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
Hey everyone! I just wanted to follow up on all of your suggestions and get a couple of questions answered now that I have the RV in my driveway. :)
The Hot Skin issue: We figured that out -- the shore power plug has a loose ground connection... so I will be replacing that and then I will check to see if it's still doing it. So -- hopefully one problem down.
The Dead Battery Issue: I don't believe that the house battery is dead -- The indicator lights show 3/4 to full power when I use the battery test button and the engine will start if I override the engine battery and try to start it with the house battery. Also, the generator will try to turn over when being started from the house battery -- it just won't come on and stay on. I might replace it anyway, but that may be two problems down.
The Generator Start Issue -- So having taken your suggestions, I put fresh gas into the tank (up to 3/4 full) and we checked the generator oil -- it was at an appropriate level and looked brand new. We've tried to prime it by holding the STOP side of the button for 3-5 seconds each time before we try to start it. It tries to turn over and will sputter a couple of times before quitting. All signs (to my friend and me) are that there is a fuel issue -- carburetor needs cleaning or something like that -- but I'm new to all of this and don't necessarily know how to do that. I would like to follow up on the following, though...
- I don't see any lights on this model to see if there is an error code or if the generator is primed. Where, specifically, should I be looking?
- I was under the impression that the carberators on these are sealed and cannot be cleaned in a normal way. Am I wrong? Is there a video somewhere that can show me how to do it? EDIT -- I found a couple... but if you have a go-to one that's awesome, I'd love a link.
- When I'm priming the generator, should I hear something happen? (Fuel pump kick on, etc...)
Sorry for the long post with so many questions -- I really do appreciate all of your help.
The Hot Skin issue: We figured that out -- the shore power plug has a loose ground connection... so I will be replacing that and then I will check to see if it's still doing it. So -- hopefully one problem down.
The Dead Battery Issue: I don't believe that the house battery is dead -- The indicator lights show 3/4 to full power when I use the battery test button and the engine will start if I override the engine battery and try to start it with the house battery. Also, the generator will try to turn over when being started from the house battery -- it just won't come on and stay on. I might replace it anyway, but that may be two problems down.
The Generator Start Issue -- So having taken your suggestions, I put fresh gas into the tank (up to 3/4 full) and we checked the generator oil -- it was at an appropriate level and looked brand new. We've tried to prime it by holding the STOP side of the button for 3-5 seconds each time before we try to start it. It tries to turn over and will sputter a couple of times before quitting. All signs (to my friend and me) are that there is a fuel issue -- carburetor needs cleaning or something like that -- but I'm new to all of this and don't necessarily know how to do that. I would like to follow up on the following, though...
- I don't see any lights on this model to see if there is an error code or if the generator is primed. Where, specifically, should I be looking?
- I was under the impression that the carberators on these are sealed and cannot be cleaned in a normal way. Am I wrong? Is there a video somewhere that can show me how to do it? EDIT -- I found a couple... but if you have a go-to one that's awesome, I'd love a link.
- When I'm priming the generator, should I hear something happen? (Fuel pump kick on, etc...)
Sorry for the long post with so many questions -- I really do appreciate all of your help.
