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generac generator wont produce power

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generac generator wont produce power

Postby plotthound » Sun Mar 03, 2019 9:26 am

ive got a free to me generac 5500 xl generator here that wont produce power.unit is likely 20 years old and runs great.after a bit of research I believe that the board is faulty,and unfortunately is no longer available.been hoping to find some one with new old stock but my search has so far come up empty.would anyone here knw where I could find one?

part number is= 83970gs thanks
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Re: generac generator wont produce power

Postby KE4AVB » Sun Mar 03, 2019 10:27 am

Have you tried flashing the field? These do lose magnetism if not used for for a very long time.
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Re: generac generator wont produce power

Postby creia » Sun Mar 03, 2019 1:37 pm

What KE4AVB said ^^^^^^
That suggestion on this forum helped me :D last year on an old MTD generator from 1983 with a Briggs 5 HP. You can Google and Youtube for ways to "flash the field".
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Re: generac generator wont produce power

Postby KE4AVB » Sun Mar 03, 2019 2:04 pm

And there is also the two manuals under Downloads > Briggs and Stratton. Files 22 and 23 are on Generators and Troubleshooting
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Re: generac generator wont produce power

Postby plotthound » Sun Mar 03, 2019 4:54 pm

I tried to flash the unit with a drill then a grinder but still no joy.i never tried the battery method though.looked a bit dangerous to me.
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Re: generac generator wont produce power

Postby KE4AVB » Sun Mar 03, 2019 5:03 pm

Not at all. I use a 12v lawn mower battery to flash these connected via 2 jumpers with clips on the AVR alternators. Just got remember that the brush closest to the bearing end is positive. These rotors are normally operated in the 12vdc range by the AVR. Full instructions are in the service manual. So far I only found one rotor that was open and couldn't be flashed.
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Re: generac generator wont produce power

Postby plotthound » Sun Mar 03, 2019 7:17 pm

thanks ke4avb.will give that a try after I get another project completed.i hope that's all that's wrong with the unit.would hate to have to scrap this genny. :geek:
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Re: generac generator wont produce power

Postby Skywatcher » Sun Mar 03, 2019 7:34 pm

Hi Plotthound

A few other things to check on these older portable generators is to make sure the brushes are pressing against the slip rings and that the rings themselves aren't glazed or oxidized. Also, make sure the engine is running at 3,650 to 3,700 rpm and plug in a couple of household kettles (filled with water) as a load so the generator has something to do once it gets properly excited. The average kettle draws 1,500 watts, so 2 will give you a 60% rated load for your unit. Hope this helps,

Sky

PS. How are you wintering over there in the east? We woke up to -33ºC (-27.ºF or 240ºK) this morning. Brrrr!!
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Re: generac generator wont produce power

Postby plotthound » Mon Mar 04, 2019 6:51 am

thanks skywatcher.damn cold here this morning too,-26 c.been a long azz drawn out winter. :bricks:
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Re: generac generator wont produce power

Postby 38racing » Mon Mar 04, 2019 10:02 am

plotthound wrote:thanks skywatcher.damn cold here this morning too,-26 c.been a long azz drawn out winter. :bricks:

Didnt realize plotthound was here in Ontario. Definitely a colder winter here but being close to Ottawa I had to laugh when the weather office issued a cold warning for Toronto at -15. And they are all wondering where to put the snow. Even this winter is nothing compared to the early 70s. I guess all the snow workers from back then are retired. Been a mess for me working on stuff. My garage shop only has a small heater so the cold spell has kept me from working. Then I had a repeat of a surgery so now I have to take it easy. The freezing raining has been a big problem. Water ran into garage and froze. I had a riding mower with snowblower and 2 walk behind blowers that i use for snow clearing all frozen into the ice. Rumours of bad weather coming at end of the week.
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