WingsFan1313
Explorer
Joined 5 years ago
User Profile
User Widgets
All Activity
Water Pump Tries But Fails to Pump Water
Hey folks, Thank you to everyone who has been so friendly with me on this site. I've had my RV for just under a year and you folks have been amazing in helping me troubleshoot my newbie issues. I'm having issues with my water pump. A bit of a backstory on this issue: I took my RV across the country from Nevada to Michigan in October to visit family, assuming that it would be a quick trip. While I was home, my dad passed away, and that meant extending the trip much longer than expected... into January and the Michigan winter. In a panic over making sure the water system was winterized, I followed instructions on blowing out the lines with an air compressor, draining the hot water tank, and using antifreeze in the holding tanks/drains/toilets. I did not, however, know where the water pump was, so I could not winterize it. Fast forward to today -- the day that I braved the inevitable and filled my fresh water tank to test the pump. Here's what happened: Turned on pump Opened cold water lines Water flowed fine after a couple minutes Closed cold water lines Pump stopped as normal Opened hot water lines Water trickled and stopped Pump stopped Closed hot water lines, thinking I blew out the pump Opened cold water lines Water now trickles, pump starts for one second and then stops. I cannot get the pump to even come on when I turn on the bathroom sink -- only with the kitchen faucet and the shower. It trickles water, runs the pump for one second, and then quits. My first instinct is that there is some sort of clog at the pump, but I wanted to run it by someone more knowledgeable before I tear the whole RV apart (the pump is under the bed frame in the back, so I will have to tear out the whole bed to gain access). Please let me know if you need more information. I appreciate any insight.1.1KViews0likes2CommentsRe: Onan Generator Hunts Under Load
Kpackpackkelley wrote: Do you have the service manual ? Those choke rods come loose pretty easy so it will make it run rich. What does the spark plug look like ? Yes. I have the service manual. I will look into the choke rods to see if they are loose. Also the spark plug is a Cummins 1670275 Onan Spark Plug (found here.)1.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Onan Generator Hunts Under Load
Thank you for all of your replies -- the wind died down so I went outside and disconnected the main fuel tank to run it with the external can (with the Seafoam still in it). I let it run for a few minutes and then tried the A/C. It immediately started hunting again, so I think we can rule out stale gas in the main tank. So while the AC was running and the generator was hunting, I tried turning the sensitivity down... literally all the way until the screw wouldn't turn anymore. The good news is that the hunting slowed... to the point where the A/C didn't panic and shut down. The bad news is that it still hunts... and now it seems to hunt on no-load start-up. As I said, I am not very mechanically inclined, so trying to read the service manual to adjust the governor doesn't seem to help me figure it out. As I understand it, there are two screws that I need to worry about -- the speed adjustment screw (to dial in a no-load voltage within tolerance) and then the sensitivity screw on the governor arm (to dial in the correct frequency/voltage with a load on it). Maybe someone on here can explain it better than I can understand it through the manuals? Or maybe someone knows of a video on how to adjust these properly? I have scoured the internet and can't find a tutorial on how to adjust these correctly. Thanks for your help! :)1.2KViews0likes0CommentsOnan Generator Hunts Under Load
Hey folks! I wanted to first offer my thanks for those of you who answered my previous post. For those of you who don't know the backstory, I bought my first motorhome (2002 Fleetwood Tioga 24d) last month. As I am not very mechanically inclined, your help has been instrumental in my getting this far; when I brought it home, the generator would not start at all and you folks got me through that, so I thank you! Here's where I'm at now, and it has a couple of us puzzled, so I figured I would reach out to you. I'll list all the known scenarios below. The generator is an Onan 4000 Microlite KY series. - When I run the generator with no load, on first start-up, it runs well for 15 minutes or so. Voltage tests out within spec (127 +/- 4.5). After 15 minutes with no load, it starts to sag a bit (120-125 volts). - The generator hunts with a heavy load on it (A/C or Microwave). This happens within 2 seconds of my turning either of those items on. - If the generator starts to hunt, and I turn off the A/C or microwave, the generator continues to hunt -- it does not go back to normal no-load operation. - If I turn the generator off and immediately back on, 7 times out of 10, it will come back to normal no-load operation. The other 3 times, it will continue to hunt. - I ran Seafoam/Gas mix through the generator today to clean out all the valves, nooks, and crannies. While hooked up to the external can, the generator ran with no noticeable drops with no-load (I didn't try to put a load on it while running the cleaning). It was probably the best it ever sounded. When I hooked it up to main gas, it ran as above -- well for about 5 minutes and then I could hear the tone of the generator come down a bit. Things I have done/tried (in this order): - Filled the main gas tank with fresh gas. - Checked the genset engine oil - Replaced carburetor (got the generator running -- originally wouldn't start) - Replaced fuel filter - Replaced air filter - Replaced spark plug - Ran a hose to a can of Seafoam and gasoline to clean system - Replaced fuel line from onboard gas tank to fuel filter I also looked into the governor issue that many people have been talking about and downloaded the service manual to properly adjust it (within my limits -- I don't have a load bank to adequately test it). The issue is -- I can't get the generator to *not* hunt long enough to make adjustments to the sensitivity screw, and once it starts hunting, no manual adjustments bring it back to normal. I'm stumped. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance! :)5.4KViews0likes13CommentsRe: Onan Microlite 4000 Generator Issue
I went out a little bit earlier today and just tried to use the microwave with nothing else and it did the same thing. I'm seeing online that I may have to adjust one of the arms feeding the carburetor... But I'm still doing my research on that.700Views0likes0CommentsRe: Onan Microlite 4000 Generator Issue
Thank you so much to everyone for your help. I got my motorhome Thursday of last week, and I have learned so much because of your help. I'm not mechanically inclined at all, but I've gotten so far with everything this week and there's no way I would have been able to do it without you folks. UPDATES: I changed out the carburetor (all by my freakin' self -- that's huge for me) and IT STARTED AND STAYED STARTED! I got giggles and goosebumps because I seriously stink at anything automotive/electrical/small engine so this was a major achievement for me. NEW ISSUES: So the generator runs great -- fires right up, stays fired up... until I try to turn on the air conditioner. As soon as I flip the switch to COOL, the generator starts spasming -- the only way I can describe it is like a sine wave of high to low -- WHIRRRRRrrrrrrrRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrRRRRRrrrrrr. I know that's the absolute newbie way to describe it, but that's what it's doing. I don't want to do any damage to the generator, so I turned it off, turned the AC off, and then a few minutes later, I fired up the generator again. Works like a charm... until I try the AC again... same deal. If anyone has an idea, I'm all ears. I know so much more about this thing now and I can't wait for my DMV to finally open so that I can get plates and get moving. :)699Views0likes0CommentsRe: Onan Microlite 4000 Generator Issue
Hey everyone! I just wanted to follow up on all of your suggestions and get a couple of questions answered now that I have the RV in my driveway. :) The Hot Skin issue: We figured that out -- the shore power plug has a loose ground connection... so I will be replacing that and then I will check to see if it's still doing it. So -- hopefully one problem down. The Dead Battery Issue: I don't believe that the house battery is dead -- The indicator lights show 3/4 to full power when I use the battery test button and the engine will start if I override the engine battery and try to start it with the house battery. Also, the generator will try to turn over when being started from the house battery -- it just won't come on and stay on. I might replace it anyway, but that may be two problems down. The Generator Start Issue -- So having taken your suggestions, I put fresh gas into the tank (up to 3/4 full) and we checked the generator oil -- it was at an appropriate level and looked brand new. We've tried to prime it by holding the STOP side of the button for 3-5 seconds each time before we try to start it. It tries to turn over and will sputter a couple of times before quitting. All signs (to my friend and me) are that there is a fuel issue -- carburetor needs cleaning or something like that -- but I'm new to all of this and don't necessarily know how to do that. I would like to follow up on the following, though... - I don't see any lights on this model to see if there is an error code or if the generator is primed. Where, specifically, should I be looking? - I was under the impression that the carberators on these are sealed and cannot be cleaned in a normal way. Am I wrong? Is there a video somewhere that can show me how to do it? EDIT -- I found a couple... but if you have a go-to one that's awesome, I'd love a link. - When I'm priming the generator, should I hear something happen? (Fuel pump kick on, etc...) Sorry for the long post with so many questions -- I really do appreciate all of your help.699Views0likes0Comments
Groups
