Engine Faults; General; Trouble Shooting Table - Mastervolt WHISPER 6 User Manual

5.2

ENGINE FAULTS

Remove 3 Amp. fuse in the control panel
while working on the generator to prevent the
engine from starting.
5.2.1

General

Most electrical problems relating to Voltage or Frequency
are due to wrong engine speed.
Note that RPM and Hz are basically the same.
Use the problem solving table to find the cause of a wrong
engine speed. When there is no obvious cause one can
adjust the RPM (refer to special procedures). When the
engine is not cranking well, starting problems almost
always originate from battery problems or poor battery
cable connections.
Failure code Problem
Communication error between the panel end the generator
COMMUNICATION
Starter battery voltage too low
LOW START BAT
No output battery charging voltage
ALTERNATOR
Exhaust temperature is too high
EXHAUST TEMP
Coolant temperature is too high
WATER TEMP
Oil pressure failure
OIL PRESSURE
Generator AC output voltage is either too high or too low
AC VOLTAGE
Generator is in overload
HIGH CURRENT
Output frequency of the generator is too low
FREQUENCY
5.2.2

Trouble shooting table

Problem
Diesel engine fails to crank, the
starter makes clicking noises, or
the engine cranks very slowly
US / WHISPER 6/8/11 / July 2009 / Copyright © 2009 Mastervolt
Possible cause
• Almost certainly this is an electrical
problem. Display will indicate "LOW
START BAT"
• One other possibility is that the engine
is locked by water in the cylinder or
there is other severe damage.
• Starter battery switched "OFF".
• Starter battery voltage insufficient
(battery too weak).
• Faulty fuse
• Wing control system faulty
When the engine is cranking, well starting problems
almost always originate from lack of fuel or air bubbles in
the fuel pipes.
When the engine does not start instantly,
prolonged cranking can fill up the exhaust
system with cooling water because of the
water injected exhaust. When the water
enters the cylinder through the valves this will
bring severe damage to the engine. When the
engine does not start and repeated cranking
is necessary shut off the seawater inlet. Open
the valve immediately after the engine has
started.
A failure code is displayed when a hardware failure at the
generator is detected.
What to do?
Check on water in the cylinder and further
damage by cranking. When there is water in
the cylinder, then deactivate the control
system, disconnect the battery, remove the
glow plugs. Crank the engine to remove the
water through the opening of the glow plugs.
Check oil on the presence of water and
change oil. Find out how the water did enter
the cylinder (check the air vent). Take
precautions to prevent it from happening
again. When there is no mechanical
malfunction the problem must be an electric
malfunction.
Check position of the battery switch and switch
"ON".
Check battery voltage. Recharge the battery.
Inspect battery terminals and cables for a good
electrical connection (inspect against
corrosion, tattered wires, etc.)
Replace fuse
During the normal starting process, the battery
voltage drops to 11V (with a fully charged
battery). If the voltage does not drop during
starting, the electrical connection is faulty. If
the battery voltage drops lower than 11V, then
the battery has been discharged too deep.
TROUBLE SHOOTING
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