Onan 4000 KY Clicking sound?

My hour meter clicks, maybe you just never noticed it before.

Thanks for the follow up beemerphile1.
Mine sounds rather loud and irregular. Is the sound you hear like that? Seems to have appeared recently- last 10 hours or so?

Hour meter clicks are very regular and shouldn't be too loud. I think mine are once every 3.6 seconds (i.e. every 1/100 of an hour). Presumably it's from the little escapement doohicky that drives the reels of the meter.

americanrascal wrote:
Thanks for the follow up beemerphile1.
Mine sounds rather loud and irregular. Is the sound you hear like that? Seems to have appeared recently- last 10 hours or so?

Nah, the meter clicks at regular intervals but mine is loud.

Thanks guys. The lack of regularity and the loudness then would tell me not the hour meter. Guess I might better order a new fuel pump to have on hand??

I would unplug the pump. With the unit off. Run a jumper wire over to the pump. If it comes on very loud probably bad.It should pulse until it builds up pressure and then slow down.

If your particular generator has the prime feature (some do, some don't), holding the control switch in the "off" position when the generator is not running will activate the pump without the engine. That's an easy way to get it to run to listen to it.

If you don't have this prime feature, TEXAS's suggestion is good and accomplishes the same thing, just with more effort required. Getting at the fuel pump is a bit of a pain; it's underneath the control modules (and the starter solenoid, which is attached to the top of the control modules). At least you shouldn't need to drop the generator to get at it.

Thanks- I do have the prime feature so tried the test you all suggest. The pump priming is a much quieter, softer and regular clicking sound I am hearing.

I primed for about 30 seconds. (again a much softer and far more quieter and normal-regular clicking sound)then decided to fire the unit up and run it under load for a while.

I never heard the sound in question until the unit got warm- about 8-10 minutes. Then it started intermittently and would click loudly for- without a rhythm - about 20 seconds then quit for 2 minutes then start again. The sound seems to emanate near the solenoid (??) and the electronic box area at the front on the floor of the gen set chassis. I could not isolate it.

The unit ran perfectly and has not even a hiccup. But The clicking sound remains.

I appreciate your help.

Now the fun begins. This is what we called the hunting game. When it starts clicking. Put your hand on the solenoid body. See if you can feel it moving. You might also put your hand on the valve cover. Feel for the clicking. Also check the floor where the genset mounts. Look for anything that could be hitting the frame.

My first thought was the starter bendix creeping out and touching the ring gear.