Onan genset question...

[gogators]

On my '05 Itasca, the gas generator will only start when disconnected from shore power. When on shore power, the generator only makes a clicking noise like a starter sounds when the battery is low. I can't find anything in the manual regarding this issue and, frankly, it's not a huge problem since the generator is normally not run when on shore power. Howerve, it seems that earlier the genset would start when on shore power (Although I'm not sure about that...). Any one have any thoughts about this?

Thanks,

Larry

[LonBoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gogators On my '05 Itasca, the gas generator will only start when disconnected from shore power. When on shore power, the generator only makes a clicking noise like a starter sounds when the battery is low. I can't find anything in the manual regarding this issue and, frankly, it's not a huge problem since the generator is normally not run when on shore power. Howerve, it seems that earlier the genset would start when on shore power (Although I'm not sure about that...). Any one have any thoughts about this? Thanks, Larry

Larry its supposed to not work when you plug in .The sound you hear is probably a relay keeping the starter from turning over if it ever ran with the shore power Im sure not sure why it would, but it should not so its working correctly.
You might be having trouble with the transfer station if it started before.

[hamguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonBoy Larry its supposed to not work when you plug in .The sound you hear is probably a relay keeping the starter from turning over if it ever ran with the shore power Im sure not sure why it would, but it should not so its working correctly. You might be having trouble with the transfer station if it started before.

My '02 Suncruiser works very well with shore power or battery. Perhaps they designed backwards between '02 and '05. Of course, I do have a transfer switch in my rig. In fact, I am on shore power right now preparing for a weekend in the desert and the generator is running quite nicely.

[John Hilley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonBoy Larry its supposed to not work when you plug in .The sound you hear is probably a relay keeping the starter from turning over if it ever ran with the shore power Im sure not sure why it would, but it should not so its working correctly. You might be having trouble with the transfer station if it started before.

On all the Winnebago and Itasca models with transfer switches that I am familiar with, you can run the generator while on shore power. Have you unplugged and tried it?

[cardiffman]

On my '06 Adventurer and my past motor home, the gen set will not start when the shore power is attached. I suppose it begs the question: Why would you need generator and shore power at the same time? The transfer switch selects the source and defaults to shore power when it is available. Gen is secondary.

[John Hilley]

The transfer switch doesn't control any thing. The source controls the transfer switch. Usually it is set up to default to shore power. If you start the generator, voltage from the generator pulls in the coil and transfers the generator output to the SE panel, shut off the generator and the coil drops the contacts back to shore power.

[wackodacko]

In my 04 itasca horizon, i can start the generator even if im connected to shore power. sometimes i do this to see how many amps I'm running. If youre on shore power, it wont show you