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HighwayPilot's avatar
HighwayPilot
Explorer
Apr 06, 2020

Quarantine in RV?

Hello everyone, as a 1st Responder in the medical field, I am planning for the worst....having to quarantine in my class B Xplorer. if the time comes.

I went ahead yesterday and started my Onan Genny 4000, but ran it out of fuel. Put in half a tank of gas in the RV and tried to start the genny again. No luck. All she does is turn, even after priming. is there another way of priming the genny after it runs out of fuel?

I want to have it ready if the day comes that I need to use it as a home for a couple of weeks.

Thanks

Stay Home and Stay Safe.
  • I know that on my previous Onan 5500 and on my current Onan 8kw Quiet Diesel, holding down the Stop button will prime the system.
  • I would not crank it for a full minute. That may eventually lead to starter failure. Most gens say to crank for 10-15 seconds at a time with a minute or so in between. Check for spark and then use starting fluid to get it going. If it starts then stops, then you have a fuel delivery problem.
  • Thanks for the suggestion, I've tried cranking it for about a minute, can I crankfor a longer period of time? not sure if that can overheat the starter.
  • Fuel, Spark, Compression and it will start. If one of those is missing it won't start. Check those three things before you use starting fluid.
  • When was the fuel filter last changed?
    Try some starter fluid spray and see if it fires up.
  • Crank it until it starts or spray a little starting fluid (ether) in air cleaner. It should not need to be primed. Preferred method is crank it over until it starts.

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