Coleman Pro-Gen 5000 Problem

[amdx]

Purchased a Coleman Powermate It ran about an hour powering a few freezers.
After that time it quit producing current.

So, I went out and checked connections, looked good. I got out a 12v power
supply and connected it per the manual to remagnetize the unit. I heard the
motor drag down, plugged in a light and it is producing power.
With a small 50 watt load the output voltage is only 104 Volts.
I came in wrote the post, then decided to try a bigger load. The unit had
lost its magnetism.
I remagnitized it and connected an 1800 watt load and the output voltage is
only 94 volts.
Doesn't seem good! Any thoughts?
Mike

 

[amdx]

Sounds like a warranty issue to me. The thing shouldn't lose
magnetism unless there is something rong with it or it has sat for a
very long time.

It should be, but Coleman Powermate has closed and laidoff the employees.
The are in bankrupcy and have lawsuits pending.
Plus, I bought the unit three years ago and just took it out of the box
Saturday. I suspect they might give me a hard time with a warranty repair!

 

[amdx]

Where'd you hear that? They certainly seem to be up and running

http://www.powermate.com/

I called their service line and got the message that there are no service
reps available. After several attempts I looked online and found the
following among others.

http://igeneratepower.com/archives/30print/

http://www.bsdlaw.com/Investigations/Powermate.htm

 

[amdx]

I just called a local two of the local warranty service centers, They are
both owed
money and can't get parts for repair and can't get any response from the
company.
Mike

 

[Ulysses]

Or, take it apart, figure out what is wrong, and fix it.

And when you figure it out let me know because I have a small Coleman (1850)
that has very little power and I can't find anything wrong with it.

 

[Bruce in alaska]

Purchased a Coleman Powermate It ran about an hour powering a few freezers.
After that time it quit producing current.

So, I went out and checked connections, looked good. I got out a 12v power
supply and connected it per the manual to remagnetize the unit. I heard the
motor drag down, plugged in a light and it is producing power.
With a small 50 watt load the output voltage is only 104 Volts.
I came in wrote the post, then decided to try a bigger load. The unit had
lost its magnetism.
I remagnitized it and connected an 1800 watt load and the output voltage is
only 94 volts.
Doesn't seem good! Any thoughts?
Mike

a very good source of information on Generators is:
www.smokstak.com
Look for the Forums, and the Motor and Generator forum in particular.
Lots of good information, and helpful folks, some who are in the
Generator Maintainance and Repair Fields for outfits like Kohler,
Onan, Cummins, and The BIG Yellow CAT's....

 

[amdx]

And when you figure it out let me know because I have a small Coleman
(1850)
that has very little power and I can't find anything wrong with it.

Hey Ulysses, In searching my problem I ran across 1850 many times, I think
there
is some info about problems with that unit.
Mike

 

[amdx]

Before we drift off on a wild tangent, amdx, why don't you do as I first
suggested. Go to the site, find the online manual, post a URL and me and
others help you find you problem. I have a pretty good idea what it is
but I
want to see the specific schematic first.

If, for some reason, you can't find the manual then scan or photograph the
schematic page and email it to me or post it on a public site. If you
send it
to me, be gentle - I'm on dial-up.

John

I John,
I appreciate the offer to help. If I had access to a schematic I would have
the info I need to fix it myself. However as of a few minutes ago I pulled
the cover and found a 19 turn coil in the stator burned (overheated, no
insulation left on copper). The unit has a pcb with 8 diodes and a
capacitor, a foil on the pcb has overheated and opened. The foil goes to a
470uf 200v capacitor. The only connection to that part of the open foil is
the capacitor. Leading me to think the cap is shorted, but at this time and
temperature, the cap shows very high resistance (over 2 meg) and deflects
the meter both ways if I charge the cap and reverse the leads. ( deflects?
I'm using a digital meter, but you know what I mean). The diodes all check
good.
I don't know if I'll attempt repair at this point. It looks like the 19
turn coil could be replaced fairly easy, it's pretty loose in the slot. The
motor was not dipped in varnish.
Gotta go, Mike