How long on average did your Cummins Onan vehicle mounted generator last in years?

[Davydd]

It appears to me, making a long story short, that they determined right off that the generator was defective and replacing it with a new generator is the cheapest outcome for them. Is it at no cost to you?

[booster]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Hmm, $4 tool?

I really don't know.... and don't you think that the dealership hasn't exhausted all possibilities so far? If it were that simple they would have solved it by now.

As for the other suggestion that "they did wrong valve adjustments....or that their service is NOT GOOD, I would expect that this would come up in their standard warranty on the work they do? If something were to happen, you could return to their shop and they will stand behind their work.

I personally don't believe that all Cummins Onan dealerships are inefficient, poorly trained and mismanaged... that is ridiculous. I walked in their shop with the service advisor...... you could practically eat off the floor.... the place was extremely clean and well organized.

All of these suggestions are just drivel.

I'm picking up my RV on Monday with a brand new generator and I'll have a 3 years warranty on it... should be fine.

You can believe whatever you want, but there are lots of examples of bad work done at Onan if you chose to look for it. What I said was that several users had their periodic maintenance done (500-1000 etc hour) and they went bad right after that. At least one of them had another Onan shop look at it a and found th misadjusted valves had destroyed the the valvetrain. Onan would not fix it and the user had to buy a new generator as the parts cost more than new. Sound familiar?


In this case we don't know what is actually wrong ,but can only guess from symptoms and stuck valves sound like a machine gun at 3600 rpm.



The fact that they spent twenty hours and never opened the engine up is, IMO, a sign they don't have a very high skill level.


Good luck with the new generator, I am sure it will be the greatest thing in the world for you!

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Davydd

It appears to me, making a long story short, that they determined right off that the generator was defective and replacing it with a new generator is the cheapest outcome for them. Is it at no cost to you?

Dave, I wouldn't say that they determined the outcome right off the bat.... let me give you a little back story on this.

I purchased my RV two years ago and it had only 11 or 12 hours on the generator... original owners apparently plugged in to shore power almost everywhere.. and since they never reached 50 hours, usually the first service, I suspect that the unit was never properly maintained?

Following this, I had the oil changed at the RV shop, used the generator for about 15 months, failed in September 2018, replaced the voltage regulator and rotor... and had another oil change and regular service.... everything seemed fine, 8 months later, failure....

There's less than 46 hours total time on the old generator.

And, maybe it is a bad valve like Booster said, but, eight months and another 15 or 16 hours with no problems before the 2nd failure it was working fine.

So, a month ago when it failed, I thought, must be another part that could be fixed? So did Onan..... I paid them for the diagnosis and they looked at it and couldn't find the problem....24 hours..shop time...it has been at their place for over a week .... waiting for parts, etc.

Yeah, good thing I don't live in it.

And, it's just money... It's bad, but, compared to dying in the Dominican Republic while on vacation...it's not that bad.

That was a horrible tragedy.... I'm glad to have had the RV experience, we always talked about having one and now we do. And, we've been able to go 20,000 miles in two years...

Overall, I'm pretty happy... I just read an article about a couple who purchased a 2017 Thor Gemini 😡 also 23 feet, small Class C... and in 16,000 miles had more problems than I have had..... again, anything can happen....

I'm pretty grateful... enjoy your travels...I saw an Ocean One on the road.... high end and beautiful finishes... my RV is pretty nice inside as well.... different layout, but, still nice.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by booster

You can believe whatever you want, but there are lots of examples of bad work done at Onan if you chose to look for it. What I said was that several users had their periodic maintenance done (500-1000 etc hour) and they went bad right after that. At least one of them had another Onan shop look at it a and found th misadjusted valves had destroyed the the valvetrain. Onan would not fix it and the user had to buy a new generator as the parts cost more than new. Sound familiar?


In this case we don't know what is actually wrong ,but can only guess from symptoms and stuck valves sound like a machine gun at 3600 rpm.



The fact that they spent twenty hours and never opened the engine up is, IMO, a sign they don't have a very high skill level.


Good luck with the new generator, I am sure it will be the greatest thing in the world for you!

Thanks, I'm sure that the new generator will be good for at least the time I own the RV...... I don't plan on keeping it forever...

I don't think I ever requested Onan to do a valve adjustment, but, even if they did back in September 2018, that would have been 16 hours ago on the run time and a bad valve adjustment probably would have shown up a lot sooner?

The new engine is an OHC, and while it certainly has a valve like any other engine, I don't know it might not need regular adjustments..... I don't think I ever have had valve adjustments in my cars or the Mercedes.....

