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08-05-2010, 07:49 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Champion, PA.
Posts: 384
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Onan generator shuts off after 45 minutes.
My 2000 Bounder has a 5500 watt Onan generator. It will run fine forever when the motorhome is stationary. When we are on the road, it will run for about 45 minutes and then shut off. It is then very hard to get restarted. If it restarts, it will run again for a few minutes and then shut off again. I thought at first that it might be overheating, but that doesn't make sense if it will run continuously while stationary. My second thought is that it is running out of gas, possibly because of a vacuum problem when the coach motor is running. I see no change in performance with the coach motor when this happens. Oil and air filter are fine. Thoughts?
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2019 Forest River Berkshire XL40D
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08-05-2010, 07:55 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Howell, New Jersey
Posts: 360
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stump Jumper
My 2000 Bounder has a 5500 watt Onan generator. It will run fine forever when the motorhome is stationary. When we are on the road, it will run for about 45 minutes and then shut off. It is then very hard to get restarted. If it restarts, it will run again for a few minutes and then shut off again. I thought at first that it might be overheating, but that doesn't make sense if it will run continuously while stationary. My second thought is that it is running out of gas, possibly because of a vacuum problem when the coach motor is running. I see no change in performance with the coach motor when this happens. Oil and air filter are fine. Thoughts?
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Are you getting a fault code?
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Tim ,Retired Police Lt. 2002 Winnebago Adventurer+16' Trailer
Harley Road King and Heritage Classic+,Trik-L-start,Hughes Autoformer. Blue Tick Coon hound
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08-05-2010, 08:14 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 4,589
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You don't mention how much fuel you have in the tank at the time the generator quits but it could be the sloshing of fuel while driving put the level of fuel below the pickup tube for the generator and you suck air. It also could explain why it is hard starting since you now have air in the line. The pick up tube could also be a little higher in the tank than normal which makes the problem more pronounced.
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2007 Newmar DSDP 4023
Discovery is seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought.
If you want to see what man made go East; if you want to see what God made go West.
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08-05-2010, 08:48 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Solo Rvers Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: S. Texas
Posts: 272
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with mid summer heat (and poor ventilation) it could be simple vapor lock
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Bryan. 2000 Georgie Boy Pursuit.
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08-05-2010, 10:56 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Champion, PA.
Posts: 384
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To answer some of the replies...It will do it no matter the fuel level. I am aware that most motorhomes will not allow generator operation if the tank is below 1/4. It will even do it on flat highways with a full tank. Also, I am not aware of any fault codes. How do I check those?
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2019 Forest River Berkshire XL40D
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08-05-2010, 10:59 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Champion, PA.
Posts: 384
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Could it possibly be something with the gas cap not allowing enough ventilation, causing vaporlock?
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2019 Forest River Berkshire XL40D
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08-05-2010, 11:02 AM
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#7
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Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 41
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Had same symptoms with a bad fuel pump. Replaced it and all was OK. It was also an Onan 5500. It is not hard to replace, it is under the generator. It looks almost like a filter but has two wire going into it.
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2007 Winnebago Voyage 33V
Toad - 2008 Saturn Aura
Southern Maryland
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08-05-2010, 03:26 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Idaho
Posts: 194
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How about oil level, checked it? I have an older Onan (1996) in my RV and was driving mountain roads with the generator on to run the A/C and it generator would die and I would have to restart it. It did this several times then I noticed it would only die while I was on an incline then it dawned on me that there is a low oil switch that shuts the generator down when it reaches a low oil level. On the next stop I checked the level and sure enough it was low, added oil and it ran fine the rest of the trip.
Ron
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2013 Winnebago Aspect 27K
Lives in South Western Idaho
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08-05-2010, 03:28 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Idaho
Posts: 194
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Opps, I just read your post again and noticed that you indicated that "oil and filter are fine". Sorry.
Ron
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2013 Winnebago Aspect 27K
Lives in South Western Idaho
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08-05-2010, 03:37 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Champion, PA.
Posts: 384
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No problem, I appreciate any help that I can get on this one. We will be traveling in the heat this Sunday and I will need the generator to power the roof air in addition to the dash a/c.
__________________
2019 Forest River Berkshire XL40D
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08-06-2010, 07:49 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: ...East Texas
Posts: 5,325
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Fault code will be a sequence of "blinks" of the lighted start switch immediately after an unplanned shut-down. It helps if you read about them in the manual first o you understand what kinds of sequences to look for.
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Paul (KE5LXU) ...was fulltimin', now parttimin'
2022 Coachmen Leprechaun 319MB
towing 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
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08-06-2010, 11:02 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 328
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If you have had this problem since you owned the coach, you might consider heat from the engine muffler system causing an overheat problem with the generator fuel line and vapor lock. Check the fuel line to the gen and it's closenest to a heat source created with the engine running. Try insulating the gen gas line.
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2005 30' Rexhall Vision, W-22 chassis, 19.5 tires, 208'' factory WB, 6000 CCC
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08-11-2010, 11:43 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Champion, PA.
Posts: 384
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Well, on the 600 mile trip home from our vacation, I loosened the gas cap on the motorhome and tried running the generator while traveling that way. Strangely enough, the generator ran smoothly the whole time and did not shut off. Do you think that I just need a new gas cap or is this a symptom of a weak fuel pump like someone had earlier suggested?
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2019 Forest River Berkshire XL40D
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08-11-2010, 11:59 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: ...East Texas
Posts: 5,325
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I would suspect the fuel pump. BUT, a new gas cap is cheaper than a new fuel pump and might be worth a try...
__________________
Paul (KE5LXU) ...was fulltimin', now parttimin'
2022 Coachmen Leprechaun 319MB
towing 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
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