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Old 08-04-2011, 08:39 PM   #1
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Red face Onan Generator stops running, seems under load

My husband and I just bought our excellent 2003 Jayco RV. Had it home for a week doing lots of work and clean-up, running the Onan HDKAJ 7.5 Quiet Diesel generator for days. Now all of a sudden the generator stops after about 4-5 minutes. With the AC off, it seems like it goes under heavy load a few minutes in, then shuts off all together a few minutes later. With the AC on, it shuts off immediately.

A few other random new coincidences (or not);
The back slide won't work now
The batteries show 98% when the generator is off, but go down to 35% when it comes on.
You can continue to hear the inverter after generator shuts off (and everything is off)

We haven't been able to get consistent error codes on the generator. First we had 24, then 33, and now 37 - overload. We tested the sending unit sensor and thermostat, both appear to be fine.

We think there must be something drawing significant power, but we don't know what.

Any help will be GREATLY appreciated.
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Old 08-04-2011, 08:48 PM   #2
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Hmmm. At first I was thinking fuel or air filter. Are you at all able to unplug any thing you might think could be a problem and then start plugging one in at a time. Something is /are shot. JMHO
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Old 08-05-2011, 02:22 AM   #3
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As mentioned above, turn off all the circuit breakers. If need be, even the circuit breaker on the generator, if it still dies with the main breaker inside the coach off. Restart generator with no load and run for an extended period to determine if it is load caused or if the generator has internal issue. If the generator runs for 30 minutes to an hour, then, turn on main breakers (Generator if need be) and one at a time, the other branch circuits, starting with the air conditioners and let each one run for 30 minutes before starting up the next one. Let us know what you find.
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Old 08-05-2011, 07:12 AM   #4
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Thanks for the fast responses.

Yes we actually did just that. First we disconnected all of the AC power sources, and it continued to happen to the generator. So we believe it to be a DC power draw.

We've gone down a few different roads because we've gotten a few different Fault codes. It appears now that it is fault code 38:
OVERCURRENT FAULT—CODE NO. 38
(Too many loads connected)
Corrective Action: Reduce the number of appliances running at the same time, especially those with high motor starting loads such as air conditioners. Start up with no load and let the genset run for five minutes to cool down the inverter.
But the problem is, we can't figure out what the load is, so we suspect it is a short circuit?? We are just struggling to figure out how to identify what is causing the power draw, because it is nothing obvious.

I'm going to go get a new temperature sensor for the generator just to verify that isn't the issue.

Thanks again!
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Old 08-05-2011, 01:42 PM   #5
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You should be able to disconnect the converter then repeat your test. You could have bad one. :-(
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Old 08-05-2011, 01:56 PM   #6
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Update:

We replaced the temperature sensor and flushed the cooling fluid and the issue hasn't been resolved. We also have confirmed that the generator is producing power, even when it appears to go under a heavier load, and right up until it shuts off.

At times it appears to cycle higher to lower RPMs before shutting off, like something is putting an intermittent draw on it, until it can't manage it anymore.

Our fault code is still 38 - overload.
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Old 08-06-2011, 04:10 AM   #7
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I am sorry to say this but it sounds like you may have a bad inverter in the generator. You need to have a good qualified technician diagnose and verify or not.
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Old 08-06-2011, 04:53 AM   #8
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The 7.5 QD is known for internal inverter problems. My QD inverter was replace twice. Onan installs rebuilt inverters.
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Old 08-06-2011, 10:49 AM   #9
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Where is this inverter located? I guess I did not know there was such a thing built into the generator.
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Old 08-07-2011, 02:52 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OneRVer View Post
Where is this inverter located? I guess I did not know there was such a thing built into the generator.
Top front area.
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Old 08-07-2011, 04:01 AM   #11
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The Onan QDs generate DC and the internal inverter inverts it to AC.

That's why the engine speed can vary according to the load.

Gasoline generators generate AC and that's why they have to run at a constant speed to maintain voltage and frequency.
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Old 08-08-2011, 03:18 PM   #12
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Thank you both. I never realized there was a difference between the gas and diesel generator. So how does the propane generator provide AC?
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Old 08-08-2011, 03:21 PM   #13
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Constant speed like the gas generator.

AFAIK, only the Onan QD's up to about 10K are variable speed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OneRVer View Post
Thank you both. I never realized there was a difference between the gas and diesel generator. So how does the propane generator provide AC?
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Old 08-08-2011, 05:49 PM   #14
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Well, they say owning a motor home is never boring, right? After days of work and troubleshooting, we said "no harm done by going to get more fuel" so we could eliminate that as a possible reason the genset kept shutting off. And would you believe, now it runs perfectly.

Hindsight, it all makes sense. We have the RV parked in our driveway so we can work on it, which has a pretty steep incline. We raised the jacks so we could move it up to fit the car on the driveway and never put them back down. The tank read just under a half tank, but after days of running it and parked on an incline, it must have just been enough to cause it to shut down.

The good news? We consider ourselves certified diesel mechanics now and could rebuild that generator with our eyes closed. At least we learned something from the ordeal.

Thanks to everyone for your help!
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