KohlerGenset

Model No. 60RZ262 / Serial No. 392696

"Ishmael" - High Desert Power Systems - 208-xxx-xxxx "Laura" handles office "Andy" part-time trainee

Ongoing maintenance

Any time, confirm system is enabled by ensuring that gray panel knob is set to AUTO, the Kohler panel switch is set to AUTO, and that the gray panel NORMAL/GREEN light is lit, indicating on power company power.
MONTHLY: Manual OFF-LINE cycle. On Kohler control panel, switch from AUTO to RUN. System will run until switch is set to OFF/RESET. Once shutdown, return SWITCH to AUTO.
QUARTERLY: Full ON-LINE power cycle. On gray panel, turn AUTO/TEST knob to TEST and hold until system starts up, then release knob. The unit will disconnect household from power company and supply power through a full 10-minute cycle, then return household to power company service, then go into a 5-minute cool-down and shutdown, all automatically.
ANNUALLY: service by Ishmael is recommended: Oil/Filter change, coolant check, operational checkout.

March 24, 2025, Monday

"Ben" arrived at 9AM. He started to work.

The unit would only run for approximately 30 seconds, then shutdown. The control panel showed an "Auxiliary Alarm". Turns out the coolant level in the radiator was low. The radiator cap was not fully tightened and had lost a lot of fluid during the September 2024 power outage. Filling the radiator with additional coolant solved that problem.
Basic annual maintenance performed:
- Unit was run for approximately 10 minutes to warm the oil
- Oil was drained using plug on the bottom rail near the middle
- Oil filter was removed and replaced
- Approximately 7 quarts of oil added
- Unit was started using "TEST" switch on Kolher panel; operated in stand-alone mode for a few minutes. No leaks
Unit was re-started using "TEST" knob on Power Panel; this disconnected the household load from Idaho Power, putting the household on the generator. All was well. Unit switched back to "AUTO"; unit went through cool-down cycle and shut itself down.

March 29, 2024, Friday

Ishmael arrived at 9:30AM, with repaired radiator. I helped him to reinstall it into the frame and then onto the main chassis. Ishmael then:

Filled radiator with 8 gallons of coolant (he said can use the "universal" type, suitable for 1990's engines)
Radiator cap
Changed coolant thermostat
Changed all coolant hoses to and from radiator, and block heater
(8) Spark plugs
(8) Spark plug and (1) distributor wires
Distributor cap
(2) fan belts
Bled the engine block of air in the coolant by turning the little stop-cock near the distributor cap
Leaving radiator cap off (to allow trapped air to escape) and fired up the system

After a little mishap with coolant spilling out after thermostat opened (which was quite a clean up job) all is well.

IS THE RADIATOR CAP SEALING / THE RIGHT SIZE?

March 23, 2024

Ishmael arrived at 8:30AM and with my help, drained the radiator and removed it by removing the shroud frame from the main chassis, then removing the radiator from the frame. He also removed a spark plug and one spark plug wire for sizing length in order to get correct replacements. The radiator will be taken to the radiator shop for repairs and testing.

March 15, 2024

Ishmael arrived at 9AM and we discussed my needs: system checkout, and education on how the system works and how to operate it.

We discussed the history of his experience with this unit; he said that it has been years (perhaps 7) since he was last here.
I reported that with the power outage experienced two weeks ago during the heavy snow storm, the system was in Auxiliary Fault mode, chirping every couple of seconds, and that I disabled that by switching to RESET then back to AUTO. Ishmael said that was good, and that the fault was due to low coolant in the radiator, and thus the unit would not start.
He did a quick visual inspection, checked the oil level, and the coolant level. Coolant was very low; he refilled the radiator with antifreeze he had in supply.
On gray panel, noted that the NORMAL/GREEN lamp was burned out. He will try to get replacement bulb.
He then tried to start the generator in test mode, but it wouldn't turn over, the 12 volt battery was at only 9.8 volts.
He left the site with the old battery to get a replacement battery.
Upon return, Ishmael installed the new battery, then started the motor. It turned over about 8 times then fired, and came up to speed. Very noisy.
Once running, the analog meters on the Kohler control panel should read 240 VOLTS and 60 HERTZ, which they did!
The battery is on a 1 Amp trickle charger. We discussed that the newer, intelligent battery tender style of charger may give longer life to the battery as it waits in standby.
Inside gray panel are electronics that control:
- Startup delay
- Detection of power company disconnect/off-line
- Cycle minimum run time
- Cycle cool-down time
Big handle for manual, last resort switching from power company to generator. IMPORTANT NOTE: Never use this switch unless there is NO POWER on either side of the panel (both Power Company offline AND genset is off).
Ishmael examined the bus-bars behind the interior panel. All looked good.
Ishmael then initiated a full Power-On cycle, putting the household on generator power, allowing the system to automatically perform one full cycle through auto shutdown. All went well!
We detected a small pinhole lead in the radiator; this needs repair, but can operate satisfactorily for now as-is.
System has sensors that prevent catastrophic failures: Coolant level sensor, oil pressure sensor, and oil temperature sensor. If any of these indicate a fault, the system will shutdown or will not start initially.
Ishmael recommends
- Engine preventative maintenance:
  - Oil/Filter Change (DONE)
  - New spark plugs
  - New spark plug wires
  - New block heater hoses
- Radiator preventative maintenance:
  - New hoses
  - New thermostat
  - New fan belt