Onan 4000 Microquiet not starting

[JohnRN]

Just a "clicking" noise but won't turn over. I exercise it monthly - store with Stabil - and have not had a problem in 8 years. Any troubleshooting suggestions? Thanks.

[Kpackpackkelley]

rescarra wrote:
how did you get to the flywheel, did you have to remove the generator from the motor home

Just remove the front door and reach around behind the air housing.

[rescarra]

how did you get to the flywheel, did you have to remove the generator from the motor home

[kcny]

Not sure how the OP made out, but I wanted to thank everyone for their help/advice. My issue was indeed the "stuck starter". It seemed too awkward to turn the flywheel by hand, so I used a ratchet with a 9/16" socket - a quick push and I could feel it loosed up. After that, the generator fired right up!

[Kpackpackkelley]

You should be able to grab the flywheel by your hand and turn it no need for wrench. Left side of gen just stick your hand in the plastic housing with the front door of f. Look at your parts manual for location.

[kcny]

I am also experiencing the same issue with the same model generator. JohnRN - let us know how you make out.

If it is the "stuck starter" - which side is the flywheel on (to use the wrench)? Can this be done with the generator still installed with the housing on?

[j-d]

I just went through a case where the battery that cranks the genset had failed. In our case it was the "house" or "coach" battery, a Deep Cycle, NOT the Chassis/Ford Engine battery. Pushed START and only a Click. Went to genset itself and that switch. Same. Started the Chassis (Road) Engine and seconds later I could start the genset. As we headed out, I noticed the Time on the dashboard radio (which is powered by the House/Coach Deep Cycle battery) was gone. Checked and Station Memory was gone. Stopped at WallyWorld for a new Deep Cycle. Everything now works. The battery was weak enough that not only would it not crank the genset, it also dropped the radio's memory when I attempted to start the genset.
Another one of those things I can't prove, but I think the 4KY genset's logic board looks at available voltage, and even if the starter could attempt to crank, the logic board won't let it try below a certain voltage. Certain voltage once you command it to Start.

[JohnRN]

Thanks all! I will give these suggestions a try on my next day off. Thanks again.

[Kpackpackkelley]

Chinook wrote:
Just a "clicking" noise but won't turn over.

(that click is probably the sound of the starter motor running the starter Bendix
( gear on starter motor) into the gear on the flywheel on generator motor

This could be the sign of a low battery or bad cable connections with the resulting “stuck starter”.

I had a similar problem with my generator. I checked it before a trip to Alaska and all appeared to be fine. Used it a couple of times on the trip and then it wouldn't start. It got to the point that it wouldn't turn over and just made a click (klunk) that sounded as if the starter was jammed. After returning home, I found information this forum that explained that sometimes the piston in the engine could stop near the top of the compression stroke and the starter motor then could not turn the engine over.

The solution was to turn the engine over by hand so it was past the top of the compression stroke. I found that by putting a wrench on the nut on the flywheel, I could get the engine rotated past the compression stroke.

I also discovered that I was getting a big drop in the 12 volts as I tried to start the generator. As a test, I used jumper cables from my truck directly to the generator (negative to generator frame – positive to battery side of starter solenoid) and it started instantly. (after resolving the stuck starter by turning the engine over by hand) In my RV, the frame was used for the negative wire and the connections from the frame to the generator had corroded and although I could get a 12-volt measurement, the corroded connections would not allow enough current to pass to run the starter.

In addition to replacing the corroded connectors, I ran a heavy gauge copper wire from the battery ground to the starter ground. This solved my problems. As stated above, a large drop in voltage when trying to run the starter indicates a bad connection.

You might need to check ALL of your ground connections from the generator all the way back to the batteries.

A bad electrical connection increases the resistance in a circuit. Ohm’s Law states E=IR where E = voltage I = current and r = resistance

---- Since the battery voltage will not increase (it actually decreases with each attempted start), increased resistance causes a decrease in current. With a decrease in current, the starter motor produces less torque (turning effect) because the magnetic field produced in the starter is proportional to the current.

