Champion generator fix

Well I finally got around to tinkering with my 6.5yr old Champion generator that died that sweltering hot Friday at Mingo. I tore the carb apart 3x this weekend, removed fuel tank/emptied/cleaned, changed/gapped plugs and just kept going until i ran out of stuff to tweak after messing with governor arms and springs to no luck. I got it back to running at a low/bogged down state with no load so topped off with fresh fuel and seafoam to see if maybe something would break free. As soon as i would load it/hit governor arm it would choke out....bummer. Hooked up camper smart-surge protector and discovered it was only putting out 44hz.

Decided to call Champion today to see what they thought. Frenchie said he never heard of it before, asked for a few minutes to chat with his coworkers. Came back and offered to send a new AVR (automatic voltage regulator). My experience is this only affects voltage but hey, what the hell. Free part, im in! I just got home and removed the old AVR....son of a bitch she will run right thru the RPM range. Fingers crossed the new one works but thought it was good info to share. Will report back when part arrives later this week.

hickslawns said:

Well, I'll be. Who would have thought they would have shipped one out on a 6-7yr old generator. Good stuff!

Click to expand...

Exactly, GREAT customer service! I was just hoping to see if a tech would start to share some info. I was skeptical of the suggested fix but decided to see if it would run with it not connected. She fired up and purred like a kitten, hot damn. Guy says he'll send one for free, fugg ya!

Yep cant beat it.

She's ALIVE!ickle::smiley_clap::smiley_cheers:

The new AVR arrived today. Below is the old one, noticed it is kidney bean shaped vs the new square version:




First thing I thought was they sent me an incorrect, new part (black box with wires coming of each end). Gave it a shot to see if mounting holes line up and they do and only one way thankfully...whew:



Mounted the new AVR, made the connections, choked her, pulled and she fired up. Switched choke off, let her warm up and decided to test it on non-sensitive equipment. Hooked up the air compressor and it fired right up and ran no problem. Added a few more lights, radio, etc. and watched as the frequency got up to around 48hz. Some adjustment on the governor screw was all that was needed and we were sitting at 60hz. Only issue is the Progressive EMS was throwing E3 error, or Open Ground. This is a problem since I use the genny to run the RV and the RV is not getting hooked up without the EMS. As long as the open ground existed, it will not allow power to pass through. Time to put Champion Tech Service to work again.

Prior to it dying, it would never throw a code on the EMS. Another call to Champion Power and wahh-laaa! The old AVR must have had a minor defect as the US models (non GFI outlet versions) did not have a ground wire to close the loops it has had an open ground since day 1. The tech walked me through which terminals to connect a small gage wire to and that closes the loop. This is a common code difference between the USA and our comrades to the north. New ground wire installed to close the loop:



Repeated same sequence of non-sensitive equipment through hooking up the EMS....no open ground, E0 (no errors)! At this point I can't help but smile. Champion has came through not only on the tech service side but also in the warranty/replacement parts department too. After hours of tinkering Sunday morning, I was ready to pull the plug and just buy a new one. I won't lie and say that I am a bit nervous about her reliability at this standpoint, but after 100's of hours and a few new parts, she is purring right along. The voltage is higher than I would like, but I trust the EMS to keep the RV safe. She's dialed in at 60hz:smiley_coolpeace:

Video
[video]http://vid688.photobucket.com/albums/vv247/anickle741/Mobile%20Uploads/trim.7714E2E0-BD5F-4634-988D-9C227CD93AA9_zpsxilmyi0r.mp4[/video]

Joe, please change that picture, just plain creepy!!

I appreciate the nice comments guys. I posted this because I am HIGHLY impressed with Champion and because there were a handful of fellas offering a hand that Friday morning and we all thought engine related. I would bet 100% against the AVR being an issue, but it makes sense that it was doing its job by shutting down due to high voltage since it was toast. Hopefully more ppl can use these findings and have similar success with Champion Power.