ACE Generator Stops running - CODE 36

[sanfordturbo]

I worked on the motorhome last night and tried to completely remove the door. You can't just remove the flap. There is a piano hinge that is riveted into the door frame.

The door frame is easily removed though. Just a bunch of screws. So you can't just remove the door flap that opens, you must remove the entire frame and the door stays attached.

I picked up a louvered House A/C return vent from Home Depot. I was planning on installing the thing tomorrow, but if Thor is sending out replacement kits, I'll call them instead.

My main concern is the paint scheme that is on the door. I don't think they are sending out an entire door kit, so they must be sending the vent. My door is warped, so I'm not even sure if the vent i bought or the one they send me will fit flush.

This is stupid.

[DegoRed]

Thor called me yesterday with an update.

Turns out there will be no new door or a louver for our existing door. The fix will just be a heat shield and a protective wrap for the fuel line.

Here is the part numbers for the pieces:
Heat Shield- 0252153
Fuel Line Wrap- 0245385

They do not have any write ups or information for this stuff. These are the parts to ask for when you call.

[Perry White]

If that's there fix, you can kiss the gen goodbye about the time it runs out of warranty. Stick a temp prob in there when it's running. I'd worry more about a fire hazard .

[Towertime]

Originally Posted by DegoRed

Thor called me yesterday with an update.

Turns out there will be no new door or a louver for our existing door. The fix will just be a heat shield and a protective wrap for the fuel line.

Here is the part numbers for the pieces:
Heat Shield- 0252153
Fuel Line Wrap- 0245385

They do not have any write ups or information for this stuff. These are the parts to ask for when you call.

DegoRed, thanks for the info. I sent Thor the following to their "Customer Care" email on their website tonight

I purchased a new Thor ACE August 31st, 2011. I have noticed several times that after I have been running the Genset (Onan 4000) for a long time that it shuts off. The first time was when I brought the unit to Georgia from Alvaredo, Texas where I bought it. It was very hot and I had to run the Genset to keep the coach air on. After several hours the unit cut off. I checked the normal stuff like the oil, fuel level etc. As this has continued to happen any time the coach and unit is run for an extended period of time I had began to wonder if the unit was overheating. Then I found on an RV forum that many other people are having the same issue. Some owners have actully had the Genset door warp from the extreme heat. I am surprised and extremely disappointed that Thor has not contacted the owners concerning this issue. I am understanding that Thor has decided these units need a heat shield as well as fuel line insulation to protect the generator from this issue. From what I have been told, these are parts....Heat Shield- 0252153 Fuel Line Wrap- 0245385. I would like to request these parts be sent to me so that I can install them on my coach. I am also wondering why Thor did not include a vent in the Genset compartment door as it seems that this as well may have helped to correct this extremely important issue. We purchased these units as "self-contained" with the intent we could use the Genset to provide AC and other 110 volt power to the coach when needed. I think Thor needs to "step up" and correct this issue. I await your response.


I'll see how they respond before my next action (I have been known to file complaints against large companies with the BBB....they hate it).

[sscarp]

Originally Posted by DegoRed

Thor called me yesterday with an update.

Turns out there will be no new door or a louver for our existing door. The fix will just be a heat shield and a protective wrap for the fuel line.

Here is the part numbers for the pieces:
Heat Shield- 0252153
Fuel Line Wrap- 0245385

They do not have any write ups or information for this stuff. These are the parts to ask for when you call.

I have filled a complaint with the Ohio attorney general. All of you should do the same. Thor is not even looking at the generator. They want a fix that is based on speculation. As soon as warranty is out we all may be screwed.

[sanfordturbo]

Well that is just wonderful. While we all start our legal battles with Thor in attempts to get what we paid for, I am going to ditch the a/c floor vent louver thingy I purchased and go bigger.

I saw a Scwhans food truck drive by me on the way to work this morning. It appeared to have a generator running the freezer unit with a vented door. Whether or not this is the case, the idea is a pretty good one.

I am going to find this expanded flat steel grate and put it on the Thor motorcoach door. I figure half a dozen bolts and very large flat washers on the inside should do the trick. Paint the entire thing black and it will do the job.

