Generator will not start

[TheJazzMan]

The Onan 12.5kw generator on my '09 Essex died on me and will not start. Here's what happened: I was preparing to leave on a July 4th trip to VT (in the pouring rain) and was running the engine and generator while I connected the toad. The generator had been running for about 30 minutes (cooling down the coach with the AC) and suddenly, it just quit. Since I was ready to take off, I didn't bother restarting it. After returning to my parking spot, I decided to fire up the generator and it did nothing - no click, no lights, nothing. I opened the front cap slide and tried the starter switch on the generator. Again, nothing. I've tried all the remote start switches and none work. The only clue I have is that the remote starter switches are flashing continuously (not a pattern). I read in the Onan operators manual that the light on the starter switch on the generator will flash a pattern to indicate a fault code, but mine isn't flashing and isn't on at all. It's as if there is no battery power to the generator at all or the generator controller board has died. I've checked everything I know to check but can't find anything. Any ideas before I call Newmar and/or make the 50 mile drive to my nearest Newmar dealer? Thanks!

And, now my NAV system/CD player is dead. I'm going to have to make a list...

["007"]

Did you check circuit breakers on Gen and line circuit breakers in your load center for AC's. Your 12v fuses on a fuse panel for Gen pull and reset in fuse holder if they check out ok. One thing common to all is a ground wire to frame of chassis for batteries.

[TheJazzMan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by "007" Did you check circuit breakers on Gen and line circuit breakers in your load center for AC's. Your 12v fuses on a fuse panel for Gen pull and reset in fuse holder if they check out ok. One thing common to all is a ground wire to frame of chassis for batteries.

I've checked all the fuses I know about, but haven't seen a "generator" fuse or breaker. I checked the chassis fuses in the exterior compartment under the driver's seat, the AC breakers and a 12v fuses in the front bathroom and a fuse panel in the shore power cord bay. It sure seems like a breaker/fuse issue, but where might it be?

[Gene & Kaye]

I know you have probably already done this, but just above the switch on the generator is a circuit breaker. Toggle that breaker. If that does not work go to the other side of the generator and there is a plug. Pull the plug apart and see if water entered the plub. If so several pins may have been damaged. These are just two things to quickly check.

[Silversurfah]

I would give Newmar customer service a call they have been great in walking me through several problems like this.

[TheJazzMan]

I talked to Jeff at Newmar yesterday and he didn't have any ideas as to the issue. He said to have a Cummins/Onan service guy look at it.

I want to have one more look before I drive it over to the Onan shop or pay them to come out. Gene, I'll check that plug you mentioned. I also want to check the voltage at the 12v lugs on the back of the generator and I want to try to get the generator to spit out an error code. I watched a video on the Cummins/Onan website that showed how to get the start switch on the generator to blink the error code. I thought it should be blinking the code continuously, but I think you have to press the rocker switch down 3 times (and then wait) to get it to blink the code.

Jeff also gave me another place to look for fuses for the NAV/cd display that quit working. Unfortunately, it's in the shore power bay and I'll have to wear my glasses (very small print) and pull a few fuses to check for a bad one.

["007"]

You have checked the battery cable grounds --- to frame of coach and on batteries from Gen??.

[K-Star]

does your generator have a light on the start/stop switch (mine does)? If so, when you try to start it, does it blink? If it does, count the number of times it blinks and then check the Onan manual. There is a chart in there that decifers the number of blinks to a problem. example: I think four blinks is low oil.

[TheJazzMan]

Here's the latest on the generator. Last week, I drove out to where the coach is parked just to make sure it was OK. As soon as I opened the door, I could hear a clicking noise - click,click,click...click,click,click... The noise was comimg from the instrument panel and the flat tire warning light on the dash was flashing. The only way I could get it to stop was to crank the engine. I then checked the generator. A week earlier, after accidentally running the batteries down, I couldn't get any light on the generator or any error code - it was just dead. Now, it was flashing just like the flat tire warning light was when I arrived. Flash, flash, flash...flash,flash,flash... I got out the generator manual and read that this indicated an error and to get the secondary code, I had to press the stop button. I pressed it, but it just kept blinking. No matter what button I pressed on the generator, it just kept blinking. I left and the next day called the local Onan rep. He said that he'd never seen that before and that I'd have to bring it in for them to check it. The 35 mile drive to his shop caused me to put it off for another week. Yesterday, I visited the coach again and this time when I opened the door the generator start/stop button light was on. I thought, "OK. I'll bite", and pressed it. Click,click,click,rurrr,rurr,rurr,BINGO! It started! I had to sit down. I then let it run for an hour with the A/C units on and it worked perfectly.

So what happened?
When I had the coach stored at the previous location (where I no shore power), I discharged my batteries to the point where I had to use the house battery boost switch to crank the engine and generator. This happened about 3 times in the 2 months I stored it there. I tried everything (except completely removing the battery cables) to keep the batteries from discharging during storage, to no avail. I guess that the generator's controller detected some problem with the batteries and shut itself off. It then refused to start until it was happy with the battery voltage. That process, from the time the generator died to when it would finally start again, took 4 weeks. I'm a little confused, but happy it's running again. I'll cross my fingers and hope that next time I try to start it, the generator will start.

["007"]

With the low batteries the Gen must have detected that condition. If you corrected something in the heavy battery wiring to batteries or to chassis frame the batteries got the recharge from converter and all are happy, plus yourself.
If you didn't correct something in heavy wiring I would just double check to make sure something is not loose.