Getting a New Generator in Fort Meyers or Tampa?

[HadEnough]

I have an Onan RV 2500 LP generator. Runs Incredibly well now that I got the little kinks worked out.

However, it stopped producing electricity now.

It's in a place where you can't access it without removing it from the TC.

I know diagnosing these units can cost upward of $1000 so I'm ready to bite the bullet and just drop $2500 on a new one. A few problems...

1) the new model is 22" long. The hole in my TC is 21" long. The newest unit needs a modification to fit.

2) There are still a few of the older models available new but they are very hard to come by.

3) I went to Lazy Days RV in Seffner FL to just buy the new one. They wanted to charge me $3500 for the RV 2500 LP. If you Google this model, it's everywhere for $2500. They don't care and are firm at $3500 plus installation so I'm not going there.

What do you all think? Try to get it fixed? Try to get a new one?

If so, where?? Any suggestions on places that don't add $1000 (33%) to retail prices in generators?

Anywhere good to get the current one fixed?

Somewhere between Orlando, Tampa and Fort Meyers is good.

Cummins in Fort Meyers refuses to answer the phone or answer emails. Left several messages asking to buy a generator. Nothing.

[Sam_Spade]

HadEnough wrote:

However, it stopped producing electricity now.

Your first post did not indicate where you were testing for voltage.
And the far side of a breaker is NOT "at the generator"......as you later discovered.

No need for an argument but you jumped to a conclusion and were almost ready to spend BIG bucks.....based on a bad assumption.

[HadEnough]

Sam Spade wrote:

HadEnough wrote:
Transfer switches don't cause a generator to not output power. Mine is not working fine. It doesn't produce power, unfortunately

That is true.....assuming that you are testing for power output at the right place.

That assumption might not be true.

Edit: And given your last post, it appears that you were NOT testing at the right point to see if the genset was actually making power.

It appears you need to read more closely. If testing the wires inside the generator is the wrong place, what's the right place?

[bucky]

Good job. Thanks for posting the solution.

[HadEnough]

Wrapping up for anyone with an Onan running great that won't produce AC power...

I was able to pry the generator up enough to access the torx screws holding the control panel. That allowed access to the circuit breaker.

One of the connectors to the circuit breaker wasn't making good contact and created huge resistance.That melted something inside the breaker and singed the wires connecting to the breaker.

I replaced the breaker and made sure the contacts were good.

It's fixed. Used the air conditioning off it today.

[Sam_Spade]

HadEnough wrote:
Transfer switches don't cause a generator to not output power. Mine is not working fine. It doesn't produce power, unfortunately

That is true.....assuming that you are testing for power output at the right place.

That assumption might not be true.

Edit: And given your last post, it appears that you were NOT testing at the right point to see if the genset was actually making power.

[HadEnough]

Problem almost solved.

So the Cummins guys knew a shortcut to access the back of the control panel without removing the gender from the TC.

With that trick, it's clear the circuit breaker had a meltdown. The circuit breaker being bad would allow the genset to keep running while not putting out any AC power.

So, for $44 I ordered the breaker. I'll install it next week when it arrives.

[colliehauler]

HadEnough wrote:
Transfer switches don't cause a generator to not output power. Mine is not working fine. It doesn't produce power, unfortunately

Sorry didn't catch that.

[HadEnough]

Transfer switches don't cause a generator to not output power. Mine is not working fine. It doesn't produce power, unfortunately

[Sam_Spade]

colliehauler wrote:
Transfer switches fail.

And when mine went up in smoke, I replaced it with a "dumb" outlet.
Now "I" am the transfer switch.

I consider an automatic transfer switch as just an unnecessary complication......with no good purpose.

[colliehauler]

HadEnough wrote:

DrewE wrote:
Typically the ATS is connected to shore power by default, with the generator being the priority connection. That is to say, it stays connected to shore power unless energized by power from the generator, at which point it switches over, generally after a brief time delay.

****. That's what I thought. Thanks for confirming that.

Transfer switches fail. If so purchasing a new generator will solve nothing. I just went through this last month. I pulled my 4k Onan and took it in to be repaired only to find the generator works fine.

[HadEnough]

DrewE wrote:
Typically the ATS is connected to shore power by default, with the generator being the priority connection. That is to say, it stays connected to shore power unless energized by power from the generator, at which point it switches over, generally after a brief time delay.

****. That's what I thought. Thanks for confirming that.

[DrewE]

Typically the ATS is connected to shore power by default, with the generator being the priority connection. That is to say, it stays connected to shore power unless energized by power from the generator, at which point it switches over, generally after a brief time delay.

[bgum]

Let us know how it comes out.

[HadEnough]

bgum wrote:
I thought you could plug it directly into the generator.

It's the Cummins Onan generator with the problem. No outlets on these. Just a hard wire into the TC's electrical system at a junction box.

I'm on the road now so it'll be a bit of an issue to hard wire up a drill in a parking lot, but still worth it if the automatic transfer switch won't allow the current from the drill to get to the generator.