Community Forums

ualdriver · 07-06-2017, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheClark

2012 Thor ace 29.1

We are traveling through eastern Oregon and Nevada in a couple weeks

I looked underneath and do not see any heat shield on the fuel line nor any heat shield near the generator and there is no vent in my door

I plan to take it for a test drive this weekend with the generator running

However after reading all these threads about the generator overheating I'm concerned we will have issues

I would be concerned. I owned a 2011 Fleetwood Storm with the 4000 series generator (like you have). I had the auto-shutdown problem described on the Thor thread, and it shut down right when we needed it- when it was hot, humid, and the dash air conditioning wasn't keeping up with the heat to keep the house cool.

Fleetwood recommended the installation of a vent on the exterior of the generator compartment along with a small length of ducting so that the generator could suck cool air from the outside of the rig instead of stagnant, hot air between the fiberglass body, ground, and chassis. They also recommended putting a "T" fuel line between the fuel pump and the carburetor so that the fuel would circulate better, helping eliminate vapor lock. The last, and I believe most successful solution was to put a second fuel pump in line with the generator fuel pump. If I remember that Thor thread correctly, there was a guy there that had the second "in series" pump on an on/off switch. When his generator died, he turned the second "in series" pump on and the generator started right back up again and kept running.

I sold my RV with the mods before I could test the compartment vent/ducting and the fuel line "T," so sorry don't have anything to report as far as the first two steps being effective.

TheClark · 07-09-2017, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ualdriver

I would be concerned. I owned a 2011 Fleetwood Storm with the 4000 series generator (like you have). I had the auto-shutdown problem described on the Thor thread, and it shut down right when we needed it- when it was hot, humid, and the dash air conditioning wasn't keeping up with the heat to keep the house cool.

Fleetwood recommended the installation of a vent on the exterior of the generator compartment along with a small length of ducting so that the generator could suck cool air from the outside of the rig instead of stagnant, hot air between the fiberglass body, ground, and chassis. They also recommended putting a "T" fuel line between the fuel pump and the carburetor so that the fuel would circulate better, helping eliminate vapor lock. The last, and I believe most successful solution was to put a second fuel pump in line with the generator fuel pump. If I remember that Thor thread correctly, there was a guy there that had the second "in series" pump on an on/off switch. When his generator died, he turned the second "in series" pump on and the generator started right back up again and kept running.

I sold my RV with the mods before I could test the compartment vent/ducting and the fuel line "T," so sorry don't have anything to report as far as the first two steps being effective.

Awesome thank you

Yes it happened multiple times already this trip.

Temps are over 100 and we are pulling grades. Every grade it is dying and won't start back up for a long time.

Going to try the fuel pump fix you suggest, I brought one with just in case.

Much appreciated

triplewide · 07-10-2017, 03:09 AM

I have not had any generator shut down issues yet. From the threads I have seen, the additional fuel pump seems to have solved most issues. In some cases the gen sets were also relocated from the forward compartments toward the rear. More recently people have added intake grills with boots to the compartment doors to help separate generator's intake and exhaust air paths. Newer units with the 4K Onan come from the factory with this type vent now.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f121/ace-...ml#post3313708

If your shut down issues are happening on grades it could be related to your oil level shutdown. The 4K Onan has been reported to be very sensitive to oil levels. Some were able to solve the issue by making sure oil levels were correct.

When you are pulling grades you are probably pumping more fuel to the engine. I wonder if the engine pump is competing with the generator pump.

Hope you find the solution soon. Traveling with only dash AC is not fun in hot weather.

TheClark · 07-17-2017, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by triplewide

I have not had any generator shut down issues yet. From the threads I have seen, the additional fuel pump seems to have solved most issues. In some cases the gen sets were also relocated from the forward compartments toward the rear. More recently people have added intake grills with boots to the compartment doors to help separate generator's intake and exhaust air paths. Newer units with the 4K Onan come from the factory with this type vent now.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f121/ace-...ml#post3313708

If your shut down issues are happening on grades it could be related to your oil level shutdown. The 4K Onan has been reported to be very sensitive to oil levels. Some were able to solve the issue by making sure oil levels were correct.

When you are pulling grades you are probably pumping more fuel to the engine. I wonder if the engine pump is competing with the generator pump.

Hope you find the solution soon. Traveling with only dash AC is not fun in hot weather.

Thanks! So true, the family was not happy as we had several outages. Every night at camp when possible I tried a new experiment.

First was a vent
Then a vent boot
Finally a booster fuel pump way back by the gas tank.

The booster fuel pump did the job, two days running with no stops!

Appreciate the info!

Ronbearce36 · 08-27-2021, 10:00 AM

I have a 2006 Damon Daybreak. Now generator runs great but noticed this last weekend when running it seems to be blowing heat out of floor vents? Do not have furnace or heater on? Any ideas will help? Thank you 😊

deputydog · 08-27-2021, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waiter21

The vents point backward so they will tend to suck air out while traveling.
These are stainless watercraft vents (skidoo or something) . You can also get plastic and paint them. I got them on e-bay. the link is in the article.

I'd be a bit concerned doing something like that as it could possibly affect the designed airflow of the generator cooling system and thus actually make the generator internals run hotter while the compartment was cooler. Airflow is a tricky thing.

triplewide · 08-27-2021, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronbearce36

I have a 2006 Damon Daybreak. Now generator runs great but noticed this last weekend when running it seems to be blowing heat out of floor vents? Do not have furnace or heater on? Any ideas will help? Thank you 😊

Wow. that's a new one!

No reason to have air flow in your floor registers from running the generator. On the gas generators I have had/have, the generator coolant air blows down out of the gen compartment onto the ground. Seems you would have to have a torn/loose duct somewhere allowing gen coolant air to enter? You might try turning on the furnace fan with the gen off, crawl under the coach and look/listen for air leaks near the gen.