Generator Fail????

[Creativepart]

So, we drove today from Santa Fe, NM to Carlsbad NM for the night. It was in the 70's when we left SF but we knew it was going to be 100 in Carlsbad in the afternoon.

So, about 1/2 way to Carlsbad we turned on the generator as we drove and ran the air conditioner so we wouldn't have to play catchup once we got to the 100 degree weather.

It worked great for the next 1 1/2 hours or so. When we stopped for lunch just 60 miles from our destination it was 72 degrees inside the RV. Perfect.

But 20 miles later we noticed the A/C had stopped. The generator had stopped. So, I pulled over and started the Genset again. 5 mins later it stopped a second time. By this time we were just 13 miles from the CG so we let it go and kept driving.

When I pulled in to the CG I turned the genset on again so it could start running the A/C in the 104 degree heat while I did the paperwork. Only this time it stopped running in 30 seconds.

I know the Gen will not run on a 1/4 or less gas in the tank but we have 3/4 gas left in the tank.

It's good to know this is an issue since my warranty expires on the 26th of this month. But hey, what gives?

A month ago, I wisely made an appointment at my dealer for the week after we get home so that anything that turns up could still be worked on under warranty. But now this list is growing and growing.

This morning the levelers refused to give an all up signal. I called bigfoot and they told me to get on my back in the dirt to be sure all the pins were all the way up - they were and not one of them moved when I tried moving them by hand. But the all up signal was given after I finished that process.

So, now my dealer fix list is:

The big slide is out of sync top to bottom
The Bedroom TV the audio cuts out and turns off unexpectedly
The bigfoot levelers - check out the pins for proper action
The genset - cuts off unexpectedly

When I made the appointment a month ago before we left my only issue was the slide adjustment.

It can take a month or so to get an appointment at my dealership. So, I made the appointment a month early so I'd be assured of getting in before the warranty expired.

I hate for all this stuff to go wrong - but I don't use the RV in the hot Texas Summer months and have all summer for them to fix it all under the final 2-weeks of warranty. I'd rather have it turn up now, then next fall when you use the RV again for a long trip.

We've been pretty lucky so far with not much big stuff going wrong.

[Rocket City Gary]

Sorry about all that. When they solve and correct all the issues please post the cause and solution for all us 3051 owners.

[jrwalkerpa1]

Sorry for your issues! For the generator, try the easy things first....check the oil...some have low oil shutoffs....

[Creativepart]

I read the manual and found how to read the fault codes. I came up with error #36. An online search seems to point to a fuel delivery problem. As in the fuel pickup is too high in the gas tank. I don't understand how this could be the issue when I have 3/4 of a tank of gas in the tank.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by Creativepart

I read the manual and found how to read the fault codes. I came up with error #36. An online search seems to point to a fuel delivery problem. As in the fuel pickup is too high in the gas tank. I don't understand how this could be the issue when I have 3/4 of a tank of gas in the tank.

I had the same 36 code. Turned out to be a faulty fuel pump. Authorized Onan service center said Onan it can happen, even with 51 hours on it. I exercised my regularly and used it always on our monthly camping trips. So fuel sitting for months was not an issue. They quickly R&R the fuel pump under warranty and all is well. I did have them do an oil change. I forgot I did it myself when I got the MH with 20 hours on it along with the engine with 2,500 miles on it.

[B and B]

Did you purchase the additional warranty if available for your MH?

[Creativepart]

Originally Posted by B and B

Did you purchase the additional warranty if available for your MH?

No. The only additional warranty available was a 3rd party "warranty." I'm not a believer of those kinds of warranties. They are simply insurance and if they paid for themselves for everyone then the insurance company's wouldn't offer them. It's a game of chance and I'd rather not take the gamble.

I still have 2-weeks of factory warranty left and I'll take my chances after that. If I could have purchased a second year of Forest River warranty then I probably would have - depending on the price.

[Creativepart]

Originally Posted by Sagecoachdriver

I had the same 36 code. Turned out to be a faulty fuel pump. Authorized Onan service center said Onan it can happen, even with 51 hours on it. I exercised my regularly and used it always on our monthly camping trips. So fuel sitting for months was not an issue. They quickly R&R the fuel pump under warranty and all is well. I did have them do an oil change. I forgot I did it myself when I got the MH with 20 hours on it along with the engine with 2,500 miles on it.

That could be a possibility. I've run mine monthly (or better) since I bought it as well. I may test the gas pickup theory tomorrow. We'll see.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by Creativepart

That could be a possibility. I've run mine monthly (or better) since I bought it as well. I may test the gas pickup theory tomorrow. We'll see.

MY fuel pump put out way too much pressure. Should be 3-4.2 psi. Mine was way over that..

[Creativepart]

Wouldn't you know it, the next day it started right up a ran all day without any problem. Now I don't know what to tell the service dept.

[Sagecoachdriver]

Originally Posted by Creativepart

Wouldn't you know it, the next day it started right up a ran all day without any problem. Now I don't know what to tell the service dept.

It's always like that! Somethings broke and when you take it to the dealer it's working fine.

I believe the Onan generators have a 3 year warranty. Make sure you have done the 25 hr oil change prior and have registered the generator on the Onan website..
Since there is the 36 trouble code, it will have to be addressed. My authorized Onan service center was across the street from the dealer. The dealer didn't have authorized techs. They did a very intensive diagnostic check to determine my fuel pump was faulty.

[HappyGuy]

I wonder if vapor lock is a contributing factor? You said you were running in hot weather for an extended period of time. Maybe the same will be required to recreate the problem.

[Creativepart]

Originally Posted by HappyGuy

I wonder if vapor lock is a contributing factor? You said you were running in hot weather for an extended period of time. Maybe the same will be required to recreate the problem.

It was just about as hot the next day. And it ran for longer still. Also, the first day it stopped running when the RV's gas tank was at 3/4 Full, but the next day it ran all day and I arrived when the gas was at 1/2 Full.

When traveling through Texas if you don't run your Genset and AC all day in the coach you'll arrive to your CG with the interior temp in the high 80's to near 90 degrees. And, it will take until 3 am to get the coach cool enough to sleep comfortably.

So, that's why we ran the genset and AC on both of those days. The first day when the genset quit on me the interior of the coach was 89 degrees when we arrived. And, only an hour had passed between the time the genset quit and we arrived at our CG.

Luckily, we were traveling in New Mexico that day (it was 104 degrees!) but there's very low humidity and the night cooled off so we finally saw mid-70's inside by the time we went to bed.

The next day it was cooler in Texas - only 94 degrees - but very high humidity. The generator cooperated that day and kept the coach at mid-70's all day as we drove the 360 miles to our CG. That makes a big difference in comfort inside on warm days.

I'm wondering if it was some contaminant from the genset fuel system. I haven't been religious about starting it and running it under load for most of the winter months - I did run it, but every 30-days??? I'm not sure about that.

When on a camping trip, outside of these two hot days, we haven't needed to run it all that much. Just a lunch stop here and there.

I'll have the dealer take a look, but I'm confident he'll say nothing could be found.