The switch on my control board will not start the generator, but it will stop it. I removed the switch and checked for continuity. When I put the probes on the top two tangs and push the bottom side of the switch, I get the continuity beep. When I touch the bottom two and push the top, I also get the beep. This makes me think the switch is good. I have 12 volts on the hot wire. My dash switch and the one on the generator both work. I’m wondering if I have a corroded connection, but I don’t know where that wire goes. I tried looking at the wiring diagram but really couldn’t make much out of it. What do you think?

Make and model of genset. I am guessing it is an Onan. They have an isolation circuit board on some models. It may have shaken loose or the control cable has come loose where it connects to genset.

enblethen wrote:Make and model of genset. I am guessing it is an Onan. They have an isolation circuit board on some models. It may have shaken loose or the control cable has come loose where it connects to genset.Yes, it’s a 5500 gold. Where would this circuit board be located? It sounds reasonable that a wire might have come loose. I’ll look it over good tomorrow.

I had an ONAN once that had exactly the opposite problem. The dash button would start the generator, but neither the dash button, nor the button on the generator would stop it. To stop it, I had to pinch the fuel line off and hold it till the generator died of fuel starvation.My control board had gone bad.

My control board is behind the genset start stop switch on unit.If bad board Dinosaur electronics has some.Does it start and stop at genset?

The switch completes a GROUND to Start and STOP. If the remote switches work, yes, the Control board is bad. Most likely has corrosion. Doug

Generator start/stop switch | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

Gjac
Explorer III
Apr 25, 2020
Charley67 wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
RLS7201 wrote:
Unplug and plug the remote switch connector on the side of the generator several times. That connector is a known issue.

Richard

Yes, but his other remote switch works. I missed what he meant by "Control" Board. I thought he meant the ON Genset board. He must mean his Monitor panel. He needs to find where the Dash Switch and the Monitor panel wires connect to the Genset remote wire harness. THAT is probably where he has the problem. Most OEM's use tap splices to connect to the Onan remote wire harness and odds are the Tap splices are corroded or have come loose. Doug

I suspect the problem may be where the Dash Switch and the Monitor panel wires connect to the Genset remote wire harness, but I don’t know how to find that. I don’t see any way to “follow” the wires. I don’t have to have that switch working, but I’d like to.
To follow the wires start at the genset and pull the wires that connect there and see which ones move going forward work your way up front. When this happened to me I found a butt connector that was corroded, replaced connector and all was well again.
RLS7201
Explorer II
Apr 23, 2020
dougrainer wrote:
RLS7201 wrote:
Unplug and plug the remote switch connector on the side of the generator several times. That connector is a known issue.

Richard

Yes, but his other remote switch works. I missed what he meant by "Control" Board. I thought he meant the ON Genset board. He must mean his Monitor panel. He needs to find where the Dash Switch and the Monitor panel wires connect to the Genset remote wire harness. THAT is probably where he has the problem. Most OEM's use tap splices to connect to the Onan remote wire harness and odds are the Tap splices are corroded or have come loose. Doug

Good catch. I should have read more closely.

Richard
enblethen
Nomad
Apr 22, 2020
The wire, connection or circuit board is the problem.
I was verifying what I read.
Charley67
Explorer
Apr 22, 2020
dougrainer wrote:
RLS7201 wrote:
Unplug and plug the remote switch connector on the side of the generator several times. That connector is a known issue.

Richard

Yes, but his other remote switch works. I missed what he meant by "Control" Board. I thought he meant the ON Genset board. He must mean his Monitor panel. He needs to find where the Dash Switch and the Monitor panel wires connect to the Genset remote wire harness. THAT is probably where he has the problem. Most OEM's use tap splices to connect to the Onan remote wire harness and odds are the Tap splices are corroded or have come loose. Doug

I suspect the problem may be where the Dash Switch and the Monitor panel wires connect to the Genset remote wire harness, but I don’t know how to find that. I don’t see any way to “follow” the wires. I don’t have to have that switch working, but I’d like to.
Charley67
Explorer
Apr 22, 2020
enblethen wrote:
My control board is behind the genset start stop switch on unit.
If bad board Dinosaur electronics has some.
Does it start and stop at genset?

Yes. Only problem is at the inside info panel.
dougrainer
Nomad
Apr 22, 2020
RLS7201 wrote:
Unplug and plug the remote switch connector on the side of the generator several times. That connector is a known issue.

Richard

Yes, but his other remote switch works. I missed what he meant by "Control" Board. I thought he meant the ON Genset board. He must mean his Monitor panel. He needs to find where the Dash Switch and the Monitor panel wires connect to the Genset remote wire harness. THAT is probably where he has the problem. Most OEM's use tap splices to connect to the Onan remote wire harness and odds are the Tap splices are corroded or have come loose. Doug
RLS7201
Explorer II
Apr 22, 2020
Unplug and plug the remote switch connector on the side of the generator several times. That connector is a known issue.

Richard
dougrainer
Nomad
Apr 22, 2020
The switch completes a GROUND to Start and STOP. If the remote switches work, yes, the Control board is bad. Most likely has corrosion. Doug
enblethen
Nomad
Apr 22, 2020
My control board is behind the genset start stop switch on unit.
If bad board Dinosaur electronics has some.
Does it start and stop at genset?
Bobbo
Explorer II
Apr 22, 2020
I had an ONAN once that had exactly the opposite problem. The dash button would start the generator, but neither the dash button, nor the button on the generator would stop it. To stop it, I had to pinch the fuel line off and hold it till the generator died of fuel starvation.

My control board had gone bad.

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Generator start/stop switch

12 Replies

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