Onan Microlite 4000 Generator Issue
Good evening, folks! I will be purchasing my first-ever motor home on Monday; It's a 2002 Fleetwood Tioga with an Onan Microlite 4000 generator. During preliminary discussions with the seller, he...
Forum Discussion
You're talking about a few different problems which are not really related to each other.
The clicking is a dead battery, or a poor connection between the battery and the generator somewhere along the way; the generator starter isn't getting sufficient power to turn over the generator. Cleaning the connections or replacing the battery, as needed, should fix that. Since it was plugged in, it would be worth verifying that the converter is working properly to keep the battery charged. (Most commonly the generator is started from the house battery; once the main engine of the motorhome was started, the two batteries are connected together so the alternator can charge the house battery, and the engine battery thus helps to start the generator as well. That also suggests that the issue is more likely to be a battery problem or a bad connection right at or near the battery.)
The generator not staying running could be several things. It might just be air in the fuel line between the tank and the generator, in which case starting it a few more times should fix it. It could also be the generator controller shutting down the generator due to some fault. If the light on the generator switch is flashing, count the flashes to get the fault code (two digits, shown by two sets of flashes, the whole thing repeating.) I'm not sure that all versions of this generator display fault codes, though.
The tingle--I'm assuming you must have been plugged into shore power at the time--indicates an electrical fault somewhere in the RV causing what's known as a "hot skin." It's perhaps possible that this was just due to a broken or disconnected ground connection where it was plugged in, but often also indicates some actual problem such as a fridge or water heater element that is leaking electricity to ground due to broken-down insulation, or a wire that's chafed or pierced by a nail or screw, or something. That's definitely worth investigating; under the right (wrong?) conditions, it could be a serious shock hazard to someone who is touching the RV while standing on the ground.
None of these three issues are particularly rare, nor would I consider them deal-breakers, but they are things to take care of before long--particularly the last item should be investigated as soon as practical.
Welcome to the world of motorhome ownership, and motorhome maintenance, and motorhome repair!
The clicking is a dead battery, or a poor connection between the battery and the generator somewhere along the way; the generator starter isn't getting sufficient power to turn over the generator. Cleaning the connections or replacing the battery, as needed, should fix that. Since it was plugged in, it would be worth verifying that the converter is working properly to keep the battery charged. (Most commonly the generator is started from the house battery; once the main engine of the motorhome was started, the two batteries are connected together so the alternator can charge the house battery, and the engine battery thus helps to start the generator as well. That also suggests that the issue is more likely to be a battery problem or a bad connection right at or near the battery.)
The generator not staying running could be several things. It might just be air in the fuel line between the tank and the generator, in which case starting it a few more times should fix it. It could also be the generator controller shutting down the generator due to some fault. If the light on the generator switch is flashing, count the flashes to get the fault code (two digits, shown by two sets of flashes, the whole thing repeating.) I'm not sure that all versions of this generator display fault codes, though.
The tingle--I'm assuming you must have been plugged into shore power at the time--indicates an electrical fault somewhere in the RV causing what's known as a "hot skin." It's perhaps possible that this was just due to a broken or disconnected ground connection where it was plugged in, but often also indicates some actual problem such as a fridge or water heater element that is leaking electricity to ground due to broken-down insulation, or a wire that's chafed or pierced by a nail or screw, or something. That's definitely worth investigating; under the right (wrong?) conditions, it could be a serious shock hazard to someone who is touching the RV while standing on the ground.
None of these three issues are particularly rare, nor would I consider them deal-breakers, but they are things to take care of before long--particularly the last item should be investigated as soon as practical.
Welcome to the world of motorhome ownership, and motorhome maintenance, and motorhome repair!
