Onan Marquis 5500 Model 5.5 BGMFA11578G
I went to start Gen. and heard clicking noise and after 4-5 tries it started and ran fine. I think the bendix is not clicking into fly wheel right away. My friend thinks the starter is not working pro...
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I think it's dirty/corroded cables between the batteries and the generator.
The first thing I'd check is the ground cable connection to the generator. Disassemble each electrical connection, clean things up with some emery paper until everything is nice and clean & shiny. Then reassemble making sure all connections are tight.
DISCONNECT the GROUND CABLE(s) from the house & chassis batteries BEFORE doing anything. Make sure those connections are clean and solid too! When you're done cleaning up all of the other connections, reconnect the battery ground(s).
When you first try to start your generator, if it is "cold" it requires a higher than normal starting current to turn it over. You're losing some of your voltage and current (electrical power) due to the higher-resistance connections or poor cables. The clicking you're hearing is the starter trying to engage, but there's not enough electrical power being delivered to it to do the job. Once the generator has been started and warmed, even just a little, the current to start it is greatly reduced, so things seem to work then. Until next time.
The cheapest and first step for any such symptoms is to clean up the electrical connections.
Good Luck,
~Rick
The first thing I'd check is the ground cable connection to the generator. Disassemble each electrical connection, clean things up with some emery paper until everything is nice and clean & shiny. Then reassemble making sure all connections are tight.
DISCONNECT the GROUND CABLE(s) from the house & chassis batteries BEFORE doing anything. Make sure those connections are clean and solid too! When you're done cleaning up all of the other connections, reconnect the battery ground(s).
When you first try to start your generator, if it is "cold" it requires a higher than normal starting current to turn it over. You're losing some of your voltage and current (electrical power) due to the higher-resistance connections or poor cables. The clicking you're hearing is the starter trying to engage, but there's not enough electrical power being delivered to it to do the job. Once the generator has been started and warmed, even just a little, the current to start it is greatly reduced, so things seem to work then. Until next time.
The cheapest and first step for any such symptoms is to clean up the electrical connections.
Good Luck,
~Rick
