Generator blowing out oil

[Sumboodie]

Been without power since Saturday due to a bad wind storm.

My old oil burning and noisy L4000 Generac stopped producing power, so picked up a minimal use GP5500 Generac.

It worked fine yesterday. I go outside to fill it this morning and there is oil all over the engine. Oil is a quart low.

Bring it in the garage and let it thaw out for about 2 hours. (-10*)

Fire it back up, and it's still leaking. Looks to be coming from the recoil, so I'd guess crank seal.

I can get at most maybe 45 mins of run time before it leaks out a quart and shuts down from low oil.

Soooooo.... without power, AGAIN.

I'm hesitant to pull it apart right now, as I can still use it long enough to get the boiler running, fridge and deep freezer cold.

 

[BillK]

Make sure there isnt a crankcase breather hose that is clogged up.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have good luck replacing crank seal. Remove the rewind assembly. There is probably a "cup" that the rewind engages that must be removed. A good sharp pick should be able to pull the seal. If not, insert a couple of small coarse thread screws into the seal and pull.

 

[Bretny]

Are you going to buy another Generac again?

Like has been said I would look at the breather. At -10*F you could be getting ice in the tube or even ice in the intake.

 

[JordanOH]

It’s -10 and you’re plugging in a deep freeze?

 

[Daveyclimber]

When I read Generac, I instinctively see generic

 

[Sumboodie]

Make sure there isnt a crankcase breather hose that is clogged up.

That's why I brought it in to thaw.

 

[Sumboodie]

It’s -10 and you’re plugging in a deep freeze?

It's not cold in the house.

We had 80+ mph winds, wasn't like I was going to empty it out and but it somewhere that wouldn't blow away.
Could barely walk in the driveway without holding on to the house.

More important was lights and heat though.

 

[p_mori7]

How old is the oil in those units ?

Cold weather running will build up condensation / water in the oil quickly.

Change it every other day if running it all day.

Check for ice build up in the breather.

Keep it out of the wind if at all possible.

 

[Sumboodie]

How old is the oil in those units ?

Cold weather running will build up condensation / water in the oil quickly.

Change it every other day if running it all day.

Check for ice build up in the breather.

Keep it out of the wind if at all possible.

No ice, it was in the garage and thawed out just to make sure.

Oil is from yesterday. A quart lasts about 45 mins before it's blown out. 5w30

Power came back on, so good there. Another storm tomorrow though.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Valves being out of adjustment can also cause low vacuum pulling the gases from the crankcase breather.

If I were you I'd get that front cover off and see if it just spit the front crank seal out onto the shaft. If that's the case you could clean and RTV it back into place to keep you going.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Cold weather running will build up condensation / water in the oil quickly.

Change it every other day if running it all day.

Not if it is running continuously or more than 4 hours at a time.

Biggest oil issue in cold weather, especially below 0F, is oil viscosity. Use 0W-20 synthetic, but change it out come spring.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Not if it is running continuously or more than 4 hours at a time.

Biggest oil issue in cold weather, especially below 0F, is oil viscosity. Use 0W-20 synthetic, but change it out come spring.

was just thinking about this

what viscosity are you running? it may not be good for sub zero temps and you may need a different oil...

 

[The Cobbler]

..... 5w30

......

is that the recommended oil for the unit? multigrade oils can cause foaming in small engines

 

[Nosferatu]

Have you tried kicking it yet?

 

[Sumboodie]

Valves being out of adjustment can also cause low vacuum pulling the gases from the crankcase breather.

If I were you I'd get that front cover off and see if it just spit the front crank seal out onto the shaft. If that's the case you could clean and RTV it back into place to keep you going.

Yeah, maybe today if I have time. Still cleaning up from the storm. It's been cold, (-20*) so slow going.

