Chinese Genset

I was told that China can produce goods at the best price the world now. OK then, I’ll try a Chinese manufactured genset as standby on my own house supply. I noticed a unit for sale on a local internet auction site and purchased it. The generator head is a well known and simple design, proven to be reliable. The diesel is one of a series of German designed engines, of which huge numbers have given good service all around the globe.

I got it uncrated, and assembled the peripheral parts. I filled the crankcase with oil - fine. I began to put diesel into the fuel tank and a boy watching said “It’s leaking”. After several litres of diesel had spread itself over the workshop floor from a partly assembled fuel tap I was beginning to get grumpy. A half hour later with one pen spring , a washer & a split-pin now assembling the tap I tried the fuel fill again. Slightly more success, a small drip I suppose is better than a flood. With a mighty heave on the crank handle with a helper working the decompressor, there was a huge clatter, rattle and the thing thundered into life. A runner!! It got shut down rather soon because it really was time for earmuffs all round.

After getting the machine parked in the back corner of the garage, and connecting exhausts & cooling pipes, it got a test run. Being suspicious of the generators unstable output, I checked out the internals through the inspection holes. The lightweight crimp links would soon give trouble so while soldering them on I found the cause of the trouble in two field wires just twisted loosely together with some sleeving hiding the joint. More solder & a real crimp made sure that won’t be a problem again. The joints on the rotor coils looked dodgy too but they could wait until I had reason to take the rotor out.

Yes, those ear muffs ARE necessary!

Well, after a few short test runs, and a one hour stint while the cook did dinner during which time I checked that the TV, computer, pumps etc were all happy with their new supply I still had a machine that will produce power - just.

There is a continuously wet spot on the floor where cooling water leaks from a head nut thread. The fuel tap still drips and will get a heave-ho when I can assemble enough parts to bypass it. The new clean oil is now a milky colour, as I assume another head stud under the rocker cover is also leaking water into the internals.

My impression to date is of a machine designed to be simple and robust while being fixable with limited tools. It has however, been completely destroyed by very bad manufacture in all aspects including workmanship, use of flimsy componentry and bad techniques. I do not expect reliable service from his hulk as it was delivered.

After discussion with those in the genset trades, I am convinced that current machines from a Chinese origin will probably fail to produce reliable long term results, even if they look like known reliable designs.

UPDATE: Well, the thought of water in the oil producing condensation that would rust the innards of my NEW genset away finally goaded me into action. I loosened the rocker cover nut, cracked the gasket seal and water ran out - Hmm..,. wrong fluid. After removing the valve gear I removed the obviously offending nut, added sealer to the thread &replaced it. After a reassembly, two oil drains with full temperature run-ups in between and I had a sump of clean oil again. The unit is now doing precisely what it was bought for, which is to do absolutely nothing except to be ready should a need for it ever occur. To date it has done the ‘absolutely nothing’ bit very well, and the ‘need’ hasn’t occurred. When it does, well, I won’t be too hopeful.

LATER ; A mechanic I showed it to said “Hmm, There shouldn’t be water getting to those nuts anyway” On perusing the exploded view it does look like the real problem is the head studs leaking at the block end. Maybe they will seal in time - Yeah right!

Do yourself a favor and don’t buy junk. You are better off knowing that you have no backup power than to rely on something that will fail at the wrong time. I have some very good units at my disposal and it wouldn’t take me long to connect one if this pile of scrap iron fails to perform when I need power. At the moment it is serving as a demonstration of how not to do it - You know, a tradesman’s own setup is always the worst in town

Well, not any more …. A much better machine