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Old 11-20-2012, 08:12 PM   #15
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I am also from Wisconsin. I concur with the rest, do not start it unless you drive it. I put my motorhome in heated storage for the winter. When I put inside, the batteries are at full charge, then disconnect house batteries and for the chassis batteries, I take the cables off. The chassis disconnect still has some charge going through the batteries even when the disconnect is off. Good luck, Gary
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Old 11-20-2012, 08:35 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr_D View Post
I posed this exact question to Cummins support a few years ago to answer this on another forum.
Basically they said not to bother starting it unless you were going to drive it for at least 30 min at highway speeds. This insured that the engine got hot enough to "burn off" the condensation and get lube to the seals.

I've done the following for over 25 years with our various RV's.
The batteries should be kept charged, but not boil the water off.
The gen should be run for abour 1 hr a month, this heats the coils up enough to burn the condensation off. The condensation is the major cause of generator trouble.
I unplug the rig, start the gen and turn one heat pump to cool and the other to heat, in about ½ hr I reverse them so they each run in both modes.
I guess I'm doing something right as I've never had an engine problem, generator problem, battery problem (got 9 yrs and 11 months out of out last set), or heat pump.
Onan does not recommend starting the generator once a month.
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Old 11-20-2012, 10:28 PM   #17
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Years back before smart chargers, living in MT, CO and MN, we charged our batteries and brought them into a non-freezing area for storage thru the winter.
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Old 11-22-2012, 09:28 AM   #18
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How often do the Dealers start and run the Engine and Generator while the new and used coaches sit on their lot to be sold? I will bet not one will do it. The same for any dealer of any kind of motorized equipment, Boats, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, etc. There is no need to "Exercise" the equipment if put into storage mode per the manufacturers instructions. Keep the Batteries Warm OR Properly charged and you will be OK. My cabin cruiser has been in storage since the fall of 2004. I have decided to sell it and when someone came over this year, It started right up and ran great. I did have to have the looker install the battery as I no longer have the strength to lift it. Battery was on a Battery Minder this whole time. He did not buy so I had to re-winterize it again. Hopefully next year.
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Old 03-29-2013, 07:04 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by Sundancer268 View Post
How often do the Dealers start and run the Engine and Generator while the new and used coaches sit on their lot to be sold? I will bet not one will do it. The same for any dealer of any kind of motorized equipment, Boats, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, etc. There is no need to "Exercise" the equipment if put into storage mode per the manufacturers instructions. Keep the Batteries Warm OR Properly charged and you will be OK. My cabin cruiser has been in storage since the fall of 2004. I have decided to sell it and when someone came over this year, It started right up and ran great. I did have to have the looker install the battery as I no longer have the strength to lift it. Battery was on a Battery Minder this whole time. He did not buy so I had to re-winterize it again. Hopefully next year.
We live in the north and just tried starting our rig because it finally got over 35 and it will not start. We really don't know what to do because our motorhome dealer doesn't deal with diesels....big problem. He had batteries tendered all winter, have a full tank. It started for about 1 minute, only to have my husband jump out for a minute and it stopped, only not to start again.....not a good thing.
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Old 03-29-2013, 07:57 AM   #20
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We live in the north and just tried starting our rig because it finally got over 35 and it will not start. We really don't know what to do because our motorhome dealer doesn't deal with diesels....big problem. He had batteries tendered all winter, have a full tank. It started for about 1 minute, only to have my husband jump out for a minute and it stopped, only not to start again.....not a good thing.
Did you run the block heater for at least 4 hours?

Is the full tank #2 diesel?

If it is and the fuel has gelled, someone may know if you can reverse the process ....I don't as I live in Florida!

You should have diesel truck shops that can answer that question and give you some good advice on how to remedy your situation.