 

[Sumboodie]

is that the recommended oil for the unit? multigrade oils can cause foaming in small engines

No idea. It's what I had and use in my yard tractor. Everything else uses 5w40.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

No idea. It's what I had and use in my yard tractor. Everything else uses 5w40.

well you used the wrong oil. shouldve checked the manual. 10w-30/SAE30

https://www.generac.com/generaccorporate/media/library/content/all-products/portable-recreational-power/gp%20series/0196610-a-gp5500.pdf

 

[theoldwizard1]

well you used the wrong oil. shouldve checked the manual. 10w-30/SAE30

https://www.generac.com/generaccorporate/media/library/content/all-products/portable-recreational-power/gp%20series/0196610-a-gp5500.pdf

I don't care what the manual says, below 0F I want 0W-20 ! There was one case on YouTube where a Honda 3000 would not run well below zero even with 5W-30. Switched to 0W- 20 and the problems went away.

I am not sure this is the OP problem. Still sounds like a crankshaft seal.

 

[Sumboodie]

well you used the wrong oil. shouldve checked the manual. 10w-30/SAE30

https://www.generac.com/generaccorporate/media/library/content/all-products/portable-recreational-power/gp%20series/0196610-a-gp5500.pdf

If anything, 5w30 is better in the cold. Oil in a small engine isn't THAT fussy.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If anything, 5w30 is better in the cold. Oil in a small engine isn't THAT fussy.

Depends how cold is cold ! If you are talking CONSISTENTLY below 0F, I would want. 0W-20 synthetic. I know of one case where a Honda EU3000 would not run right below zero with 5W-30. 0W-20 and everything was good.

 

[Sumboodie]

Depends how cold is cold ! If you are talking CONSISTENTLY below 0F, I would want. 0W-20 synthetic. I know of one case where a Honda EU3000 would not run right below zero with 5W-30. 0W-20 and everything was good.

He was arguing that because I didn't run 10w30, that was the issue.

 

[Sumboodie]

Fixed it the other day. Rank seal was pushed out.

Not sure why. Guessing the crank vent froze up. The oil dipstick is vented too though.

 

[nadogail]

There is a condition called “Blow By” where the combustion gases blow passed the rings and create pressure in the crankcase forcing oil past the seals. This is common to extremely worn engines.
Back in the day engines would be overhauled when this occurred. Worn valve guides also contributed to the problem.

 

[Sumboodie]

There is a condition called “Blow By” where the combustion gases blow passed the rings and create pressure in the crankcase forcing oil past the seals. This is common to extremely worn engines.
Back in the day engines would be overhauled when this occurred. Worn valve guides also contributed to the problem.

Yes, that's why I mentioned the crankcase vent freezing up.

Engine isn't worn, has ~100hrs on it.

Did get lucky with catching it before it ran out of oil though. I had disconnected the low oil sensor, as I couldn't get it to start. (Ended up being a junk spark plug)

 

[toyotadriver]

5W30 and 10W30 will have the same level of protection at running temps. 5W30 will be better in cold weather due to being thinner at cold temps before starting. OP has super cold temps. I'd try to find 0W30 if possible if I was the OP. Same protection as 10W30 at operating temps but thinner for starting.

 

[FMB4]

0w-** is pretty big these days. 0w-20, 0w-30, 0w-40, and 0w-50. Take your pick.

 

[Daveyclimber]

I'm betting it's due for a valve adjustment and the rings are possibly gummed up with a heavily carbonized combustion chamber. I'm running my Honda eu3000i until it blows. It has major blowby do to the valve train being out of adjustment and makes an oily mess everywhere. But I would have to disassemble half the unit outside in the snow. So I'll just buy a new motor for it next summer.

 

[Firstram]

I'm betting it's due for a valve adjustment and the rings are possibly gummed up with a heavily carbonized combustion chamber. I'm running my Honda eu3000i until it blows. It has major blowby do to the valve train being out of adjustment and makes an oily mess everywhere. But I would have to disassemble half the unit outside in the snow. So I'll just buy a new motor for it next summer.

