Community Forums

deandec · 11-07-2020, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cataska

yes but try 19 qt or more i would not change at 29 hrs

Wow! Does your generator require 19 quarts? It must be huge.

The key to "needing" to change the oil is knowing the TBN score of the oil in the generator.

You can get that by submitting for a sample test.. But, that will cost about $40 so probably not worth it for any oil quantity.

Although, I do receive the TBN as a $10 upscaling of oil testing for my engine and transmission fluids. The other results of my oil testing are more critical to my old rig.

Unplanned Tourist · 11-07-2020, 06:09 PM

I'm a 2 year guy. Change every 2nd year, or when hours/mileage add up.

The thing about gensets is some people don't run them long and hard enough to evaporate all the moisture that can build up inside the engine. That will kill it faster than old oil that's still got life left in it.

ArtJoyce · 11-07-2020, 06:24 PM

Im in the same boat. We put a lot on miles om the MH, but not a lot of hours on the Gen. Maybe 30-35hrs.

My thoughts is when I change the cummings 18 quarts, 2 quarts of the same oil and filter not a big deal for Onan genny. But maybe just 1.75 quarts and no filter, or maybe skip it???

Gary RVRoamer · 11-08-2020, 10:17 AM

Changing the oil on my Onan 7500 is only 3 quarts, but I would also change the filter if I changed the oil. The whole process takes me about 1.5 hours by the time I get my stuff together, drain & refill, then clean up. Plus disposing of the oil later. Not a huge or expensive chore by any means, but not much risk in extending the change interval either. I believe in maintenance, even preventive maintenance in some cases, but I'm not paranoid about it either.

SuperD · 12-08-2020, 12:01 AM

I'd drain and refill the oil, leave the filter alone. No worries!

timjet · 12-08-2020, 04:55 AM

I change the oil because it is recommended by the manufacturer. The oil is probably fine and if such little use it probably does not extend the life of the motor. But if you have a record of doing it as per specs, when you go to sell the coach that will impress anyone thinking of buying it.

stew1 · 12-08-2020, 09:36 AM

Hours are yearly witch ever comes first have over 2000 hrs still running great

David 70 · 12-08-2020, 11:03 AM

Question for those running their genny every month while in storage. Do you put a load on it as specified, if so how, or do you just let it run. Just running it with no load seems counter productive to me.

Outbound · 12-08-2020, 11:11 AM

No I would not.

96 Wideglide · 12-08-2020, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David 70

Question for those running their genny every month while in storage. Do you put a load on it as specified, if so how, or do you just let it run. Just running it with no load seems counter productive to me.

Yes!

I run the 3 heat pumps, and my Aqua Hot system on electric.

Mudfrog · 12-08-2020, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David 70

Question for those running their genny every month while in storage. Do you put a load on it as specified, if so how, or do you just let it run. Just running it with no load seems counter productive to me.

Ours is 4000 watts. I normally run the air conditioner in warmer outside temperatures and use a 1500 watt electric space heater in cold temps to put some load on the genset. This is close to half the maximum load rating but I feel it suffices for 80% of the runs.

To really load things up the other 20%, I'll run ac and the space heater at the same time. It probably doesn't hurt anything but I dislike running the ac in really cold temps. At these times I sometimes use the heater along with a handheld 1200 watt hair dryer to bring load up.

Oil change has always been once a year for me since hours are low and the manual calls for it. However, being over 17 years old, I'm thinking I may start going longer between changes. It's easy to change but at the same time, I've just about come to the conclusion that it's probably not needed..

arcaguy · 12-08-2020, 11:42 AM

Just something to put things in perspective. 100 hours on a genny is close to the equivalent of 6,000 miles on a car engine (60 mph x 100 hrs) or maybe a little more if you use 70 mph. My point is that's about the same interval as a car. As to the 29 hours. If you are using synthetic oil vs dinosaur juice I think the interval could be stretched to 2 years without a problem. There are jet engines where the recommended oil change interval is never, you just add an additive package so the base oil seems not to wear out, the additives do. This is one of those things that will always have adherents to both sides of the issue so you have to make up your own mind. At the end of the day, much like your coach, you will probably never put enough time on the genny to wear it out.

ArtJoyce · 12-08-2020, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David 70

Question for those running their genny every month while in storage. Do you put a load on it as specified, if so how, or do you just let it run. Just running it with no load seems counter productive to me.

I do it with a load. I store Alice our MH in a barn that is about 8 miles from the house. I turn off the master switch on the house and chassis batteries.

Every week or two we check on Alice, check the rodent bait stations and check the voltage of the batteries. If the batteries drop to 12.1 volts. I start the generator to charge the house and I plug in a very good battery charger to charge the chassis. I run it for about 1/2 hour and at which time I run the furnace for my warmth.