Generator Fuel Leaks and Safety Issues

cbr46 wrote:
Re: Onan Marquis 5500 on a 2002 Ford F53 chassis

A month ago there was fuel leaking at the fuel pump - the rubber fuel line had gotten old (14 years old) and was cracking around the hose clamp, which was one of those worm screw types around the line.

I highly recommend NOT using this type!
No problem. New fuel line, new clamp, good as new.

Then on the next trip the generator started cutting off after an hour or so, usually with driving and running the roof air in the July heat. A buddy said the fuel pump was collapsing the fuel line between generator and fuel tank based on his experience but after researching threads here on RV.net I decided to replace the fuel pump.

Last Friday I saw the back half of a nice looking Class A in full flames on I-75 near Macon GA. The part that was engulfed was toward the rear, about where the generator would be. That kind of thing can make you nervous . . . . .

So Tuesday I replaced the generator fuel pump (Onan Marquis 5500) with an Airtex unit through Amazon this week. Airtex is the OEM supplier for Cummins / Onan.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076D5OI2

During the repair I noticed a very slight drip from the carburetor float bowl drain port. Very slight, but I was able to tight the drain screw 1/16 - 1/8 of a turn. No more drip. The drain screw had loosened by itself and was dropping fuel onto the engine plate but with all the cooling air blowing around I'm sure vapors were airborne as well. Very bad. I also put a drain hose on the port. Good idea.

Then on testing I noticed the fuel filter at the carb (original design has 2) was leaking around the body of the filter.

I always use a wrench on the "big nut" and never torque the filter on the body, (because I've done this before causing one to leak) yet it was loose enough to seep past the seam between body and nut. HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED THIS?

At some point Onan recommended removing this filter, relying only on the filter between pump and tank, but I didn't have the hardware to swap it out. Maybe the fuel pump 4 psi causes them to leak?

I've fixed 3 generator fuel leaks in a month's time and witnessed a horrific fire that might have originated from a generator. AM I GETTING PARANOID?

Just check your generators . . . . PLEASE!

Best,
- bob