Besides, remember that the engine only had 46 hours when it failed .... maybe 29 or 30 hours back in September ,2018 when I got the new voltage regulator and rotor.... plus an oil change, filter, etc.

I certainly don't look to do unnecessary repairs...

I agree with you...a broken valve could sound like a machine gun... that's possible.... they checked the compression, it's good.... can that be an indication that the valves are working with full compression?

Again, if it were just that easy, they would have figured it out in 24 hours? They pretty much eliminated all the usual suspects ......

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Again, if it were just that easy, they would have figured it out in 24 hours?

Only if they had a modicum of competence.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Thanks, I'm sure that the new generator will be good for at least the time I own the RV...... I don't plan on keeping it forever...

I don't think I ever requested Onan to do a valve adjustment, but, even if they did back in September 2018, that would have been 16 hours ago on the run time and a bad valve adjustment probably would have shown up a lot sooner?

The new engine is an OHC, and while it certainly has a valve like any other engine, I don't know it might not need regular adjustments..... I don't think I ever have had valve adjustments in my cars or the Mercedes.....

Besides, remember that the engine only had 46 hours when it failed .... maybe 29 or 30 hours back in September ,2018 when I got the new voltage regulator and rotor.... plus an oil change, filter, etc.

I certainly don't look to do unnecessary repairs...

I agree with you...a broken valve could sound like a machine gun... that's possible.... they checked the compression, it's good.... can that be an indication that the valves are working with full compression?

Again, if it were just that easy, they would have figured it out in 24 hours? They pretty much eliminated all the usual suspects ......

Again I never said they adjusted valves, that was the example of bad service with others.


Not a broken valve, one that sticks when hot. Those problems will pass cranking compression test, but run bad, or stop with a single cylinder engine, when hot.


Overhead cam engines may or may not need valve adjustments. It all depends on the design. I doubt that the Onan would have hydraulic adjusters, sso it likely would need adjusting at sometime.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by avanti

Only if they had a modicum of competence.

Rush to judgement?

It might be a while and maybe they will ship the machine to their corporate office.... they want to know what's wrong...to prevent or avoid something like this in the future..... they didn't spend this much time to have " No answer".... The local office is consulting with their engineering team on this as well.

They told me that they still want to know....

After the 24 hours...of labor time, I decided to get a new generator... my choice.... it was just too old and had two failures in a short period of time... I lost confidence in the old machine.. especially since it was so difficult to identify the problem......

Cummins Onan is a pretty large organization and I'm sure they will eventually find out what happened......

What? You think they won't or maybe that they are so incompetent that they deserve to go out of business?

Maybe it's possible to get a different generator mounted on the underside of the Sprinter? I just didn't know about that... Do you know?

A lot of people have Cummins Onan generators on their RVs without issues like mine.

Didn't you say that you had good luck with your LPG generator.....?

Couldn't this be just a lemon 😂.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

After the 24 hours...of labor time, I decided to get a new generator... my choice.... it was just too old and had two failures in a short period of time... I lost confidence in the old machine.. especially since it was so difficult to identify the problem......

I take it you paid for a new Onan generator?

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Yeah, once every 800 hours....read this thread, below.

Not 46 hours.....

I don't think you guys get it.... Sorry.....

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/onan-generator-valve-adjustment-409248-3.html

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Davydd

I take it you paid for a new Onan generator?

Dave, maybe you missed my earlier post about them matching the "internet price".

The number of hours of diagnosis above the 1 1/2 hours...I was obligated to pay for...has exceeded the price of a brand new unit....

The problem with the old unit is.... still undetermined... I'm sure they will find out what happened... it's just a matter of time.....

In the meantime, I'll be back on the road knowing that I'm going to have a much better reliable machine.

Can't avoid all situations.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Yeah, once every 800 hours....read this thread, below.

Not 46 hours.....

I don't think you guys get it.... Sorry.....

Onan Generator valve adjustment - Page 3 - iRV2 Forums

I agree, none of us get it. We get what you have stated, we just don't get why you decided to go with 'beliefs' based on the evidence you provided and why you believe some of the nonsense that you claim you have been told.

A bunch of us have tried to assist you, and agree we don't get your behavior. A professional can not and will not speak up, code of conduct and ethics prevents it.

Have fun with your new and improved B.

Kind of disappointed with myself, failed miserably.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Bud

I agree, none of us get it. We get what you have stated, we just don't get why you decided to go with 'beliefs' based on the evidence you provided and why you believe some of the nonsense that you claim you have been told.

