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Topic: onan 6500 propane generator (Read 928 times) previous topic - next topic

onan 6500 propane generator

ran other day with full load for 30 minutes...no problem..today started onan..ran a few seconds..maybe 30 or so..turned on front air..then turned on back air ,probably too soon...generator stumbled and died...now it will not run...it tries to start,but dies..oddly,if i hold start switch down,it will continue to run,but dies when i let off switch.appreciate any guidance on this...coach is a 1994 G.V.  full tank -propane



Dale Gass
1993 U240 36                                                             

cat 3116 allison 3060

Re: onan 6500 propane generator

Reply #1 –
Dale, There is a simple test to determine if the problem is voltage regulator OR the control board.

Holding the start switch, what is the AC Voltage output from the generator ?

IF above 90 VAC you most likely need the control board

IF LESS than the 90 VAC, you need the voltage regulator board

This is the quick check to zero you into general area of problem.

Dave M

bent over-onan generator

Reply #2 –
posted awhile back about propane onan starts but dies when i let off switch..took coach to Power Field Services cause i was told they were the best..they diagnosed as voltage regulator and also needed valve job....estimate of $2500..looking around at other used generators,it seemed best to me to go ahead and hav them fix what i got...called today to arrange to pick up coach(was told it was ready)...boss man got on phone and told me generator was installed in coach,but told me i have a short in electrical wiring,apparently near the generator...coach not useable..my problem is i have not had any issues prior to this.....seems to me that wires were damaged removing and reinstalling generator...going tommorow to look and probably pick up coach...taking check and jar of vaseline...any better suggestions from forum members?
Dale Gass
1993 U240 36                                                             

cat 3116 allison 3060

Re: onan 6500 propane generator

Reply #3 –
Too late now, but my exact same gen with exact same problem was the control board. Ran fine for 7 years after that. I don't trust what repair shops tell me after the Chrysler dealer told me I needed a steering column for my Cruiser at a cost of $1700 and I fixed it myself with a $40 part.
1994 U280, Build 4490
Deming, NM.

Re: bent over-onan generator

Reply #4 –
Quote from: dalegass –
but told me i have a short in electrical wiring,apparently near the generator...coach not useable..my problem is i have not had any issues prior to this.....seems to me that wires were damaged removing and reinstalling generator...going tommorow to look and probably pick up coach...taking check and jar of vaseline...any better suggestions from forum members?

Coach is not useable after their "repairs"? I think that I'd pay only with a credit card and then you'll at least have some recourse. They probably won't release the coach unless you pony-up the money.

Years ago I had a universal joint problem in Winnemucca, NV and the Dodge dealer (no less!) referred me to a small repair shop across the street. They tried to convince me that my transmission was going out. Then they told me they no longer accepted credit cards because "too many people appealed the charges". This was probably not the right thing to disclose as it indicated (to me) that they regularly defrauded customers.

I found a place to park the 5er, drove in to Reno, and had the U-joint replaced for about $100.

We are considered "low hanging fruit" by many shops as we travel around.

Craig
1993 U225 36' Unihome GV with PACBRAKE exhaust retarder, Banks Stinger and Solar Panels.
Toad: 1999 Jeep Wrangler 2-door soft-top.

"No one has ever had to evacuate a city because the solar panels broke."

Re: onan 6500 propane generator

Reply #5 –
Quote from: dalegass –
ran other day with full load for 30 minutes...no problem..today started onan..ran a few seconds..maybe 30 or so..turned on front air..then turned on back air ,probably too soon...generator stumbled and died...now it will not run...it tries to start,but dies..oddly,if i hold start switch down,it will continue to run,but dies when i let off switch.appreciate any guidance on this...coach is a 1994 G.V.  full tank -propane

We had almost identical problems with our Onan on our 1994.  It was the propane pressure regulator.  I paid a shop to determine what I suspected - the expensive (and discontinued) regulator was the same as a cheap forklift regulator.

I will look up the thread.  You might replace the propane regulator anyway if it is old.

oldMattB
Matt B
1998 u-320

Re: onan 6500 propane generator

Reply #6 –
HELP! Onan Generator Problem - SOLVED!  Given the symptoms and the vintage, I am betting on the propane regulator as the cause of your problems.  I am just a mechanical dummy, but I have lived this one.

I sent the regulator board (not the propane regulator) for a different generator to Flite Systems.  They tested and returned it for about $30, and it took about a week.
Matt B
1998 u-320
 

Re: onan 6500 propane generator

Reply #7 –
yep...$2229.62 ...voltage regulator,#2cyl intake/exh valve guides,exh valve....starterdrive gave out and also had to replaced....15.5 hrs at $95/hr plus parts.....really bad part is where wires come from coach to generator there is an issue with ground wires apparently getting hot and partially melting into red hot wire....cannot run generator...i am trying to figure out how to get to backside of junction box and get some slack in wires so i can insulate them,but....no access...looks like either cut floor or generator bay...not good
Dale Gass
1993 U240 36                                                             

cat 3116 allison 3060