Onan Gen Set Not starting from either switch

[jmccarrell]

Hey folks! I just bought my very first RV, a 1973 Wnnebago Chieftain II D28. It's a Dodge Chassis RV. I'm sure you know this already...lol! Anyways, I am totally clueless on how to get power to my generator to get it to start from the batteries. Or, should my question be does it start from battery power. As of right now it seems that there is not power going to either the remote switch or the switch on the gen set itself. The prior owner told me that the set works but he hasn't been able to get it started again after running it out of gas a few times. Even if this was the case I would think there would still be power going to it to get it to crank over. I do have lots of literature on the RV and it's accesories but they aren't exactly clear. Any help would be appreciated. I am sure this question comes up all the time. Thanks for the help!

[JDxeper]

Charge both house and chassis batteries.  check it out.  then go for the full membership and all the diagrams and repair manuals available here .
JD

[Oz]

Lots of info on generators not starting already on the boards.  Use the Message Search, you'll have plenty to go on.

[jmccarrell]

Alrighty, thanks guys. I have a lot of the original documentation for this thing so I'm sure it's something simple. Just thought I'd start here first.

[Oz]

Please let us know when you find the problem and what you did to fix it.

[RV Mech Tech]

jmccarrall in addition to the above posts you may have to prime the carb to get it started again until the generator fuel pump can pull the fuel from the main vehicle gas tank - this happens often even on newer RV's when the generator runs out of gas- I use a small squirt bottle with gas in it and squirt a small amount of gas directly into the carb and then crank the engine- ( make sure you wear eye protection and have a fire extinguisher and a helper nearby)  do this a few times and the fuel should come up form the tank - if your generator was run out of gas then the fuel pump and fuel line will be dry as well - also you may have to have a minimum amount of fuel in the vehicle  gas tank for the genset fuel pickup to pull fuel up - newer RV's have this generator pickup hose/tube a 1/4 to 1/3 above the main tank level so you do not empty the main tank running the generator - check your Onan owners manual  or your Winnie manual for this  - also as Mark and JD suggest become a full member and you will have all the info including wiring diagrams etc. for reference for your starting problem - start at the battery(s) first - if  it  (or both of them) are o.k then trace your wiring/power supply according to the diagrams.  Hm?

[JDxeper]

OH, remember the aux fuel tank needs to be at least 1/3 or more full.  The gen set has a shorter draw stem so you don't run out of fuel for the chassis motor.

[hose-man]

My '73 Indian Draws from the Main Fuel Tank.    And it has the shorter draw stem as described above.

[JDxeper]

It seems I get close some of the time.  Main would be correct.  I knew it was one of those. D:oH!

[jmccarrell]

Lots of good advise here guys. Thanks! Still learning all the inner workings of this beast and am not feeling too bad about getting it now. I paid $900 for it and so far I haven't had to put too much money into her. I know my major investment will be tires soon but all in due time. I just checked the propane system on it today and everything worked out great. Only downfall so far is that the gas lighter for my fridge broke or unscrewed so I wasn't able to test it out on propane. As long as I can get my Gen Set running it won't matter too much anyways. But everything seems to work on shore power. Just need to check the tanks now. I know the tank on the drivers side rear was disconnected for some reason in the past. Don't know what tank it is or why it was disconnected. I was assured by PO that when hooked up to a hose the water works fine, but of course I'd love to use it for it's actual purpose one day, to hit the road with the family and really enjoy it.

[Oz]

Now THAT'S the spirit!