknown to us. We had Gallery Marine in Seattle put in a 7.6 kw Westerbeke a few years ago. All in, we were at $18k and change for the job. Extra things like a water/exhaust separator, and some other doodads probably accounted for $2k of the total cost.

Wow. This is depressing. Hey how about some stories about how you cheaply you replaced or rebuilt a genny? I need some of those stories right about now.

We had a non-starting issue with our northern lights. Started running numbers and came to about 15k for a 5 kw unit. Decided to pull the head on the old one. Found excessive carbon buildup which kept valves from closing correctly. Had head rebuilt, new valves, new heat exchanger. Came to about 4k. Cheaper than new, Runs great now. Make a point of always running it with a load and keeping it running for at least an hour each time I start it. So far no problem. Still cheaper than a new one.

Steve91T said:

Wow. This is depressing. Hey how about some stories about how you cheaply you replaced or rebuilt a genny? I need some of those stories right about now.

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Well, mine cost 8k, it’s a 19kw kohler with sound shield, used with 2,000 hours. It took a day to pull and replace, I have a friend that owes me some money so he is doing all the work for payment

swampu said:

Well, mine cost 8k, it’s a 19kw kohler with sound shield, used with 2,000 hours. It took a day to pull and replace, I have a friend that owes me some money so he is doing all the work for payment

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Where did you find the generator and how did you verify it was healthy?

I have a good relationship with the diesel shop down the road, they rebuilt my 6/71’s, I put the word out I would be in the market for a new/used generator and they found one, the rest is on faith. If it has problems I’ll deal with them as they show up

The folks on Y-Not were advised by their marine mechanic that they could throw money at the old generator with no guarantee that it would work with any reliability. They run tech based businesses and need dependable power for their businesses. They did select a smaller generator because they plan to install solar panels in the near future. Sometimes, you have to quit messing around and pay up.

Did turnkey replacement old 7kw Onan for new 9kw NL. New ply base on out. Genset and accessories 12k professional remove and install 10k. Very quiet no vibration. Prefer it to shore P now ...sweet upgrade came out better than anticipated.