Do Onan generators burn oil?

Big Katuna wrote:
We tailgated UF football games for 15 years. 4-5 years with a 5500 Onan.
They definitely burn some oil ESP under heavier load; say running two ACs for 48 hours.

I checked and filled mine every weekend, changing every other weekend, after two weekends.

Not uncommon for carbon to build up. Onan used to sell a decarbonizer but now you would use SeaFoam.

It’s an air cooled engine. They have to leave the rings a little loose or it would seize up.

Nice to see another Gator fan on RV.net! I graduated from UF in 1995.

Whenever I use the generator I am running both AC units when traveling. It's my fault for not checking it sooner. Still in the safe zone but I will top it off before I use it again. It's due for an oil change in another 50 hours or so.

Do these Onan generators have a low oil sensor in them which would turn them off if the oil gets to low?

Burch

“ I changed the oil around 20 hours and I hadn't checked the oil since.”

You are kidding about not checking the oil level, right? Eighty hours...my my.

We tailgated UF football games for 15 years. 4-5 years with a 5500 Onan.
They definitely burn some oil ESP under heavier load; say running two ACs for 48 hours.

I checked and filled mine every weekend, changing every other weekend, after two weekends.

Not uncommon for carbon to build up. Onan used to sell a decarbonizer but now you would use SeaFoam.

It’s an air cooled engine. They have to leave the rings a little loose or it would seize up.

Leveling makes a big difference in the dip stick reading as well.

Perfectly normal, small air cooled engines will use some oil, that is why Onan says this:

It’s good practice to check the oil level daily or every 8 hours of operating time. Keep the oil level as near as possible to full, but do not overfill. Overfilling may cause foaming and engine shutdown. Replace the cap tightly to prevent leakage. And if your generator has an oil filter, change it when you change the oil.

It shouldn't burn any noticeable oil at 100 hours. I suspect the filter and oil passages took up some of the oil after you first checked it. Top it off and enjoy it.

Not generally.
My guess there was air trapped in the filter. It cleaared and now down a little.