A very long time, those motors don't put out near the HP that they do in truck applications.
Pulled Low hour Ford 5.4 V8- engine sized
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Running at 3,600 rpm with a varying load and stable temperature for days/weeks/months at a time is probably a perfect recipe for long life.
Where did the oil go?
Word on the street is that large gennys have a real problem with break-in. Guys over spec causing new engines to be spun lightly, with virtually no hard loads by not utilizing it's capacity. The rest is history. Unless the factory runs them for 5+ hours on high load for the full break in (dubious), then there are going to be field hours required to further stabilize those rings.
If this genset was not broken in properly or run very lightly (10-15KW) initially, then the oil probably all slipped past the rings. Google around, break in is a really common problem. The fact that it runs at 3600 not 1800 means even less load on the engine.
Word on the street is that large gennys have a real problem with break-in. Guys over spec causing new engines to be spun lightly, with virtually no hard loads by not utilizing it's capacity. The rest is history. Unless the factory runs them for 5+ hours on high load for the full break in (dubious), then there are going to be field hours required to further stabilize those rings.
If this genset was not broken in properly or run very lightly (10-15KW) initially, then the oil probably all slipped past the rings. Google around, break in is a really common problem. The fact that it runs at 3600 not 1800 means even less load on the engine.
This is simply proof of the break it in hard theory.
Load it up and it develops more power and has better oil control. Add in less blow by thus cleaner, etc.
Load it up and it develops more power and has better oil control. Add in less blow by thus cleaner, etc.
Depending on the application a full load test should be done every so often.
Also it says right in the manual to shut it down every so many hours to check the oil level...
Also it says right in the manual to shut it down every so many hours to check the oil level...
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Checking oil, who would've thought that it's useful? Right?
Yet it continues to amaze me how people are willing to pay for expensive repairs, but don't have time or money to prform simple preventive maintenance or check oil level, which costs nothing but few minutes of one's busy (read: time that could be used for updating Facebook/twitter/other social nonsense status) time.
amen! I tell my wife all the time to check her oil or just a general look over of fluids , tire pressure ect. simple stuff she knows how to do. yet she wont do it and will get mad at me if I tell her to many times to do it. mind you I don't mind doing it but I think she should be somewhat responsible for the vehicle she drives. its a losing battle. some people will never understand preventative maintenance!
Checking oil, who would've thought that it's useful? Right?
Yet it continues to amaze me how people are willing to pay for expensive repairs, but don't have time or money to prform simple preventive maintenance or check oil level, which costs nothing but few minutes of one's busy (read: time that could be used for updating Facebook/twitter/other social nonsense status) time.
amen! I tell my wife all the time to check her oil or just a general look over of fluids , tire pressure ect. simple stuff she knows how to do. yet she wont do it and will get mad at me if I tell her to many times to do it. mind you I don't mind doing it but I think she should be somewhat responsible for the vehicle she drives. its a losing battle. some people will never understand preventative maintenance!
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Depending on the application a full load test should be done every so often.
Agreed. All of our generators are load-banked when commissioned and once a year thereafter.
Depending on the application a full load test should be done every so often.
Agreed. All of our generators are load-banked when commissioned and once a year thereafter.
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
(read: time that could be used for updating Facebook/twitter/other social nonsense status)
I'm glad someone else thinks that stuff is nonsense. Why do I care what you had for brefas, what movie you saw last night, or who you're dating?
(unless you're dating Mariska Hargitay...
)
(read: time that could be used for updating Facebook/twitter/other social nonsense status)
I'm glad someone else thinks that stuff is nonsense. Why do I care what you had for brefas, what movie you saw last night, or who you're dating?
(unless you're dating Mariska Hargitay...
Was the customer a woman?
Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Depending on the application a full load test should be done every so often.
Agreed. All of our generators are load-banked when commissioned and once a year thereafter.
So they are broken in, I beleive a lot of big generators are required to go to 100% load within 10 seconds of starting. If that doesn't break a motor in I don't know what will
The problem in this case is lack of a maintenance plan; its also an expensive lesson to learn. When running a motor hard for extended periods of time oil usage is not unexpected.
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Depending on the application a full load test should be done every so often.
Agreed. All of our generators are load-banked when commissioned and once a year thereafter.
So they are broken in, I beleive a lot of big generators are required to go to 100% load within 10 seconds of starting. If that doesn't break a motor in I don't know what will
The problem in this case is lack of a maintenance plan; its also an expensive lesson to learn. When running a motor hard for extended periods of time oil usage is not unexpected.
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I ran my 8.5kW genset for 19 days after a storm a few years ago. Other than maybe a 15-30 minute shut down every day to check oil & switch fuel tanks, it ran 24 hours a day!
In that time, it used maybe half a pint of oil. (Super Tech 15w40.)
In that time, it used maybe half a pint of oil. (Super Tech 15w40.)