A bunch of us have tried to assist you, and agree we don't get your behavior. A professional can not and will not speak up, code of conduct and ethics prevents it.

Have fun with your new and improved B.

Kind of disappointed with myself, failed miserably.

Look Bud, yes, I tried to get this fixed .. originally.
What do you expect me to do?

You think this is nonsense?

Oh, I suppose you think that Cummins Onan is dishonest and just made me think it's not possible to fix this... leaving me the only option for purchasing a new generator?

Code of conduct? Can't or won't tell me? What a bunch of crap..... you should be ashamed of yourself.

If they knew what was wrong... they would have told me.......

Of course you think that they are lying by your inferences.

I'm just not convinced that fixing an old generator that has twice failed is a good idea..

How have you helped me with this? Nothing... period.
You don't have any idea.... conspiracy theorist.

Goodbye.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Dave, maybe you missed my earlier post about them matching the "internet price".

The number of hours of diagnosis above the 1 1/2 hours...I was obligated to pay for...has exceeded the price of a brand new unit....

The problem with the old unit is.... still undetermined... I'm sure they will find out what happened... it's just a matter of time.....

In the meantime, I'll be back on the road knowing that I'm going to have a much better reliable machine.

Can't avoid all situations.

I see over 30 messages in this confusing thread saying you took it to a claimed (your claim) qualified service that couldn't fix it and couldn't even figure out the cause of your Onan failure, but charged you for their time to trouble shoot it, and then sold you and installed a new one. "I'm sure they will find out what happened." I do too.

I think you can retitle this thread as The Brooklyn Bridge Sagas

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Davydd

I see over 30 messages in this confusing thread saying you took it to a claimed (your claim) qualified service that couldn't fix it and couldn't even figure out the cause of your Onan failure, but charged you for their time to trouble shoot it, and then sold you and installed a new one. "I'm sure they will find out what happened." I do too.

I think you can retitle this thread as The Brooklyn Bridge Sagas

Dave, I'm no different than you.... except that you replace the entire vehicle while I replace with new parts. .I guess it all depends on your budget..

My 2012 is an 8 years old vehicle... conversion done in July 2011 and the Sprinter is on a 2011 3500, 170 inch wheelbase.....

Fresh start on the generator... only 45,000 miles on the vehicle...

It's pretty nice.. yes, they will find out....

Just for the record I decided to replace the generator.... I don't want another failure on the road, it sucks.

Again, life is too short.... for these kinds of inconveniences....I certainly understand why you replace your vehicles every 90,000 miles or so.... after so many years. Maybe I should have purchased the rig brand new... but I would have paid closer to $160,000 instead of $80,000....two years ago. You can do a lot with the $80,000 you didn't spend 😁😁😁

[booster]

There really is one and only one real question here for me.


"How in anybody's mind can it be remotely possible that an Onan factory certified repair center can't find out what is wrong with a tiny Onan single speed, single cylinder, generator in 24 hours of working on it?"


That question should scare the pants off anyone considering going to an Onan factory repair center, IMO.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by booster

There really is one and only one real question here for me.


"How in anybody's mind can it be remotely possible that an Onan factory certified repair center can't find out what is wrong with a tiny Onan single speed, single cylinder, generator in 24 hours of working on it?"


That question should scare the pants off anyone considering going to an Onan factory repair center, IMO.

May I ask... what are my alternatives?
Yes, I asked myself the same question.

You don't think I thought about this? Heck yeah....

I brought the machine to them because.. well, they fixed it back in September 2018... and you know, my first reaction was, maybe they skipped something or one of the parts they installed failed and it would be covered or it's something else just as small and easy as it was before....

Plus, in order to access my generator, the vehicle has to be on a lift... it's not like just opening a door panel on a Chevy Express can.... I've seen where some of those are installed....my generator is tucked underneath the vehicle with support rails.....

SO.... they have the facility to do all that and is after all their machine ... they have factory trained technicians....

Yeah, I was very surprised that they could not find a solution.... I agreed to pay for 90 minutes.... anything extra was on them.....

My Sprinter has been in the shop for over a week now... after the first three days.... they said they were having difficulties assessing the problem...by the 4 day I asked them about the possibility of a new generator...

I have a great car mechanic...he knows nothing about generator repairs... Cummins Onan has the wiring diagrams, etc......

YES.. I definitely think this is a head scratcher.... they are being honest with me despite what Bud implied....

I'm going to be very happy with the new generator... picking it up finally on Monday....

[hepcat]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

And, how was it serviced? Once per year?

