Hey guys and gals,Total RV newbie here. Living fulltime in a Thor Windsport 34R my wife and I purchased about 6mo ago.I just tried to run our generator, just to break it in a bit, and it wouldn't turn over. I popped it open and primed the fuel, still nothing.I then got worried cause we were still connected to shoreline power, so I unplugged the shorline, and now the lights wont even come on on the generator switch and the on switch does nothing???I'm struggling to figure out what this could be? My wife said it worked when we first got the RV. I was out of town, and we had it in storage for a few months, if that means anything?Our tank is just about 1/4 full.Any thoughts are much appreciated!

Our Onan Generator in our motorhome will not work when the gas tank is 1/4 full. I guess it's a safety thing.

2oldman wrote:Dead batteries.Hmmm... these are brand new batteries that we installed recently. How can I check to see if they are dead or not? Also, when I unplug the shoreline, I still have power to my wired lights, doesn't that mean the batteries are not dead?

start by checking the batteriesthe fluid level in the cells and the cleanness of cables and connectionsremove clean and tighten cablesadd distilled water if needed to the batteriesuse a volt meter and check battery voltageyou may have a blown fuse between converter and batteriesor perhaps the battery dis-connect switch is in the battery off position so the converter could not charge themyour converter is working from shore power, because you have lights etc.. when plugged in

MrWizard wrote:start by checking the batteriesthe fluid level in the cells and the cleanness of cables and connectionsremove clean and tighten cablesadd distilled water if needed to the batteriesuse a volt meter and check battery voltageyou may have a blown fuse between converter and batteriesor perhaps the battery dis-connect switch is in the battery off position so the converter could not charge themyour converter is working from shore power, because you have lights etc.. when plugged inI have lights when unplugged, too.Update: I just looked at the meter for both Batteries, they are both full and at 13.7v, so they're currently charging. They are brand new and should be healthy, like, 2 months old

Brand New Onan QG 5500 not turning | Good Sam Community

zoostory
Explorer
Nov 17, 2018
wopachop wrote:
Sounds like its the low fuel tank.
Does anyone know if the genny will prime even with low fuel on that type of setup?

Because hitting the prime button and listening for noise would help us know if his genny is getting 12v.

Hmmm, when I hit the prime button, I don't hear anything, a red light does come on. I am doing this from the chassis. The engine has gone from sounding like its about to turn over, from the power button doing absolutely nothing at all, with or without shoreline. So I'm guessing this is a fuel tank thing? We're just at 1/4.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Nov 17, 2018
You have separate and distinct problems and both point at the coach batteries, You need to troubleshoot this, not guess at it.

Defective circuit from RV batteries to Generator starter will cause no crank. Converter power alone stands no chance of making a noise never mind cranking over the generator,

First step in the easiest way of troubleshooting

Jump start coach batteries with jumper cables from your car. Does the generator now crank?

Try it
dougrainer
Nomad
Nov 17, 2018
Fuel problem WILL NOT cause lack of the Genset turning over. Only lack of sufficient battery power or a bad starter. You will only really hear a clicking sound at the Genset when pushing the prime button and an occasional genset fuel pump burp. Doug

Think of it this way. Your Automobile is out of Gas or the Fuel Pump is bad. The engine will turn over until you either burn out the starter or your battery goes dead. Same with a genset.
dougrainer
Nomad
Nov 17, 2018
One thing. Even tho the coach batteries are somewhat new. SOME RV's, if the battery disconnect is turned OFF, that disconnects the Coach batteries from the Coach charging system and the coach batteries will go dead after a few weeks. On this type connection, the battery disconnect ON light, if you have one, will be ON, because the ON light receives its signal from the COACH side of the Disconnect relay. This scenario only affects RV's with POWER CONVERTERS. If you have a INVERTER/CHARGER, the batteries are connected direct to the Inverter/Charger. Doug
wopachop
Explorer
Nov 17, 2018
So its either a loose battery connection or maybe by some fluke the brand new genny is low on oil?
2oldman
Explorer II
Nov 18, 2018
zoostory wrote:
..brand new batteries that we installed recently. How can I check to see if they are dead or not? Also, when I unplug the shoreline, I still have power to my wired lights, doesn't that mean the batteries are not dead?

voltmeter. Sounds like they're ok.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Nov 18, 2018
I then got worried cause we were still connected to shoreline power, so I unplugged the shorline, and now the lights wont even come on on the generator switch and the on switch does nothing???

seriously people, does not this paragraph camouflaged as a sentence NOT GIVE ENOUGH CLUES?

I am having fun following this...:)
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Nov 18, 2018
Battery power from battery bank is being interrupted when shorepower is disconnected but coach lights aren't?
Why isn't the generator power cable transmitting power while unplugged?
You are omitting asking the OP to do vital successive troubleshooting
Having the generator power light lit only when shorepower is disconnected is a clue.
dougrainer
Nomad
Nov 18, 2018
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I then got worried cause we were still connected to shoreline power, so I unplugged the shorline, and now the lights wont even come on on the generator switch and the on switch does nothing???

seriously people, does not this paragraph camouflaged as a sentence NOT GIVE ENOUGH CLUES?

I am having fun following this...:)

AND, the OP has never clarified WHAT he means. Does the Genset TURN OVER at all? THAT would help narrow it down. But, he has NEVER answered this question. Doug
zoostory
Explorer
Nov 18, 2018
dougrainer wrote:
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I then got worried cause we were still connected to shoreline power, so I unplugged the shorline, and now the lights wont even come on on the generator switch and the on switch does nothing???

seriously people, does not this paragraph camouflaged as a sentence NOT GIVE ENOUGH CLUES?

I am having fun following this...:)

AND, the OP has never clarified WHAT he means. Does the Genset TURN OVER at all? THAT would help narrow it down. But, he has NEVER answered this question. Doug

Genset was turning over for a while. Now it's not. Thanks for all the help guys, and glad I can entertain. I've called a professional to come take a look as this is out of my scope and I don't want to mess around with any electrical without proper knowledge!

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