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Old 03-29-2013, 10:13 AM   #21
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Gel (wax formation) of diesel #2 doesn't happen until below 18º F. You can wait until the tank temp comes up a bit, the wax doesn't typically 'melt' again once formed. If it ran for a minute and then stalled, it could be a clogged fuel filter. Just adding an anti-gel at this point would be pointless, you said the tank is full, an additive would have to make it through the fuel line and to the filters to be effective. Plug in block heater and wait for a couple of warm days. If you have a diesel generator, does it work? That would show if it is a fuel gel problem.
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Old 03-29-2013, 10:28 AM   #22
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There is a fuel additive called 911. I never used it myself but have heard of it helping in situations like yours.
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Old 03-29-2013, 10:39 AM   #23
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I agree with BFflinn181. A trick I use on diesel equipment to make the "warm days" come sooner is to aim a Knipco type heater under it but not cose enough to get too hot. Then stack plywood or cardboard around the other three sides to retain most of the heat. Most engines will then start.
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Old 03-29-2013, 11:54 AM   #24
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Originally Posted by FaZzeledSue View Post
We live in the north and just tried starting our rig because it finally got over 35 and it will not start. We really don't know what to do because our motorhome dealer doesn't deal with diesels....big problem. He had batteries tendered all winter, have a full tank. It started for about 1 minute, only to have my husband jump out for a minute and it stopped, only not to start again.....not a good thing.
Hi Sue!
It sounds like it got some air in the system. Do you know what engine is in it?
Most likely the air will need to be bled from the system. With our Cummins 5.9 it is as simple as cracking the injector lines loose, cranking the engine until the outside of the injectors get wet with fuel, and re-tightening the injector lines. Then it will re-start. I am not to far from you if you would ever need help. Hartford, WI.
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Old 03-29-2013, 04:07 PM   #25
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genset exercise

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Originally Posted by bmacrc46 View Post
Onan does not recommend starting the generator once a month.
That's not the way I read it. On page 12 of the RV Generator Set Operator Manual 981-0161 (issue 11) it states.

EXERCISING THE GENSET
"Exercise the genset at least 2 hours each month if use is infrequent. Run the genset at approximately 1/2 rated power. See LOADING THE GENSET (page 10). A single two hour exercise perios is better than several shorter periods. Exercising a genset drives off moisture, re-lubricates the engine, replaces stale fuel and removes oxides from electrical contacts. The result is better starting, mjore reliable operation and longer engine life."

the next paragraph:

STORING THE GENSET
Proper storage is essential for preserving top genset performance and reliability when the genset cannot be exercised regularly and will be idle for more than 120 days.

Not trying to trash anyones point of view. Just pointing out what Onan does recommend. I run my genset for two hours on the first weekend of every month in the winter when it is in storage. Usually two space heaters get the draw up to about 25 amps. I figure the diesel I burn is cheap insurance against a generator rebuild.
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Old 03-29-2013, 07:03 PM   #26
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Hi Sue!
It sounds like it got some air in the system. Do you know what engine is in it?
Most likely the air will need to be bled from the system. With our Cummins 5.9 it is as simple as cracking the injector lines loose, cranking the engine until the outside of the injectors get wet with fuel, and re-tightening the injector lines. Then it will re-start. I am not to far from you if you would ever need help. Hartford, WI.
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Old 03-29-2013, 08:45 PM   #27
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I am in Milwaukee and know the cold weather. Are you sure your chassis batteries are fully charged? Because if not your engines will start, and then stall because there is not enough juice. When you mentioned that it started and then stopped, I am wondering if your batteries are charged. I had a similar problem a couple of years ago, and I was able to start my generator which charged my batteries and had no problems.
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Old 03-30-2013, 10:18 AM   #28
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This is our first year with a class a and live in Wisconsin. We have parked our home on wheels in the drive and plan on starting it periodically. We do have 50 amp installed in the garage for use, but we don't plan on keeping it plugged in, as that would not be good for the water in the batteries I'm told. Being that it goes get really cold here what would be suggested. We had it parked for the past month and started once already, but was a bit hard to start at first. My brother suggested plugging it in for a while before starting, would that help?
Yes batteries were check several times for a green light and that there was water in them, all good that way. Being that we are really new tot this, from what all say it may be the water or air in the line. Also I just found gas was only 3/4 full, also. Well maybe next year we will run it monthly.
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