generator jump start question

[Dr.Faustus]

Hi all,

I have a pretty decent diesel generator that runs my whole house minus the electric water heater. the problem with it is that i guess because its a diesel, it doesn't like to start up in the cold. it is electric start only.
I keep it on a trickle charger and it starts fine up until temps drop to less that 15 degrees. I keep it in my unheated garage.

I have a portable jump start pack which works great on it but the battery terminals in the generator are hard to reach. I need a way to easily jump start this thing. I am aware of warming pads that would probably make this a non issue but i'd rather not have the electrical overhead of those things.

i was thinking i could solder on identical wire that its existing starting system uses, get 2 battery posts, drill the case for the generator and bolt them on.

the case is metal and im concerned about a possible short if i do this. any ideas to prevent?

I was also thinking about a plastic electrical work box, bolt that to the case and then bolt the battery terminals to the cover of the plastic work box.

if someone has a better idea i'm open.

thanks!

 

[velvetfoot]

Could you somehow use a bigger battery?

Not sure if soldering is the way to go with those big gauge wires.

If you search online, somebody may make remote starter cable with round terminals on one end so you can bolt to the existing terminals.
My truck has them, and it was OEM.

 

[blades]

Are you off grid that you are running the gen set for power? Warming the fuel tank would help a lot. Using an anti gel additive in your fuel would also be advisable. Also use synthetic oil in the crank case. I used to have 32 hp diesel that was a pain in the winter always had to use some sort of heater on it for about an hour to get it started when it was below about 10 degs F- glow plugs not withstanding.

 

[festerw]

Crimping is a better choice on large gauge wiring, solder will work but especially for a jump box you could run the risk of melting it at a high load.. I would suggest visiting an electrical shop and have them add an Anderson connector to your jump pack, then make a compatible cable for your genset. They aren't the easiest things to crimp and the special crimper will probably cost more than the shop labor.

 

[greg13]

Add a second pos. cable off of the starter stud and a ground to the block and add a second marine deep cycle battery where it is easy to get to.
Magnetic block heater on the oil pan would help too.

 

[fbelec]

people don't like to hear this but if you use it right it's not bad use either. spray across the intake and not in it so that the engine takes in what it can use and not a overdose to make it over rev.

 

[greg13]

You use starting fluid MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO GLOW PLUGS OR INTAKE HEATERS! You can literally blow the motor up.
You can also fire a diesel up on WD40 & Silicone.

 

[Dr.Faustus]

its not a fuel problem - turns right over when shes got enough cranking amps. I put in a new battery, cleaned up the terminals, changed the oil.
I dont run off grid, I use the generator to power the house when the electric goes out - which is rarely. however the power only goes out in the worst possible conditions. like -10 degrees. I think it being in the unheated garage helps it but not enough.

the starting wires are not huge - its a diesel but its not a giant one. i think its 10-15 hp. it has a wimpy battery which is the only thing that fits in the case. It resembles a UPS battery.

you guys are right, soldering might not be the best way to go here. i can crimp on some connectors. I already have the tools and connectors from when i changed my auger motors on the pellet stove. this way i can disconnect the positive line when not using to jump start and no danger of unattended short.

like i said i could keep it on warmers and eliminate this problem but that creates unnecessary electrical overhead. at these electric prices, something im not willing to do when an easy jump start solution would work fine.

i think these will do the job:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BZZA5Q/?tag=hearthamazon-20

so my idea is to connect a plastic work box to the generator. mount those 2 to the plastic work box cover. run same gauge wire the geneset uses from the new terminal to a crimped connector. run same gauge wire from battery to crimped connector. i can then jumpstart the thing quickly and disconnect the crimped connectors for storage.

these also have caps on them which i like. now that i think about it this might also give me a handy way to access 12 vdc?

 

[festerw]

If that's the case why not remove the original battery and add a battery tray and use something like a group 34/78?

