Forum Discussion

tony-ruth-pito's avatar
Jul 09, 2014

generator

hello I have a onan 4000 generator and it wont start I replaced the plugs clean the carb. checked for spark in plug and its good and still wont start cranks like if it will start but it doesn't what else should I do

14 Replies

  • thanks the generator is a 2001 emerald plus onan 4000 genset and I took the carb of and clean it I blow it gently and installed it back it has fuel going in to it checked oil and is good about the error light I don't know if it has one again thanks I need this fixed I promise my wife a trip on sept.
  • Next thing to check, assuming there is enough gas in the tank, is the pump and filter. Disconnect the fuel line at the carb and put it in a can to catch any gas. Press to prime and see if there is flow. Listen to the pump, if it is hammering it is not getting gas. possibly blocked filter or bad pump. There is a filter on the inlet side of the pump, accessable on the bottom of the unit.
    Good luck
  • First check oil level -- these things will do that even if it reads close to half, fill it. Check the ground connection. The nut often vibrates loose causing this issue as well. Depending on the year if these measures fail, check the error code by counting the number of flashes you get after it stalls on the red light on the generator and look it up on-line.
  • It would be helpful to include the model number of the generator. If you have spark it would seem there is a fuel issue. You say you cleaned the carb. Exactly how did you clean it? Remove, disassemble, clean and replace or spray it down with an aerosol in place? You could spray a few seconds of carburetor cleaner in the throat of the carb and see if it fires. If it does and then dies you have a fuel delivery issue. That could be caused by several things so if you can provide some addional information I'm sure someone here can provide a logical path for you to follow.