Onan genset, old tech, too loud.

I do know that Onans have had a design change around 10 years ago. Before that, the models were ones that used oil pressure, and four poles. Now, they use splash lubrication and two poles. I've not heard any issues about reliability other than that the carb has to be replaced if neglected, but I wonder if the older models were built better.

SuperDutyMan wrote:
My 4000 Onan must be a lot quieter than yours,all I can hear is the cooling fan on the flywheel,from 10' you can't hear a thing,my BINs 2000 Honda is super quiet until you actually use it,coffee pot comes on,and that little sucker screams,way louder than an Onan!

I also own a Honda 2000, and I'm not buying what you're selling.
:)

I can stand next to the Honda when it is running full speed, and have a conversation without raising my voice. Today with the Onan on the opposite side of the MH, DW and I had to raise our voices a little bit just to chat comfortably. That was what really drove home the difference to me. And I've walked around CGs during generator hours, and the Onans are a lot louder than the Hondas.

I permanently mounted my jen-turi to the back of my MH. that way when we stop at WM I don't have to worry about wind direction. It does help with the noise.

I feel good about our 4kw Onan 1800 rpm twin cylinder generator. All we hear is the cooling fan. When a 3600 rpm single cylinder generator shows up cant be heard. Sometimes old is good.

Interesting... the larger Onan generators are 2880 RPM, while the smaller 4000 watt generators are 3600 RPM.

mlts22 wrote:

Heck, just a generator that uses four poles instead of two would be a big improvement, just because the crankshaft would only need to run at 1800 RPM rather than 3600.

My older Onan Marquis 7KW is a four pole 1800 RPM unit, and quite nicely quiet, especially with a Gen-turi exhaust deflector attached.

I've heard Onan 4000s mounted in toy haulers which were extremely loud. I've heard Onan 7000s mounted properly on rigging that made less noise than a 2000 watt Honda because the people who built it used shock mounts and Onan's resonator.

It is all in the installation. Shock mounts, acoustic insulation, exhaust resonators, suspending wires and pipes to help damp vibrations, suspending the exhaust pipe with rubber mountings so it doesn't rattle, and making sure there is easy access to the front panel for oil changes and checking the generator breakers.

The difference between a good and bad install can be 30dB or more.

I don't think there is the market for it, but it would be interesting if Honda could offer an inbuilt genset (completely different form factor than portable generators) with a variable speed RPM inverter generator. It would have to have its own AGM battery so it could handle locked rotor amps from an A/C until the motor has enough RPMs to handle the load.

Heck, just a generator that uses four poles instead of two would be a big improvement, just because the crankshaft would only need to run at 1800 RPM rather than 3600.

My 4000 Onan must be a lot quieter than yours,all I can hear is the cooling fan on the flywheel,from 10' you can't hear a thing,my BINs 2000 Honda is super quiet until you actually use it,coffee pot comes on,and that little sucker screams,way louder than an Onan!

Onan has come out with an RV genset that is quiet. Like the Honda and Yamaha units it's an inverter model so the engine RPM can be reduced when the load is lessened. It's the Onan quiet diesel generator. Unfortunately for most of us RVers it is only available as a diesel unit and only come in the higher end Class A coaches. Hopefully this technology will make it to the smaller gas units soon.

The best way to solve your problem, is to camp at really noisy places....then the generator won't be heard:)

Actually, it's all relative. You are probably out in a very quiet place, so the genset is noisy. But, put your Onan in a CG with one of those HD 4500W gensets, and you'll think you have the Honda!:)

Buy a few more batteries, and you won't need to listen to the genset as often.