Generator upkeep

BeemerJoe · 12-01-2021, 02:43 PM

I know the old adage that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" BUT. I just purchased a "new to me" 2016 Fuzion Chrome. Absolutely love it. Everything is in perfect condition. My concern is the Onan Generator. Right now it runs flawlessly but has 1067 hours on it. Of course the first thing I've done is change the oil and filter, but I'm wondering if that's a lot of hours on a 5 year generator, and if there's anything that I should do to make it last as long as possible.

jasin1 · 12-01-2021, 03:19 PM

I start my generators up and exercise them when I remember to..should be once a month but I procrastinate https://www.thervgeeks.com/onan-rv-g...r-maintenance/

wiredgeorge · 12-01-2021, 04:31 PM

I would keep some Stabil in the gas tank. The carburetor's main jet is likely at the bottom of the bowl where the ethanol goo is prone to accumulate.

BeemerJoe · 12-01-2021, 04:33 PM

Yep did that. had to disassemble and clean my aux fuel pump because of the gunk. Fortunately the generator doesn't seem to have a problem.

Essvar · 12-01-2021, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

I would keep some Stabil in the gas tank. The carburetor's main jet is likely at the bottom of the bowl where the ethanol goo is prone to accumulate.

On this note... If you don't know what fuel is in the generator tank... I would run it all out and put only Non-Ethanol fuel in the tank. (stabil isn't a bad idea even with non-E fuel for storage during the off season)

BeemerJoe · 12-01-2021, 04:47 PM

Non Ethanol sounds good, but hard to find in this area.. I just run Premium and Stabil. Been pretty lucky with that combo on all my small engines
My original question was what if any "mechanical' thing I Could do to add to the generators life. Such as Valve adjustment, or get it completely gone over by a qualified tech. Or like I said.. Just leave it alone.

Essvar · 12-01-2021, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeemerJoe

Non Ethanol sounds good, but hard to find in this area.. I just run Premium and Stabil. Been pretty lucky with that combo on all my small engines
My original question was what if any "mechanical' thing I Could do to add to the generators life. Such as Valve adjustment, or get it completely gone over by a qualified tech. Or like I said.. Just leave it alone.

"If it ain't broke"

In my experience the higher hour generators actually seem to be better mechanically than the ones that never get ran. I put 2500hrs on the 5500 Onan in my old Raptor and the thing purred like a kitten.

BeemerJoe · 12-01-2021, 04:52 PM

That's what I've heard.. Just overthinking everything I guess. from talking to others, 1000 hours on the rig really isn't all that high.

Essvar · 12-01-2021, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeemerJoe

That's what I've heard.. Just overthinking everything I guess. from talking to others, 1000 hours on the rig really isn't all that high.

If that's the only power source its astonishing how quickly the hours add up.

Mongoose9400 · 12-01-2021, 08:20 PM

Not bad at all. That’s like 44 days of use. I'll add 50+ hours of use to mine over a weekend boon docking at an event where I need to keep the generator on nonstop. Just sick to manufactures recommended maintenance and exercise it monthly.

wiredgeorge · 12-01-2021, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Essvar

On this note... If you don't know what fuel is in the generator tank... I would run it all out and put only Non-Ethanol fuel in the tank. (stabil isn't a bad idea even with non-E fuel for storage during the off season)

Some folks don't have a source for non-ethanol. Noticed a few stations in San Antonio now sell it at the pump but that is a real long drive for me and the stuff is expensive. I generally fill 4 or 5 five gallon containers once every now and again and run in the mower, my tractor and the generator. I run the generator infrequently so Stabil is a better answer for me. If I could fill the gas containers without a 50 mile or so trip, that might work but I can't.

Essvar · 12-01-2021, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Some folks don't have a source for non-ethanol. Noticed a few stations in San Antonio now sell it at the pump but that is a real long drive for me and the stuff is expensive. I generally fill 4 or 5 five gallon containers once every now and again and run in the mower, my tractor and the generator. I run the generator infrequently so Stabil is a better answer for me. If I could fill the gas containers without a 50 mile or so trip, that might work but I can't.

I’ll consider myself lucky, even with everything going sideways in Oregon with green/clean and no viable way to actually power it. I do still have a few non-eth stations on the pump close by. One even gives a 40c/gal discount if you buy 25gal. The bugger with these toy haulers is finding a station with non-e you can get into… and the generator tanks are built in feeding the onboard. My hauler has a 30g gen tank, and 30g aux fuel tank. That’s a lot 5gal at a time

gearhead · 12-02-2021, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Some folks don't have a source for non-ethanol. Noticed a few stations in San Antonio now sell it at the pump but that is a real long drive for me and the stuff is expensive. I generally fill 4 or 5 five gallon containers once every now and again and run in the mower, my tractor and the generator. I run the generator infrequently so Stabil is a better answer for me. If I could fill the gas containers without a 50 mile or so trip, that might work but I can't.

I feel your pain. I try to fill a couple of 5 gallon cans with non-ethanol when I drive over to Louisiana. I recently found a station in Port Arthur that has a non-ethanol pump. I'm thinking that will work for filling the boat. It has 50 gallons of gas in it that is at least 1 year old. It is heavily dosed with Startron and Chevron Marine Stabilizer but...

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