ArdWrknTrk Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 Onan's are about as reliable as you can get. Though Honda's and Robin's are great too. That's what I hear. The one weak spot in the old ones is the main circuit board. The electrical box/control panel on this thing is not sealed at all...it's almost like an indoor unit, but it's hanging under the coach on the side of the chassis where all the road grime gets at it. The circuit board was fried. It has a tradional old Ford style starter solenoid, so I got it to wind over and fogged the cylinders. Compression seems good...I had the plugs unthreaded, but still sitting in the holes, and even at starter speed it blew the plugs out like bullets...lol. I found a place in PA that manufactures replacement upgraded/heavy duty circuit boards, so I'm just waiting for it to arrive so I can fir the thing up. It's an amazing transformation Cory! Kudos to Mrs. Rembrandt too! Conformal coating is not too expensive and would help a lot. Is the genny not in a box, under the vehicle??? I mostly know them from marine applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted June 6, 2020 Author Share Posted June 6, 2020 Those Onan controls really weren't designed to be out in the weather, on most Class A RVs they are pretty well enclosed with a side air grille, exhaust and cooling air dumping out the bottom. I have one, a 4.0CCK and an even older, 305CCK with a recoil starter. They spent a number of Halloween seasons running scenes in what was called "the haunted forest". I used the old recoil start one at our scout camp for a big regional meet to power our 30 ft 5th wheel (AC, lights, refrigerator) for 3 days, I have a 37 gal Marine fuel tank for it. If your panel has 2 switches, one will say "not used in this application" and the other is a 2 position, start, run and stop which there should be one inside also. The "not used" switch is a bypass for the low oil pressure and will run the Stewart-Warner fuel pump, however it will also heat the choke coil. This is what it looks like removed from the RV. I disconnected it and pulled it out with a forklift at work. It is basically in an open air frame hanging under the coach. The genny itself is not sealed in any way and the compartment is basically open to road spray. Trying this from my phone not sure if it will work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 This is what it looks like removed from the RV. I disconnected it and pulled it out with a forklift at work. It is basically in an open air frame hanging under the coach. The genny itself is not sealed in any way and the compartment is basically open to road spray. Trying this from my phone not sure if it will work... It works well. Now you understand what I deal with. 😂 Consider boxing it in a bit. Protection from road spray and debris will make it a very worthwhile investment to partially enclose the unit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 It works well. Now you understand what I deal with. 😂 Consider boxing it in a bit. Protection from road spray and debris will make it a very worthwhile investment to partially enclose the unit One issue I had with the Onan generator in my motorhome was the carb getting fouled up from sitting idle too long. I had been told to run it with a load for at least a half hour once a month, but had thought I'd try to get by with just putting Sta-Bil in the gas. Didn't work. After getting a new carb I'm running it every month. Oh, and you mentioned that your van AC works well but you want the generator so you can run the coach AC while driving. I expected to need to do that, but in the first year we had it we took a trip across South Dakota with both of my sons. Even with 2 people staying in the coach (the other 2 in the van seats) jusy the van AC was all that we needed. I kept asking if they needed the coach AC on, but they were fine with just the van AC. That was a 90 deg or hotter drive on a sunny summer day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted June 7, 2020 Author Share Posted June 7, 2020 One issue I had with the Onan generator in my motorhome was the carb getting fouled up from sitting idle too long. I had been told to run it with a load for at least a half hour once a month, but had thought I'd try to get by with just putting Sta-Bil in the gas. Didn't work. After getting a new carb I'm running it every month. Oh, and you mentioned that your van AC works well but you want the generator so you can run the coach AC while driving. I expected to need to do that, but in the first year we had it we took a trip across South Dakota with both of my sons. Even with 2 people staying in the coach (the other 2 in the van seats) jusy the van AC was all that we needed. I kept asking if they needed the coach AC on, but they were fine with just the van AC. That was a 90 deg or hotter drive on a sunny summer day Oh no, sorry I want the coach AC for when we’re are parked camping somewhere. I don’t think we will need it while driving. It’s just my wife and I and two dogs. And we are more concerned about them in the heat than ourselves. The van AC seems to work great though, and I was only running it on normal, not max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 Oh no, sorry I want the coach AC for when we’re are parked camping somewhere. I don’t think we will need it while driving. It’s just my wife and I and two dogs. And we are more concerned about them in the heat than ourselves. The van AC seems to work great though, and I was only running it on normal, not max. Good job! Looks nice. I’ve been thinking of an RV again. Looking at class B and C Motorhomes. And small trailers, and truck campers. Actually anything that catches my eye! Here’s one I like. https://sacramento.craigslist.org/rvs/d/rio-linda-1988-trans-van-champion-21/7130421075.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 Good job! Looks nice. I’ve been thinking of an RV again. Looking at class B and C Motorhomes. And small trailers, and truck campers. Actually anything that catches my eye! Here’s one I like. https://sacramento.craigslist.org/rvs/d/rio-linda-1988-trans-van-champion-21/7130421075.html Dane, I get a totally Scooby-Doo vibe from that rig. Definitely a candidate for aluminium slot wheels and some rake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted June 7, 2020 Author Share Posted June 7, 2020 Good job! Looks nice. I’ve been thinking of an RV again. Looking at class B and C Motorhomes. And small trailers, and truck campers. Actually anything that catches my eye! Here’s one I like. https://sacramento.craigslist.org/rvs/d/rio-linda-1988-trans-van-champion-21/7130421075.html Excellent! I love these ones. I was looking at a nice one up here similar to this one before we bought the 31ft monster we have now. I really wanted something more compact and easy to maneuver, but Mrs. Rembrant wanted a "full" bathroom and separate bedroom, which pretty much put us into a 27-31ft size range. We looked at a nice 24ft here, but she still felt it would be too small. Heck, if it had been up to me, I would have gone with an F250 pickup and a slide-camper...or a trailer, but as well all know, "roughing it" is far easier for a man than my city-girl wife...lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 Dane, I get a totally Scooby-Doo vibe from that rig. Definitely a candidate for aluminium slot wheels and some rake. Jim - I didn't understand what you meant until I looked at the pics. But I saw it immediately. Yep! Cory - My wife now thinks camping out is a Holiday Inn Express. So I understand what you mean. But there was a time when we had a 9 1/2' self-contained slide-in camper in a '72 F250 and she loved it. Dane - That's a cool RV. I think the 351W would be about the right engine if you aren't going to pull heavy trailers with it. Might even get into double-digit MPG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 Jim - I didn't understand what you meant until I looked at the pics. But I saw it immediately. Yep! Cory - My wife now thinks camping out is a Holiday Inn Express. So I understand what you mean. But there was a time when we had a 9 1/2' self-contained slide-in camper in a '72 F250 and she loved it. Dane - That's a cool RV. I think the 351W would be about the right engine if you aren't going to pull heavy trailers with it. Might even get into double-digit MPG. Scooby Doo vibe, that’s funny! Have to carry extra levelers for the rake! I can see the bigger bathroom. As Gary mentioned, I’ve had several truck campers, and the ones with bathrooms were small. Had a 19 foot conventional trailer that seemed big! I like this size for reasons Cory mentioned and if I got a bigger motorhome then I’d want a toad, and I don’t have a vehicle now that I would tow. I should probably save the money and get motel rooms. But this covid nonsense has me thinking differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts