Generator keeps stopping

[casadedi49]

I dry camp a lot so I depend on my generator. I bought my current used moho (2014) last August. In September I dry camped for 11 days and my generator would run and then start surging then stop. It did not matter what I was running on it. The first time it stopped I was able to restart right away and it ran for about another hour. Then quit again and would not restart. The next day it ran some more. I was able to keep my batteries up enough to run the fridge. When I got it home and took it to my repair people (an onan dealer) they ran it for hours and hours and it ran fine. They said they could not fix what wasn't broken. So this year I just returned from 9 days dry camping. Yep. Same problem. This time I did notice an error code on the dash. It was Engine Stopped Fault. Any ideas? It has been suggested it may be the fuel pump?

[casadedi49]

Thanks for everyones comments. I had my nephew replace the fuel pump and fuel filter today. I will see how that goes. I will be leaving in a couple of weeks for an 11 day dry camping run. I always take along a small portable generator just in case. He also found a cracked breather tube that I will replace. My generator has just under 300 hours on it. I will keep in mind that it could also be a faulty low oil sensor. That will be next on the list to replace if it still has problems. Also all rubber hoses. The breather tube had a lot of cracks. I am a single 69 year old woman who does not have the skills to do most of the work on my own. Thanks again for your comments. And also I learned the hard way about making sure I go into dry camping with a full tank of gas..

[garry1p]

Depending on the load you could burn 1/2 to 1 gal an hour.

Somewhere around 1/4 of a tank the genset will shut down to allow you enough fuel to run the engine and refuel.

So over 9 days how many hours did you run the generator?

[midnightsadie]

x2 . take a extra 5gal of fuel along, pour into your fuel tank, see if your problem goes away. before you start changing things do this simple test first.

[eHoefler]

Running for 9-11 days with out refueling, it ran out of fuel.

[theoldwizard1]

Surging is a classic sign of running lean. Several things have been listed that can cause (weak fuel pump, vacuum leak on hose, clogged fuel filter). Fuel filter is an easy inexpensive thing to do. Depending on how many hour are on the generator, changing out all of the rubber hoses, especially if they look dry/cracked, might be a reasonable thing to do.

This is a good video on Onan 5500 Generator fuel pump trouble shooting.

This video claims a simple fix for similar problems.
Onan RV Generator hidden defect, runs fine/stops

[Heisenberg]

The codes?

[mccsix]

Just changed my fuel pump and filter today on my Onan7500. It would for a while then die, it would start right back up. New pump & filter tested OK for an hour's run.

[rgatijnet1]

It also could be an air leak in the rubber fuel supply line to the generator.

[HackerAce]

I had the exact same problem, it turned out that it was a faulty low oil sensor.

[enblethen]

Fuel pump for genset is on genset. There is a suction line to the MH fuel tank.
Did you have more then 1/4 of fuel at time of shut down?
What kind of load was on it?
Ambient air temperature?

[casadedi49]

Oops. Sorry. It is gas. Onan. Either 5000 or 5500. I am not mechanically inclined. When they say fuel pump is that in the generator or the coach engine? I always make sure the fuel tank is full when I dry camp.

[wolfe10]

Please tell us what generator you have-- we don't know if it is diesel, gasoline or LP.

[turbojimmy]

Possibly the fuel pump. The electric pumps will fail when they get hot from running then start working again when they cool off. Eventually it won't work at all. Also make sure you have enough fuel in your tank. Most are designed to cut off when the rig's gas tank gets down to about 1/4 tank. Mine cuts off at 1/2 tank for some reason.