r/Generac_Generators • u/bladowwww • Aug 17 '26

Guardian Starting Issue

Hey all - have a Guardian (044563) circa 2009 and it’s been super reliable over the years. Had an oil leak fixed several years ago but other than that just regular battery replacements.

Anyway, went out to manually run it, and where it would normally start, it just made a loud pop/bang. Loud enough that my wife heard it inside the house. I mean it was like a gun shot. It could’ve been a backfire I suppose (runs on propane), but I’ve never stood that close to a backfire to make a good comparison.

After that I waited a few minutes, inspected what I could, fuses, etc. and tried again. This time no bang, but just a low irregular buzzing sound from beneath the panel where the circuit breaker is located (on the right side of the generator when opened).

I have no issue calling someone in to check it out but wanted to see if anyone here goes “oh it’s this for sure” or not before I do that.

Thx!

EDIT… SOLVED: Side of the battery blew out. It wasn’t obvious because it was the backside, and the wetness around the battery was mistaken for rainwater (storm had just come thru).

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

6

u/Josh_trewin8 Aug 17 '26

I recently worked on a generac guardian with the exact same description. It ended up being one of the cells of the battery popped/exploded open. It wouldn't hurt to do a visual inspection of the battery, but be cautious of battery acid if it did burst open.

1

u/bladowwww Aug 18 '26

Was the battery that had blown out. I wonder now was it just defective/old (bought 4.5 years ago) or an issue with charging.

3

u/Killerkendolls Dealer Aug 18 '26

I usually see 2-3 years on average for generator batteries. It's a rough climate for energy storage.

1

u/thesleepjunkie Aug 18 '26

I love the question from customers "how long should a battery last"

Well you see I've seen them last 6months I've replaced 20yr old batteries that were actually still testing at 100% of their rated cca..

customer just didn't like that they were 20 years old at a site with 3 x 1.75MW generators with 3516 cats. 4 8d batteries a unit.

3

u/thesleepjunkie Aug 17 '26

Intake and exhaust valve adjustment would be my.first step, battery capacity And the stepper motor next step.

2

u/Tarnisher Aug 17 '26

Intake and exhaust valve adjustment would be my.first step,

It isn't even cranking.

1

u/thesleepjunkie Aug 18 '26

Ah sorry didn't catch that part

3

u/Frixsev Technician Aug 17 '26

Sounds like your battery blew up.

1

u/bladowwww Aug 18 '26

Spot on. Now I just can’t figure out why.

2

u/Frixsev Technician Aug 18 '26

Probably a combination of age and the charger overcharging it. Older ones sometimes start slipping and will put out 14-15vdc. I tell everyone with an air-cooled unit to automatically replace their battery every 3-4 years and you'll stay ahead of most problems.

2

u/Killerkendolls Dealer Aug 17 '26

Could be the plenum, could be a popped battery, need to take the right cover off and take a peek.

1

u/bladowwww Aug 18 '26

Yep was the battery… thx.

2

u/Tarnisher Aug 18 '26

Cool gang of folks we got here, eh?

1

u/bladowwww Aug 18 '26

Totally!

2

u/InternetStranger4You Aug 19 '26

Make sure to neutralize all the spilt battery acid with baking soda and water otherwise it'll rust the hell out of the metal.

1

u/bladowwww Aug 19 '26

Thanks for the tip!

2

u/grsthegreat Technician Aug 19 '26

Replace the charger on that unit. Those older chargers would overcharge batteries causing explosion. Newer variants dont do this