New to me 98 lance 3.4 generac propane generator

Question

I just purchased a 1998 Lance with a built in generator. It is a generac 3.4 I believe. The generator runs on propane and has 26 hours on it. It runs perfectly and you can run the air and micro at the same time with no problem. From looking at it I am guessing it has the original oil filter and probably has never been serviced. The oil is as clear as can be. I am sure in the next ten years I would be lucky to put another 50 hours on this generator. I am scared to do anything to this unit. Because it has zero problems now. My question is what would you do in my shoes? Perform some maintenance or leave it alone and hope for another 15 trouble free years! What maintenance would you do if you would go the maintenance route.

If I go someplace where I will be using a lot of generator power I would bring my Honda EU3000. But this built in is handy for the now and then use for sure.

One other question, does propane have the same loss of power at high altitude as gas and if so how whats the fix on propane.

Thanks

kd4upl · Answer

I'm not sure of the maintenance interval on your unit but I'd bet it's similar to my Onan LP gen. I'm supposed to run it a minimum of 2 hours ever 2 months. That's 24 hours a year so if it were 15 years old like you're gen it should have a minimum of 360 hours on it.
Oil in an LP engine usually stays very clean. With that few hours I would guess the oil is rather clean. I would also guess that your manual will recommend changing it once a year regardless.
I would do what ever Generac recommends as far as run time, oil changes, etc. I don't think it's been followed in the past with this unit.
Any normally aspirated engine looses power at high altitude because less air gets into the cylinder during the intake stroke. The only thing you can do about it is turn the fuel back so it doesn't run too lean. Again, your manual should tell you how to make the adjustment and at what altitude.

ski_pro_3 · Answer

The beauty of a propane generator is that the oil almost never gets dirty and you can let it sit for years without concern that it's gonna break down.  I have had several propane gennys over the years.  Some have sat as long as two years between running and they always start right up and chug away.  Propane doesn't get old and break down like gasoline.  It doesn't gum up the carb and it doesn't leave deposits like gasoline either.  If this were my genny, I'd just run it and keep an eye on the oil level and color.  I'd also check the air filter annually.  Other than that, I'd just enjoy it.

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New to me 98 lance 3.4 generac propane generator

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