Value of non-running Onan 5500 generator?
05-20-2016, 07:09 PM
#32
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don't use"Stabil" fuel stabilizer it will Edit up any carb, gas or fuel tank!! the more you use the worse it gets. any time you have a problem change the spark plug 1st then use "Sea Foam"(auto,marine,fleet)motor treatmant, it's the best!
05-22-2016, 01:11 PM
#34
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08-21-2016, 02:27 PM
#35
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Hey... has been a very long time since I posted here. I finally decided to order a carburetor for it. Figured it that fixed it, great. If not, then I'd off it for whatever I could get. It was a $231 gamble.
So, the carb showed up yesterday and I installed it a few minutes ago. The thing is now running FLAWLESSLY. Not a hiccup, nothing. The A/C is blasting and a space heater is running too just to load it up real good and you can barely hear any change in it when you change the load. I even unplugged the trailer from shore power to be 100% sure.
(pause)
Well, crap. Spoke too soon. After ten minutes with the space heater and AC on, it up and quit. However, no code. Can't get it to restart either. It sounds like it's out of gas. I'll fool with it again in a little bit... I have somebody coming to buy a washer and dryer I have for sale, so I'll get back to it later today.
Rob
So, the carb showed up yesterday and I installed it a few minutes ago. The thing is now running FLAWLESSLY. Not a hiccup, nothing. The A/C is blasting and a space heater is running too just to load it up real good and you can barely hear any change in it when you change the load. I even unplugged the trailer from shore power to be 100% sure.
(pause)
Well, crap. Spoke too soon. After ten minutes with the space heater and AC on, it up and quit. However, no code. Can't get it to restart either. It sounds like it's out of gas. I'll fool with it again in a little bit... I have somebody coming to buy a washer and dryer I have for sale, so I'll get back to it later today.
Rob
08-22-2016, 04:51 PM
#36
Rob G, hope you get it ironed out. Sounds like mine somewhat when I put the new carb on although it never quit, just did the Onan song and dance, choke and puke. I'm into the second month of using ours about daily now that we are in some Forest Service camps. Same old thing and I did forget another Onan favorite of mine, the all white wire wiring harness. Just wonderful. I did have a guy stop by several weeks ago in Bakers Hole, MT. asked me if I was checking the oil and changing the carb. Real humorous!
08-23-2016, 09:37 AM
#37
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Just curious RobG but what did the new carb consist of? Everything or did you have to reuse some of the old parts?
And did you happen to check the fuel supply yet? I know this all is dauntingly frustrating but given that the fuel tank, pickup, and fuel lines have nothing to do with Onan..... I know that my fuel tank and its setup is pretty hilarious and I'm sure there's plenty of crap cruising around the bottom. Thankfully it runs but I did have to replace the fuel pump/filter and some fuel line a few years ago.
And did you happen to check the fuel supply yet? I know this all is dauntingly frustrating but given that the fuel tank, pickup, and fuel lines have nothing to do with Onan..... I know that my fuel tank and its setup is pretty hilarious and I'm sure there's plenty of crap cruising around the bottom. Thankfully it runs but I did have to replace the fuel pump/filter and some fuel line a few years ago.
09-24-2016, 03:24 PM
#38
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Back again. Finally had time to fool with it some more today. I used a fresh gallon of gas in a separate jug. Just as before... it ran for about 15 minutes, then quit and won't restart. Code says 36 ("engine stopped" -- no kidding).
Googled.. lots of people having this problem. Lots of suggestions, none of which seemed to help anybody. One guy says he cured it by cleaning his main jet. But in my case, the carburetor is 100% brand new... to answer KATOOM's question, didn't reuse anything other than the fuel filter, which flows fuel just fine. Air cleaner is still decently clean. Spark plugs were new in March.
The thing did seem quite warm when I pulled the cover off, and it has plenty of oil in it. It's only about 60 deg outside today.
So... not sure what to do next. New fuel pump just in case? Fuel filter just in case? Air cleaner just in case? I'm so fed up with Onan generators I will NEVER have another one, that's for sure.
Googled.. lots of people having this problem. Lots of suggestions, none of which seemed to help anybody. One guy says he cured it by cleaning his main jet. But in my case, the carburetor is 100% brand new... to answer KATOOM's question, didn't reuse anything other than the fuel filter, which flows fuel just fine. Air cleaner is still decently clean. Spark plugs were new in March.
The thing did seem quite warm when I pulled the cover off, and it has plenty of oil in it. It's only about 60 deg outside today.
So... not sure what to do next. New fuel pump just in case? Fuel filter just in case? Air cleaner just in case? I'm so fed up with Onan generators I will NEVER have another one, that's for sure.
09-24-2016, 03:48 PM
#39
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Minor update. Went back out 20 minutes later and got it restarted. It ran for six minutes and then started missing and quit. At that point I said F it and called it a day.
09-24-2016, 04:48 PM
#40
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I was going to suggest making sure the tank is venting so that vacuum doesn't stop fuel flow, but your separate jug should have overruled that possibility. The only thing I could think of would be fuel pump. Maybe.....just maybe the fuel pump is stopping for some weird reason. Either bad connection or something we're just not thinking about.
Its easy to connect a 12 volt tester with light so that when the fuel pump is running the the light stays lite. If during the test, if the light goes out and the engine stops running then there's the problem.
Hey in saying that, I feel your pain and its certainly no fun messing with things like this. I believe this is why we live in a disposable society. People dont want to and/or dont have the time to mess with such inconsequential things and its just easier to get ride of the old and replace with new. Not saying thats a bad thing either but just making the correlation.
