I hate my generator

[fishie1]

I seldom use it because something is always going wrong. Kohler 7.3K on my Marlin- not sure if this is bad design by Kohler or by Grady for where they placed this sucker but moisture is definitely one of the issues.

First my voltage regulator blew, taking out my battery charger ($$$). Then water pump went (less than 90hours). Wiring to remote start/stop corroded. Electronics box is rusted and falling apart from corrosion. Now control board is fried and I have short that is blowing the input fuse everytime I try to start it.

Service call is $100 just to get service tech to the boat and goes up from there.

Did I mention I hate my generator? Rant over- thanks for listening.

 

[jehines3]

I'd be more than happy to take it off your hands. jh

 

[ocdansar]

I just replaced the 5e in my 01 330 with a new 5e kohler both ran trouble free the first one had no shield so it had rust issues the new one has a shield so should last longer

 

[megabytes]

The diesel gensets are in a protective capsule and do a much better job.

 

[wrobinson]

I had the same issues, I finally bit the bullet and put in the Fischer Panda Diesel and so far so good. It seems like a much better set up.

 

[fishie1]

Rant continues.

Control board was fried and took the voltage regulator with it. Had that replaced and now it seems the starter is shot.

This generator has less than 100 hours, mostly from the prior owner. It has cost me a small fortune in dollars, time and lost usage- I really hate my generator.

I also think Grady should take some of the blame- this is a bad combo of generator selection and placement, as evidenced by the fact that Grady now installs diesel Fischer Pandas.

 

[DWiss]

I'm not sure the fischer pandas fair any better. I have a 2008 336 and the panda ran great for four months. I have the freezer plate option and limit the ice I bring out to the canyo when I go out. BIG MISTAKE. On a trip two weeks ago got to he canyon and started up the generator. It ran fine but no juise for the chiller plates. Needless to say we had to ration the ice on the tuna.

Callled the dealer and the service on the diesel generators is outsourced. The diesel generator folks who showed up a week later fixed it and claimed it was a loose connectioon. Great three days later before a trip checked the generator the night before and guess what, no juice. The generator runs fine but no juice.

Now I have to wait for the genrator guys to show up to fix it. Who knows when that will be? I've done two trips to the canyon since. Not sure why I spent the extra money for a generator and chill plates because the f-ing thing only worked when I was inshore fishing.

I HATE MY GENERATOR ALSO.

 

[Southern Hunter]

FP

I love mine guys I have 160hrs or so on mine, have changed the oil twice already and not one problem yet.......wouldn't know what to do without it!!!

 

[Twisted28]

not to put a sinking feeling in your pit, but it sounds like the boat may have had water further up the water line than you know about. With so many electrical issues, could it be the boat sank in the slip or something like that. I don't know but is there anything similar to Car-fax for boats?
Like I said, not trying to rau you up, it just sounds unusual fro so many electrical issues.

 

[gerrys]

The marlin genset is mounted in a bad place for water intrusion, under the vertical access door where positively sealing against rain and splash is virtually impossible (the area around the hinges is vulnerable). Once the corrosion starts, there's no turning around. If one had early insite, you would put a cover over the unit from the time it was new.

This is not a new issue and it would seem Grady would do a better job 1)working with a gen mfgr to marinize a set for their boats and 2)preparing the genset for use either through the use of a custom cover or by stripping and repainting the motor and trays with an epoxy paint.

The genset is not the only victim of a wet bilge, the AL hose clamps they use will also corrode and deteriorate. I'm not talking about the fitting clamps, but the clamps that hold the bundles of hoses and single hoses to the stringers and bulkheads.

To be sure, all the components in the rear bilge area have to be coated frequently with a corrosion inhibitor - a major PIA as you have to cut open the hatch when you do that.

 

[BobP]

For informational purposes only, if anyone wants to see the right way to install a gen set in an outboard powered boat, when you are at the next boat show, pop the floor cover on a Boston Whaler Conquest. The cover comes up with one hand.

Stop there before you go to Grady display, in case you happen to bring up generator problems associated with corrosion and the Grady reps respond with something witty, then you can invite him or her for a stroll over to the BW display.

 

[choogenboom]

fischer panda generator

I would avoid them. Google Fischer Panda and you come up with many complaints. For a real fischer panda horror story read this guys story http://www.sailwhisper.com/logs/news_20080225.php .

I have a 2004 330 Express with the fischer panda generator with 50 hours on it and had to make repairs. Here are a few of my complaints:

1 - raw water impeller is nearly impossible to replace. Very easy to lose the wing nuts. Had to backflush the cooling passages to extract the fragments of the failed impeller.
2 - the oil drain line is terminated with a steel fitting which is rusting out. Who uses steel in a boats bilge? Maybe Bayliner. Unless I replace it I fully expect that all the oil will leak out into my bilge some day soon.
3 - The freeze plug on the cylinder head had corroded through and had a pinhole leak leading to a rusty cylinder head amoung other things. Fischer Panda charged me $18!!! for a replacement freeze plug. Its a 18 mm freeze plug - next time I'll buy a generic one for $1.
4 - the engine has no oil filter to speak of - it has a metal screen filter that you have disassemble the entire engine to get to. This is a $12,000 generator - no oil filter???!!!

When I asked Fischer Panda why a freeze plug would fail on a 4 yearold generator and why I should be paying for it they had no rational response.

I question why GW put a diesel generator into this boat in the first place. If the boats primary power was diesel then yes, that makes sense. But they had to add a seperate fuel tank, fuel fill and fuel filter to support the generator. I can't see the fuel level unless I open up the bilge access hatch. Makes much more sense to use a gas generator and piggy back off of the 350 gallons of gas the boat is already carrying.

Finally - GW does a nice job putting a reminder/warning label on the breaker panel that you should not run the boat with the generator off and the generator's seacock open (you might force seawater into the engine via the exhaust) however they fail to warn you to make sure to open the seacock prior to starting the generator - if you forget its near instant death for the raw water impeller.

(p.s. I just bought a 5kW portable gas generator at lowes for $650 in preparation for hurricane hanna. Its a head scratcher as to why a marine generator costs 20 times as much. I am tempted to develop a marine generator using a smaller yamaha outboard powerhead - could probably do it for half the cost of the competition and it would be a very serviceable and reliable engine.)