Top 10 Coleman Powermate Premium Plus 6250W Portable Generator Questions & Answers

My answer:

First of all - Almost every 4-stroke Genset engine out there should use a minimum 10-30 or else a 10-40 oil blend tops. Best NEVER to use just a straight weight, as in a 30 or 40 weight, as that would be way too "high viscous" at colder temps and could destroy the engine due to overheating at MAX Genset LOADS!

Next - If the Genset is indeed brand new then you need to use the proper fuel in it, as certain mfr's require different fuel blends (such as with certain B&S - Briggs & Stratton - engines), and those engines are set up that way to run on that blend alone. Using the wrong gas blend could damage the engine.

You really need to get a factory Users Manual for your Genset there and read it through thoroughly!

If it has gas in it now (and hasn't run in 3 years?) chances are the whole gas tank, and fuel lines, and Carb as well will need to be cleaned out from contaminated fuel - as there definitely is gum and varnish built up everywhere in those fuel delivery areas esp the most important component - the Carb! Been there - seen that - cleaned that! So I KNOW for FACT.

As for the OIL LEVEL - that is fairly simple - as all you do is unscrew (or in some cases pull out) the dipstick, and check the oil for proper level on the stick as well as cleanness (2 finger test like with car oil), and if it's even black or a silvery color then it definitely needs to be changed out NOW! Refill with fresh oil and your done there.

Check the Air Cleaner for cleanness as well, and service the filter if a foam element, or replace it if a paper element.

If the fuel tank has an in-line fuel line filter and it looks dirty change it out as well. Esp if the gas tank is made out of metal.

Check the spark plug for proper gap, and heat range, and burn color if the Genset has been run already. Should be a nice "light tan" color. If dark and wet - then you have Carb flooding problems.

That about covers it...

Anything else problem wise feel free to ask me here in post follow-up and I'll be glad to answer it for you.

Please post me a reply as to the found problem there, and the resolve to it by following my recommendations above. Also please rate my troubleshooting fix as well.

Keep me posted and I'll follow up as well.

Best regards,

Frank

Use 10/30 weight oil fill till : " if it has a "dipstick" fill to middle of hash marks" if not, There in the hole for the oil filler cap their is a knotch cut out of the theads for that cap. fill to just below the top of that knotch . drain plug on bottom of crankcase

Hi there,
I've posted an answer to a somewhat related problem here
but you should read that later as I think you want a better idea of how the whole thing works.

Inside the control box on the generator the power leads get connected so that we have an L1, L2, and N feed wire with L1 and L2 being the 2 "hot" wires. Both of the hot wires pass thru a small current transformer (one wire in each direction) and then go to the various outlets in the output panel. The current transformer makes a signal whenever current is drawn thru either wire.

The current transformer sends its signal to an idle control circuit on a printed circuit board inside the control box. The other wires from this board go to the idle control switch, the power regulator/exciter board, and the idle control solenoid. The idle control board uses the DC voltage it gets from the regulator/exciter to energize the idle control solenoid if the idle control switch isn't in the "off" position and no signal has come from the current transformer for a sufficient time. The idle control solenoid acts to pull the throttle assembly until the throttle bell crank hits the idle adjustment screw (whew!)

Troubleshoot it like this:
1 - Does the engine start at governed speed and then idle down or does it start at idle? If it starts at idle, or seems to idle down faster than usual, something might be amiss in the works.

2 - When you turn the idle control switch to "off" does the engine rev up to governed speed immediately? If not there is almost certainly something ugly going on.

3 - With the idle control solenoid unplugged from the idle control board does the engine rev up to governed speed? If it won't you need to check to see if the plunger is stuck on the idle control solenoid. Some solenoids also have an adjustment that can get loose, check the voltage on the wires coming out of the idle control board if you're in doubt about its being energized or not.

4 - If the generator revs up when you turn the idle control off, but won't do it automatically when current is drawn with it turned on you need to check the current transformer with an ohm meter. Even though this is an AC signal you should mark the leads when you take them off so that they go back from whence they came - it's a noise thing ;-) Little square current transformers in Coleman Powermates are usually somewhere in the 1 - 2 Kohm range, failures are typically that the coil opens up.

Rank me when you've completed repairs?
Carl

You need a quart of regular old SAE 5W30 motor oil with detergent.
The engines on these generators are more or less the same as a lawn mower.
Don't forget to service/change the air cleaner when you change the oil, that should keep your generator producing full power.

Regards,
Carl

http://www.powermate.com/pdfs/2007/11/21/manual_pm0525303.pdf
http://www.powermate.com/pdfs/2007/11/21/parts_pm0525303.pdf
http://www.powermate.com/productmanuals.php?cat_id=3

It is really common for generators and things that are not used really often to have the fuel turn to varnish in the gas tank, and carburetor. If it smells like really old fuel, you may be in for a tough time, but before you give up, pour out all the old fuel, and replace it with clean fuel. Then try to choke the engine as you normally would. If it does NOT start and run normally, take the spark plug out, and dip it into the gas tank and quickly put it into the engine, and re-attach the wire and give it a pull. It should hit a few times if you have good electrical fire to the plug. If it starts, kill the engine, and tighten the plug. If it does not start after trying this a couple of times, the carburetor will meed cleaning of the old varnish and jells.

