Gen Problem

[John Harrison]

Ok, heres one for everyone to think about. House battery was getting very weak, had to have the engine running to start the Onnan Generator but it would quit after a few minutes. Figured the house battery was dead, yep, .01 volts on the multimeter. Bought a new interstate 8-D to replace to one it there. BUT now the gen won't even turn over unless the RV is running and it just trys and trys but no hit. On just the house battery it will prime but thats all. 

What did I do wrong and how do I fix it??

[Lakota Wolf]

Did you jiggle loose any wires,, besides the battery posts? And an odd question not to insult intellegence,, is the new battery fully charged? Ive bought new batteries before and yes,, they was deader then a door nail.

[John Harrison]

12.99 volts on the new battery with the volt meter. All wires seem tight.

[John Harrison]

Ok, now I feel stupid. Double  checked all the battery connections and found a ground wire that had fell down behind the huge battery. Hooked it up and hooray power to the gen set. Still wont run but cranks like a demon. pulled the fuel line and almost no gas at all when turning over the engine. Ordered a new fuel pump. HOPEFULLY that will cure what ails it. 

[Lakota Wolf]

Glad it was a simple find, them wires can be sneaky lil boogers.

[Jimco_W001]

Hey John, how does your fuel filter look?

[John Harrison]

Ok so now I am getting upset, read Pissed. I have replaced the fuel shutoff solenoid, both fuel filters, the fuel pump and the battery. Gen starts right up runs about 30 min and shuts off. NOW WHAT?? What is left?

[Lakota Wolf]

It sounds like the float in the ole carb.. Realtively common occurance. Fuel bowl getting enough fuel to bark over and run then sputter out. After rereading what you have done,,and quite possibly a callapsing fuel line from the main tank.

[Chuck Borden]

You may want to check the oil level as the Onan's have an automatic shutdown feature if there is not enough oil . and be sure the exhaust is clear as well .