Generator turned itself on!

RayChez wrote:
It is a bad idea for a diesel engine to starve for fuel. It will suck air into the lines and then you have to prime the engines.

my onan gets really upset when I let it run out of fuel, it's a real pain to get primed and running again.

Big Katuna wrote:
You would know if you have auto start. you would have a control panel.

Not always true. My auto start is an addon tot he magnum inverter/charger and uses the same control panel. If you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't find it.

I believe the original poster has a slide on his Tuscany. I believe the Tuscany is top of the line for Damon. So on my coach there is no room for a cat unless it is like two inches high. LOL!

OK your motorhome has room for ten cats to have a party on top of your generator, so it might be possible on your motorhome. You got to also remember that the switch is on a 45% angle and if the diesel was cold, you have to keep that button pressed for a few seconds before it cranks. Now if the diesel is warm and has been running it will start right away.

But don't you think that is quit a coincidence that there have been so many coaches reporting the same problem. There must be a lot of cats out there.

You're kidding right Ray? You think all motorhomes are alike? My generator doesn't slide out, it's fixed. And there's enough room for me to access the top. There is enough room for 9 or 10 cats to be in there. Maybe even more.

msmith1199 wrote:

RayChez wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
I came home once on a nice sunny day to find my generator running on the motorhome on the side of the house. My generator (and probably yours too) had a switch on the generator itself facing the top. I found foot prints from a cat on the generator as well as a clean spot on top where the cat had been sleeping. He somehow managed to step on the switch and start the thing up. It's never happened again so I assume he scarred himself a little and never came back.

I doubt the cat would weigh enough to turn it on. That switch has to have some pressure to turn it on. I do not think a cat could do it.

I believe that what other posters here have said about the plug that gets moisture makes more sense, but Onan will not admit that there is a problem. I have read hundreds of reports of generators starting without having an auto start, and that raises a red flag. But these big companies are all alike and will not put out a recall until something serious happens.

You would be wrong then. The switch on the generator is the exact same as the switch on the dash. All it takes is a very light press of the finger. A cat stepping on it easily could have done it, and did do it. Not to mention this happened in summer in California. Not much moisture here. It clearly was the cat that did it.

Your coach must be designed a little different then mine I guess because I just went out to my coach pressed the button for the generator to roll out. It rolled out 19 inches. I then measured to see where that switch would be when the generator was rolled back in and the switch is under the wire harness, and there are plenty next to the firewall. So on my coach there is no way a cat can press on the switch which is located on the side of my Onan 7500 Quiet diesel in a 45% slope. So I do not know if your coach has the slide out for the generator or not, but it must be different. The cat would have to have its foot on the switch for a few seconds because there is a time delay before it cranks over.

RayChez wrote:

msmith1199 wrote:
I came home once on a nice sunny day to find my generator running on the motorhome on the side of the house. My generator (and probably yours too) had a switch on the generator itself facing the top. I found foot prints from a cat on the generator as well as a clean spot on top where the cat had been sleeping. He somehow managed to step on the switch and start the thing up. It's never happened again so I assume he scarred himself a little and never came back.

I doubt the cat would weigh enough to turn it on. That switch has to have some pressure to turn it on. I do not think a cat could do it.

I believe that what other posters here have said about the plug that gets moisture makes more sense, but Onan will not admit that there is a problem. I have read hundreds of reports of generators starting without having an auto start, and that raises a red flag. But these big companies are all alike and will not put out a recall until something serious happens.

You would be wrong then. The switch on the generator is the exact same as the switch on the dash. All it takes is a very light press of the finger. A cat stepping on it easily could have done it, and did do it. Not to mention this happened in summer in California. Not much moisture here. It clearly was the cat that did it.

DSDP Don wrote:
Your issue with one of the two above!!!

X2 or there is a 3rd possibility. Your wife rolls over in the middle of the night and puts her elbow on the Gen Start switch.:B

It is a bad idea for a diesel engine to starve for fuel. It will suck air into the lines and then you have to prime the engines.

It doesn't turn off, it runs out of fuel. The pick up tube doesn't go all the way to the bottom so you don't get stranded.

Mine is supposed to turn off when gas tank reaches 1/4 tank. never tried it myself.