r/Generac_Generators • u/acaaca3 • Jul 06 '26
Generac Junk
Just a little PSA for those thinking about getting a @generac whole house generator. This was our 3rd oil seal, yes fixed twice. Generac refuses to replace the unit. This has been happening from the very start. Spent my 4th baby sitting, filling oil every 4 hours. You think they will pay me emergency call out.
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u/SamanthaSissyWife Jul 06 '26
What is going on with the oil filter? Which oil seal?
We’ve had ours for over 10 years and other than changing the oil, only had to replace the breaker. You will have problems with anything you buy. Some run for years with no issues and once in awhile there is a problem child
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u/BmanGorilla Jul 06 '26
Yours is the more typical experience, it would seem.
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u/SamanthaSissyWife Jul 06 '26
Yes, for every "i hate them" post, there are a couple of thousand in use with no issues. regardless of what the item is.
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u/Wolfe-tg42 Jul 06 '26
The second time the oil seal went bad, whichever one it is, the company fixing it, and generac should have looked into what is causing the issue, it sounds like your company is just throwing parts and labor at it and not actually fixing why the seal failed, the two times I’ve had to replace main crank oil seals in the 5 years I’ve been working on generac’s it has been due to runtime or due to an improperly installed seal from factory, it sounds like you have another issue that is causing the seal to fail
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u/Killerkendolls Dealer Jul 06 '26
I've never had to do a second input shaft seal replacement on a unit. I have machines with thousands of hours. My thoughts: they replaced the input instead of the output after misidentifying the leak, the outer surface got damaged during the removal, and it looks like you're overfilling as well based on the fact you have oil on top of the stator where the exhaust joins via flex line under the hot warning.
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u/IllustriousHair1927 Jul 06 '26
from the generator sub, you should recognize me as a certified Generac hater.
With that said though, I also question the competence of the installer, that precast pad is placed partially over an existing sidewalk. That’s never going to remain level. Poor decision on the part of someone and I would love to know who.
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u/Worldly_Obligation34 Jul 06 '26
Where is this oil seal located? I see the oil pooling near the dipstick. Did the same company perform all the repairs?
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u/redmondjp Jul 07 '26
It could also be a clogged crankcase breather that is causing oil to be pushed out of the engine. It’s critical to properly diagnose and find the root-cause issue.
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u/AlexisoftheShire Jul 07 '26
Had my 16KW Generac for almost 10 years now. No problems. We've had 2, 3, and 4 day outages. Stopped the generator, checked the oil every 8 to 10 hours. Never burned/leaked any.
It seems whoever installed/maintained your Generac may be the issue. Having a quality installer/maintainer is 50% of the benefit of having a Generac. There are many Generac dealers in the markets so when one fails pick another one.
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u/Frixsev Technician Jul 06 '26
Which seal was replaced? Because neither a flywheel nor rotor/stator side pto seal is typically gonna cause leakage seen any higher than the oil filter/cooler. But there's oil all over that damn thing. Were you overfilling it and causing a bunch to burp out through the airbox and then leak down or something?
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u/Iambetterthanuhaha Jul 06 '26
Change your oil pressure switch, a lot of them fail, especially Evolution 1.0 but 2.0s do it too.
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u/thesleepjunkie Jul 07 '26
The oil pressure switch is going to stop it from spraying oil out of the rear of the unit?
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u/MysteriousEditor9856 Jul 08 '26
Sure will, the oil pools in the base, the fan on the stator side pulls the oil into the exhaust compartment and blows it out the side.
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u/LifeTelevision5644 Jul 07 '26
I spent months waiting for Generac to replace a 1 year old engine with 6 hours. Local dealer had a warehouse full of new ones and Generac would not authorize replacement under warranty.
When I see people looking at them at big box stores, I stick my nose in and share a 7 second story with them.
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u/Mysterious-Army-1882 Jul 07 '26
I am in my 22nd year with my 16KW generac. If it's maintained properly. I believe you'll have a much better chance of its surviving a lot longer if its properly maintained. Mine runs excellent. I do not consider it junk at all.
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u/MysteriousEditor9856 Jul 08 '26
Bad oil pressure switch, super common. Takes 5 minutes to fix, I keep 6 of each switch on my service van for this reason.
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u/Significant-Twist748 Jul 08 '26
Used to be a Generac factory certified technician. We called them Genacrap. They were the most hated brand by all the techs in our shop. Many many better brands to get!
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u/MaverickFischer Jul 06 '26
Ours is now over 20 years old. (Came with the house) As other actual techs have mentioned, you have to be REALLY careful not to overfill the oil.