4000 Onan gen. Will not run

[JohnNgeri]

We just went through a similar bout w/ our gen/set. Called the fixer and he came; started it on starter fluid and kept it running for almost a half hour on two cans of the stuff. His explanation - after a long period of non usage gas in feed line goes stale. It worked. Now genset starts and runs on the first button push

[Wolverine 1945]

I will post back on Thursday morning let everyone know what happens @ the Service Center on Wednesday !!! I am hoping it is just a fuel filter !!!

[trdutch]

I have heard and seen bad things from Red Stabil
I Fill a full tank at start of winter with Non ethanol,add two bottles of SeaFoam and run the gen set religiously for an hour a month (at least)
Two Different units,6 years
No problems

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by trdutch

I have heard and seen bad things from Red Stabil
I Fill a full tank at start of winter with Non ethanol,add two bottles of SeaFoam and run the gen set religiously for an hour a month (at least)
Two Different units,6 years
No problems

Probably a good idea !!!
I have never used Seafoam in our MH,,, although I add it to all my gas cans as soon as we get them home,,, I mix it @ half rate every time,,, gas is used for all my small engines,,,Lawn Tractors - Mower - leaf blower - edger & weed whip -\& chainsaw !!!
Our MH only has about 4k miles on it,,, maybe a good time for a can of Seafoam ???

[Total Loss]

Originally Posted by trdutch

I have heard and seen bad things from Red Stabil

Been using it for years in everything...ever since they started the ethenol blends.
No problems here- read my prior post on my neighbors Camry- still starts after 3 years.
I am considering switching to Seafoam though. I do use it to spray carbs and throtle bodies now (deep creep).
I am sure it is a better product- especially for the genny that sits. I usually start it every 2-3 weeks though. I have had my Honda 2000 for like 15 years.
Sits for quite awhile at times. Still starts right up.

[NorSnrub]

My harbor freight on didn't run and I put in Seafoam then squrted a small amount of gas in the air filter it started but ran then boged down. Also put in 100% gas in and a week later I tried it and it started and ran perfectly.

[trdutch]

I've read that stabil leaves a residue that can gunk up fuel pumps and saw it first hand when my Friends Harley had fuel pump issues after winter storage
The shop pulled out his fuel pump and the stabil was the problem

[Wolverine 1945]

My friend & neighbor has a Automatic Whole House Generator !!!
He tells me it runs 12 minutes every week,,, does not produce electricity but the motor runs on Propane !!!

[Wolverine 1945]

We took our MH to ONAN of Grand Rapids yesterday,,, they seem to be very knowledgeable folks,,, even thow the counter guy did get the Genny running it never really smoothed out so they replaced the Carb,,, I am quite surprised that a Cummings Genny would have such a pic 0 crap Carb !!!
I am sure the problem was caused by me not running it often enough or long enough !!!
Scott a very smart counter guy said to run the Genny for an hour a month,,, make it produce ele,,, and definitely use the Blue Stable over the Red,,, because of our Ethanol fuel !!! Be Aware these carbs retail between 3 & 4 hundred dollars,,, and ONAN shops charge about 135 dollars per hour !!! All I can say is RUN YOUR GENERATOR !!!

Now my project today will be to get our home Genny out of the garage and hope it will run,,, with some help from my buddy Seafoam !!!

PS: I did put a couple of bottles of Injector Cleaner in the MH before making the 60 mile trip to GR yesterday,,, wonder if that is why the counter guy was able to start the Genny ???

[lbrunning]

You are right run the generator often and under load I currently have 1864.4 hours on my onan in a 2011 sunseeker and with proper maintenance I fully expect to get over 3000 hours on it.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by lbrunning

You are right run the generator often and under load I currently have 1864.4 hours on my onan in a 2011 sunseeker and with proper maintenance I fully expect to get over 3000 hours on it.

Ours has maybe 3 hours on it !!!
So now I know who is to blame for our troubles !!!

[Steeljag]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

Ours has maybe 3 hours on it !!!
So now I know who is to blame for our troubles !!!

LOL !

[Wolverine 1945]

Very expensive lesson !!!
A half a day - a half a tank of fuel - and about 4 bills !!!
RUN THAT GENERATOR !!!

LOL !!!

[NMWildcat]

Here's an article on STA-BIL myths. I always detest threads with misconceptions about a very good product which has been used for decades with great results if you use it correctly - red, blue, or green.

I realize e-gas is more prevalent in some parts of the country, but I would never use it in a generator if I had a choice. I guess I'm lucky where I am, as you don't see much e-gas.

https://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools...myths-debunked

[Wolverine 1945]

Our gas here in Michigan seems to be mostly 15% E,,, every thing we own says that 15% is the max E you should use,,, even my 0turn Troy Bilt Mower !!! From what I have heard the fuel in Iowa is much higher in E ??? I have not yet read the specs on BLUE Sta-Bil,,, but it sounds like it removes the E from the fuel ??????????
What ever I am switching to the BLUE next fall !!!

[Total Loss]

With higher ethenol levels, I would use blue also.

[Total Loss]

Gennies are just like everything else in an RV.
You need to USE it...or lose it.

[Wolverine 1945]

Removed our House Generator from the garage yesterday,,,I am guessing the last time I started it was last fall ??? Added a little extra SeaFoam and a little gas and tried to start it,,, battery was dead so I had to pull start it,,, started on the 2nd pull and ran like a dream !!! The big different between our Gentron House Generator and the ONAN in the MH is,,, Gentron has a Gas Line Shutoff Valve !!! So when you are done with it you can run it out of Gas,,, leaving the Carb pretty much dry !!!
Gentron is an 11k Generator ONAN is a 4k !!!
So now I am wondering why I can't install a gas line shutoff valve on ONAN ???
Guess I will call the guys @ ONAN and ask !!!

[GL1800Rider]

Sometimes I think it would be more advantageous to have propane generators on board. No worry about the fuel going bad. I do run mine a minimum of one hour each month under a load and never let the fuel get older than 3 months. Only problem I have is it takes about 3 attempts to start since day 1 even priming for about 20 seconds.

Maybe I will treat it to some seafoam and see if it improves.

We usually run it while traveling to our destination and have about 110 hours on the clock now.

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by GL1800Rider

Sometimes I think it would be more advantageous to have propane generators on board. No worry about the fuel going bad. I do run mine a minimum of one hour each month under a load and never let the fuel get older than 3 months. Only problem I have is it takes about 3 attempts to start since day 1 even priming for about 20 seconds.

Maybe I will treat it to some seafoam and see if it improves.

We usually run it while traveling to our destination and have about 110 hours on the clock now.

I prime for at least 30sec every time I run my generator and if it has been more than a few days, I'll hold for about a minute. Easy way to tell how long to hold the primer is to go out and prime it manually at the generator and see how long it takes to get a solid pressure and for the hose to stop vibrating. Think of the fuel pump as your water pump and the water lines vibrating as they build pressure. I was surprised at how long it will take sometimes.