When the piston in the motor’s cylinder goes upward during the compression stroke the volume of the area from the top of the piston to the bottom of the cylinder head becomes less, According to Boyle's law, if you reduce the volume of a quantity of gas, the pressure will increase.

When the force of the gas pushing down on the piston (pressure) equals the torque of the starter the starter motor stops turning. Attempted restarting does nothing to change these forces and the starter motor in an attempt to turn, just runs the starter bendix into the flywheel producing the clicking sound.

By physically turning the motor past top dead center, by pulling on flywheel or placing a wrench on the flywheel nut, the piston starts on its downward stroke and the pressure becomes less so that the torque of the starter is adequate to rotate the motor.

All of this . Turn that flywheel by hand see how hard it is to turn if its to hard it will burn your starter up if you hold on the starter switch.

[JESTER7406]

Sounds like low voltage or bad connection as mentioned above. First check grounding point.

[Chinook]

Just a "clicking" noise but won't turn over.

(that click is probably the sound of the starter motor running the starter Bendix
( gear on starter motor) into the gear on the flywheel on generator motor

This could be the sign of a low battery or bad cable connections with the resulting “stuck starter”.

I had a similar problem with my generator. I checked it before a trip to Alaska and all appeared to be fine. Used it a couple of times on the trip and then it wouldn't start. It got to the point that it wouldn't turn over and just made a click (klunk) that sounded as if the starter was jammed. After returning home, I found information this forum that explained that sometimes the piston in the engine could stop near the top of the compression stroke and the starter motor then could not turn the engine over.

The solution was to turn the engine over by hand so it was past the top of the compression stroke. I found that by putting a wrench on the nut on the flywheel, I could get the engine rotated past the compression stroke.

I also discovered that I was getting a big drop in the 12 volts as I tried to start the generator. As a test, I used jumper cables from my truck directly to the generator (negative to generator frame – positive to battery side of starter solenoid) and it started instantly. (after resolving the stuck starter by turning the engine over by hand) In my RV, the frame was used for the negative wire and the connections from the frame to the generator had corroded and although I could get a 12-volt measurement, the corroded connections would not allow enough current to pass to run the starter.

In addition to replacing the corroded connectors, I ran a heavy gauge copper wire from the battery ground to the starter ground. This solved my problems. As stated above, a large drop in voltage when trying to run the starter indicates a bad connection.

You might need to check ALL of your ground connections from the generator all the way back to the batteries.

A bad electrical connection increases the resistance in a circuit. Ohm’s Law states E=IR where E = voltage I = current and r = resistance

---- Since the battery voltage will not increase (it actually decreases with each attempted start), increased resistance causes a decrease in current. With a decrease in current, the starter motor produces less torque (turning effect) because the magnetic field produced in the starter is proportional to the current.

When the piston in the motor’s cylinder goes upward during the compression stroke the volume of the area from the top of the piston to the bottom of the cylinder head becomes less, According to Boyle's law, if you reduce the volume of a quantity of gas, the pressure will increase.

When the force of the gas pushing down on the piston (pressure) equals the torque of the starter the starter motor stops turning. Attempted restarting does nothing to change these forces and the starter motor in an attempt to turn, just runs the starter bendix into the flywheel producing the clicking sound.

By physically turning the motor past top dead center, by pulling on flywheel or placing a wrench on the flywheel nut, the piston starts on its downward stroke and the pressure becomes less so that the torque of the starter is adequate to rotate the motor.

[Gjac]

midnightsadie wrote:
just a klicking sounds like a low battery or bad connection.

This is were I wold look first. You can park your tow car next to the MH and with battery cables hook directly to genset. If it starts(cranks) you know it is a low battery or bad connection. If not I wold then look a the starter.

[midnightsadie]

just a klicking sounds like a low battery or bad connection.