Starting a sleepy Onan Microlite 4000
Hello Travelers. I've got a tip for many that own an Onan 4000 Microlite that has been sitting for a few months without being started. I take the cover from the generator and manually start the unit o...
Forum Discussion
j-d wrote:
Using the "Prime" function for gasoline-fueled ONAN genny's (as Phil noted) is a very good idea, and something many of us didn't know was available till recently. I prime ours till I hear the pump stop its tapping sound. Then I attempt a start. It sometimes actually does start. If not, I repeat the priming and listening, the do a second attempt. It always starts then.
OP - Fully closing the choke is a good idea and I've done it in the past. I do NOT think the Microlite will cause this possible hazard, but... Be sure it's the Choke and not the Throttle. The older ONAN's would go right to 160-volts-plus if you tweaked the throttle. The one that did that with me had no electronics, just a mechanical governor. I think Microlite won't allow that much voltage. I'm just not sure and I just don't feel lucky.
I can prime the genset for 60 seconds or more and it still won't start without a lot of cranking. I'll try the choke suggestion and see if it makes a difference. I bet it will.
