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Do yourself a favor and start by changing those plugs. You didn't specify what gen set you have, but the Kohlers most likely to turn up in FW boats (5e, 7.3E, etc) run the same Kawasaki FD501D 16hp engine. I've found that NGK7222 plugs seem to last longer than anything else in mine and others that I've recommended them to.
I can't stress enough how important it is to run that gen set as often as possible and load the hell out of it when you do it. (as much as is practical, anyway...) A 5e fully loaded doesn't put much of a strain on that engine, so running it with a light load is not working the engine at all, which is the root of a lot of the Kohler generator problems that folks have. Once you get up into the 6EF and 7.3E, there is a little more load potential there, but there probably aren't enough factory installed options to load those engines up either.
(Forum trolls may now take this opportunity to argue that if you add up the wattage/amp draw of everything on the boat it may get close to the rated capacity of the gen set, but really who runs everything all at once on a regular basis? It's not like you are going to leave your electric stove burner(s) on the whole time you are on the hook...)
Cleaning the carb is a good suggestion as well. The carb on the 5E is a fixed main jet, so you don't have a lot of options there to correct a rich condition, except to keep the carb and flame arrestor clean and to make sure your choke is properly adjusted. There is an adjustment on that carb, but it's a low speed mixture screw, which is useless since those units never run at low idle, it's 3600 or nada.
While I wouldn't say my exhaust is "milky", it does look kinda frothy when it's coming out, compared to some of the others I've seen. I'm not sure why, although I will say that unit has run slightly rich from day one, and it does tend to load up and hunt a little after being run a few hours. Choke adjustment is fine, just enough to start cold, then pulls off quickly, spark arrestor is clean. The carb was new when I bought it, but I've considered pulling it and rebuilding it, maybe the main jet is a tad out of spec or the float is a little high, causing the rich condition. No rainbows from the exhaust, though...to me that kind of rules out fuel or oil, but maybe I was wrong, there.
Over the last year or two, I have been able to find almost no info on the net about any similar appearance of the exhaust water... thats really what caught my attention about this post. I'll be curious now to see if fixing my carb issue will clear up my exhaust water.
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Jack
2005 268 Vista - Sold
2001 Silverton 35C 8.1L Crusaders
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