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Coil troubles on a WM

Started by Jim_Rogers, June 28, 2004, 04:19:47 PM

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Jim_Rogers

Friday, I had only two more logs to mill up to finish a nice order. The lumber was on the trailer and four more planks would do it. :D
After the first log, I shut the mill off to go into the shop and get something, maybe a cool drink of water, can't remember right now. ::)
Well, back to the mill and finish that last log, go to lunch and then deliver the lumber and get a nice Friday paycheck. ;D
WRONG. >:(
Mill won't start...... :( >:( ???
Battery seems kind of low and I know when it's a little off then the mill sometimes has trouble starting......
So, put the charger on it and off to an early lunch...... :)
After lunch still won't start...... :( ::)
This new engine has one of those fancy oil shut off switches for the people who don't check their oil......... :P
Can't be that...... I've checked my oil recently..... didn't I..... ???
Well, I'm only down about a quart..... could be that...... :-/
Nope..... not that..... :-[
Hello service tech....... is there a reset button on the oil shut off thingy...... ??? NO......  :o  I didn't think so, just add more oil...ok. ;)
Still won't start...... :( ???
Hello WM Tech...... I've got no spark at the spark plug......
What do you think...... :P
Have I got power to the coil? I'll check and get back to you..... where does it come from....... ok......ok.....ok..... I got the list of where to check it from and I'll start looking there..... :P
Hello WM Tech.... me again,...... you know that circuit breaker you say I have...... well, I don't have one of them..... >:(
Got power all the way to the plug where the harness plugs into the engine harness.... but still nothing at the coil.......
What... yes this is a replacement engine..... no I didn't get it from WM..... :-/. ok.... I'll call them again. ::)
Hello service tech..... me again..... What????....you don't know about these type engines.... :-/ :'( boss has left for weekend... :o :o :o. how much for a service call on Monday....  ???don't know boss won't let you quote prices.... :'(. What time do you open on Monday.......ok. I'll call back then..... :(


Monday 8am...
Hello service tech boss.....it's me again...... what???.... your office girl had a baby and you're there in the office.. :(. that's nice..... :)   how much for a service call......... ??? your man who know how to fix these engines is on vacation....... till WHEN?????? :( >:( ??? :o :'( :-/

You want me to pull the engine off the machine and bring it over to where............ :o ???
I'll pack the mill and roll it over to you in less than an hour...... 8)..... it's on wheels you know ;D

Phone answering machine message 2pm.

Mill is alset...... coil was dead...... on warrantee.... no charge..... pick it up before 4 pm......

 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) :D :D :D
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

Tom

Wow!  Have i been there?

My first experience with my Onan distributor/coil threw me for a loop.   I'm told it fires both spark plugs at the same time but when one side quits the engine won't run.  I thought I was going to be smart and hot-wire the two plug wires together.......doesn't work.  I was lucky that I had an Onan dealer in town but they still had to order the dumb thing.  

My favorite thought is "If I were to design one of these things I would.........    and................ " ;D

Probably a good thing I never got the chance or nothing would run. :D :D

sparks

We never used an engine with an oil shut off in your year mill. I will admit the reps here should have had you call the distributor long before you spent that much time on the phone with them. If the engines are changed we have no documentation on type and or operation and should not be wasting your time. We can't help with wiring a replacement to our mill without that type of info. Sorry you got the run around.
\"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.\" Abraham Lincoln

Jim_Rogers

Sparks:
The first WM tech seemed new and I only talked to him once.

The second tech was very helpful and I continued to talk to him to understand what wire should have power at the coil when on, and when starting.

I needed to identify where the problem was, with the mill wiring or the engine wiring.

He helped me to figure out that it was in the engine wiring, actually the coil.

But if the engine wiring wasn't getting power due to some other problem in the mill wiring I needed to know that, and that's what he helped me with.

I didn't feel I was getting the run around from WM tech. I'm sorry if that's the way it came across but it wasn't a run around and he was helpful to me, for me to figure out where to go next.

WM service is always the best.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

sparks

Kool! The first guy I know who that was. The second guy was Greg Brock. He is our engine man. Any engine questions I would go straight to him. Glad your up and going.
May the sawdust flay and your stacks grow high. :-)
\"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.\" Abraham Lincoln

Tom

That's what I always liked about Y'all's outfit.  Nobody says "that's not my job" and hangs up.  If they don't know,  they get someone else on the line.  I get the impression that an effort would be made to help even if the question was about underwater basket weaving. :)

Will Johnson has that same mind set too.  

sparks

Underwater basket weaving? I'll check into that and get back with you.   :D
\"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.\" Abraham Lincoln

Jim_Rogers

Sparks:

I didn't get the first guy's name or operator number, but I did on the second guy.

It wasn't who you think it was...... (1608)

I called him on Monday afternoon to tell him what it was with my machine and to thank him again for all his help, but only got his voice mail. And I left him a message there and hopefully he got it.

Trouble shooting is tough when you don't know where to start.
I figured if I knew where the electricity was coming from and what it was suppose to read on a volt meter, I could figure out where the problem was as contact the correct company to help me fix it. WM helped me to figure out where it was.

Thanks for being there.....

Jim Rogers

Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

KILROY


 Jim
 I am glad you located the problem and got it fixed. I have had three of those coils go out over the years. I have not noticed any symptoms of when they are going to fail. When it happens you think  it is possibly a loose wire or connection.
 I have also had the electronic ignition quit. The symptoms are the same. When it happened the first time, I thought it was the coil. Went and bought a coil, 70 miles one way. Only one dealer in the state. Wasn't the coil. The pickup is behind the flywheel. Just like the coil, mechanics will tell you they rarely fail. Back to the dealer and they have to order it. Mechanics have told me the only way to test it is to replace the ignition and see if the engine starts.
 I have since solved these problems by removing the onan and mounting a little diesel. Cheaper fuel and more fuel efficient.

 Tom, those coils will run on one side. I have one. That is how my first coil failed.

Fla._Deadheader

  The first wood spltter I built I used an Onan. It would start on 2 cylinders and drop one. I finally used 2 auto coils clamped together and wired together. Ran each coil wire to each plug. Looked bad, ran great. ::) 8)
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

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