Kohler Genset Backfire

"I need help!

I am in the p

"I need help!

I am in the process of buying a 1998 Carver Voyager 370. The survey took place today. Everything went well until we got to the genset.

The generator is a 2005 Kohler 7.4kw. It has 5 hours on the meeter. It was installed during the winter of 2005/2006.

The generator worked well as we added added electrical loads...water heater first, stove next, rear A/C. But when we added the second A/C the engine began to backfire and sputter.

As we added load and the engine worked harder, it appeared to be starved for fuel.

One thought is that it may be a clogged fuel filter.

Another school of thought is that it the ethanol in the fuel...phase separation and lower octane in the fuel.

Any thoughts?"

".."Another school of thou

".."Another school of thought is that it the ethanol in the fuel...phase separation and lower octane in the fuel. "

If that were the case, the other engines would run lousy as well. The filters/ water separators on the gen set (if equipped--and I know an installation without ANY) need to be cleaned. If that doesn't do it, the carb may need rebuilding.

I hope you factor all that into the purchase price!

Jeff"

"Thanks.

The owner is putti

"Thanks.

The owner is putting $3,000 into an escrow account. That should be enough to take care of any problem, I should hope.

The engine runs fine at lower to medium loads. It's only when that last load (the second A/C unit) is added does it start to sputter and backfire."

"I am having similar problem&#

"I am having similar problem(s) as James with my Kohler 7.3E, gas genset. It backfires a lot then eventually quits when load is added. I have a lot of friends with Kohler 4Kw gensets and they all do they same thing . These Kawasaki engines seem to suffer a lot from fuel/carburator problems. Anyone has a fix?"