Community Forums

Towertime · 07-30-2012, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry Joe

Yes, HaRVey is unpainted. The new screened generator door looks stock. As for the people with painted units; Thor should supply you with (and install) a door painted, (with graphics!) identical to your original. The $3K+ paid for paint should ensure that!

The MSRP from the invoice for the full body paint on these units was over $8K!

Harry Joe · 07-30-2012, 06:16 AM

Towertime,
Wow! What I said then....in SPADES!

Moonshine94 · 07-30-2012, 01:58 PM

Received my repair kit today, no door included. Will call Thor tomorrow.

Towertime · 07-31-2012, 02:31 AM

I spoke with Thor today. The Tech actually told me that installing a door wouldn't do any good! Unbelieveable, that installing it per the Onan installation manual wouldn't help. I still can't believe he said that.

Moonshine94 · 07-31-2012, 07:39 AM

And I just got off the phone with Thor. The story I got is that they did the vented compartment doors as an early fix, but then discovered that a vented door was unnecessary once they started using the fuel line insulation. Either way, I figure Thor owns any future genset issues any of us have, since they disregarded the Onan installation guidelines.

Harry Joe · 07-31-2012, 09:11 AM

Moonshine94,
And the melted, bulging door was caused by an uninsulated fuel line? Amazing!

Towertime · 07-31-2012, 09:37 AM

So, if the door was the early fix, why are they still sending them.....just to the owners of unpainted generator doors? Sounds like we need to start wearing boots when we talk to Thor's tech support.....it's getting deep.

Towertime · 07-31-2012, 09:39 AM

Harry Joe, when did you receive the door?

Harry Joe · 07-31-2012, 12:10 PM

Towerline,
I was promised by a Thor tech on July 2nd that it would be sent and got it the week of July 9th. I haven't even run the genset as yet.

Towertime · 08-03-2012, 12:41 PM

So I picked the ACE up from the local Cummins dealer ealier today. To no one's surprise, they were unable to duplicate the shutdown.(In their parking lot with only the Generator running). They have kept it two weeks and ran the generator as much as about 7 hours, but the temps were only around 90 and they didn't have all the extra heat from the engine and transmission as we do on the road. After I got home with it, I called Thor again and this time they agreed to send the heat shield and gas line wrap to the local Camping World so that I can have it installed. I guess we will go from there. I did attempt to run the "Hot Air Recirculation Test" that it calls for in the Onan Installation Manual using a meter that I have with a temp probe. I'm not sure how accuarate the meter is, but it indicated 91F ambient air temperature 4 feet from the generator compartment door and 110F inside the door at the air inlet. The manual says the inlet air temp "must not exceed" the ambient air temp by more than 15 degrees. It also states that if the temperature difference is on the high side of the 15 degree range, it could reduce the maximum genset power output. The tech at the local Cummins dealer also told me that the generatorwill not run if the inlet air exceeds 120F. If I continue to have issues after the heat shield installation I'll either call Thor again or take Sandfordturbo's approach to provide cooler inlet air.

Towertime · 08-03-2012, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DegoRed

OK, my heat shield arrived today. I am really begining to lose faith, maybe what Thor sent will work, but to me, what they sent will do nothing.

Here is the problem the way I see it. Had to crawl under MH to figure it out. On the back of Generator, there is a steel plate that basically sits/runs down the middle of the generator cradle/holder. The plate runs front of MH to rear of MH horizontally and is about 6" wide. There is about a 6" space below this plate and a 6" space above this plate.

To me, the simplest solution would have been to send a whole new plate that runs from the bottom of the generator all the way to the bottom/floor of the MH the width of the generator. This would shield the entire back of the generator from the heat. We could utilize the existing bolts (3 on each side & 3 on bottom), to hold this new plate in place. All one would have to do is unbolt existing plate, replace with new.

WHAT THOR SENT ME, is a 6" plate the will either cover the gap in the bottom or cover the gap in the top, but not both. They sent zero instructions, so one has to use the powers of deduction to assume how the want it installed.

It appears, the plate they sent goes on the bottom 6" based on the break in the metal and holes in the plate. HOWEVER, since heat rises, it would make more sense to install the plate on the top, also, the force of the road wind would force the hot air up as well. Now take common sense out of the equation, where would the break in the metal go if you install it on the top? Does not appear to be any holes that line up with anything on the top?

Cost was not an issue on this piece of sheet metal, the cost of a big piece vs. this small little one they sent is almost the same.

So why did Thor half [moderator edit] this? They also sent no screws, bolts, etc. to attach this with, so guess ill have to wing it.

I may just go down to my local sheet metal shop and have this shield made the way it should have been and send Thor a bill. Sheet metal probably wont cost more than $25.

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DegoRed

Did you ever figure out how the heat shield gets installed? I was hoping someone would post pics of the installation. After talking with the Cummins tech today, I was thinking it might run across the bottom of the generator, separating the fwd section from the aft section since the inlet air goes in on the side of the fwd section and the cooling air exhaust is on the bottom of the aft section. The tech said something about how they sometimes install a shield to keep exhausted cooling air from getting sucked back up into the inlet on coaches that have somewhat low ground clearance.

Moonshine94 · 08-03-2012, 03:43 PM

Mine is at the dealer now having the heat shield and fuel line wrap installed. I'm supposed t get it back either this evening or tomorrow at the latest. I'll post some pics of the install.

Moonshine94 · 08-03-2012, 05:56 PM

OK, picked up my coach. The service writer said the tech's couldn't figure out how the heat shield went on there either, so they called the factory and the factory couldn't tell them how to mount it. Finally, an engineer from the factory called back and instructed them to mount it as shown. It mounts to the floor of the coach, at the very top of the genset. Pics obviously taken from below, and looking from the rear towards the front.

However, as I was still wearing work clothes I did not crawl under the coach to inspect it until I got it home. Where I discovered that they failed to install the fuel line wrap.

Needless to say, the service writer will be hearing from a very aggravated Moonshine when they open in the AM.

Towertime · 08-03-2012, 07:55 PM

So it looks like they are trying to keep the generator from pulling the hotter air from above the Generator into the air intake. I guess we won't know how well this works until we have the unit on the road in the heat. Mine is scheduled to be installed on 08/21 at the local Camping World. I hope this will help.....but don't have much confidence in it. You know what they say, "Hope is not a strategy." I, also would be PO'd they didn't install the fuel line shield!