I grew up where we didnt have money to buy all the new and best stuff so I HAD to make things work. Today I have the money to replace whatever I want but given what I grew up with, I take it personal if I cant fix something.
Its easy to connect a 12 volt tester with light so that when the fuel pump is running the the light stays lite. If during the test, if the light goes out and the engine stops running then there's the problem.
Hey in saying that, I feel your pain and its certainly no fun messing with things like this. I believe this is why we live in a disposable society. People dont want to and/or dont have the time to mess with such inconsequential things and its just easier to get ride of the old and replace with new. Not saying thats a bad thing either but just making the correlation.
I grew up where we didnt have money to buy all the new and best stuff so I HAD to make things work. Today I have the money to replace whatever I want but given what I grew up with, I take it personal if I cant fix something.
09-24-2016, 08:32 PM
#41
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The Jet hole nowadays is so darn small for emissions requirements that they can get clogged by the smallest debris. My honda mower acted up like this til I finally got the fuel system completely clean...just a thought.
That bit can get by the needle and seat, loiter in the fuel bowl, get sucked up into the jet hole, then dislodge after it quits and fall back into the bowl and start all over again.
That bit can get by the needle and seat, loiter in the fuel bowl, get sucked up into the jet hole, then dislodge after it quits and fall back into the bowl and start all over again.
10-09-2016, 04:18 PM
#42
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I hope I'm not jinxing it by posting right now and not waiting another 15 minutes...
I bought and just installed a new fuel pump. It took no time at all to prime off of the built-in gas tank and fired right up. I let it run for about five minutes, then fired up the A/C on full blast. After 15 minutes and no issues, I turned on a space heater on full. So now I should be pulling 25 to maybe 30 amps total. It's been running for 15 minutes since doing that and there was only one minor hiccup one minute after turning on the space heater. So far, so good.
However... one concern is that I keep hearing one of my UPSes beeping from time to time, telling me the current is dropping off enough to alert it. And the UPS under my desk is clicking every few seconds, kinda like it's switching in and out of battery backup, but not long enough to make it beep. I wonder if I still have another problem besides the fuel pump.
Anyway... I'm down just under 1/4 tank left in the gas tank... thinking I may let it run for another half hour or more to use up as much of that as I can, then refill it with fresh gas and fuel treatment.
I bought and just installed a new fuel pump. It took no time at all to prime off of the built-in gas tank and fired right up. I let it run for about five minutes, then fired up the A/C on full blast. After 15 minutes and no issues, I turned on a space heater on full. So now I should be pulling 25 to maybe 30 amps total. It's been running for 15 minutes since doing that and there was only one minor hiccup one minute after turning on the space heater. So far, so good.
However... one concern is that I keep hearing one of my UPSes beeping from time to time, telling me the current is dropping off enough to alert it. And the UPS under my desk is clicking every few seconds, kinda like it's switching in and out of battery backup, but not long enough to make it beep. I wonder if I still have another problem besides the fuel pump.
Anyway... I'm down just under 1/4 tank left in the gas tank... thinking I may let it run for another half hour or more to use up as much of that as I can, then refill it with fresh gas and fuel treatment.
10-09-2016, 05:37 PM
#43
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Followup... nope, no jinx! I ran it for a full hour before shutting it off. The only thing I wonder about now is the amount of heat coming from the generator. I ran it with the cover off and the compartment door hanging open (not propped open), and using my laser temp gun, the plastic switch to turn the generator on and off was 163 deg F. The cylinder head was only about 190 or so, but still, the amount of heat makes me wonder if it's normal or not.
At least it seems like it'll be usable now!
At least it seems like it'll be usable now!
10-09-2016, 06:29 PM
#44
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Sounds like good news..... 
As for the voltage, maybe you dont have the governor set correctly and its not holding the correct RPM for the load. There's many spring slots so you could fiddle one slot at a time if you're feeling froggy.
And the heat, well I believe you're not supposed to run it for very long with the cover off because then the fan cant pull the heat out.
That said, I was not happy with the way the hot air exited right next to the inlet underneath and had me wondering if that glitch in the design had the engine running hotter than it should in the summer heat. So.....I took some sheet metal and made an angled piece attached to the bottom which blows the heat away to the side. This way the inlet has a better chance of drawing in cool air. Even though it may be my over analyzing the whole thing, it seems to work good.
As for the voltage, maybe you dont have the governor set correctly and its not holding the correct RPM for the load. There's many spring slots so you could fiddle one slot at a time if you're feeling froggy.
And the heat, well I believe you're not supposed to run it for very long with the cover off because then the fan cant pull the heat out.
That said, I was not happy with the way the hot air exited right next to the inlet underneath and had me wondering if that glitch in the design had the engine running hotter than it should in the summer heat. So.....I took some sheet metal and made an angled piece attached to the bottom which blows the heat away to the side. This way the inlet has a better chance of drawing in cool air. Even though it may be my over analyzing the whole thing, it seems to work good.
01-08-2017, 02:00 AM
#45
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Fix current problem.
Put a fuel shut off valve into the system right before the carb. Shut the valve, run the carb dry before storage. Onan will always start and run like a kitten in the future.
Seriously, this is the $15 fix-all for that carb.
Put a fuel shut off valve into the system right before the carb. Shut the valve, run the carb dry before storage. Onan will always start and run like a kitten in the future.
Seriously, this is the $15 fix-all for that carb.