 

[Dr.Faustus]

If that's the case why not remove the original battery and add a battery tray and use something like a group 34/78?

I would love to add a big ole honkin battery and be done with it. But here is the deal - Its a diesel, and a fuel tank, and the generator business end all wrapped up neatly in a big yellow case with wheels. even has sound deadening material on the inside. There is unfortunately no room on the inside.


I was actually going to go in the garage and carry out my plan today but it was freezing cold, snowing (lightly) and strong winds. So i couldn't push myself to do it. Plus i start a new job on monday and i really needed to get some new clothes before the thanksgiving madness hits. I have a very low tolerance for crowds and b.s. so I do everything i can before black friday like clothes, groceries, haircuts etc and then just hibernate until the coast is clear. I sometime have a brief window if i need to go to a store like dec 15th on a wednesday, mid afternoon when its not too bad but then back to hibernating until 1/3/17. by then the masses stay inside playing on their new phones they bought on black friday - until the next black friday hits and they venture out to buy new cell phones.

 

[fbelec]

what is the gauge wire on the battery to the starter

 

[Dr.Faustus]

look like it might be 8 gauge. its not marked so its hard to tell. I can go 6 just to be safe but i doubt 6 is there now. i can go even thicker as i only need about 3 feet tops. honestly the starter is rarely engaged for more than 3 seconds. 10 tops if i havent run it in a long time.Im still planning to do this asap but with thanksgiving in the way all my tinkering has come to a halt.

 

[maple1]

Couldn't you just bolt on an extra pair of wires to the existing battery terminals & parallel a second battery that sits outside the generator? Or leave those wire ends covered, but they would be there to uncover & hook your booster to when needed?

 

[Dr.Faustus]

I could leave wires in there for use as needed but i want it to look neat. Adding a second battery outside the gen would be a hassle, plus second battery will be just as cold as the first. the booster stays in the heated house, so its ready to go.

 

[fbelec]

you could just add a large plug like what is on the front of a pick up truck for the plow and leave it at that and when you need it have a set of jumper cables with the other end of the plug on one side of the jumpers and clamps for the car battery for what ever car is handy. even the cheapest jumper cables are #6 copper.

 

[Dr.Faustus]

i like that idea. i might actually go with the plug now that you mention it. neat enough and wont bother anything when disconnected, which would be most of the time. im hoping for next weekend.
this weekend was a bust. I found a winch half price. I always wanted one of those for various reasons. At least once a year i get my rider mower stuck in mud. what a bear to get out. It can help move my pellets uphill. a whole ton on a manual pallet jack is rough... I also set it up on a hitch mount in case the car gets stuck in snow. well setting that up wasted today.

tomorrow i start a new job, which i think im really going to like, but regardless its new and the first week is always hell on a new gig.

 

[fbelec]

good luck on the new job

 

[sportbikerider78]

Why not just jump it from a car?

 

[maple1]

If you add a cord to the existing battery that terminates outside the genny box, you could put a plug on the end (like suggested), then gear up another couple of cords you could plug into it for different reasons - for one, you could have clips on the other end to clip to an external battery or jump box cables. Or you could have another one with terminals if you wanted to just set an extra battery beside it for extended periods. You could even have one that had a 12v light (LED) on the end if you wanted to plug a light into it for a short time, say if you needed some light to get the genny going.

 

[TonyVideo]

Why not get a radiant propane heater that sits on top of the tank and warm it up. Radiant heat will warm up the engine pretty quick and anything metal. A few minutes of warmth and it should start alright up.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[lazeedan]

ouldn't you just bolt on an extra pair of wires to the existing battery terminals & parallel a second battery that sits outside the generator? Or leave those wire ends covered, but they would be there to uncover & hook your booster to when needed?

IDK if you ever fixed this. But this is what I did years ago on a snow mobile I had. It worked very well. Just made it a lot easier to jump start or hook up a charger.