Primitive camped this weekend and generator worked great 1st day and night came back for 2nd night and Generator would Start right up and run about 30 to 45 Seconds max and would shut down just like you turned it back off i tried it several times and it kept doing same thing i made sure nothing extra was plugged up and i also tried with both breakers on generator turned off as well and still would not run longer than 30 to 40 seconds any ideas ?

How much gas is in the tank? Most generators have the gas pickup above the 1/4 tank level so that you don't run the chassis out of gas.

Could be a bad voltage regulator, if not a gas issue. try flight systems, as they have an excellent troubleshooting section. plus the techs are real nice and very customer oriented.

Did the power ever come on? Or did the unit shut down before Genny picked up load?If transfer switch does not drop into the Genny side most Genny's shut off after a short periodThe flight systems troubleshooter is found athttp://www.flightsystems.com/pdf/onan-rv-troubleshooing-guide.pdf

i did notice the oil level was low like on the last line of dip stick do they have a kill switch for low oil and i had almost full tank of gas and it turned off before it picked up load

Yes, there is a low oil cut off.

Onan Generator 5500 Issue | Good Sam Community

ss340duster
Explorer
Sep 07, 2014
I ran it for about 10 mins without door I would have never guessed the door would act as a cooler for the gen
ss340duster
Explorer
Sep 07, 2014
I ran it for about 10 mins without door I would have never guessed the door would act as a cooler for the gen
mci7
Explorer
Sep 06, 2014
These units have a oil pump, despite the incorrect report, and when the oil is down some you make a turn, they have been known to loose oil pressure and stop.
Running low and having it stop for low oil pressure results in you playing the $$$ game, sooner or later you will loose weight.
Dave M
bounder39zman
Explorer II
Sep 06, 2014
These sets only hold two quarts of oil, so best to keep at full mark to avoid problems like you had.It does have low oil pressure shut-down switch, not low oil level. Glad you got it fixed, Btw be sure to have service door on when running gen....exhaust system (muffler) will get severely overheated without door on.
prstlk
Explorer
Sep 05, 2014
Go to the flashING lights on either the dash or unit. If you don't have the codes you can get them online. Flash blink etc will tell you whats up. Very accurate and will pinpoint your problem guickly.
Roll on
bsinmich
Explorer
Sep 05, 2014
They use splash lube so when it splashed a little oil around the level probably dropped to stop the motor.
ss340duster
Explorer
Sep 04, 2014
Update I changed the oil used the wix filter and mobile one synthetic 15w/50 oil and it's now purring like a kitten also I'm a old drag racer from many years and the synthetic oils are the real deal so thanks guys for the info
ss340duster
Explorer
Sep 04, 2014
I have the 5.5 HGJAB -911
and it was very low on oil
RDG
Explorer
Sep 04, 2014
ss340duster wrote:
If the low oil pressure cutoff is my problem are they a way to reset or will it be be automatic when I change oil and refill

Should be OK after you add (change) oil.
Bob
ss340duster
Explorer
Sep 04, 2014
If the low oil pressure cutoff is my problem are they a way to reset or will it be be automatic when I change oil and refill

Forum Discussion

Onan Generator 5500 Issue

About Motorhome Group

Related Content

Onan Generator

Onan Generator

Onan generators

Onan Generator Heat

Onan Generator