I have an Onan 4KY generator in my Class C. I have exercised it each month per the owner's manual. Today I was going to do the monthly exercise for 2 hours. I tried to start it up twice, it spun over, but would not start. On the third try, all it would do was click and hum, but not turn over. The battery is almost new and has been on a maintainer, and the connections to the battery were tight. I got a code 32 and checked the oil etc. Oil level was midway on the dipstick. I read somewhere else that the starter might be stuck, so I tried to turn the flywheel to free it up. The flywheel would not move by hand. I have run out of daylight, but does anyone have any more suggestions before I tackle it again tomorrow. Very frustrating.

u need to pull plug to spin by hand

Hmmm..well i hate to say it, but if you were cranking the starter for a long time, it may have burnt out. Hopefully you just wore the battery down, as could happen if you had trouble getting it fire up.The first thing I would do is to charge the battery up again, and give it another try, to see if the starter will spin. If still no go, it could be the starter solenoid/relay, rather than the starter itself. They can overheat as well and burn out.Is the fuel quite old, and not had any fuel stabilizer added to it? Could be the reason it wasn't starting for you. Old fuel can get pretty gummy after just 6 months, and plug up carb jets, etc. If you do get it to spin again, you could try a shot of "cold start" in the air intake. Sometimes this will allow the engine to fire up long enough, to suck through any gum or varnish. Don't get carried away with the cold start though, as to much can harm an engine.

u need to pull plug to spin by handalso see u in NE Ga how cold is it thick oil?

Sfla2 wrote:u need to pull plug to spin by handalso see u in NE Ga how cold is it thick oil?OK this is the kind of info I was looking for. First, I will recharge the battery, while that is happening I will pull the plug and try to spin the flywheel to make sure the starter is not stuck. As for the temp, it was down to 20 degrees last nite. I need to check my manual to see what oil I put in it, I'm thinking it was 10W-30. I don't think I overheated the starter, but I guess I will find out soon enough. Thanks and I will keep you posted in case someone else has this problem.

We had another case that sounds like yours a week or two ago. The battery was a little low. I forget if the batt had to be taken someplace to be charged then brought back, or charged in place. I mention that because the take-out-to-charge route probably would also result in terminals checked and cleaned. Did you remember to "prime" the carb with fuel by holding the rocker switch to OFF before cranking? I end up doing ours at least twice, even in our warmer weather. You won't flood it doing that, provided the carb's Float Needle and Seat are OK. You'll just know the gas is right there, and hopefully reduce cranking time.

Onan generator problem | Good Sam Community

14 Replies

dennislanier
Explorer
Jan 04, 2014
Sfla2 wrote:
u need to pull plug to spin by hand
also see u in NE Ga how cold is it thick oil?

OK this is the kind of info I was looking for. First, I will recharge the battery, while that is happening I will pull the plug and try to spin the flywheel to make sure the starter is not stuck. As for the temp, it was down to 20 degrees last nite. I need to check my manual to see what oil I put in it, I'm thinking it was 10W-30. I don't think I overheated the starter, but I guess I will find out soon enough. Thanks and I will keep you posted in case someone else has this problem.
Sfla2
Explorer
Jan 03, 2014
u need to pull plug to spin by hand
also see u in NE Ga how cold is it thick oil?
ac_bill1
Explorer
Jan 03, 2014
Hmmm..well i hate to say it, but if you were cranking the starter for a long time, it may have burnt out. Hopefully you just wore the battery down, as could happen if you had trouble getting it fire up.

The first thing I would do is to charge the battery up again, and give it another try, to see if the starter will spin. If still no go, it could be the starter solenoid/relay, rather than the starter itself. They can overheat as well and burn out.

Is the fuel quite old, and not had any fuel stabilizer added to it? Could be the reason it wasn't starting for you. Old fuel can get pretty gummy after just 6 months, and plug up carb jets, etc.
If you do get it to spin again, you could try a shot of "cold start" in the air intake. Sometimes this will allow the engine to fire up long enough, to suck through any gum or varnish. Don't get carried away with the cold start though, as to much can harm an engine.
Sfla2
Explorer
Jan 03, 2014
u need to pull plug to spin by hand

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Onan generator problem

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