Retrofitting Nothern Lights Generator

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jgonnerman
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Retrofitting Nothern Lights Generator

Post by jgonnerman »

I have a 2002 build year which has a Entec West 4200D gen set. I am considering replacement with a Northern Lights 5KW unit which the later model boats all seem to have. The Entec is installed in the port bow compartment. Not having seen the installation on other boats as my boat is in San Diego I have a few questions about the Northern Lights setup.

Is it in the same location as the Entec.

What was done to newer boats if anything to compensate for the added weight (+/- 200#) of the Northern Lights--I have read a few questions about heel trim on some boats which was attributed to generator location. My boat has the Mermaid AC unit in the saloon on the port side slightly off the center line which is the only bit of weight which might be mounted elsewhere on later model year boats.

Due to 3 clyinder and slower rpm is the Northern Lights quieter (noticebly or just on a DB meter)

Thanks
John Gonnerman
San Diego Ca
"Westend Express"
2002 34 Hull 20
duetto
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Re: Retrofitting Nothern Lights Generator

Post by duetto »

hi jon,

i'll give this a try, but james powers could probably add more.

gensets are both in same location. a big issue in this conversion is airflow. the entec armature is water cooled. the northern lights is air cooled. you will need to build ducting to provide a lot more airflow into and out of the locker. this was told to me by a northern lights tech who worked with pdq when the converted. apparently they "fried" a couple of gensets before they figured out the problem.

not sure about the weight issue.

yes they are quieter to the ear.

if i might ask why are you too the point of throwing entec overboard?
john & diane cummings
duetto mv34 #23
jgonnerman
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Re: Retrofitting Nothern Lights Generator

Post by jgonnerman »

First thank you so much for the reply as it provided valuable information.

Second let me emphasize that I mean my next comment in the very best of ways. You sound like my Dad with the question about why I want to convert. I guess I am just frustrated with my Entec. It has about 420 hours and a number of minor problems which have become frustrating. I recently walked into a local boat store, San Diego Marine Supply and they have a 5KW Northern Lights on display. My frustration with the Entec got me to why not just throw in the towel and put in a new generator. I really had hoped that a conversion was more of plug and play situation that it seems to be.

The Entec cooling system is one of my aggravations. The dual chamber raw water and coolant pump is an aggravation. I am aware that Entec has converted to an electric raw water pump and I may pursue that as an alternative. The engine has also developed a couple of oil "weeps" one between the cylinder and the crankcase and the other between the head and the cylinder. All head bolts have been properly torqued so the leak at the head/cylinder would likely be solved with a new head gasket. I will need to do futher reaserch on the source between the cylinder/crankcase as I do not see a gasket between those components on the parts diagrams. Given the Farrymans operating rpm and single cylinder the vibration on the unit makes things really hard on the engine.

The notion of a shiny new 3 cylinder genset just appealed to me however the addition of ducting and likely a blower makes a conversion seem a bit over the top.

What has been the experience of others with the Entec in terms of hours and problems. The single cylinder seems to be the biggest problem with longevity and noise/vibration.

I have also considered a solar farm as in SoCal we rarely need the AC and the generator is used primarily for battery charging and heating water. A couple of solar shower bags can solve that problem.

Again thanks for your response.
John Gonnerman
San Diego Ca
"Westend Express"
2002 34 Hull 20
duetto
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Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2005 11:18 am
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Re: Retrofitting Nothern Lights Generator

Post by duetto »

hi john,

i'll take being compared to your father as a compliment :)

we also use the genset primarily for battery charging and making hot water. we currently have 1500 hours on it. i went thru all the issues you mention but not the leaks. i'll try to address each item, but the entec will never be as smooth & quiet as the northern lights.

we switched to the 110v water pump and the whole melting impeller thing went away. i did find that we needed a check valve between the thruhull and the strainer. if the bow comes out of water and hose drains and gets air in hose the pump won't prime. we've had this setup in place for 5 years with zero problems. i highly recommend it. if you go this route you need to relocate a strainer in the bilge with the a/c pump.

another change we made was to increase the voltage under a light load to 124-126v. this allows the genset to drop into 118-120v under full load. dave at entec has a tool and instructions on how to do this. the genset seems to be a lot happier.

in conjunction with voltage tuning i replaced the mechanical pump with an electric one. i made an aluminum cover. the cavity is where you get access to the governor.

hope this helps.

try to get in touch with james powers. he can probably tell you exactly what pdq had to do to fit the northern lights.

let the forum what you decide to do.
john & diane cummings
duetto mv34 #23
Ross Bowling
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Re: Retrofitting Nothern Lights Generator

Post by Ross Bowling »

J-

With hul 114, I have then Northern Lignts 5KW Unit. The boat has a bit of list to port due to the extra weight, however when I have the dink on the boat with it's 15hp yahama, the weight gods seen to keep everything in check.I lift the dink with the OB on the Starboard side of the boat. I only have 80 +/- hours on the Northern Lts unit. Most of them while on the East Coast in late Oct/Early Nov.
Ross Bowling
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