GX CS4 Power Supply Issues

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RoflRofl

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May 28, 2024
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I’ve had a GXCS4 for almost a year and it has been working great I added 1 turn grease at the 6 hr mark. Pumped again and the power supply shorted out with a visible arc

Bought a new power supply while waiting for the replacement one from GX. I got a “nicer” supply from Amazon that was 12V 83.3a for a total of 1000w. It had over volt and current protection. When using it the pump seems like it tries to start then immediately shuts off. Received the new supply and the pump works with it but still worried about another arc / blowout

I noticed the provided supply was 13v at 50a for 650w. This is very confusing with everyone only using 12v. Why does the 13v 50a supply work fine but 12v 83.3a supply does not?

Thanks for any insights
 
RoflRofl said:
I’ve had a GXCS4 for almost a year and it has been working great I added 1 turn grease at the 6 hr mark. Pumped again and the power supply shorted out with a visible arc

Bought a new power supply while waiting for the replacement one from GX. I got a “nicer” supply from Amazon that was 12V 83.3a for a total of 1000w. It had over volt and current protection. When using it the pump seems like it tries to start then immediately shuts off. Received the new supply and the pump works with it but still worried about another arc / blowout

I noticed the provided supply was 13v at 50a for 650w. This is very confusing with everyone only using 12v. Why does the 13v 50a supply work fine but 12v 83.3a supply does not?

Thanks for any insights
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I wonder if you over-greased it, causing excessive load? I know they warn about too much grease, but don’t know what happens if you do use too much.
 
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That was also what GX suggested. I only did 1 turn at the required hr mark. I’ve removed the burst disk valve and let it run with the new GX power supply to help clean out any excess grease as suggested by GX. def had some gnarly looking black grease when I first opened it and got a little bit more cleaned out. After that the larger wattage power supply still will not pump

Power Supply Model numbers:

GX supplied: S-650-13
Amazon: SE-1000-12
 
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FLgunner said:
Is it possible the Amazon power supply is defective?
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Possibly? I have not yet taken a multimeter to it. It will run the water water pump and fans fine when it’s first plugged in and turned on, only when I hit start does everything shut off. The power supply does have a green diode that will shut off and then come back on after a few seconds and then cycling the on/off switch on the pump turns the fans on again

First thought was maybe the over voltage was tripping because of the 12v vs 13v indication but after some research that doesn’t seem quite right. Should be fine to be +/- 1v. And the larger amp rating fine as well
 
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hmm .. does it have a large cap in the line somewhere? if so i would suspect that, or maybe a relay? suspect to .. otherwise, im not sure how the connections look specifically but be sure theyre all clean and tight and try another outlet ... something else id try cuz im a hack haha, is if you know the basic connections first disconnect it to the control side and get a car battery and jumoer that baby directly just to run it a min and loosen it up 😆
 
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The power supply is loosely term 12v. In automotive sense a 12v battery means over 12 volts more like up to 14V while the auto engine is running. Since the CS4 is designed for connecting to a car. It is made to run at 13v or greater. I measured 13 volts with the power supply that came with it. Using only a 12v supply will lower than motors torque compare to what it was designed to run at. IMO that quality of stock power supply isn't the best. Mine shutoff during my 2nd power on cycle, but it hasn't happened again.
 
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dizzums said:
hmm .. does it have a large cap in the line somewhere? if so i would suspect that, or maybe a relay? suspect to .. otherwise, im not sure how the connections look specifically but be sure theyre all clean and tight and try another outlet ... something else id try cuz im a hack haha, is if you know the basic connections first disconnect it to the control side and get a car battery and jumoer that baby directly just to run it a min and loosen it up 😆
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Also not sure on all the connections. I have not opened either of them.

hah yes I checked outlets, fuses, up down all around. Off and on like I’ve been trained by the IT help desk 🤣

I was a little afraid to hook it up to my car since there was an arc from the power supply and I didn’t want to fry my car (no idea if that’s possible but wanted to be safe)
 
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BlackICE said:
The power supply is loosely term 12v. In automotive sense a 12v battery means over 12 volts more like up to 14V while the auto engine is running. Since the CS4 is designed for connecting to a car. It is made to run at 13v or greater. I measured 13 volts with the power supply that came with it. Using only a 12v supply will lower than motors torque compare to what it was designed to run at. IMO that quality of stock power supply isn't the best. Mine shutoff during my 2nd power on cycle, but it hasn't happened again.
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thank you for this insight. It makes sense with what the power supply is rated for from GX and the relation to a car. The quality of stock supply was def a worry especially after seeing the arc from the supply while filling.

any recommendations for a good brand / power supply. Most I’ve found have been 13.8v lab bench power supplies like this one: https://a.co/d/cK0O66Q

I think it meets the specs but also thought that about the last one I bought
 
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Try running it on a car battery with the car running. Does it operate properly/normally?

