New Wen Generator and Generator Cord Modification for Current Transformers

I got a new generator a week or so ago to replace my old faithful 325 pound 1973 Onan 5CCK 5kw behemoth. There are blog entries for the Onan if anyone wants to search for them. The new generator is a Wen DF680iX 6,800-surge / 5,100-rated watts on gasoline or 6,000-surge / 4,500-rated watts on propane. The plan is to only use propane so it has a 4,500 watt rated capacity. This is an inverter generator so it runs slower when little or no load is on it, making it fairly quiet.

Belco Generator - Wisconsin Engine Gots No Compression

I picked up this generator almost five years ago and got it running back then with a bunch of minor repairs like carb and fuel tank cleaning, magneto points cleaning, and unsticking the exhaust valve. As is with a lot of things I buy and get working, this generator sat for the next four years without being run. I've decided to sell it so I dragged it out of the dark corner it has been sitting in, tried to start it, but it wasn't cooperating as there was no compression. A sad state of affairs.

1973 Onan 5CCK 5kw Generator - Why Don't You Start?

I bought this 1973 Onan 5CCK 5kw 120/240 volt generator January of 2020, right before Covid hit (I also have an old, loud Generac 120/240v 5kw generator from the 90's but got on the Onan 5CCK kick in 2019). I use this Onan when the power goes out. It's not terribly fuel efficient so if I don't need to run the 240v well pump, I can get away with using my Pulsar 2kw 120-only inverter generator to run the house if I switch off all 240 volt circuit breakers and make sure the two laser printers in the office are turned off (they take a ton of wattage when they first come on).

Anyway, it's probably been two or three years since I started up the Onan 5CCK so I figured today was the day. It managed to cough to life after several tries with the starter button and ran for a minute or so but then started missing and finally died. I don't have a recent photo of it but the below one is shortly after I first got it. I added the little grey box on the side of the switch panel, which shows volts/amps/hertz of each 120v leg.

All-Power 800 Watt 2-Cycle Generator - Carburetor Repair

Our daughter bought a house a while back and it came with this small generator, I presume to run the fridge. The previous owner left the generator (and a lot of other things, like a lawn mower) when he moved. I'm guessing he knew the generator (and mower) condition, which is why they were left behind. The generator (and mower) didn't run. Gas started dribbling from the generator's carburetor bowl when I turned on the fuel petcock, so I knew at a minimum the carburetor had to come apart.

Belco Generator Flooded

So I went to start the Belco generator a couple days ago. I opened the gas petcock, set the choke, wrapped the pull cord around the engine pulley and gave it a tug. No fire. I pulled again. Still nothing, but the carburetor was gushing fuel out its vent. Well that's not supposed to happen. I figured the needle valve was stuck in the carburetor so I pulled the carburetor fuel bowl cap off after shutting off the gas petcock. Gasoline was full to the top of the bowl. I pulled the float and needle out to clean the needle and noticed there was a-sloshin' a-goin' on inside the float. I turned the float over and found a small divot in the middle of the float:

Belco Generator Brochure and Manual

I happened to look on eBay for the word Belco to see if anything popped up, and to my surprise two items were there. They were a sales brochure showing the range of generators Belco sold and a general instruction manual. Of course I had to buy them. This first scan is the brochure front cover.

Belco Generator Updates and a Repair

I spent the day today making stuff for the generator. The first project was a muffler. I used a small section of exhaust pipe for the main body of the muffler that I'd previously cut from the '96 F250 tailpipe when I installed a turn-down tip. I had a very large washer that I used for the backside of the muffler and I used a piece of sheet metal for the front cover that would eventually get holes drilled into it.

The Belco Generator Lives!!

Knowing nothing about the condition of this engine and generator head, I decided to just dive in and start fixing things, with the magneto being first on the list, as usually the magneto is the most trouble-prone component on these old engines. This Wico Type C magneto has a unique cap that is missing its metal cover and I can't find a replacement online. I may have to resort to making one.

Yes.... Yet Another Long-Neglected Generator Needing Help. Belco - Bellingham Manufacturing Co.

I've come to realize I regularly need something new to tinker with. My needs are simple and are usually met while perusing the local Craigslist listings for engine-driven contraptions. This latest find seems to be a rather rare item, as the vast Internet has very little information on the company that manufactured my latest acquisition. The manufacturer's name is Belco (Bellingham Manufacturing Co). The tag says the generator is rated at 2 KVA (kilovolt-amperes, i.e. 2 kilowatts), and it is powered by a Wisconsin model AK gasoline engine.

