Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 10, 2025 ...

Re: Bad Onan Generator Starter?

Reply #25 – January 13, 2020, 04:32:24 pm

OK, I'm following nitehawk's step-by-step instructions (see below) and the time has come to pull out this generator but it won't budge. I have a come-along hooked up to the generator slide and the rear of my suzuki samurai (worked great on my Onan and old Foretravel) and the samurai moves but the generator doesn't. Any thoughts or suggestions on how to proceed? A jack?

Disconnect the battery, both at the battery and at the control board on the generator.
Remove the muffler from the engine.
Remove the safety bolt that has the bolt head directly rearward of the driver's front tire (3/4"socket)
Open the electrical box and label the wires BEFORE disconnecting.
Turn off propane at tank. Then disconnect propane line from regulator at the generator.
Remove compartment door + hinge.
>>>>Pull generator outward from compartment.

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Re: Bad Onan Generator Starter?

Reply #26 – January 13, 2020, 04:38:18 pm

I wonder if FOT bolted their angle iron frame to the coach? Seems there can be a difference even on what are considered identical coaches. It is like each worker does an assembly the way he sees it, and not everybody does in the same way every time.
Crawl under the generator and look for bolt heads or nuts.
Probably one on each corner.
Seems like I forgot to include that item. Sorry. Memory of things seem to be getting worse.
Our generator/FOT frame had the compartment door mounted on it. Maybe you have a separate frame and the generator frame is on top of the compartment frame?
You might be trying to pull the entire compartment out. Good thing FOT builds the coaches tough, if you can drag a Suzuki Samurai.

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Re: Bad Onan Generator Starter?

Reply #27 – January 13, 2020, 04:54:58 pm

Thanks nitehawk. I've been under there and the only bolt I see is the one you described. 

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Re: Bad Onan Generator Starter?

Reply #28 – January 13, 2020, 05:04:48 pm

In 1993, at least on the U240, the generator is on a SLIDE.  Bolts front and back as you look at the generator (door up).

Post a picture of your generator and we will know which design mounting you have.

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Re: Bad Onan Generator Starter?

Reply #29 – January 13, 2020, 06:10:59 pm

Well, on this generator (1st photo) there were 4 bolts: the one nighthawk mentioned plus one I couldn't see in the right front because of the regulator. Then there were 2 of these hex bolts -- see 2nd photo -- in the rear. 
I presume it will pull out now but a few drops of water came out of one of the holes the hex head was in. (right below the couch and water pump) I filled the fresh water tank a couple days ago but that shouldn't have caused any leakage. I've put the generator off till tomorrow and will see if I can find where the water came from. 
I'm really glad I'm not paying someone $100+ an hour for this job.

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Re: Bad Onan Generator Starter?

Reply #30 – January 13, 2020, 06:59:25 pm

Yup, totally different than an early 1993 U240-- interesting..

Sorry to hear you have water in the basement structure-- read that front bulkhead!

Check carefully around the air cooling holes in the basement structure.

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Re: Bad Onan Generator Starter?

Reply #31 – January 13, 2020, 07:10:14 pm

2nd pic looks like you will have to move the angle frame forward towards the front of the coach, then if the "lip" of the compartment isn't fastened to the angle frame you would have to raise the gen frame assembly.
Being kind of a Rube Goldberg type, I would first raise up that side of the coach about 1-2" using the leveling system and then put some blocks from the ground up to the angle frame, then lower the coach the 1-2" Make sure you have that much clearance above the generator to the ceiling of the compartment.
Of course this is all after you verify twice, that the angle frame isn't bolted down to the coach angle iron. Maybe try to separate the coach frame from the angle iron frame with a large screwdriver.
I know that after I got my generator out I went in to the compartment and wire brushed and painted the coach mounting surfaces, I did the same with the angle iron frame but also smeared some wheel bearing grease on the mating surfaces.

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