FG Wilson generator repair, servicing and overhaul
FG Wilson is a set builder, not an engine manufacturer — and that single fact governs how its sets are repaired. FG Wilson sets are among the most widely installed gensets in the Gulf, which means a great many of them are now well past their first decade and being kept in service rather than replaced. That is the work this page describes.
An FG Wilson set is an assembly
A Perkins engine, a bought-in alternator and a control panel, assembled into a package — base frame, integral fuel tank, cooling pack and, on most sets in this market, an acoustic canopy. We hold no dealership with FG Wilson or any other manufacturer; the name identifies the equipment we service. Established 2011, over 25 years of experience.
The job splits in two
Repair the package, service the engine as a Perkins
The most useful thing to know when you call about an FG Wilson set.
Half one
The engine is Perkins
Its service schedule, its parts, its settings and its overhaul are all Perkins work.
- Servicing to the engine manufacturer's own schedule
- Smoke, blow-by, oil consumption, low oil pressure
- Overhaul, with the machining done in our own shop
- Injection equipment tested on our own benches
Half two
Everything around it is package work
And this is where a large share of FG Wilson faults actually live.
- Control panel and controller
- The alternator — its own manufacturer, excitation and AVR
- The integral base fuel tank
- The cooling pack and the canopy it breathes through
- Anti-vibration mounts, exhaust and silencer
The set-level Perkins view is on Perkins generator repair; the machining and rebuild side on Perkins engine repair.
Package-level work
The parts of the set nobody inspects
Control panel and controller
- Starting, alarms and protection
- Mains sensing and the automatic operation the set was bought for
- Latched shutdowns, with the real alarm sitting underneath the lockout
The integral base tank
- The item most often neglected on this kind of set, because it is underneath everything and easy to ignore for a decade
- Water, sludge and microbial contamination accumulate in a tank that is only ever topped up
- Draining, cleaning and polishing deals with the cause; changing filters deals with the symptom
Cooling pack and canopy
- Radiator core, fan and drive, and the airflow the canopy was designed around
- Door seals and hinges, louvre condition, degraded or removed acoustic lining, corroded panels and fixings, lifting points
- A canopy whose louvres and lining have deteriorated changes how the set breathes — which shows up as high temperature under load rather than as a bodywork complaint
The alternator
- Its own manufacturer, its own excitation system and AVR
- Sensing fuses, diodes and windings
- Insulation testing, and rewinding in our own winding bay
- Anti-vibration mounts, exhaust and silencer age quietly and are found at service rather than reported by the site
Faults we are called to
What actually comes in on these sets
Two photographs make the first conversation productive: the engine data plate and the alternator data plate. The set's own plate on the canopy gives the model and serial for the package and is worth having, but the parts, the service schedule and the settings all follow from the engine and alternator plates rather than from the badge. If the controller has raised a code, photograph the display as well — a code names a circuit and a reason rather than a broken part.
What we do
And why rebuilding usually wins on an older package
Servicing to the engine manufacturer's own schedule with readings logged and a written report; diagnosis across engine, alternator and control; alternator repair, insulation testing and rewinding in our own winding bay; controller and AVR work; changeover testing on a simulated mains failure; radiator cleaning, repair and re-coring; base tank cleaning and fuel polishing; injection equipment tested on our own benches; load bank testing with a written report; and full engine overhaul with the crankshaft, block and head machined in our own shop rather than sub-contracted.
That last one is what changes the arithmetic. Replacing an ageing FG Wilson package means a new set, a new footprint and, frequently, changes to the exhaust, fuel and cable arrangement it sits in. Rebuilding the engine in a package that already fits its position keeps all of that.
The crankshaft, block and head either clean up within the manufacturer's limits or they do not — and that is established by stripping, crack testing and measuring before anything is committed. Not by the age of the set, and not by anyone's opinion.
Common questions
FG Wilson sets, answered
Are you an FG Wilson dealer or service centre?
No. We hold no dealership or service appointment with FG Wilson or with any manufacturer. We are an independent workshop. The name is used here to identify the equipment we service.
Is an FG Wilson generator the same as a Perkins?
The engine in it is Perkins. The alternator, the control panel and the package are FG Wilson's specification. That is why engine work on your set is Perkins work while panel, alternator and canopy work is not — see Perkins generator repair.
Can you overhaul the engine in an FG Wilson set?
Yes, with the crankshaft grinding, line boring, boring and honing, head work and connecting-rod machining done in our own machine shop. On a package that already fits its position, rebuilding is frequently the better economics than replacing the set.
My FG Wilson set keeps blocking fuel filters.
The base tank, almost always. Water condenses in the air space, microbial growth follows, and the sludge sits exactly where the suction line draws from. Draining, cleaning and polishing deals with the cause; changing filters deals with the symptom.
Can you supply parts for an older FG Wilson set?
We are not tied to a supply channel, so parts are quoted from whichever channel suits you — manufacturer-supplied or quality aftermarket — with the quotation stating which is which. Where a component can be machined rather than replaced, that is usually the faster and cheaper route on an older set.
Do you service FG Wilson sets on site?
Yes. Servicing, diagnosis, panel and alternator faults, cooling, fuel and load testing are done at your site. Rewinding and engine machining come back to Industrial Area 15.
Send the plates
Photographs of the engine and alternator data plates, the set plate on the canopy, and the controller display if it is showing anything. That is usually enough to say what the job is before anyone drives anywhere.