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Old 08-05-2006, 05:31 PM   #1
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On our way home from Sevierville, our Onan began cutting off when we were making turns. At first it seems to have happened on left turns, but later on right turns also, and even at nearly stopped speeds. Occasionally it would quit during straight-line heavy braking action, too.

The generator is on the street side and I assume the gas feed is on that side of the tank. If that's true, I can understand left turn problems that might push the gas toward the curb side. But I don't understand the right turn problem, especially at very slow speeds, such as making a turn at an intersection from a full stop. A few times it even quit on curving roads.

I could immediately restart it with the switch on the dashboard, and it would run well until another turn or brake incident. Occasionally the main or A/C breaker would open, but I'm convinced that was caused by trying to restart the generator too quickly after it quit, before the A/C could relax its pressure. If I waited a couple of minutes after it quit, it would restart with no breaker problem. The brand or quality of gas didn't seem to be a factor, since it happened from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, through Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The level of gas in the tank also did not seem to be a factor since it would happen with a full tank or after 300 miles on a tank.

Any ideas?
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Old 08-05-2006, 05:31 PM   #2
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On our way home from Sevierville, our Onan began cutting off when we were making turns. At first it seems to have happened on left turns, but later on right turns also, and even at nearly stopped speeds. Occasionally it would quit during straight-line heavy braking action, too.

The generator is on the street side and I assume the gas feed is on that side of the tank. If that's true, I can understand left turn problems that might push the gas toward the curb side. But I don't understand the right turn problem, especially at very slow speeds, such as making a turn at an intersection from a full stop. A few times it even quit on curving roads.

I could immediately restart it with the switch on the dashboard, and it would run well until another turn or brake incident. Occasionally the main or A/C breaker would open, but I'm convinced that was caused by trying to restart the generator too quickly after it quit, before the A/C could relax its pressure. If I waited a couple of minutes after it quit, it would restart with no breaker problem. The brand or quality of gas didn't seem to be a factor, since it happened from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, through Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The level of gas in the tank also did not seem to be a factor since it would happen with a full tank or after 300 miles on a tank.

Any ideas?
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Old 08-05-2006, 05:51 PM   #3
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Sounds like the generator carburator float may be set too low, or carb not getting enough gas for some other reason ...not enough gas in the chamber and the engine starves out when the little bit of gas is pushed to one side or end??
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Old 08-05-2006, 06:03 PM   #4
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Fuel filter?

Thudman
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Old 08-06-2006, 02:03 AM   #5
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by AFChap:
Sounds like the generator carburator float may be set too low, or carb not getting enough gas for some other reason ...not enough gas in the chamber and the engine starves out when the little bit of gas is pushed to one side or end?? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'll second that and add it is probably time to clean that 11 year old carborator and change the filter. Fuel pump could be getting tired or pickup in tank could be getting clogged also.

Regards,
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Old 08-06-2006, 02:15 AM   #6
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This happened to us when doing a crossing over the Blue Ridge mountains on a very curvy road. Once on flatland, it worked fine. Dealer's diagosis (really a guess since it never did it again ) is that it was the low oil safety switch activating as the oil sloshed around. Oil level was fine but there is room for it to slosh.
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Old 08-06-2006, 04:04 AM   #7
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I would go with the fuel filter first. Sounds like it is restricting fuel to you carb. Easiest place to start.
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Old 08-06-2006, 05:47 AM   #8
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Check the oil level first.

Shutting down under load (while powering the AC for example) is very bad for the generator. Would account for the tripped breaker and WILL kill the voltage regulator in fairly short order.

Let us know what you find.

Had a customer who was having the same problem, she wadded up some tape to hold down the start button to keep it running. It was a low oil level issue and eventually she ended up buying a new engine for her generator, a 17.5kW PowerTech to the tune of around $6k.
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Old 08-06-2006, 06:11 AM   #9
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Come to think of it, last year when I did a cleanup on the generator, replacing some parts, cleaning others, the fuel filter I had bought was the wrong one. I don't think I ever replaced it. We have a short trip scheduled this next weekend, so before that I'll check the oil level, replace the fuel filter, shoot some carb cleaner down it's throat, be sure the air filter is clean, and see if that helps. If not, I'll dig deeper after the trip.

Thanks for all the good responses. The generator is a vital part of our system since we run a variety of medical equipment enroute. I'll report back later.
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Old 08-07-2006, 01:38 AM   #10
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Don't know if this applies to Onan, but I had a similar problem with a Generac. It had a low oil cutout switch. When the oil level was low, it would stall the generator on left turns.

Check your oil level.
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Old 08-07-2006, 03:05 AM   #11
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Is there a run circuit or a cutoff circuit in your unit? One of the wires may be open or shorted.

I used to have a Class-C that would do that once in awhile, and the only way to get it to start again was to open and then slam shut the compartment door (don't get me started on how I learned how hard to slam it! ). Anyways, finally turned out to be a 12v wire that was just barely making contact most of the time, but sometimes it would separate inside the insulation/connector and open up. Slamming the door jarred it enough to make contact again ... til the next time.

Thanks!
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Old 08-08-2006, 04:27 AM   #12
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I found the oil was down over two quarts. Now I must add generator checks to my pre-flight engine checks. Hopefully I didn't do any permanent damage. I have the fuel filter ordered and have cleaned the air filter. Will shoot the carb cleaner in today but it ran well yesterday for a half hour in the driveway.
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Old 08-14-2006, 04:05 AM   #13
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The generator ran well on our weekend trip, but has a raucus sound when it is cranking. It takes longer to start than it used to (maybe 5-10 seconds), but it sounds ok when it is running. Is there something I can do short of a trip to Cummins South to quiet the noise during cranking, or am I living on borrowed time before replacement or major repair?
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