Bought a house with a 1.7Kw Generac. It is set to run once a week for 30
minutes.
It also has reminder notice for service and it was overdue for oil, air
filter & plugs so I changed everything.
Now, about every other week, it doesn't run and I get the error message that
it had an over cranking error. Other weeks it starts fine automatically.
I rechecked the gap on the plugs and they are correct and I don't know what
else to look at.
I can start it manually, but it does crank for about 10-15 secs before
starting.
Any thoughts?

Joe J wrote:
Bought a house with a 1.7Kw Generac. It is set to run once a week for 30
minutes.
It also has reminder notice for service and it was overdue for oil, air
filter & plugs so I changed everything.
Now, about every other week, it doesn't run and I get the error message
that it had an over cranking error. Other weeks it starts fine
automatically.
I rechecked the gap on the plugs and they are correct and I don't know
what else to look at.
I can start it manually, but it does crank for about 10-15 secs before
starting.
Any thoughts?
Hi,
Was it OK B4 you replaced those items? Dirty filter has an effect of
choking. T\maybe too lean when cranking?

"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
...


Joe J wrote:
Bought a house with a 1.7Kw Generac. It is set to run once a week for 30
minutes.
It also has reminder notice for service and it was overdue for oil, air
filter & plugs so I changed everything.
Now, about every other week, it doesn't run and I get the error message
that it had an over cranking error. Other weeks it starts fine
automatically.
I rechecked the gap on the plugs and they are correct and I don't know
what else to look at.
I can start it manually, but it does crank for about 10-15 secs before
starting.
Any thoughts?
Hi,
Was it OK B4 you replaced those items? Dirty filter has an effect of
choking. T\maybe too lean when cranking?

Yes, it actually was ok before I screwed with it. Natural gas powered and I
have no clue how to change the mixture. It did fire up and run today just
fine on its own.

On Sep 10, 5:04*pm, "Joe J" wrote:
"Tony Hwang" wrote in message

...







Joe J wrote:
Bought a house with a 1.7Kw Generac. It is set to run once a week for 30
minutes.
It also has reminder notice for service and it was overdue for oil, air
filter & plugs so I changed everything.
Now, about every other week, it doesn't run and I get the error message
that it had an over cranking error. Other weeks it starts fine
automatically.
I rechecked the gap on the plugs and they are correct and I don't know
what else to look at.
I can start it manually, but it does crank for about 10-15 secs before
starting.
Any thoughts?
Hi,
Was it OK B4 you replaced those items? Dirty filter has an effect of
choking. T\maybe too lean when cranking?

Yes, it actually was ok before I screwed with it. *Natural gas powered and I
have no clue how to change the mixture. *It did fire up and run today just
fine on its own.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Since it's natural gas it would not seem likely that
it's a carburetor problem, as the usual suspect there
is gasoline that fouls things up. I would make sure
that nothing is blocking the air intake, eg rodent nests?
Beyond that, don;t know how those natural gas carbs
work. Presumably there is some orrifice that meters
the gas out. If possible, check that to make sure it's
not partially plugged, etc.

I'd then take a look at the spark. Take out the spark
plug, reconnect it to the ignition wire, ground the body
of the plug to the engine and crank it a bit. See if you
get a good spark. Be aware that with the plug out
you will get some natural gas coming out of the plug
hole and you don't want that to ignite. Probably best
to put a spare spark plug in there
while doing the test.

Joe J wrote the following:
Bought a house with a 1.7Kw Generac. It is set to run once a week for
30 minutes.

2 or more hours of running a month?
What does it need to check for 30 minutes at a time?
If it starts and is able to provide current within seconds, what else is
needed to check?


It also has reminder notice for service and it was overdue for oil, air
filter & plugs so I changed everything.
Now, about every other week, it doesn't run and I get the error message
that it had an over cranking error. Other weeks it starts fine
automatically.
I rechecked the gap on the plugs and they are correct and I don't know
what else to look at.
I can start it manually, but it does crank for about 10-15 secs before
starting.
Any thoughts?


