Onan Generator issue on 86 340 DA

[Iant]

Hi All,
I am new to this forum, and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction.

I have owned my 1986 340 Sundancer for 8 years now, and it has a 6.5 kW Onan generator. Each year, I have a mechanic look at it, and each year something gets "fixed", and I get closer to having a working generator, but it is still not there.

The issue I have now is that the generator will start and run fine for a while, and then start to "hunt" and eventually sputter and start. This is without a load on it. If I put a load on it, this is even worse and it shuts down even quicker.

Last years repair was to replace a $600 part in the exhaust, so that it did not overheat. Plugs and oil have all been changed.

Any thoughts? Or, does anyone know a real "generator guy" in the Atlanta area that might be able to have a look at it. It sure would be nice to have a generator to run the AC on the hot summer nights that we are anchored out!!


Ian
1986 340 DA
Lake Lanier, GA

 

[vernh59]

EZ-Go has that same generator and I had a H*LL of a time with it. Changed plugs, wires, points (yes points). Hard to start and poor performance. It would finally start and, as you said, run for a few minutes and quit. I got to fooling with the carb one day after the "shutdown" and noticed that the choke plate was closed AFTER the engine warmed up! The marina had rebuilt the carb and installed the choke plate mechanism backwards. I turned it around and it was like a new generator, (for an Onan). I would check there.

 

[Iant]

thanks Vern,
That is one this I would not have checked.


Ian