You sure it was a 5.4? Didn't think Ford Power ever sold a 5.4 - they went from the old 4.2 V6 right up to the 6.4 V10.
Here's a whole bunch of info on Ford's off road industrial engines:
http://www.pittauto.com/default.aspx?pag...ges/pl_ford.htm
They are a much different beast than the regular car/truck engines they are based on.
Here's a whole bunch of info on Ford's off road industrial engines:
http://www.pittauto.com/default.aspx?pag...ges/pl_ford.htm
They are a much different beast than the regular car/truck engines they are based on.
Originally Posted By: itguy08
You sure it was a 5.4? Didn't think Ford Power ever sold a 5.4
Yeah, they did.
We had an 80 kW Generac at one site (since replaced with a 100kW CAT) that had the 5.4...the alternator had a gear-drive setup to allow it to turn at 1800 RPM while the motor turned at 2750 RPM. The problem was it couldn't take sudden large loads, like HVAC compressors starting, without huge amounts of droop.
You sure it was a 5.4? Didn't think Ford Power ever sold a 5.4
Yeah, they did.
We had an 80 kW Generac at one site (since replaced with a 100kW CAT) that had the 5.4...the alternator had a gear-drive setup to allow it to turn at 1800 RPM while the motor turned at 2750 RPM. The problem was it couldn't take sudden large loads, like HVAC compressors starting, without huge amounts of droop.
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
BTW tig it's seized not sized
(spelling police)
I thought about commenting about it, decided against it.
I honestly thought this thread was going to be about measuring all the internal clearances on a low hour engine!
I thought about commenting about it myself, but figured the spell police would do that for me.
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
BTW tig it's seized not sized
I thought about commenting about it, decided against it.
I honestly thought this thread was going to be about measuring all the internal clearances on a low hour engine!
I thought about commenting about it myself, but figured the spell police would do that for me.
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I have a friend who is a master electrician and head of maintenance. for a local hospital. They had beautiful DD V12 powered backup gennies. low hour spotless units.
After hostile coperate merger the gen sets were deemed inefficient for the task by my friends new boss. he goes above his bosses head and was able to save a piece of running history.
a month later a unknown person took it apon themselves to excersize gennies.
whoever it was started them ever turning on water supply for cooling and walked away.
two awesome screamers overheated and failed. fun the new boss got what he wanted.
After hostile coperate merger the gen sets were deemed inefficient for the task by my friends new boss. he goes above his bosses head and was able to save a piece of running history.
a month later a unknown person took it apon themselves to excersize gennies.
whoever it was started them ever turning on water supply for cooling and walked away.
two awesome screamers overheated and failed. fun the new boss got what he wanted.
MolaKule
Staff member
Quote:
Putting a 5.4 V8 in a 100 kW unit might require it to run at 3600 after all.
I think the 3600 RPM figure is for the 60 Hz (cycle) frequency AC being generated.
3600 rpm/60 = 60 Hz (cycle)
Putting a 5.4 V8 in a 100 kW unit might require it to run at 3600 after all.
I think the 3600 RPM figure is for the 60 Hz (cycle) frequency AC being generated.
3600 rpm/60 = 60 Hz (cycle)
Molakule, yep, 3,600RPM is 60Hz (2 pole). 1,800RPM for a 4 pole generator, 1,200RPM for a 6 pole, 900 for an 8 pole, etc. etc.
Pick the speed/power unit that best suits the duty cycle.
For the power generators, a couple hundred tonnes at 3,600 RPM (3,000 in Oz), on a film (well 10-14 films) of ISO32 takes some looking after...efficiency is speed
Pick the speed/power unit that best suits the duty cycle.
For the power generators, a couple hundred tonnes at 3,600 RPM (3,000 in Oz), on a film (well 10-14 films) of ISO32 takes some looking after...efficiency is speed
Originally Posted By: JR
I have a friend who is a master electrician and head of maintenance. for a local hospital. They had beautiful DD V12 powered backup gennies. low hour spotless units.
After hostile coperate merger the gen sets were deemed inefficient for the task by my friends new boss. he goes above his bosses head and was able to save a piece of running history.
a month later a unknown person took it apon themselves to excersize gennies.
whoever it was started them ever turning on water supply for cooling and walked away.
two awesome screamers overheated and failed. fun the new boss got what he wanted.
That is too bad. What did they replace them with?
I have a friend who is a master electrician and head of maintenance. for a local hospital. They had beautiful DD V12 powered backup gennies. low hour spotless units.
After hostile coperate merger the gen sets were deemed inefficient for the task by my friends new boss. he goes above his bosses head and was able to save a piece of running history.
a month later a unknown person took it apon themselves to excersize gennies.
whoever it was started them ever turning on water supply for cooling and walked away.
two awesome screamers overheated and failed. fun the new boss got what he wanted.
That is too bad. What did they replace them with?
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