24 years old and running strong. My 1995 Onan 2800 was running like a champ when I sold the van last week... a 1995 Coachmen M19-RD. It hadn't run OR been serviced in probably 15 years when I bought the van in 2015. It needed to be cleaned out (squirrel nest) and a new fuel pump and carburetor, a tune-up, and it's run fine ever since with annual oil changes.

I make it a point to exercise my generators for 2 hours/month continuous as Cummins/Onan recommends to keep the carburetor's jets clear and free from varnish.

I had a conversation with some folks a couple of weeks ago who allegedly know of an Onan 2800 used in off-grid residential service with 38,000 hours on it and has allegedly had nothing done but regular service and routine maintenance. This IS of course, third or fourth party information, so take it for what its worth, but IF the generator is protected from the elements, and IF it's serviced annually, and IF it gets exercised the required 2 hours/month under a half-load, the generator will frequently outlast the motorhome into which it is installed.

[hepcat]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

And, how was it serviced? Once per year?

And in my '04 Interstate, the generator as I bought it has about 350 hours on it. It's a propane version. The entire propane system was inop when I bought the van because of a rotted high-pressure fill hose. Once I got that replaced the LP system pressurized, and all of the propane appliances worked like they're supposed to. Except that the generator wouldn't start. It'd spin, but not start.

I have a good friend who DOES work on generators, but since the Onan is under-slung between the frame rails, he couldn't get the Sprinter lifted high enough to drop it down. So it went to Cummins/Onan where they lifted the van and found that a wasps' nest (mud daubers) had completely caused the propane regulator on the Onan to seize. (I bought the van near Atlanta.) They broke the nest off, and cleaned it all out, and voila! Instant generator start. They serviced it while they were there and I was off and back home in about three hours.

I expect that with an annual service and regular exercise that this one will last as long as the van is on the road as well. I have no reason to believe otherwise.

[Storysrvwego]

Never had one stop working or need fixing in any way. I have sold a wide variety of gasoline powered agricultural and residential over the years. I told (retired now) my customers to change the oil regularly and for most, that meant at least once a year even if the engine was not used. The other thing that is just as, if not more important is to keep fresh gasoline running through the engine by starting it every 2 to 3 months and run it at half throttle or so for at least 5 minutes.

Not hard and fast rule here; I totally get that with a number of pieces of lawn care equipment, 2 cycle chain saw, walk-behind snowblower, portable generator, etc. etc. it might seem like a lot of time spent keeping all of these fuel systems circulated could be time consuming. It really isn't. But you do have to make the "circuit" to keep this religion.

The real point here is simply to keep the fuel running through the fuel systems often enough, and for enough minutes of running the engines to keep the carb or injectors from gumming up. I specifically use common pump gas blended with alcohol without adding Stabil or other additives to prove that there is nothing wrong with standard pump fuel. I have not replaced or rebuilt carburetors in years on any equipment I purchased new myself. I do believe that Stabil and similar additions are fine, just not necessary, provided you start engines on a reasonably regular basis. One last thing I always advised customers; keep the fuel tanks full or nearly full at all times. Of course in an RV, the genset does not have it's own fuel tank. Nonetheless, I apply the same principals to the RV fuel tank and overall system as well as starting/running the Onan every once in awhile to keep fresh fuel moving through it.

This is not something I can prove to you why I believe this is the correct thing to do but here is why I do this; All fuel tanks will have some level of oxygen in them between the level of the fuel and the top of the tank. What does oxygen do as the external moisture content in the air changes? Depending on how sealed your simple fuel system is, the moisture content of the oxygen in the tank, lines, pump and carb, etc. will change. Fuel goes stale. Deposits form, etc. Again...my line of thinking is not founded in fact but why not keep the "air" in the fuel system minimized? It is simple enough to keep a tank full or mostly full to displace a greater quantity of oxygen so why not? Again keep in mind I said I haven't had to replace or rebuild carbs on equipment I have purchased new, ever. A very few rubber diaphram fuel pumps have failed but that is understandable that mechanical gizmo's diaphram will go at some point in its life. As for Stabil, some people think if its added, their fuel system will never have problems. Not so. I agree it can extend time but degradation will still eventually win. An under floor generator in an RV is less-fun to work on and very expensive to pay someone else. I won't say you will never have a problem. My track record seems to support what I do and it certainly can't hurt.

StorysRVwego

[SteveNC]

I have a 1996, previous owner didn't run it monthly so the carburetor needed to be replaced which I did myself for $100. I put stabil in the fuel of the RV and I run the generator for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours every five weeks. It now has about 250 hours on it and runs fine.

So I have about 3% of one year of hours on it but it is 23 years old and still working just fine.