Onan 3600lp turns propane regulator to red
My generator cut out last time I was out. That has never happened before. The 3600lp has always run flawlessly. I could start the generator up again but it would shut down after a few minutes. I n...
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I received the demand regulator rebuild kit yesterday. It contained more parts then I needed because it is used for several different versions of the 52N regulator, but it had the parts I needed. Basically I changed out the shut off seat, the shut off valve, the spring and the diaphragm. I put it all back together and she started right up and ran smooth.
I can't really say what might have been wrong with the old regulator, but I imagine the diaphragm wears out and somehow either allows too much or too little fuel flow to the carburetor. I did not hook up any load to the system yet but once the generator started the circuit board seemed to take over and run the throttle plate normally. I'm going to get it installed back in the rv this weekend.
The frustrating part of this was the complete lack of information on the troubleshooting. If I had gone by the Onan tech manual I would have replaced the circuit board before I suspected the demand regulator. I would have taken the whole brush assembly apart and performed other unnecessary tests. The tech manual clearly says the demand regulator is rarely the problem and all other troubleshooting steps should be performed before replacing the demand regulator, right. The test of the demand regulator only tells if it opens or not, it does not test for fuel flow. I found one thread on the web that documented this problem in another forum. The guy did all the tests I had done and he finally ordered a new demand regulator and then let the thread go stale and never said whether it worked or not. Any way, I'm glad it finally seems to have been fixed.
I can't really say what might have been wrong with the old regulator, but I imagine the diaphragm wears out and somehow either allows too much or too little fuel flow to the carburetor. I did not hook up any load to the system yet but once the generator started the circuit board seemed to take over and run the throttle plate normally. I'm going to get it installed back in the rv this weekend.
The frustrating part of this was the complete lack of information on the troubleshooting. If I had gone by the Onan tech manual I would have replaced the circuit board before I suspected the demand regulator. I would have taken the whole brush assembly apart and performed other unnecessary tests. The tech manual clearly says the demand regulator is rarely the problem and all other troubleshooting steps should be performed before replacing the demand regulator, right. The test of the demand regulator only tells if it opens or not, it does not test for fuel flow. I found one thread on the web that documented this problem in another forum. The guy did all the tests I had done and he finally ordered a new demand regulator and then let the thread go stale and never said whether it worked or not. Any way, I'm glad it finally seems to have been fixed.