It only takes about an hour to adjust those valves with very little disassembly. You will need a third hand though, it's pretty tight in there.

 

[Daveyclimber]

Good to know, thanks

 

[kelpaso1]

How old is the oil in those units ?

Cold weather running will build up condensation / water in the oil quickly.

Change it every other day if running it all day.

Check for ice build up in the breather.

Keep it out of the wind if at all possible.

LOL, do you change the oil in your car every other day?? Bad advice.

 

[rlitman]

LOL, do you change the oil in your car every other day?? Bad advice.

The oil change interval for many splash lubricated engines is a mere 50 hours (Honda calls for 20 hours to the first change and 100 hours after that). I'm not sure about how time runs in your area, but by me, two days equals 48 hours.

Your car is pressure lubricated with a filter, so a longer oil change interval is to be expected. Still, driving your car at 60mph for 28 hours adds up to 2880 miles of use. I'm not a fan of 3000 mile oil changes, but the point here is that the continuous running racks up the hours for a generator far more quickly than your car. Maybe 2 days is excessive, but 4 days is already pushing your luck.

The diesel generators at my work have a 600 hour OCI, but they have multi-stage oil filtration with bypass polishing filters, and those engines run at 1800 RPM, whereas the OP's Generac runs at 3600 RPM. Doubling the speed doubles the oil consumption.

 

[FredWanaker]

<100 hours? Because the seller said so or is there a hobbs meter on it?

 

[toyotadriver]

The oil change interval for many splash lubricated engines is a mere 50 hours (Honda calls for 20 hours to the first change and 100 hours after that). I'm not sure about how time runs in your area, but by me, two days equals 48 hours.

Your car is pressure lubricated with a filter, so a longer oil change interval is to be expected. Still, driving your car at 60mph for 28 hours adds up to 2880 miles of use. I'm not a fan of 3000 mile oil changes, but the point here is that the continuous running racks up the hours for a generator far more quickly than your car. Maybe 2 days is excessive, but 4 days is already pushing your luck.

The diesel generators at my work have a 600 hour OCI, but they have multi-stage oil filtration with bypass polishing filters, and those engines run at 1800 RPM, whereas the OP's Generac runs at 3600 RPM. Doubling the speed doubles the oil consumption.

Well said. I have converted one of my generators to propane and running on propane with a splash lubricated system and no oil filter, I'm willing to go up to 4 days (that's right at 100 hours....50 hrs more than recommended). Running on gas, I'd change at 50 hrs of run time...which is only 2 days.

 

[Bretny]

Well said. I have converted one of my generators to propane and running on propane with a splash lubricated system and no oil filter, I'm willing to go up to 4 days (that's right at 100 hours....50 hrs more than recommended). Running on gas, I'd change at 50 hrs of run time...which is only 2 days.

Having a few oil changes on hand is very nice coming a power outage. Alot of people dont realize the low hour change interval of these smaller engines. You would be lucky to find a Kohler, briggs or other small engine oil filter shortly after any outage. Luckily prety much all of the ones I have used cross over to a standard auto parts store car oil filter and at 1/2 the cost.

 

[gmcgeo]

changing oil everyday would not hurt anything, and it would not be considered bad advise. you would have clean oil.......

would that fix your issue? no. but its not a bad thing to keep clean oil in it.

sounds like you have ring issues to me

 

[toyotadriver]

The nice thing is small generators don’t hold that much oil. My inverter generator holds less than a quart. I run 5W30 Mobil 1 Extended Performance.

 

[Sumboodie]

changing oil everyday would not hurt anything, and it would not be considered bad advise. you would have clean oil.......

would that fix your issue? no. but its not a bad thing to keep clean oil in it.

sounds like you have ring issues to me

I fixed it last week.

 

[Sumboodie]

<100 hours? Because the seller said so or is there a hobbs meter on it?

Hour meter.

 

[gmcgeo]

I fixed it last week.

nice, i backed up and read your post. good job!