Assuming that you intend to someday put it back together, do this:

1 - Make it safe by taking the wire off the spark plug and getting all of the gas out of the tank.

2 - Remove the stator part of the generator. There are 4 long bolts with 7/16 inch heads that hold it onto the adapter plate at the engine end of things and a 1/2 incher holding the end away from the engine down on the frame. Some generators have more than 1 frame mount, these are harder to get out, I use a channel lock pliers to hold the rubber mount and a socket to remove the nylock nut. When it's all loose, pull the molex plug out of the distribution panel (where the outlets are) and then gently slip the stator off of the rotor. Try not to break the windings.

3 - Support the engine/rotor assembly by placing a block of wood, stone, or metal under the rear of the engine.

4 - Take the long bolt out of the end of the rotor. Use a 6 point socket for this so as not to mess up the bolt head. This is also much easier with an air ratchet. The rotor shaft has an "innie" cone shape milled into it and the engine has a corresponding "outie" bevel that fits inside the rotor shaft. This is called a tapered shaft mounting. You can get the rotor off of the engine shaft one of 2 ways...
The "official" method:
Get the kit from Briggs and Stratton, tap threads into the inner surface of the bolt hole, insert the appropriate threaded rod and torque it to pull the rotor free. This only takes one tech.

The "redneck" metohd:
You need a friend you trust to swing a hammer, a fairly heavy hammer (I use an 8 lb sledge), and a chunk of 4 X 4 wood long enough to act as a punch when placed against the rotor laminations. Turn the rotor so that the laminations are horizontal. Put the 4 X 4 against them as far away from the engine as you can without breaking the plastic parts of the rotor. While holding the 4 X 4 tightly against the rotor, have the other guy whack the other end of the 4 X 4 sharply and with a good amount of force. Then rotate the rotor 180 degrees and whack the heck out of the other side. Repeat this process until the rotor pops off of the enigne shaft.
My old shop mate and I got good enough at this to take the rotor off in 2 whacks every time.

Regards,
Carl

Excite the genset.

with the gen engine running,
1) plug a 3/8 drill into an outlet,
(make sure the drill is set to the forward rotation)
2) hold the trigger in the run position
3) by hand, rotate the drill chuck with a quick flip of your wrist.
*** NOTE: BE PREPARED !!! this will excite the gen-set and the drill will start to run as normal.

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It probably isn't the circuit breaker. The magnetic field has likely weakened (especially if the generator has not been used in a while). The magnet can be "flashed" by running a current through the generator briefly. The easiest way to do this is to plug in a motor and spin it backwards (by hand) while the generator is running (e.g. an electric drill). The drill acts as a weak generator when you put the energy into it by spinning it.

A previous answer I gave to the same problem...
---
Look in the manual. There is likely something about field flashing the magnetic field. According to the Briggs and Straton web site (similar solution for all generators), the easiest way to do this is to.
1) start the generator
2) plug an electric drill into the generator (without drill bit)
3) make sure drill is set to forward direction (if a reversable drill.
4) pull the trigger on the drill.
5) If the drill does not start, spin the drill's chuck in reverse [clockwise (When looking down at the chuck from the drill bit end). Spin counter-clockwise if holding it like a pistol and pointing away from yourself].
6) Do this several times (hard) until the the generator will kick in and suddenly make the drill spin at full speed.
Be careful not to drop the drill or poke someone with it as you celebrate success.

The most common cause of back firing is un-burned gasoline in the cylinder. Make sure your air filter is clean and there are no spider webs in the air-intake manafold. Also, be sure your spark plug is clean (new). Finally, check that the spark plug wire is not damaged/cracked. Each of these can allow excess fuel to exist in the cylinder and cause back firing. This process does not always occur in the cylinder. Fuel can also build up in the muffler and burns/explodes once the muffler gets hot enough (but that is rare on such a small engine with a muffler that gets as hot as your generator should).

Another issue is carbon buildup. This hot soot (carbon) on the piston and cylinder head to store heat from previous combustion cycles of the engine. This carbon eventually gets so hot that it can ignite the fuel/air mixture entering the cylinder BEFORE the spark plug ignites it. Having that fuel mixture explode when the exhaust valve is still closed makes the engine hemmorage and make strage noises once the exhaust valves to open. This is called pre-ignition. It is not as loud as a backfire but it is loud.

In summary, clean your air filter, and air box, and have the carburator adjusted back to factory specs (if anyone tried to turn any screws on the carburator since it was new). If the unit has not been used much, it is likely the air filter. If it has been used heavily, then the soot/carbon build up is likely an issue.