Onan 5.5 HGJAB start UPDATE

As Sam Spade said, you have a bad connection. Do a voltage drop test on each wire and solenoid. With the volt meter at 2 volt setting and a lead on each end of a cable ( while trying to start) the reading should be less then .5 volts.

If it just clicks when you push the starter button, then you either don't have enough voltage due to bad battery...which you've eliminated....or you have a bad ground....which it sounds like you've also eliminated. So, you may have a hung starter motor or the flywheel is stuck. Not at all impossible since it sits in the open air and can get a slight rust coating that might hold it from turning. If you can get a pry bar in there without damaging anything, try to manually turn the flywheel over a few times and then try to start again. If that doesn't do it, then try tapping on the starter motor with a hammer to see if the bendix gear is stuck and won't let it turn.

As suggested, see if the engine turns freely with a pry bar. If it does, you might want to take a battery and connect it directly to the starter or solenoid, bypassing the internal electrical system. If it starts or turns over correctly, it may eliminate the genset as the problem. Essentially connecting a battery directly to the genset. I hope you can find the fix without taking it to the shop. Good luck.

Thanks all. I'll report back in a few days. Have to press on w/o the genset and hope it gets a little cooler.

Ok. It isn't the starter. Tech here dropped it and says the rotor/stator is hanging up and that's what causes it to not turn over. He can turn it past the bad point and it will turn over until hits that point again. BTW: this is my translation of what he said...I could have garbled it.

Since we'll be home Monday and it will have to be dropped anyway, we did not reinstall it and put it in the car. I will have to find a gen guy in Hickory NC to give an estimate on repairing or buying a new one. This one is a 2008 Onan 5.5 Marquis Gold gas generator with 1100 hours.

I see an Cummins Onan QG 5.5 Gasoline RV Generator 5.5HGJAB-1038 for $3700 that looks like a direct replacement (?). Then to find someone that would install it.

Comments? Thanks for all the help in this thread.