 |
Generator Voltage fluctuating 3 to 6 volts
05-20-2010, 07:01 PM
|
#1
|
|
Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 146
|
Just noticed that my Onan 7000 voltage is fluxuating between 114 and 120. What is the problem?
Woodyk
2004 Allegro Bay
__________________
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
|
05-20-2010, 07:51 PM
|
#2
|
|
Moderator Emeritus
Vintage RV Owners Club Texas Boomers Club Oklahoma Boomers Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Cypress, TX
Posts: 11,983
|
First what are you using to read the voltage? If it is an inexpensive meter, I'd not trust it until it was compared to a higher quality meter. Is the fluctuation under load, lightly loaded or no load?
Ken
__________________
Amateur Radio Operator|Practicing for our retirement! 2008 Cameo 35SB3 - 2002 7.3L Crew Cab Dually w/ a SCMT - Max Brake - Travel with one Miniature Schnauzer, one Standard Schnauzer and one small Timneh African Gray Parrot
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
05-20-2010, 10:07 PM
|
#3
|
|
Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Portage la Prairie,Manitoba,Canada
Posts: 613
|
My Onan 6500 propane generator does exactly the same thing.
__________________
Jim Sanderson
1995 Monaco Dynasty 36', 2005 Honda Pilot
Canada, eh? 
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
05-21-2010, 06:26 AM
|
#4
|
|
Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 146
|
I've got a digital multimeter--also the plug in type from Camping World. When under shore power both are steady at 122--when I start up the gen I get the fluxuation--it both reg load and under load. When I first noticed it on the CW monitor I then used my digital to see if it still fluxuated and it did. Thats when I put it under heavy loa turn on my water heater and both AC and it still did the same thing. I was reading somewhere here in irv2 that when the voltage fluxs there was something wrong but I couldn't find it again. Did a search and still for generator voltage fluxuating and still not luck. Any suggestion on what could be the problem. Would like to get it fixed befor my next trip.
Woodyk
__________________
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
05-21-2010, 06:33 AM
|
#5
|
|
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Traveling the lower 48
Posts: 2,450
|
That is not normal and needs to be addressed. If the engine doesn't sound like it is surging higher and lower then I would suspect something related to the voltage regulator.
__________________
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
05-21-2010, 04:01 PM
|
#6
|
|
Community Moderator
Fleetwood Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club Florida Cooters Club
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Silver Springs, FL. USA
Posts: 9,606
|
I agree that is not right. At any given load the voltage should be steady. It will vary a bit from no load to full load, but ought to remain steady at any point in the range.
RMS voltage & frequency both depend on RPMs. The voltage regulator is supposed to adjust engine to produce the right RPMs to deliver the correct voltage and frequency.
__________________
Gary Brinck
2004 American Tradition; 2007 GMC Acadia
Homebase in the Ocala Nat'l Forest near Ocala, FL
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
05-21-2010, 04:36 PM
|
#7
|
|
Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Glendora Ca.
Posts: 823
|
JMHO not a problem.
Mike
__________________
2004 Monaco Monarch
Blueox, SMI, 1990 Wrangler YJ 
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
05-21-2010, 04:48 PM
|
#8
|
|
Moderator Emeritus
Vintage RV Owners Club Texas Boomers Club Oklahoma Boomers Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Cypress, TX
Posts: 11,983
|
The poser should be more steady than that when viewed with a volt meter. Time to get the genny checked at a good shop.
Ken
__________________
Amateur Radio Operator|Practicing for our retirement! 2008 Cameo 35SB3 - 2002 7.3L Crew Cab Dually w/ a SCMT - Max Brake - Travel with one Miniature Schnauzer, one Standard Schnauzer and one small Timneh African Gray Parrot
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
05-21-2010, 05:22 PM
|
#9
|
|
Senior Member
Freightliner Owners Club Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Milledgeville Ga.
Posts: 1,161
|
Digital meters are not really good at checking voltages that change frequently. You need to have a good analog meter or scope to read this correctly.
If the voltage is really changing that much, a good service tech is needed. There's no user adjustments, proper equipment is required. That much change may not harm anything but with todays electronics, I wouldn't take the chance.
__________________
Jerry & Patsy, Taz & Jake
2000 Winnebago Journey
2006 Ford Explorer 4X4
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
05-21-2010, 06:10 PM
|
#10
|
|
Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 741
|
Check for arcing at the slip rings in the pitch darkness of night. There should be none.
__________________
TandW
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
| Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
|
| Display Modes |
 Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
»
Recent Discussions
»
Upcoming Rallies
No events scheduled in
the next 365 days.
|
»
iRV2 on facebook
|
Chevy Camaro Forum
Ford Mustang Forum
Jeep Wrangler Forum
Volkswagen Touareg Forum
Land Rover Defender Forum
