Onan 8000 diesel generator

[Ann n Gene]

Well OP, I just traded off a unit with an 8K Onan genny that had over 1600 hrs on it without a single problem, ran great and the only expense for for oil and filter changes. NOW, I have a 2011 12.5K Onan and it had to go to the shop with about 35 hrs on it as a $17 relay went bad and it would not start. So........we shall see which experience is the "real Onan". Bottom line, every manufactures has some problem units and when that number gets too high they have real pr problems, depending on how they handle the problem. The biggest indictment of Onan for me in the OP is the way Onan treated the problem and did not step up to the plate to fix and obivious problem in a supplier's controller boards. all just my opinion

[MONGO MAN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rv.guru Well Bob why is that a roof top heat pump will work just fine till ambiant reaches 40 degrees? On a house unit they work at 10 below zero jusr fine, do you know something i dont????

Your home heat pump usually has about a 50 Watt electric heater to keep liquid refrigerantout of the compressor & ruin the compressor (when operated in cool weather)-Generally a liquid cannot be compressed!

[MONGO MAN]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tourist2007 Don't buy an Onan generator - you'll regret it! I bought my 2007 Winnebago Tour equipped with an Onan 8000 diesel generator in May of 2007, even though I wouldn't start full-timing until the end of 2009. I was very conscientious about exercising the generator at least once every month for at least two hours, even using a hair dryer on the temperature sensor to force the air conditioner to come on in the cold Iowa winters. In May of 2009, with only 65 hours on it, the generator failed, with three weeks left on the warranty. The issue was the inverter/controller, the "brain box" of the unit. I had the repairs made at a Cummins/Onan dealer in Des Moines, Iowa, and the warranty covered the entire $2254.64 bill. All was well until September, 2010, when I was driving in south Texas and running the generator to power the air conditioner. The generator suddenly died. At this time it had only 159 hours on it! As I was in the South for the winter and knew I would have shore power, I decided to wait until I returned to Iowa to have it looked at. When I took it back in in April, 2011, I was advised that the INVERTER/CONTROLLER had FAILED AGAIN!!! So it ran for fewer than 100 hours on a $2250+ repair before needing the EXACT SAME REPAIR done again! The dealer apparently felt some sympathy for my position and offered to credit $500 against the estimated $1800 cost of the repair. (Why it was less the second time, I do not know.) They said if I was not happy with that, I could contact Onan directly. I paid $1148.15 to get my coach, then called Onan and talked to the customer service rep. He took my statement and passed the claim on "up the chain." A few weeks later Onan offered to reimburse me $250 provided I agreed to hold them not liable for anything ever again, no matter what, and not tell anybody anything about their "generosity." I declined that offer so that I could warn others of this product and its shortcomings, and of the way the company treats its customers. My conclusion is that the generator and repair parts for it are shoddily made and outrageously priced. I have no expectation that this third inverter/controller will last any longer than the previous two. When it fails again, I'm replacing it with a Honda. The bottom line is to expect to pay about $13 for repairs for every hour you use your Onan generator, including those hours spent exercising it. Don't expect any kind of consideration or compensation from this company, as you are bound to be disappointed. My advice to my fellow RV'ers is: Don't buy an Onan generator, or an RV equipped with one. You'll pay the price time after time and regret your purchase until you replace your generator with a reliable brand from a company that stands behind its products.

A exact replacement for the onan is available from GENERAC $8500 - 8.5kw 40 amp output only 100 lbs heavier but is a true single speed generator that can also be rewired for 220v.More fuel efficent also.It is available on Forest River diesels as standard - the onan (more problematic) is a option .

[Gary RVRoamer]

I've got almost 1900 hours on my 8 year old Onan QD 7500. Had its first problem this spring when the wires pulled out of the governor module. Expensive to replace the module ($500) but the genset runs fine once again.

[N6CUS]

I have the Onan 8000 with almost 600 hours and never had a problem. I change oil and clean exhaust thingy every 100 hours along with the air cleaner and fuel filter every 200 hours,

[vito.a]

My last trailer came with a Honda 5000W generator. It burned up the voltage regulator with less than 100 hours on it. They repaired it under warranty and a year later it burned up the voltage regulator again, but this time it was out of warranty. I paid to have it repaired and less than 6 months later it started messing up again. We would be sitting there and the lights would suddenly get brighter. I could shut it down and restart it and all would be fine for a few minutes and then the voltage would start climbing again. I used to have my Dad watch it and shut it down when the voltage started climbing (He hated this!). Then one day it just went crazy and the voltage pegged the meter and smoke was coming out of it before we could shut it down. It completely fried the stator. A new stator was over $1000 from Honda. I wrote them a letter and included the receipts for previous repairs. They were nice and agree to pay 50% of the repair. When I picked it up they put it on a load test to demonstrate it and all looked good. A few days later the lights suddenly got brighter as it was running. I removed it from the trailer and traded it in on a new Onan 5000W generator. The Onan was quieter and had less vibration and never failed on us for the time we owned the trailer. I am not a fan of the larger Honda generators.