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Old 04-10-2013, 11:18 AM   #1
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Generator Hour Meter

When I purchased my 2011 Aspect C, the meter said 9.5 generator hours. I ran it some at home and it was up to 12.2 hours but it sure seemed like it was not almost three hours. Anyway, out to the RV today to do some work on the directive receiver and started the generator. Now it said 0.2 hours and when I finished it said 1.2 hours. What happened to cause the meter to reset to zero? When I shut everything down and checked the meter again, it still read 1.2 hours. Is something broke? Is there a way to recover the total hours?

I know I am asking a lot of questions on this forum about this vehicle. That is because 1) I am new to RV'ing; and 2) I don't know where else to ask.

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Old 04-10-2013, 01:07 PM   #2
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These meters are generally tamper proof, you aren't supposed to reset them. Sounds like your's is faulty. Check the generator manufacturer and/or the meter maker and replace it. Sounds like your Generator might have a few more hours on it than you know. An oil and filter change would be in order.
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Old 04-10-2013, 01:23 PM   #3
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I would agree that it appears that something is wrong with your meter. It could be something as simple as a loose wire connection to the back of the meter, or at the generator. A call to Winnebago Customer Service might prove helpful.

Please don't stop asking your questions. You are where we all were at one time. There are tons of knowledgable members here on the forum more than willing to help.
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Old 04-10-2013, 01:24 PM   #4
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Also, I wouldn't worry about asking too many questions - that is what this forum is for. We all had to learn sometime, and some of us are still learning. My grandmother always said "its a good day when you lean something new" and she was right.
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Old 04-10-2013, 03:09 PM   #5
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Please ask as many questions as you like. Someone always learns from another's answers and questions; and you reminded me that my hour meter needs to be changed it does not keep hours either. Thanks for the reminder.
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Old 04-11-2013, 07:40 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cardinal Pilot View Post
When I purchased my 2011 Aspect C, the meter said 9.5 generator hours. I ran it some at home and it was up to 12.2 hours but it sure seemed like it was not almost three hours. Anyway, out to the RV today to do some work on the directive receiver and started the generator. Now it said 0.2 hours and when I finished it said 1.2 hours. What happened to cause the meter to reset to zero? When I shut everything down and checked the meter again, it still read 1.2 hours. Is something broke? Is there a way to recover the total hours?

I know I am asking a lot of questions on this forum about this vehicle. That is because 1) I am new to RV'ing; and 2) I don't know where else to ask.

Ed Hamilton
We used hour meters on all kinds of equioment where I worked. There are several ways to wire an hour meter. The most common way is to record cumulative hours, however they can also be wired to display run time of the current cycle only. Some have a reset circuit to record runtime between maintenance intervals.

Since the one in your motorhome did display some time when you got it it's probably wired for cumulative hours. If it is there's generally either a small battery internal to the meter that keeps the memory active (so it doeasn't return to 0 every time the power is shut off), or a connection to the house or chassis batteries that maintains the memory.

If the memory circuit is powered by the coach batteries you may be loosing the memory if you have battery disconnect switches. If it has an internal battery they usually last about 10 years under controlled temperatures, but far less than that if they are exposed to cold weather.

If you go to the Winnebago website you should be able to find the wiring manuals for your particular year and model motorhome.

Manuals & Diagrams

It should tell you which way the meter is wired, and whether or not it has a memory backup battery.

Unfortunately once the memory is cleared there's no way to recover the total hours the generator was run.
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Old 04-11-2013, 10:49 AM   #7
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Thanks to all who responded. I was told to always turn off the coach battery switch when parked in storage between trips to prevent unnecessary battery run down. Could this be what is resetting the generator hours? I can find nothing on this in the Winnebago manuals that came with the coach nor online at the Winnebago site. I am going out to the RV today to work on the TV and will check if the generator hours reset to zero as I did turn off the battery switch when I was last there.

I did find the Winnebago pn as 175724-01 and the vendor name as Precision Circuits with a pn of 01-10032-100. Unfortunately no further details came on on google searches. Precision has no data on their website for this model, nor does Winnebago.
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Old 04-11-2013, 11:09 AM   #8
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FYI, I've used my batt disc. switches for a long time- there's never been a problem with my hour meters (both the gen. and coach engines). The gen. now registers over 270 hours. It's an interesting problem- I'd like to know what happens.

Thanks
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Old 04-11-2013, 11:14 AM   #9
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Your hour meter should not reset on battery disconnect, I would imagine it has it's own battery to maintain memory. Sounds like your memory battery has failed. You might want to replace it with an old fashioned analog meter to keep accurate track of generator use and service intervals.