Onan 5KW CCK Generator Current Transformer Mod

I wanted to add a pair of Volt/Amp/Hertz displays to my 1973 Onan CCK generator so I knew how much load I could safely pull from it without damaging anything. I bought two small digital Voltage-Current-Hertz meters on Amazon and mounted them in a plastic box I also purchased from Amazon.

The Green Disease - Onan Generator

I've been looking for a 5 to 6 kilowatt 120/240 generator for a while now. You know, as a backup to the backup to the main generator. I finally found one that was close by and priced less than $200. Mind you, I wasn't looking for just any ol' run of the mill 5kw, but an Onan, and preferably the cast iron engine 1800 RPM CCK variety. Yes, I have the well-known and often diagnosed Onan green disease. As I've mentioned in the past, I have a 1950s Onan AJ 2500 watt 3600 RPM generator that my dad bought at a phone company auction back in the early 70's. Then in 2011 I picked up an Onan LK 2500 watt 1800 RPM generator out of a motorhome for thirty five bucks. Then in August 2019 the Onan CCK 3500 watt 1800 RPM generator fell into my lap free from Craigslist. All three of those are 120 volts only though, thus the desire to get a 120/240 unit. You know, as a backup....

1960 Onan 305 CCK Quit Running - Hmm

So my fairly-new-to-me propane-fueled 3.5kw Onan CCK was purring along nicely last week when I was test running it for fun. All of a sudden it just up and died after about 20 minutes of run time. I pulled the spark plugs, which revealed there was no spark. Where do I start looking?

1953 Kohler L600 Propane Powered 3.5KW Generator - Various Projects

I've been working on my new-to-me Kohler L600-powered 3.5Kw generator. It is both hand-crank start and electric start. I much prefer hand cranking because it is just that much more satisfying to me to hand-crank an old engine to life. Only problem was, I couldn't get it to start by hand on propane unless I used a starting aid. That wouldn't do. Nope, not at all.

Fortunately I ran across a photo of a propane mixer on a guy's generator that is the same as mine. Well, almost the same. These next two photos are of a piece from his propane mixer and the same piece out of my mixer:

How Many Generators Is Too Many..... Oh, Wait.

I guess I already titled a blog post with those "How Many" words. But wait, there's more, as the TV commercial says. Yes, since that posting, I've acquired two, yes two, more generators. Another green Onan and a blue Kohler.

Current Transformers In Parallel - Lister Generator

My Lister/Lima generator has the two usual 120-volt legs to create its 240 volts. The power meter I bought came with one current transformer, so I could only read one leg through the meter. Here is a photo of the meter:

How Many Generators Is Too Many?

When I bought my big diesel generator last month (click here), I had no idea what it would start. I have a Generac 5000 watt generator that I'd use during power outages, as it was 120/240 volt, but I also had buried in the depths of my garage two ancient Onan generators of the 120 volt variety. These old generators worked but they weren't powerful enough to run the things in the house, thus the Generac (and more recently, the diesel Lister). Once I started tinkering with the Lister, it got me thinking more about the old Onans, so a few days ago I un-buried them, dragged them out of their cozy hole, and hoped they still ran. Both generators are rated at 2500 watts.

Here's one:

Lister Generator Fuel Dipstick

The fuel tank on my Lister generator has a fuel gauge sender but no gauge is present on the generator. Turning to that age-old standby, the dipstick, I decided I'd make one out of a steel rod. A rusty steel rod to be more precise.

Lister Generator - Making A Camshaft Extension Safety Guard and Repairing The Air Cleaner Stud

The old Lister workshop manual I found online showed a guard for the camshaft extension that pokes out the front of the engine. I thought that was a very good piece of gear to be at the top of my list of things to do to this generator. Here's the finished product:

Lister Generator - New Electrics

When I got this old Lister generator, it was wired for 3-phase, and it didn't have much in the way of overload protection. The previous owner said the generator came off a boat, and I'm thinking it was a commercial vessel of some sort, as the generator is quite loud. The outlets on it were also on the sketchy side.

Lister Generator Hand-Start Crank Handle

It didn't take long for me to decide to attempt to make a starting handle for my new generator. I looked online and saw that the handles are still being sold in the UK, where Lister engines were originally manufactured. It would probably be $60 or $70 to have one shipped to my door so I figured it wouldn't be too terribly difficult to make a handle. And, bingo, here's a photo of the finished product: