Onan 2500 LP generator.. 2005 Arctic Fox

[Harleybullet]

Still having a problem keeping the gen going....I am sure it is the selenoid for the fuel flow. Cannot find a place that has it. Anyone know the Onan people or where to get the part. I cannot find it!

Dave

[Eric_Lisa]

Harleybullet wrote:
Still having a problem keeping the gen going....I am sure it is the selenoid for the fuel flow.

I have an Onan 2500 LP generator which was installed in 2006 - so it should be pretty much identical to what you have.

I ran in to a problem a few years ago where it would not handle a heavy load. Running the AC was at the limit of what it could do, and then one day it would not do that. Cough, run worse, miss, cough more, recover, run even worse, die. I traced the problem to oil in the propane supply line.

Turns out propane is a byproduct of refining gasoline. Under certain conditions it will continue to refine and produce oil. Since the generator is the lowest point in the propane lines, it accumulated there and hosed up the carb. I ended up disconnecting all the propane lines at the appliances and capping them. One by one, I sprayed brake cleaner in to the propane line and blew it out with compressed air. (It is necessary to disconnect and cap the appliances as the compressed air would be too much for their individual regulators.)

To prevent the problem in the future I built a tall propane line after the tank regulator that goes up, makes a 180, and then comes down in to a T-fitting. The bottom of the T has a stub pipe and a cap. I pull the cap off every year or two, and sure enough a small drip of oil comes out.

As for the generator, it never ran right after that. It is a royal PITA to remove (won't come out the door, have to take the door frame off), and I finally got tired of it. Last year I yanked it out and took it to the local Cummins/Onan dealer for repair. Turned out everything was fine, it just needed some adjusting (3 weeks & $300 later).

The other thing I found it to be VERY sensitive to is the positioning of the air filter. If the filter (and goofy clip) is even slightly out of alignment it won't run smooth. I ended up putting a small patch of tape over the filter cover to help seal it up better.

Runs great now! Handles the AC fine on a hot day.

HTH!
-Eric

[Harleybullet]

Suds I PMed you Dave

[Harleybullet]

Skip and Linda sorry to hear of you loss. I have been hurting all winter but starting up again will contact you later. Dave & Lila

[azrving]

Harleybullet wrote:
Rjxj I am not sure but the mechanic said it was the selenoid... live on Long Island in NY and there is not many dealers or shops.

Oh ok
I see. Good deal that he pin pointed it.

[Harleybullet]

Suds Have not heard from you in ages. Hope all is well. We are on Long Island in NY where we live. Felt like **** all winter and never made it out to Quartzite. Any thing planned for you?

Dave

[Harleybullet]

Rjxj I am not sure but the mechanic said it was the selenoid... live on Long Island in NY and there is not many dealers or shops.

[54suds]

Harley where you at ?

[KD4UPL]

Onan is owned by Cummins. A Cummins dealer will likely have access to the part. They may not know how to find it. They may charge a fortune for it. But, they should be able to sell you one.

[skipbee]

Hi Dave, google it, I got 900,000 responses. I too forget google has it all. I would check twice before deciding the problem. I've had trouble keeping our onan running, it was a tube hanging below the generator that needed cleaning. Someone here prolly has other solutions. We now always run the gen monthly under load, it keeps it on standby.
Hi to Lila, we've been off the roads for awhile, our oldest son recently passed. We're just beginning to think about TC'ing a bit.
Love to all,
skip

[azrving]

If you mean the solenoid on the carb bowl, do you know what it does or how to test it?