--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

"willshak" wrote in message
...
Joe J wrote the following:
Bought a house with a 1.7Kw Generac. It is set to run once a week for 30
minutes.

2 or more hours of running a month?
What does it need to check for 30 minutes at a time?
If it starts and is able to provide current within seconds, what else is
needed to check?

Not sure, this is a factory setting. Perhaps to charge the 12 volt car
battery it uses to crank? If there is a way to change the interval, I can't
find it in the manual.

On Sep 11, 10:37*am, "Joe J" wrote:
"willshak" wrote in message

...

Joe J wrote the following:
Bought a house with a 1.7Kw Generac. *It is set to run once a week for 30
minutes.

2 or more hours of running a month?
What does it need to check for 30 minutes at a time?
If it starts and is able to provide current within seconds, what else is
needed to check?

Not sure, this is a factory setting. *Perhaps to charge the 12 volt car
battery it uses to crank? *If there is a way to change the interval, I can't
find it in the manual.

I would think the battery would be on some kind of
battery tender that is AC powered, but if it's not
then running it 30 mins each week could be for that
purpose. If it's not, then I would think running just
10 mins would be fine, would be less wear on the
unit, less fuel used, etc. Less than 10 mins the muffler
might not get hot enough to drive condensation
out. levaing moisture inside and it could lead to
premature muffler failure.

On Sep 11, 10:37*am, "Joe J" wrote:
"willshak" wrote in message

...

Joe J wrote the following:
Bought a house with a 1.7Kw Generac. *It is set to run once a week for 30
minutes.

2 or more hours of running a month?
What does it need to check for 30 minutes at a time?
If it starts and is able to provide current within seconds, what else is
needed to check?

Not sure, this is a factory setting. *Perhaps to charge the 12 volt car
battery it uses to crank? *If there is a way to change the interval, I can't
find it in the manual.

The factory suggests the 2 hour run time so that everything is warmed
up and don't draw moisture in the windings, exhaust and other parts.

Hank ~~~ not smarter than factory engineers

On 9/11/2011 11:00 AM, Hustlin' Hank wrote:


The factory suggests the 2 hour run time so that everything is warmed
up and don't draw moisture in the windings, exhaust and other parts.

Hank~~~ not smarter than factory engineers

FWIW, my 14Kw Generac generator has a 12 minute test/run cycle per
week...and I think its only at half throttle or so. The battery is on
the built-in maintenance charger and is kept charged by utility power.

On Sep 11, 12:35*pm, Fiona Glenanne fiona@c4babes wrote:
On 9/11/2011 11:00 AM, Hustlin' Hank wrote:



The factory suggests the 2 hour run time so that everything is warmed
up and don't draw moisture in the windings, exhaust and other parts.

Hank~~~ not smarter than factory engineers

FWIW, my 14Kw Generac generator has a 12 minute test/run cycle per
week...and I think its only at half throttle or so. The battery is on
the built-in maintenance charger and is kept charged by utility power.

I said 2 hours because that is what my manual for the Gnerator in my
motorhome says. Stationary units may differ and probably do depending
in size, type and such.

Personally I think 2 hours is too long and 14 minutes isn't enough. 30
minutes seems about right. :-)

Hank

Premature muffler failure. PMF.

I know some women. Yak, yak, yak.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


wrote in message
...

I would think the battery would be on some kind of
battery tender that is AC powered, but if it's not
then running it 30 mins each week could be for that
purpose. If it's not, then I would think running just
10 mins would be fine, would be less wear on the
unit, less fuel used, etc. Less than 10 mins the muffler
might not get hot enough to drive condensation
out. levaing moisture inside and it could lead to
premature muffler failure.

Thanks, Goldilocks. Half hour is.... JUST.... right.

Common sense is not common, any more.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Hustlin' Hank" wrote in message
...

