Have a 1997 Hunter 430 with NorthernLights genset. It has 950 hours on it. Has been more difficult to start in the last 2 years. This year I have been unable to get it to even catch on at all. Have replaced the filters and bled air, have fuel to the injection pump, have actually taken out the glo-plugs and the all GLOW. But I get almost no noticable fuel at the injectors. Get just a trace of fuel when I losen the conection at the injectors when I crank it over. I don't know how much fuel one would expect to see coming there when you are cranking. I suspect I have a problem with the injector pump which would not be good. I have checked the solenoid at the injector pump and there is power there and you can hear it click when you hit the preheat. ANY IDEAS?
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Hi Loren, hopefully you will receive more replies.
than just mine. We have an Onan genset, so not much that I can help you with. I prefer to fix problems on my own, so if it were me I would purchase a service manual for the system and use it to help me trouble shoot. As long as the motor has adequate fuel and air it should run. The service manual will step through each one of those to eliminate possible causes. The alternative is to hire a mechanic to do it for you while you look over his/her shoulder and observe. When our genset suddenly shut down it was because the raw water strainer was sucking air causing the exhaust heat sensor to shut the motor off. After I fixed that, the starter would not spin the motor, which turned out to be a blown inline fuse, a different symptom than what you have. It all was my fault because I did not tighten the strainer cap enough after cleaning it. Terry
than just mine. We have an Onan genset, so not much that I can help you with. I prefer to fix problems on my own, so if it were me I would purchase a service manual for the system and use it to help me trouble shoot. As long as the motor has adequate fuel and air it should run. The service manual will step through each one of those to eliminate possible causes. The alternative is to hire a mechanic to do it for you while you look over his/her shoulder and observe. When our genset suddenly shut down it was because the raw water strainer was sucking air causing the exhaust heat sensor to shut the motor off. After I fixed that, the starter would not spin the motor, which turned out to be a blown inline fuse, a different symptom than what you have. It all was my fault because I did not tighten the strainer cap enough after cleaning it. Terry
Do you have a stop cable that is pulled manually
to stop the engine? You may not be resetting the fuel rack, and the governor is simply not calling for fuel. I have never worked with a diesel that was shut down by electrical switch. But I suspect that it is probably a rather simple problem with a simple fix.
to stop the engine? You may not be resetting the fuel rack, and the governor is simply not calling for fuel. I have never worked with a diesel that was shut down by electrical switch. But I suspect that it is probably a rather simple problem with a simple fix.
Check the fuel pump
You stated you have fuel to the injection pump. Is it a strong flow? If not try checking the fuel pump for a filter on the intake side. I took a diesel couse last winter and learned there should be a filter in the pump, between the intake hose fitting and pump body. Apparently most pump manufacturers attempt to absolve their products from fault by installing one. It may be very small and if so could have slowly become clogged over time. Had a similiar problem to yours in that the engine was hard to start and wouldn't run well over 1500 rpms. I had fuel flow at idle which threw me off when troubleshooting. A new fuel pump solved the problem. The instructor/mechanic told me it was more likely a clogged filter in the pump even though I have a set of primary and secondary filters installed. Good luck.
You stated you have fuel to the injection pump. Is it a strong flow? If not try checking the fuel pump for a filter on the intake side. I took a diesel couse last winter and learned there should be a filter in the pump, between the intake hose fitting and pump body. Apparently most pump manufacturers attempt to absolve their products from fault by installing one. It may be very small and if so could have slowly become clogged over time. Had a similiar problem to yours in that the engine was hard to start and wouldn't run well over 1500 rpms. I had fuel flow at idle which threw me off when troubleshooting. A new fuel pump solved the problem. The instructor/mechanic told me it was more likely a clogged filter in the pump even though I have a set of primary and secondary filters installed. Good luck.
Clearly a fuel problem
You should have enough fuel at the cracked injector to wet a half-dollar sized spot on a paper towel with 1-2 revolutions. Given that you have changed your filters (both primary & secondary), I would open the line between the fuel pump and the injection pump. I assume that you have an electric fuel pump. Energize it and you should have a fairly decent flow of fuel- there may be a spec you can find- like 8oz per minute- or something similiar. If that fuel flow checks out correctly, then make sure that the injector pump throttle is actually set to something above an idle. I am not familiar with your particular genset, but the techniques are the same, just the actual specs and operations are different. Given that it has become increasingly more difficult to start over the last two years, I'm betting that the fault is a filter or a dying fuel pump. Injection pumps are 5000+ hour machines and a fault in that item is much less likely. Whatever you do, DON'T crank the engine endlessly and pump raw water into the exhaust or you will ruin the engine with water in the cylinders. Shut off the inlet water until the engine starts. If you are concerned about the impeller running dry and coming apart, remove the impeller completely. You can run the engine for several minutes like this without any cooling. After you get it running again, replace the impeller back into the pump.
You should have enough fuel at the cracked injector to wet a half-dollar sized spot on a paper towel with 1-2 revolutions. Given that you have changed your filters (both primary & secondary), I would open the line between the fuel pump and the injection pump. I assume that you have an electric fuel pump. Energize it and you should have a fairly decent flow of fuel- there may be a spec you can find- like 8oz per minute- or something similiar. If that fuel flow checks out correctly, then make sure that the injector pump throttle is actually set to something above an idle. I am not familiar with your particular genset, but the techniques are the same, just the actual specs and operations are different. Given that it has become increasingly more difficult to start over the last two years, I'm betting that the fault is a filter or a dying fuel pump. Injection pumps are 5000+ hour machines and a fault in that item is much less likely. Whatever you do, DON'T crank the engine endlessly and pump raw water into the exhaust or you will ruin the engine with water in the cylinders. Shut off the inlet water until the engine starts. If you are concerned about the impeller running dry and coming apart, remove the impeller completely. You can run the engine for several minutes like this without any cooling. After you get it running again, replace the impeller back into the pump.
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