We have a champion 3500/4000 watt generator that will no longer start and then run our 13.5 btu air conditioner. I have called champion help line and got 2 diferent directions on how to fix the problem. The last fellow said to get a hertz meter and call back and then they might be able to help. I turn off all breakers in the trailer except the main and the ac ones. Should I just buy a new one. It starts and runs fine and does everything except air.

Moved from Forum Technical Support

Will your AC run on 30Amp shore power? Get out your volt meter and measure output unloaded it should be somewhere around 125volts or slightly greater.

when and how ?what is the situationare you waiting until its 100* before startingwhen Hot, do you let the FAN run 10 minutes before switching to 'cold' mode and starting the compressor,how old, how many hours, how easily does the A/C start on shore power ( does it need a soft start add-on ?did you remove the 'spark arrestor' from the exhaust and clean it ?old fuel or new fuel ?clean/replace sparkplug ?

I have a 4000 watt and I have to throw all breakers off except the ac to make it run the 13.5

The ethynol will mess up the carb and cause it to lose power. I had used mine to run the entire camper for several years but it slowly lost power and would not do it anymore. A new $27 carb from champion fixed my problem. Does it surge any at all or do you need to use the choke to keep it running smooth?

champion 3500/4000 generator | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

hmknightnc
Explorer
Jul 23, 2013
retired1 wrote:
Pulled the spark arrestor from the exhaust. It was really carboned up. Used several tips from this forum plus the champ tech and it is now running. Hopefully it will run as expected from now on.
Thanks

Great. Nice to hear you got it working again. You might want to run a dose of seafoam through it clean out your carb. Couple of teaspoons in the 4 gallon tank should be enough.
retired1
Explorer
Jul 23, 2013
Pulled the spark arrestor from the exhaust. It was really carboned up. Used several tips from this forum plus the champ tech and it is now running. Hopefully it will run as expected from now on.
Thanks
denverhank
Explorer
Jul 23, 2013
tvman44 wrote:
I run my 15,000 A/C on ours. :)

X 2
And it did run my 13.5 A/C just fine when I lived in CO.
RWDIII
Explorer
Jul 23, 2013
May be dumb question,but do you have the 30 amp RV plug?
Eight years ago when I got my first 3500 Champion,it had 2 15 amp plugs.
retired1
Explorer
Jul 23, 2013
The champ chokes to death when I turn on the AC. I am sure the problem is the generator not the AC unit. I will plug my volt meter into an inside outlet when I turn on the AC and see what it reads then.
JiminDenver
Explorer II
Jul 23, 2013
We run a 3500/4000 at 9-10000 ft and I have to turn off the converter to run the AC. It does fine at 5200 ft
tvman44
Explorer
Jul 23, 2013
I run my 15,000 A/C on ours. :)
pinesman
Explorer
Jul 23, 2013
What does the volt meter on the champ do when you turn on the ac? Is the ac throwing a breaker or the champ cutting off?
retired1
Explorer
Jul 23, 2013
All good questions and points.
The AC starts easily on shore power, even 20 amp.
The generator starts fine runs fine, except with AC load.
I have a volt meter and the volt output is 125, no load.
The tech gave me a hotter spark plug number to use.
Didn't think about the spark arrestor.
Gas is fresh.
Will try running the fan before starting the compressor for cool.
We are in the mountains, so altitude is an issue.
Thinking of going to the next size Champion. 5000 watt I think.
The tech had me turn up the rpm, but without a hertz meter, or rpm meter we really don't know if it's in spec or not. His words.
markandkim
Explorer II
Jul 23, 2013
Mine runs the 13.5 and everything else too. What's up?