You are correct about the use of the battery disconnect switch, there are phantom parasitic draws on the coach batteries, everything from thermostat to CO and LP detectors, clocks, etc. Unless you are putting power into the batteries from shore power or good sized solar array, it's best to disconnect when in storage. Same goes for the Chassis batteries, they can be drained by engine computer, radio, etc.
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Old 04-11-2013, 11:24 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cardinal Pilot View Post
Thanks to all who responded. I was told to always turn off the coach battery switch when parked in storage between trips to prevent unnecessary battery run down. Could this be what is resetting the generator hours? I can find nothing on this in the Winnebago manuals that came with the coach nor online at the Winnebago site. I am going out to the RV today to work on the TV and will check if the generator hours reset to zero as I did turn off the battery switch when I was last there.

I did find the Winnebago pn as 175724-01 and the vendor name as Precision Circuits with a pn of 01-10032-100. Unfortunately no further details came on on google searches. Precision has no data on their website for this model, nor does Winnebago.
Are you reading the hours at a remote meter inside the coach? Most generators will have an mechanical, analog meter on the control panel of the generator its self. See if you have one there.
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Old 04-11-2013, 11:27 AM   #11
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my meter has about 1450hrs and is not digital and is on rotating type numbers and there is not an internal battery ..i have two meters one in the bedroom and one on gen compartment...i have not seen{but never looked reall good} a digital meter on houred equipment....but my coach is old..
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Old 04-11-2013, 11:33 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beenthere
my meter has about 1450hrs and is not digital and is on rotating type numbers and there is not an internal battery ..i have two meters one in the bedroom and one on gen compartment...i have not seen{but never looked reall good} a digital meter on houred equipment....but my coach is old..
It could look like this

Click image for larger version

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Old 04-11-2013, 11:46 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cardinal Pilot View Post
Thanks to all who responded. I was told to always turn off the coach battery switch when parked in storage between trips to prevent unnecessary battery run down. Could this be what is resetting the generator hours? I can find nothing on this in the Winnebago manuals that came with the coach nor online at the Winnebago site. I am going out to the RV today to work on the TV and will check if the generator hours reset to zero as I did turn off the battery switch when I was last there.

I did find the Winnebago pn as 175724-01 and the vendor name as Precision Circuits with a pn of 01-10032-100. Unfortunately no further details came on on google searches. Precision has no data on their website for this model, nor does Winnebago.
Since you now have located the web site for the manufacturer, have you considered sending an email to their tech support?
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Old 04-11-2013, 03:37 PM   #14
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Back to the RV today. The hourmeter was the same as yesterday (new value after running yesterday testing the TV systems - 3.2 hours). So turning the Batt switch off is not erasing the hour meter. Ran gen again today so current value is 3.8 hours - it was 12.2 when I took delivery but I am now concerned that the generator has more hours than that, if it 'forgot' previous saves.

Went to the Onan website and found the generator as specified in the Winnebago records. In the operators manual, i found this:
'The hour meter records genset operating time in hours. It cannot be reset'

There is no generator-mounted hour meter, the referral is to the RV-installed hour meter. There is nothing else about the hour meter.

I have been unable to find any reference to a back up battery to the hour meter, makes me think it is always hot from the coach batteries.
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Old 04-11-2013, 03:50 PM   #15
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Here's a question that I don't think has been asked. What model Onan is this?
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Old 04-11-2013, 04:08 PM   #16
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Also curious as to the year of the RV. I found this hour meter has a 5 year battery. Perhaps using the RV generator the past few days has 'recharged' the internal battery that keeps track of memory. Now the question is, will it sustain the memory over a longer storage period?
If it was me, I'd add an old fashioned analog meter in an out of the way place to be sure I had an accurate hour count. It's not necessary to put the analog in the dash, they often 'click' as the advance the dials and can be annoying.
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Old 04-11-2013, 08:29 PM   #17
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Is this hour meter a analog type or a Digital display?

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Old 04-12-2013, 10:43 AM   #18
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The generator is an Onan micro quiet 4k, model number KY-FA/26100. The hourmeter is part of the system display. While this picture does not display the hours, it is displayed when the generator is running or you press the generator meter button. While I have not yet opened the generator hatch to check, nothing in the manual from Onan says there is an built-in meter.

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Old 04-13-2013, 06:43 AM   #19
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Cardinal Pilot,

Unless you've done so-call Winnebago. This "one place" instrument is their product I believe. Someone there will give you an explanation and you'll at least have a better understanding of what this does. If you still have the owner's packet, there is an expanded product manual along with the owner's manual...see if it's explained there. You're getting closer to the answers so don't give up. Worst case: start keeping a log of the hours run and use the gen. owner's manual for maint. intervals.
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Old 04-13-2013, 07:23 AM   #20
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What is the value on the gen itself there will be a meter on the gennie which will have the correct hrs
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