Help I'm melting....
I have a 2012 Jayco Seneca... and I'm sweating to death. For some reason my two compressors keep kicking OFF when we run the generator and run down the road. The fans stay on but the cooling shuts ...
Forum Discussion
texan21,
In regards to generator oil, I don't know what type of generator you have, but my Onan Marquis Gold 7000W unit seems to be sensitive to the type of oil I put in, especially in hot temps. I've had the generator cut out while travelling down the road when I used the multi-viscosity oils in the recommendations. What fixed it was using the straight 30 weight oil recommended. Not sure if that's an issue with yours. It only happened to me when the rig was rolling down the highway in high temps (90's), usually after I hit a pothole or a mis-aligned expansion joint. I'm guessing the oil just sloshed around a bit more then the thicker stuff. It ran absolutely fine while parked. You might also want to check the oil level to make sure it's sufficient. Even with the proper oil in mine, if the level is a bit low, the generator does have a tendency to cut-out more easily.
You said your TV stayed on throughout the time you lost cooling. Is there any chance that the TV outlet is run from an inverter, rather than directly from the generator? If so, it won't shut off with the generator as the inverter will kick in when it senses loss of genny/shore power and will work off your batteries.
In answer to a previous poster, I realize that the blowers would cut out if generator power was lost, but sometimes that's hard to determine when you're travelling down the road and you have inexperienced people trying to do your "research". :) Loose wires at the main breaker panel might cause the AC's to lose power for just a split second, then the blowers will come back on but the compressors will be shut off due to the built-in timer. If this happens continually, the compressors will never kick in long enough to feel any cooling. A wild guess, but it might be possible.
You mentioned the tripped breaker. I would shut off all power to the rig, open up the main breaker panel and tighten all of the wires to the breakers, especially the AC breakers.
I suppose it's also possible there is a problem with your thermostats. If they think it's "cool enough" the compressors won't kick in, but the fans will work.
Good Luck in our search for a solution. When you find it, please make sure to post your findings here so we can all learn. :)
~Rick
In regards to generator oil, I don't know what type of generator you have, but my Onan Marquis Gold 7000W unit seems to be sensitive to the type of oil I put in, especially in hot temps. I've had the generator cut out while travelling down the road when I used the multi-viscosity oils in the recommendations. What fixed it was using the straight 30 weight oil recommended. Not sure if that's an issue with yours. It only happened to me when the rig was rolling down the highway in high temps (90's), usually after I hit a pothole or a mis-aligned expansion joint. I'm guessing the oil just sloshed around a bit more then the thicker stuff. It ran absolutely fine while parked. You might also want to check the oil level to make sure it's sufficient. Even with the proper oil in mine, if the level is a bit low, the generator does have a tendency to cut-out more easily.
You said your TV stayed on throughout the time you lost cooling. Is there any chance that the TV outlet is run from an inverter, rather than directly from the generator? If so, it won't shut off with the generator as the inverter will kick in when it senses loss of genny/shore power and will work off your batteries.
In answer to a previous poster, I realize that the blowers would cut out if generator power was lost, but sometimes that's hard to determine when you're travelling down the road and you have inexperienced people trying to do your "research". :) Loose wires at the main breaker panel might cause the AC's to lose power for just a split second, then the blowers will come back on but the compressors will be shut off due to the built-in timer. If this happens continually, the compressors will never kick in long enough to feel any cooling. A wild guess, but it might be possible.
You mentioned the tripped breaker. I would shut off all power to the rig, open up the main breaker panel and tighten all of the wires to the breakers, especially the AC breakers.
I suppose it's also possible there is a problem with your thermostats. If they think it's "cool enough" the compressors won't kick in, but the fans will work.
Good Luck in our search for a solution. When you find it, please make sure to post your findings here so we can all learn. :)
~Rick
