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Itasca55's avatar
Itasca55
Explorer
Aug 28, 2015

1992 onan on board generator operation startup

Ok I was reading books again on the onan 4000 . Should a person start generator first and then plug the cord in ? Mine is the manual plug in style in cord box . Or can I leave it plugged in only pull would be the battery charger but I know that can pull 1000 watts if battery are low.
I could shut off main breaker inside on start up if cords plugged in outside . with remote start in coach . any advise be great my generator only has 211 hours on it so I want to have good habits to keep it running for years to come :) another question my choke seems to be slow at coming off on cold starts I wd 40 on it helped alot. but its still pretty slow . if I Manually hold it off runs great. 3 mins of running its fine again . any info be great :) :h

Itasca55
Class A

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  • gbopp's avatar
    gbopp
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2015
    Also, you may want to exercise your generator more often. Assuming it's the original generator, 211 hours on a 23 year old generator means it is not used very often.

    Some may disagree but, I think it's better to run it under a load every month or two than to leave it sit unused. It will keep everything lubricated and working properly.

    And of course, Change oil and filters as needed.
  • gbopp's avatar
    gbopp
    Explorer
    Aug 28, 2015
    I would leave it unplugged until the generator is running and stabilized. Then you know there is no load on the generator until you're ready.

    I don't know what the problem is with your choke. But, try a penetrating oil. P B Blaster or something similar.
    WD 40 is a water displacement product. It's not a good lubricant.

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