2016 WA2916 Generator runs but no power. Please help!

[hollygirl]

Hi all,

I am new to the forum thing but I am at my wits end and I hoping someone can help.

My husband and I have a 2016 WA2916 Toy Hauler and the on board generator starts and runs but will not power anything. The issue started on day two of a 5 day Glamis dunes trip. Luckily we had an extra generator to get us by, as everything works fine while on shore power.

Once we got home we began trying to figure out what the issue may be and after checking all of the fuses, breakers, GFI's (nothing blown or tripped), and tracing the power from the generator, it appeared our issue was the automatic transfer switch. We bought an exact replacement WFCO WF-T30 auto transfer switch and installed it. Again, the generator fired right up and after about 20 seconds or so the microwave clock flashed on and it beeped like it was going to work! Sadly though, it immediately shut back off and I could hear the auto transfer switch click. We checked all of the breakers and fuses (still nothing tripped) and now nothing again, generator runs but no power to anything. 12volt battery power works fine, and everything still works while on shore power.

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this? Could I really have just gotten a dud replacement auto transfer switch?

[B and B]

Hollygirl,
What about Warranty? Dealer help?

Maybe the generator is fuel starved and doesn't run due to problems with this. Onan has service centres all over maybe a call to a local centre to get help.

[hollygirl]

Hi B and B,


Thanks for quick response. We are a minimum of 5 hours from the nearest dealer, so we were attempting to troubleshoot and correct before making the long trip.


As for the generator being starved for fuel, it actually runs perfectly and we have traced the power all the way from the generator to the automatic transfer switch. The switch just doesn't seem to want to engage the relays.

[PolarisGuy]

Hey there! Have you made sure you're 12v switch (red key) is turned on? Just a suggestion. If still not it let me dig some more for ya. I have the same identical unit.

[TheLarks]

Hi. We are brand new Motorhome owners and are having similar problems. We turn generator on then turn on AC which runs for about 30 seconds. The response from the forum has been ""bad transfer switch"". Everything works great on shore power. We are really bummed as we just picked her up Friday.

[hollygirl]

Hi PolarisGuy,

Thanks! ANY help and suggestions are much appreciated. We have tried it with 12v red switch off and it doesn't seem to make a difference.

The weird part, is after we installed the new ATS it seemed to work for just a second like I said, because the microwave flashed on and beeped and then shut off and then nothing again. Also, there is a green LED light on a circuit board inside the ATS box that, according to the diagram on the back plate, should be ON if it's operating normally and it's not lit at all. Seems weird that two ATS's in a row would be bad. Just don't know what to think. Thanks again! I hope you can dig up some info because I have striking out.

[PolarisGuy]

Okay I know you said you checked breakers (and unfortunately my unit is in storage) but I "believe" the gennie has a breaker as well on it. Have you looked there as well? And of course.... I love helping when I can. It's funny cause when I was here on the couch with my wife and we were discussing your issue she said "check the 12v key lol" but you already did. I have seen this happen before so in sure we'll track it down.

[hollygirl]

Lol...that's funny. Yup, I checked the red key. I feel like we've checked everything but I'm sure there's something we've missed. Hoping it's something simple.
Also, you're right there is a breaker on the gennie, we checked that also, it's good, not tripped and also tested with a volt meter.

[ScottBrownstein]

The WF-T30 is a pretty simple device. It will look for 120 volt on the generator leads and after a time delay, fire the relay to switch the load to the generator. When the voltage on the generator disappears, it will disengage the relay and it drops back to shore power which is its un-energized state.

When you started the generator with the new switch it did engage and then promptly dropped out again..right. The LED seems to indicate that there is generator power or that it has engaged the relay (which is basically the same thing.) I agree that it is hard to believe that you replaced a bad switch...with another bad switch! Will the new switch engage and drop out again if you restart the generator? Did you check the voltage at the switch after it engaged and dropped out? The system is acting like it will fire the switch but something is preventing the generator from providing the necessary current and the voltage drops as soon as the load is connected. Normally that would mean that if you leave the generator connected it will go through the same cycle on its own every 20 or 30 seconds when the switch again tries to re-engage. If it doesn't do that something in the generator circuit is preventing the 120 volts from reaching the switch after the first try. A voltmeter should confirm that.

[Harkerr]

Try connecting directly to the generator if possible.

[markb422]

Do you need to plug your shore power cord into a recepticle for the generator. On my MH I have to connect my shore power cord to the receptacle inside the storage compartment in order to power the MH.

[markb422]

On my MH I have to plug the shore power cord into a recepticle inside the storage compartment to connect the generator to the coach converter.

[PolarisGuy]

Originally Posted by markb422

Do you need to plug your shore power cord into a recepticle for the generator. On my MH I have to connect my shore power cord to the receptacle inside the storage compartment in order to power the MH.

Not on the Stealths

[jjgabe]

You said you checked the breaker on the genset and it was good. Did you manually trip it and reset it? I have had problems and that solved it.

[AMG]

Originally Posted by jjgabe

You said you checked the breaker on the genset and it was good. Did you manually trip it and reset it? I have had problems and that solved it.

The guy at the RV place that sold me my WA2916 said that its really common for people to trip the breaker on the generator itself. It'll turn on, sound like its making power, etc. but no power comes out. He said people all the time bring it in and they flip it back. I havent had the issue, and truly havent even looked to see where it is at in there, but if it happened, I'd probably go poking around.

[Trobec]

So was there any resolution to the generator issue? Inquiring minds want to know?

[CHICKDOE]

just grasping at straws


what model generator (you said onan)?
has it ever worked with the transfer switch?
who installed the generator (forest river or dealer)?
is the generator flashing any error codes?
is the generator large enough to power all the load you have turned on?
have you turned off all the 110 circuit breakers on the coach and tried the generator (ie no load)? if so does it run and does the transfer switch say connected to it?
if so, what happens if you start to put load on it by flipped a breaker at a time?
if not, can you measure the generator output voltage that the transfer switch is seeing?
30 or 50 amp? if 50 amp could it be possible that one of the two hot legs has a bad connection so that the transfer switch does not see it?
is there a EMS system between the generator and the transfer switch (probably not)? what is it saying?
as mentioned it should be under warranty. what about calling and trying to get authorization to use a mobile rv mechanic to diagnose it under warranty?


if it does not work you need to know what voltage the transfer switch is seeing from the generator (ie transfer switch input connections) and what the generator is actually outputting (output connections on generator). this should at least tell you where to the problem is.


hope this helps!

[CHICKDOE]

one more thought: you said you replaced the transfer switch. are you sure all the input and output connections are correct?

[Trobec]

My generator would run but wouldn't make any power. Turns out there is a little black Light switch looking switch on the generator that got tripped. Very hard to see without a flashlight. Reset the switch and boom. Power.

[TheLarks]

We got our problem fixed. It was a bad board in the generator. It was "Under warranty" so just cost us the inconvenience and getting hot while driving -
Plus we got a rock to windshield while driving home from Cummins.
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