I said 2 hours because that is what my manual for the
Gnerator in my
motorhome says. Stationary units may differ and probably do
depending
in size, type and such.

Personally I think 2 hours is too long and 14 minutes isn't
enough. 30
minutes seems about right. :-)

Hank

On 9/11/2011 8:18 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Thanks, Goldilocks. Half hour is.... JUST.... right.

Common sense is not common, any more.

Joe,

This newsgroup is not a particularly good place to get "expert" advice
on Generac / Guardian generators based on my prior experience. I suggest
you go to the link:

http://www.zillerelectric.com/forums/

where you will find Generac technicians, Generac installers, and a lot
of people with specific knowledge.

All of the Generac natural gas fired generators typically have a 12
minute weekly exercise cycle which is not adjustable. Although this may
not be the optimal run time to clear out condensation, this is what
Generac engineers have chosen.

The carbs on these generators are indeed adjustable and have warm up
compensation and other governor and speed settings to insure the correct
RPM (typically 3600 or 1800) to make 60 Hz power. In addition, there
have been numerous modifications to the air filter housing and bellows
and hoses to improve and stabilize air flow. You may have wrong settings.

If you get crank errors, it is simply the microprocessor telling you
that 5 unsuccessful attempts to crank the starter at 15 seconds apiece
failed to achieve start up. If you can manually start by using a longer
crank time, the battery and charging systems are not at fault. Most
likely it is an air / fuel ratio problem, solved with carb settings,
bellows replacement, hose replacement, or air filter housing adjustment.

Check with the people on Ziller's forum for help on your specific unit.

BTW, are you quite certain you have a 1.7 KW natural gas unit. Sounds
too small for natural gas. I am guessing maybe it is a 7KW?

Smarty

"Smarty" wrote in message
...
On 9/11/2011 8:18 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Thanks, Goldilocks. Half hour is.... JUST.... right.

Common sense is not common, any more.

Joe,

This newsgroup is not a particularly good place to get "expert" advice on
Generac / Guardian generators based on my prior experience. I suggest you
go to the link:

http://www.zillerelectric.com/forums/

where you will find Generac technicians, Generac installers, and a lot of
people with specific knowledge.

All of the Generac natural gas fired generators typically have a 12 minute
weekly exercise cycle which is not adjustable. Although this may not be
the optimal run time to clear out condensation, this is what Generac
engineers have chosen.

The carbs on these generators are indeed adjustable and have warm up
compensation and other governor and speed settings to insure the correct
RPM (typically 3600 or 1800) to make 60 Hz power. In addition, there have
been numerous modifications to the air filter housing and bellows and
hoses to improve and stabilize air flow. You may have wrong settings.

If you get crank errors, it is simply the microprocessor telling you that
5 unsuccessful attempts to crank the starter at 15 seconds apiece failed
to achieve start up. If you can manually start by using a longer crank
time, the battery and charging systems are not at fault. Most likely it is
an air / fuel ratio problem, solved with carb settings, bellows
replacement, hose replacement, or air filter housing adjustment.

Check with the people on Ziller's forum for help on your specific unit.

BTW, are you quite certain you have a 1.7 KW natural gas unit. Sounds too
small for natural gas. I am guessing maybe it is a 7KW?

Smarty

Thank you for the heads up. Registered now just waiting for permission to
post.

Regapped the plugs to .30, instead of factory recommended .40. Pulled the
battery and it is dated 07/08. Would you change it? Info from previous
home owner was in error as far as battery age. So, Generac 17KW generator,
would you replace a 3 year old battery.
With the .30 gap, it started on 2nd try and no over cranking errors.

WI, I don't want to be out there when it's 20 below zero, but 3 years old,
doesn't seem that old, at least not for a car battery. Generac different?

"Joe J" wrote

WI, I don't want to be out there when it's 20 below zero, but 3 years old,
doesn't seem that old, at least not for a car battery. Generac different?