I'm guessing you over-greased it; not sure if you have had it running long enough to tell, but did it SOUND any different, like it was laboring harder?

I know the CS4 says lube in 6 hours, but GX now recommends 10 hours, and have read somewhere that the E5K series calls for first grease pot turn at 50 hours.
 
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RoflRofl said:
thank you for this insight. It makes sense with what the power supply is rated for from GX and the relation to a car. The quality of stock supply was def a worry especially after seeing the arc from the supply while filling.

any recommendations for a good brand / power supply. Most I’ve found have been 13.8v lab bench power supplies like this one: https://a.co/d/cK0O66Q

I think it meets the specs but also thought that about the last one I bought
Click to expand...
I don't know about the brand, but the specs are more than enough to run the CS4. Set it to 13V.
 
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F6Hawk said:
Try running it on a car battery with the car running. Does it operate properly/normally?

I'm guessing you over-greased it; not sure if you have had it running long enough to tell, but did it SOUND any different, like it was laboring harder?

I know the CS4 says lube in 6 hours, but GX now recommends 10 hours, and have read somewhere that the E5K series calls for first grease pot turn at 50 hours.
Click to expand...
Compared to how it sounds now after cleaning grease from the burst disc area it definitely sounded more strained right after adding grease. I’ll let it go 10hrs this time before adding more as suggested.

Is there any indication (sound/fill time) that could indicate needing more grease
 
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RoflRofl said:
any recommendations for a good brand / power supply.
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Mean Well is a reputable, lower-cost brand. This model will work fine, especially for <$40:

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/MEAN-WELL/LRS-350-12?qs=ah3jBNVE1PRuo5/c9niR6A==

https://www.amazon.com/MEAN-WELL-LRS-350-12-Single-Switchable/dp/B0109IMRPS/

You'll note below that this model's output voltage can be adjusted to your needs.

1717500278661.png
 
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TN_Yankee said:
Mean Well is a reputable, lower-cost brand. This model will work fine, especially for <$40:
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Thank you for the brand recommendation! The supply you listed was only rated for 29A and 350W vs 50Amp and 650W for the supplied one. Is that going to be enough power To run the pump? Everything seems to have a huge fudge factor with these components
 
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Sorry, I didn't think it actually required that much. I've measured mine at home, but now I forget how much it actually used. This model should be plenty, and is $68. The voltage adjustment range is a little smaller, but still fine. Mouser is a good place to order from, with fast & reasonable shipping. A quick glance didn't show this on Amazon, but it may be there as well.

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/MEAN-WELL/LRS-600N2-12?qs=HoCaDK9Nz5fh2VnLGDfmZQ==

1717516493179.png
 
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TN_Yankee said:
Sorry, I didn't think it actually required that much. I've measured mine at home, but now I forget how much it actually used. This model should be plenty, and is $68. The voltage adjustment range is a little smaller, but still fine. Mouser is a good place to order from, with fast & reasonable shipping. A quick glance didn't show this on Amazon, but it may be there as well.

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/MEAN-WELL/LRS-600N2-12?qs=HoCaDK9Nz5fh2VnLGDfmZQ==

View attachment 469929
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600 watts divided by 12 = 54.16666...... I would go0 a step bigger. Shortages in amperage causes overheating. But that's just me. YMMV * Notice the Variable in Voltage. 11.4 -13.2
 
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FWIW - your car battery is capable of several hundred amps output. 450 cold cranking amps for small cars and 800+ for larger trucks.... BUT and it is a large BUT.... your car battery is not designed to give that power for very long. It is recommended that you let the alternator do the work and the battery is used as a buffer between the alternator and the load.

It does sound like you may have over-greased the piston, which greatly increases the resistance inside the pump.

My GX3 pump (250 watts) was able to run on an extension cord with a built in 10 amp breaker. My GX4 needs more than 350 watts to run. I now have it on a 20 amp 110v outlet and I do not use an extension cord.

I suggest that you start your car, hook up the pump and see if it will turn over with nothing attached to the fill fitting. Let it run for 20 minutes under no load to try to push some of the excess grease out.
 
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