Community Forums

Jerryp1963 · 09-18-2010, 07:56 PM

If I leave the motor home (2000 Alpine Coach, 7500 Onan) set unpluuged for a few days there is 0

response from the gen start button. If I plug it in for a few hours it starts right up. Any ideas

RV Wizard · 09-19-2010, 02:24 AM

Hello Jerry and

. We are glad to have you join us here and we look forward to reading of your adventures and experiences. I am sure you will like it here. Stay safe and keep us posted.
You need to check the battery voltage of the house battery bank when it does not want to start the generator. I will assume it is lower than 12vdc. This means that either there is a load on the bank when in storage or the batteries will not hold a charge and the bank is dead enough to not have sufficient current available to turn the generator starter motor over. You need to find out and I would recommend you check the cable connections at both ends and to the chassis frame.

Izzyblueye · 09-19-2010, 08:23 AM

RV Wizard as usual gives you good information. I usually start my drive engine before trying to start the generator after a long spell unplugged. It works every time. Just enough of a voltage boost to supply the necessary voltage to the gen set.

"007" · 09-19-2010, 08:57 AM

Welcome Jerry to irv2.
Here is a thread that will give some good information on battery and electric systems in your coach.
Enjoy the forums and do post often.

justimagination · 09-20-2010, 05:32 PM

JerryP1963. and also welcome to a womderful forum, you will gain a lot of knowledge here. Read Mike's(RV WIZARD) post, it has all the info you need. Read it more than once, case in point.....................
We just returned from Myrtle Beach last weekend in close to 100 degree weather. My dash AC is great, blows @ 40 degrees out the outlets, but in that kind of weather, I generally run the Generator to use the roof AC. When it was necessary, I pushed the button on the dash and nothing, then @ 1st rest area, I opened the bay door to generator, pushed the manual button and nothing but clicking solenoid.
We waited untill I got home, the next day I started @ the main and house battery connections, cleaned all the posts and cables, nothing found to substantiate the problem. Then I started reading the threads here and saw Mike's thread. Yesterday when it was comfortable, I took my wire brush cleaner and tools, crawled under the Generator and took off the braided cable and cleaned both sides of the connector part. I also took off the battery cable attached to the side of the frame and wired brushed it as well, put all back together and touched the starter and WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! it started like a dream, went to dsah button and it started the same. All the time I had a volt meter on the + cable @ the generator and had 12+ volts. So be sure and clean all connections really good as well as Mike suggested, it works. There is also a plastic plug with about 4 or 5 wires pn the r/side above the start/stop button, unplug and make sure it's clean. Best of luck, it worked for me...............and Mike, thanks for your knowledge, I know better, as we get older we seem to forget the basics.
David G.