Auto gen start mystery

work2play · 12-31-2008, 10:39 AM

I got a call today from the guy where I store our MH and he said our generator was running. The Coach was locked and there was no evidence of anyone in it. We have a 2003 34 FDDS and as far as I know we DO NOT have an auto start. The Coach is plugged in all of the time so i do not believe any of the batteries should have been low. Has anyone seen a problem like this where your generator starts on its own? I cannot think of any logical reason as to why this would have occurred.

work2play · 12-31-2008, 10:39 AM

I got a call today from the guy where I store our MH and he said our generator was running. The Coach was locked and there was no evidence of anyone in it. We have a 2003 34 FDDS and as far as I know we DO NOT have an auto start. The Coach is plugged in all of the time so i do not believe any of the batteries should have been low. Has anyone seen a problem like this where your generator starts on its own? I cannot think of any logical reason as to why this would have occurred.

**"007"** · 12-31-2008, 10:56 AM

work2play maybe you will find your answer in this LINK.

dgerstel · 12-31-2008, 11:32 AM

If you do have AGS, there is an "exercise" function that will start the generator at set intervals for just that purpose.

Old Scout · 12-31-2008, 01:33 PM

Think Autogen starter(AGS) in the 2003 depends on whether you also have a residential refrig??? If you do have a resid. refrig and therefore, an AGS; you also have an AGS function built into your heat pumps [it appears as you go between zones on the thermostat]. If your resid. refrig didnt call for AGS based on low batteries, or your heat pumps didnt call for AGS based on a high/low temp setting, then I'd have to vote for a generator gremlin.....
PS-- dont think the 2003 AGS version has an "exercise" function.

Dave Fernandez · 12-31-2008, 01:37 PM

I had the same problem with my 2001, it happened once in December 2002, while we were away and again in 2005 while I was in the coach.

It has also happened to another Alpine owner once that I know of. No one has found the Gremlin yet although many suggestions on where to look.

I had even talked to WRV and Onan over the years and they had not yet come up with probable cause only suggestions.

It is still a mystery and I was told that since it happens so infrequently that I might never find the problem/cause.

It was even suggested that a Rat or a cat may have started it while sitting on the generator. I don’t think that an animal would sit around while it is priming /heating the air and cranking to a start.

Sorry I could be of no better help.

**Route 66** · 12-31-2008, 02:29 PM

Several of our members have had this problem.

There are several threads on this, but THIS THREAD points out the wet/damp connector problem that was the cause of many self starts.

bthomforde · 12-31-2008, 06:43 PM

I had this happen on a 2001 Journey we used to have, I put dielectric (sp?) grease in the main wire harness plug on the Onan and it never happed again while we owned it.

Dale777 · 12-31-2008, 06:51 PM

work2play,

When I had a 2001 Alpine Coach, the genset autostarted once. It did not have the AGS feature. The autostart occurred shortly after I had parked the coach at an RV park. Just prior to parking it, I had driven 200 miles with the dash air conditioner running. According to Onan, they suspected that the dash air conditioner condensed water which ran down inside the genset onto the circuit board which caused the autostart. Onan told me to tape a piece of high-heat reflective tape across the seam at the top, front of the genset to keep the condensation out. No problems after that. I continue to use the same taping method on my 2006 Alpine Coach.