Found this photo on the web. Disregard the dude, the vented door is above him on the truck.

[sscarp]

The quality of this coach is comparable to a Yugo. I have 10 screws missing from my slide, slide mechanism that sounds like marbles rolling around, body molding that what not put on right and cracked, interior trip falling off. The list goes on. If I ever get this generator fixed, I will try to sell this ASAP.

[Moonshine94]

Although this is a serious problem, and I'm not at all discounting the frustration it's causing for those of you who are experiencing it, it still appears to be somewhat isolated. I've read several times that the ACE is the #3 selling coach in the country. Although I don't know what that rank means in real numbers, surely it's in the hundreds??? Sure, there are lots of folks who don't frequent internet forums, and there are other RV forums, but I think it's safe to say that irv2 is the most active RV forum. So far, sanfordturbo, sscarp, DegoRed, and Towertime are reporting Onan overheating. Davinger reported genset shutdown, but them posted that his was due to a faulty oil level sensor, so it appears unrelated to the others. I'm not saying that there's not a design flaw with the cooling, but if there is a design problem it seems like we should be hearing from far more than just four owners. Now, from reading your posts it sounds like ya'll are experiencing Onan failure when you run the genset for several hours while the coach engine is also running. I've got 26 hours on my Onan, but the longest it's been run while I was driving was 1.5 hours. I do have a trip coming up later this month where I'll likely be running the genset for 4+ hours at a time while driving, so I'll certainly be watching to see if I experience the same issue. I dunno', is anyone else wondering why we're not seeing 20, 30, or more owners reporting the same symptoms? I do certainly feel for those who are experiencing the problem, as it certainly detracts from the enjoyment you should be getting from a significant investment like a MH.

[sscarp]

Originally Posted by Moonshine94

Although this is a serious problem, and I'm not at all discounting the frustration it's causing for those of you who are experiencing it, it still appears to be somewhat isolated. I've read several times that the ACE is the #3 selling coach in the country. Although I don't know what that rank means in real numbers, surely it's in the hundreds??? Sure, there are lots of folks who don't frequent internet forums, and there are other RV forums, but I think it's safe to say that irv2 is the most active RV forum. So far, sanfordturbo, sscarp, DegoRed, and Towertime are reporting Onan overheating. Davinger reported genset shutdown, but them posted that his was due to a faulty oil level sensor, so it appears unrelated to the others. I'm not saying that there's not a design flaw with the cooling, but if there is a design problem it seems like we should be hearing from far more than just four owners. Now, from reading your posts it sounds like ya'll are experiencing Onan failure when you run the genset for several hours while the coach engine is also running. I've got 26 hours on my Onan, but the longest it's been run while I was driving was 1.5 hours. I do have a trip coming up later this month where I'll likely be running the genset for 4+ hours at a time while driving, so I'll certainly be watching to see if I experience the same issue. I dunno', is anyone else wondering why we're not seeing 20, 30, or more owners reporting the same symptoms? I do certainly feel for those who are experiencing the problem, as it certainly detracts from the enjoyment you should be getting from a significant investment like a MH.

First,how many owners use this site? Second my dealer blew me off till I forced the issue. How owners have not realized yet. Last the problem is temp depndant, for me have to be at least 95 deg

[DegoRed]

This problem is an intermittent one, that is really hard to encounter.

My first day running my MH down the road, Generator worked for 8 hours straight, zero problems. Why, we were driving on relatively flat ground, no grades and outside temps was 93 degrees.

Second day, Generator ran for 1 hour, then shut off. Why, we were pulling some steep grades, and outside temp was 98 degrees.

Third day, Generator ran for about 10 minutes, then shut off. Why, we were once again pulling steep grades, and outside temp 104 degrees.

Fourth day, Generator ran for about 10 minutes, then shut off. Why, we were once again pulling steep grades, and outside temp was 103 degrees.

Driving YNP to Provo, UT, Generator ran for about 2 hours, then shut off. Why, we were pulling some steep grades, outside temp 88 degrees.

