# Need help with Coleman Powermate generator



## cvb-in-orange (Jul 10, 2013)

Hello..new to forum...bought a used Coleman Powermate generator #PMA525500 with Tecumseh 11HP OH318EA motor,was missing parts to carb so bought the lower kit that included bowl,float needle etc...started up fairly decent and after running a few minutes started to smooth out,plugged my makita circular saw in outlet and it powered up but not to full power...saw ran maybe 3/4 speed it should.Also generator did not surge at moment i tried saw..if i bring throttle up manually it seems full power..rpms did drop a bit when i tried saw...let gen run few more minutes by itself and started to take off and rev way above what i felt was safe..if i brought throttle back manually would rev back down then after 2-3 seconds would start to take off again..any thoughts or input greatly appreciated.


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## tractornut (Sep 17, 2010)

Sounds like there may be a problem with either the genny's automatic throttle control or the engines governor is not set correctly/ hooked up wrong


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## cvb-in-orange (Jul 10, 2013)

tractornut said:


> Sounds like there may be a problem with either the genny's automatic throttle control or the engines governor is not set correctly/ hooked up wrong



Is there any decent online sites that supply info on these tecumseh setups..havent found much..even decent pics to see if i have correct linkage


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## tractornut (Sep 17, 2010)

Found a manual so far for the engine

http://www.smallenginesuppliers.com/html/engine-specs/tecumseh_horizontal_shaft/oh318-owners.pdf

Here is the link its not the exact setup but close I'll keep looking for more info


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## tractornut (Sep 17, 2010)

I was unable to find any pics of the carb and governor but the engine appears. Very similar to the engine on my grandparents snowblower next time I'm over there ill try and get a pic for you


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## cvb-in-orange (Jul 10, 2013)

tractornut said:


> I was unable to find any pics of the carb and governor but the engine appears. Very similar to the engine on my grandparents snowblower next time I'm over there ill try and get a pic for you


Thanks!!...that was very helpful..is same motor set up i have..did notice a manual throttle control on page 8 figure 17....my motor doesnt have any linkage there...so wondering if mine came equipped...would that be same regardless whether on generator or a snowblower?


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## tractornut (Sep 17, 2010)

After doing the searches it appears that your engine speed it controlled only by the governor and basically it runs full throttle all the time which should be 3600 rpm but you will need to adjust the governor so that when its providing power it's puttig out the correct frequency so you don't damage anything you plug into it


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## cvb-in-orange (Jul 10, 2013)

tractornut said:


> After doing the searches it appears that your engine speed it controlled only by the governor and basically it runs full throttle all the time which should be 3600 rpm but you will need to adjust the governor so that when its providing power it's puttig out the correct frequency so you don't damage anything you plug into it


Amazing..wouldnt have thought it ran full throttle,did see a few bits online as far adjusting governor on Tecumseh motors..might just have to run it awhile to see if carb self cleans itself...does seem like it was "Hunting " for it own setting ..but seemed way above safe operation...do you have anything on doing a governor adjust/check for this unit?...did put a screwdriver to hold-down screw..seemed fairly tight ...full throttle?...isnt that a bad design?


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## tractornut (Sep 17, 2010)

Full throttle is a relative term generally small engines have a rated top speed of 3600 rpm except for some engines used in specialized applications. At 3600 rpm the throttle plate may only be half open but the governor is there to maintain 3600 rpm under varying loads for a high load the governor will open the throttle plate more to maintain that speed and as the load is reduced the governor will close the throttle plate to prevent the engine from overspeeding. 
In a generator application the engine speed needs to be controlled in order to maintain the correct frequency of the power output in the us it would be 60hz. You need a multimeter that is capable of reading frequency. Hook the meter to the generators output and then run the generator while observing the frequency reading on the meter if it is 60hz you are good if not adjust the governor following the techumseh manual until you get the correct frequency reading. 
I'm sure that there is a safe range for the frequency but I don't know what that range is but too high or too low and you can damage anything plugged into the unit 

I don't have any info on techumseh's governor adjustment procedure but I'll see what I can dig up online for you

Hope this helps


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## cvb-in-orange (Jul 10, 2013)

Thanks Tractornut...was doing some online research and mentioned a "KILL-A-WATT" meter which is about $20 on ebay so might get one of them to check HZ....Did see couple different articles about adjusting governor but didnt actually state for my motor...still looking into how to apply a tach so i can check HZ at 3600 which seems most state 60-62 Hz...


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## cvb-in-orange (Jul 10, 2013)

I see on ebay some cheap digital non contact tach meters.. .any opinion on these cheap tools?


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