Unfortunately the Koehler manual included with my group of manuals shows Yanmar as the engine for the Koehler genset and mine is a 3 cyl Kubota. Does anyone have a 93 or 94 model with this generator and if yes, can you tell me the model of the engine and the filter nomenclature?

Trying to gather stuff before I crawl under.

Thanks.

Tom

Hi Tom,

Tonka is a 97 Monarch with a Kohler 7CC061 diesel generator with a 3 cylinder Kubota D905BG-2. The manual shows the following Kohler part numbers:

Air Cleaner Element - 258646
Oil Filter - 322422
(A new old stock filter bought on eBay has a Kohler part number on box and a Kubota 16271-32092 number on the filter)
Metal Fuel Filter - 322536
Plastic Fuel Filter - 322056
Alternator Belt - 322456

New air cleaner element, oil and metal fuel filters were ordered through our local Kohler rep all have Kohler part numbers on both the box and filters. They couldn't get the plastic fuel filter.

Cummins Coach Care used Fleet filters when they serviced the gen last fall before Tonka went into her den for the winter.

Hope this is helpful.
Wally

Thanks a million. I am headed to Cummins tomorrow for the main engine related filters so that will be convenient.

Wally, do you know if the generator uses a special type of coolant like the main engine does? I have tried researching service manuals on the internet and have not had any luck. Thanks.

Tom Taylor

Hi Tom,

I checked the manual. It indicates a 50/50 mix of ethylene glycol antifreeze that includes a rust inhibitor and clean softened water to inhibit corrosion and prevent freezing to -34F (or mix that will handle your lowest temp if lower). It states no alcohol or methanol antifreeze or mixes should be used. It states to flush and replace at 2 year intervals. It doesn't mention diesel specific antifreeze or chemical additives. I have very limited mechanical knowledge and rely on the books and advice of others who are in the know.

Our engineers and master mechanics might have some more specific suggestions or recommendations.

Thanks,
Wally

Thanks, Wally. While I am using Fleetguard to replace what is in the main engine, it appears this little guy does just fine then with how we do gasoline engines.

So today, dodging the rest of the tropical storm, I crawled under the generator to drain the radiator after letting it warm up. Then I put in the Preston cleaner and then drained it and then add the 50/50 and then check the results. I think I wound up with a lot of cleaner and new antifreeze as it appeared to be foaming. The diesels heat up differently lol. Anyway, I finally got to clean out the unit and vacuum and used the generator for several hours. Will redo the procedure again tomorrow and it should be good an clean now. I swear that thermostat was open....lol

I also noticed yesterday that the operator panel next to the generator shows a pre-glow option on the kill switch (push toggle other way) but do not know if the same exists on the dash board which is a combination start/kill. Would think I would need to pre-glow whether in or out of the Barth.

I may be a "Johny-come-lately" but I have compiled some maintenance information for my Regency and came up with the following for the Kohler/Kubota generator. This was extracted from previous maintenance receipts and what was on the Kubota engine when I purchased the coach. For what it is worth I have attached a copy of it.

Kohler Generator Maintenance (24 Kb)

Lance, thanks a million for this information.

What type of oil do you use? Brand and type....

I put in what I put into the Cummins (20W-40) but have only run it an hour. I sure "abused" engine keeping it on over the 3200 miles I drove it and no oil change. Will not happen again.

Tom

Hi Tom, Lance,
I'd been shown the controller at the front of the generator but haven’t needed to use it, hadn’t looked at it closely and didn’t know about the glow plug preheat function. The dash switch inside the coach might work the same way, stop and preheat are the same switch direction on the on-gen controller rocker switch. The dash switch inside the coach has a similar two way rocker switch that could work the same but it has no label indicating a preheat function.

I checked the manual. It had a preheating time table with the following with some important limits:

Above 23 deg. F. Approx. 5 seconds
Below 23 deg. F. Approx. 10 seconds
Limit of continuous use max 20 seconds

The manual also said to limit cranking to not more than 10 seconds with 60 seconds of cool down between cranking attempts.

It also said that if the generator fails to start after three attempts contact service for repair and failure to follow the starting guidelines may result in a starter motor burn-out. It also said to let the engine come to a complete stop before cranking.

It sounds like I may be one of the few members with a manual for these old Kohler gen sets. I’ve got both a TP-5594 6/92 and a TP-5594 8/93 manual. One is about 80 pages and one is about 100 pages. As work still tends to trump everything else, it’ll take me a while but I’ll scan them and get the scans to Bill.

Thanks,
Wally

Tom,

Regarding the gen oil.

The manual’s spec. for the oil is:

Oil Type (API): MIL-L-2104C, or API classification CC, CD, or CE.

77 deg. F and above – SAE 30 or 10W-30
77 deg. F to 32 deg. F – SAE 20 or 10W-30
Below 32 deg. F – SAE 10W or 10W-30

The RV dealer I bought Tonka from had used Shell Rotella T Triple Protection 10W-30 in the gen. I had Cummins Coach Care change the gen oil using the same brand and weight when they serviced the coach before storage late last fall.

Thanks,
Wally

Thanks to all. Yes, that manual online would be fantastic but the info posted will take care of me for a while.

I originally changed to oil with what I had for the main engine just to get some fresh oil in it. I will go back to 10W-30 when I get the oil filter.

I had been letting the good folks at Eagle's Pride within The Great Outdoors here in Titusville, FL take care of all that until this year. To make things easier on my pocketbook I have decided to do as much of the maintenance as possible. I purchased twelve gallons of Retella T 15W-40 since that is what goes into the Cummins. The mechanics at Eagle's pride told me to use the 15W-40 in my generator as well. At my last oil change I put the 15W-40 in and have run the generator less than 20 hours since. It is correct that the manual recommends 10W-30 so, since I am usually a cautious person, I will switch back to that at my next oil change.

As for the preheat I had destroyed my glow plugs in the Kubota engine by using them for an extended period of time, a very long time. That happened when the Auto Generator Start I was trying to install had a bad component and powered them on continuously. They were so bad that they had swelled and since they fit into a close tolerance hole they were nearly impossible to remove. That is why they tell you not to use them more than twenty or so seconds.

The control panel on my dashboard has a momentary-on/off/momentary-on switch. One side is labeled preheat and the other start. When I documented the electrical system I found out that those two positions are spliced together. That explains why the controller in the bedroom and on the generator have only preheat and start positions. Apparently the engine is stopped by turning on the glow plugs and causing pre-ignition. As a result I would definitely recommend not holding it in the stop position any longer than it takes to stop he engine.

Today while inside the coach, I pushed the off side of the toggle for 5 seconds and the generator started right up. Before it might take a couple of shots at it to start with some coughing. So, while not labeled preheat, it has that function.

Tom Taylor