Weird issue with Onan on 3170DS

[hunt247]

Yesterday I was running the generator (no power at home due to Hurricane Sandy). Anyway, I had a small electric heater plugged in(1500W) to conserve on the propane usage. Everything was working well for 3 days, I unplugged the heater and I could hear the generator rpm's kick up a little since the load was removed. Then suddenly the generator shut-off. I tried to restart it, it would run for a second or two and then shut-off. This happened a few times. I went outside and could smell a slight hint of gas. I was never able to get it restarted.

Do you think the carberator might have been flooded? The indicator on the master panel flashed 3 times indicating service is required. The generator only has 87 hours on it and a recent oil change.

Luckily our power was restored last night, so I have time to diagnose this issue.
thanks in advance

[ATVer]

Could be a lot of things but are you out of fuel after 3 days of pretty heavy running to supply 1500 watts? The generator does not draw from the bottom of the tank but at about 1/4 level so you don't pump the tank dry and can't move the coach.

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by hunt247

Yesterday I was running the generator (no power at home due to Hurricane Sandy). Anyway, I had a small electric heater plugged in(1500W) to conserve on the propane usage. Everything was working well for 3 days, I unplugged the heater and I could hear the generator rpm's kick up a little since the load was removed. Then suddenly the generator shut-off. I tried to restart it, it would run for a second or two and then shut-off. This happened a few times. I went outside and could smell a slight hint of gas. I was never able to get it restarted.

Do you think the carberator might have been flooded? The indicator on the master panel flashed 3 times indicating service is required. The generator only has 87 hours on it and a recent oil change.

Luckily our power was restored last night, so I have time to diagnose this issue.
thanks in advance

Could be fuel filter? Sounds like it.

[MotocrossCamper]

Also, do you have your Onan owners manual? It tells you how to get the code that tripped the service light. Once you have that it has a list of what the codes mean.

Sounds like a fuel problem. Usually if its something else they will start for about 3 seconds then die.

As stated by Vince, check your main fuel tank, if it's below a quarter, that is most likely the problem. If you have plenty of gas you will need to go out and remove the cover off the genny so you can use the start/stop button on the genny itself. Once open, hold the button to prime and listen for the fuel pump, do you hear it ticking a little? Is it pretty quiet or kind if loud? If its loud you may have a bad pump, if quiet it may just be the filter.

After that it gets a little more extensive and you need to start removing parts. Good luck! Hopefully you get the issue resolved!

[hunt247]

Thanks for the reply guys.

The fuel tank is actually around 1\4. I didn't know where the pickup was, so that is helpful info. I'll try that first, then check the fuel filter. It's just odd that it died right at the time when the load was removed.

[Kelly2003]

Originally Posted by hunt247

Thanks for the reply guys.

The fuel tank is actually around 1\4. I didn't know where the pickup was, so that is helpful info. I'll try that first, then check the fuel filter. It's just odd that it died right at the time when the load was removed.

I had the exact same issue at 1/4 tank of gas. Put some fuel in and all was well.