Any rating on the battery for life expectancy? Manufacturer and Model
number that you can look up?

Is it 12 volt that you could at least jump it from your car?

On 10/7/2011 4:03 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

"Joe J" wrote

WI, I don't want to be out there when it's 20 below zero, but 3 years
old, doesn't seem that old, at least not for a car battery. Generac
different?

Any rating on the battery for life expectancy? Manufacturer and Model
number that you can look up?

Is it 12 volt that you could at least jump it from your car?

The Generacs do use a typical 12V lead acid / gel sealed battery and
you can indeed jump a bad battery from a car battery.

The Generac user forums show clear evidence of poorly designed
Generac chargers which can overcharge the battery, shortening the life
considerably. Some people have resorted to using external float chargers
instead of the Generac (built-in) charger to ensure better battery life
and also avoid exploding batteries, another rare but serious consequence
of poor charger design by Generac.

I replaced my 5 year old battery just a few weeks ago, on the theory
that 5 years was a "safe" and prudent replacement interval. The cost of
a new battery was about $80, and well worth it for the additional 'peace
of mind' as far as I am concerned.

On 10/7/2011 2:43 PM, Joe J wrote:



Regapped the plugs to .30, instead of factory recommended .40. Pulled
the battery and it is dated 07/08. Would you change it? Info from
previous home owner was in error as far as battery age. So, Generac 17KW
generator, would you replace a 3 year old battery.
With the .30 gap, it started on 2nd try and no over cranking errors.

WI, I don't want to be out there when it's 20 below zero, but 3 years
old, doesn't seem that old, at least not for a car battery. Generac
different?


If regapping the plugs to a smaller setting helped it start, I'd be
looking for the cause of a weak spark.

On Sep 10, 2:55*pm, "Joe J" wrote:
Bought a house with a 1.7Kw Generac. *It is set to run once a week for 30
minutes.
It also has reminder notice for service and it was overdue for oil, air
filter & plugs so I changed everything.
Now, about every other week, it doesn't run and I get the error message that
it had an over cranking error. *Other weeks it starts fine automatically.
I rechecked the gap on the plugs and they are correct and I don't know what
else to look at.
I can start it manually, but it does crank for about 10-15 secs before
starting.
Any thoughts

Battery may be getting a little weak. We had a similar generator that
charged off the generator and I dont think the regular runs would
fully charge the battery after each crank. Cure was adding a battery
charger that ran off of commercial AC. The charger was connected to AC
via a inexpensive timmer that allowed it to charge for an hour a
day.We got a couple of more years of life out of the battery. I think
the next battery probably lasted longer because it was getting a
better charge. A weak battery can also cause a weak spark that can
effect starting. The only thing you did to it that I think could have
likely caused the condition is changing the air filter. A dirty
airfilter may have been causing a richer mixture some what
compensating for another problem it may have.

Jimmie

On Oct 7, 4:39*pm, Tony Miklos wrote:
On 10/7/2011 2:43 PM, Joe J wrote:



Regapped the plugs to .30, instead of factory recommended .40. Pulled
the battery and it is dated 07/08. Would you change it? Info from
previous home owner was in error as far as battery age. So, Generac 17KW
generator, would you replace a 3 year old battery.
With the .30 gap, it started on 2nd try and no over cranking errors.

WI, I don't want to be out there when it's 20 below zero, but 3 years
old, doesn't seem that old, at least not for a car battery. Generac
different?

Not sure what battery types are available in the
size it uses, but if you can find a lead/acid battery
that comes without acid, a solution might be to
buy a battery and have it available in case you
need it. If you don't put the acid in until you
put it in service, it should have an indefinite
shelf life. And with the acid in it will have enough
energy to crank the generator.




If regapping the plugs to a smaller setting helped it start, I'd be
looking for the cause of a weak spark.

That's a very good point. If it won't start with the
factory gap, I think you're right. And that should
be checked out, because it may be on it's way
to total failure.