Driving Provo, UT to Bryce Canyon, Generator ran for about 1-1/2 hours, then shut off. Once again, Generator shut off once we started to pull some steep grades, outside temp 95 degrees.

Driving Zion Canyon to Las Vegas, Generator ran entire 2 hours, no problems. There were no steep grades to pull and outside air temp 93 whole way.

The problem to me is directly related to how hard your MH has to run. When we were pulling steep grades, the motor on the MH never gets below 4K rpm's, ours basically stays at 4500 rpm +/- for hours at a time. When the V10 motor is running this high in the rpm band it is turning out some tremendous heat, not to mention this stupid transmission of ours is always hunting for the right gear, so its running hot as well. Then throw in the exhaust system coming off the motor that is also, super hot. There is just too much heat coming off a very confined area, and unfortunately, our Generator is sitting right next to it all without any heat shield.

If someone was just running down the road not encountering a bunch of grades that required the MH engine to work so hard, this issue might not come up very often or at all.

Also, if the outside air temp is not brutally hot, that helps a lot. If you have a good wind that will help move air flow around and under the MH that will help as well.

There are just too many factors that can help to not cause this problem. However, it just blows my mind that there is no heat shield between the MH engine bay and our generators. The heat rolling off the MH engine bay is insane.

[Harlee79]

Just to add to the bunch, Mine quite twice on me last weekend. Once in traffic when it was 105 deg, I was able to start again about 30 mins when back moving on the highway. Second time i was pulling steep grades(105deg) with my toad, and once again after about 30 mins or so I was able to get it started and it ran till i reached my destination. I called and requested the parts and they are on their way. I didn't have any of these issues till the temps got over 100 deg or i was in steep grades with my toad. So probably many folks arn't in those conditions regularly to observe this.

[Moonshine94]

DegoRed and Harlee,

Your explanations make it far easier for me to understand why this problem isn't being reported by a higher percentage of owners. The combination of precipitating factors could certainly make it seem like it's less widespread than it may be. I anticipate similar temps on my upcoming trip (Ft. Worth to Hot Springs to Branson), but I won't have a toad and I don't anticipate any long steep grades. I'll be very curious to see if I experience the problem. Have any of you driven under similar conditions after installing the "fix" parts to see if that cured the problem?

[sanfordturbo]

Found some Schwans truck like metal grate at the HDepot over the weekend. 1'x2'



Painted it all flat black. I'll be using large flat washer on the outside and inside of the door panel.



Getting the door off was straight forward, but tricky. All the screws are on the inside of the frame. Half of the screws were left 1/4 of an inch away from the frame itself. Guess the installer was in a hurry. There is a bead of silicone around the frame where it meets the paint. Used a razor to cut it. The installer also put a bead of caulk down under the frame, so you have to pry the frame out from the MH without bending the frame or screwing up your paint. I think the scoring of the silicone and paint is important so you don't mess up the paint job.



Next up, cutting a hole and mounting the metal grate on the inside of the door. I found some 1/2" edging at HDepot during lunch today to use on the inside of the hole I'm going to cut. I'd like to keep the rounded corner design going, but the plastic edging I picked up is rigid. I may try using a heat gun to soften it up a bit to do rounded corners. I may be stuck with 90 degree corners, but i guess they could be rounded out in the future if I find the right edge trim product. I should cut a smaller opening now and make it bigger if i find the right edging material. http://www.trimlok.com/prod/Fire-Ret...Trims_162.aspx



More pics coming after I cut the opening and install the edging and bolts.

[Harlee79]

Originally Posted by Moonshine94

DegoRed and Harlee,

Your explanations make it far easier for me to understand why this problem isn't being reported by a higher percentage of owners. The combination of precipitating factors could certainly make it seem like it's less widespread than it may be. I anticipate similar temps on my upcoming trip (Ft. Worth to Hot Springs to Branson), but I won't have a toad and I don't anticipate any long steep grades. I'll be very curious to see if I experience the problem. Have any of you driven under similar conditions after installing the "fix" parts to see if that cured the problem?

Haven't gotten the fix in the mail yet, but it was the hills around Branson that did me in, with a toad of course. Good luck.