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Generator, inside coach switches won’t start.

Vibrant93
Explorer
Explorer
So just this morning I’ve run into an issue where my house switches (both at the service panel and on the dash) will not start my Onan emerald 5000 plus generator. It’ll turn the generator over and it’s like it wants to start, it just won’t run. As soon as I go to the generator and use the switch on the generator, it fires up instantly and everything works as it should. Does this make sense? If I shut the generator off, warm, the house switches work and will fire it up again. I’m lost here.
-2000 Itasca Suncruiser 35u
-2013 3,500lb trailer toad (www.trailertoad.com)
-1995 F250 Powerstroke (110,000 miles)
-1993 Mustang Cobra (11,000 original miles)
-1991 Mustang LX (race car, 10.09 @133.7)
3 REPLIES 3

Vibrant93
Explorer
Explorer
Well thanks guys! So no, I do not have a prime function on the gen set it’s self. However! Both rocker switches inside the coach have a rocker switch that is 2 position. When I go to the opposite side of “run or start” it does indeed prime the gen set. The SOB starts right up when I hold the switch in the opposite side of run for a couple of seconds. Not sure why I’ve never had to do this before but I guess it’s a to do now.
-2000 Itasca Suncruiser 35u
-2013 3,500lb trailer toad (www.trailertoad.com)
-1995 F250 Powerstroke (110,000 miles)
-1993 Mustang Cobra (11,000 original miles)
-1991 Mustang LX (race car, 10.09 @133.7)

10forty2
Explorer
Explorer
Sounds like a fuel delivery issue. Specifically, a priming issue. Does your indoor switches have the "prime" position? (On many of the Onans, you can push it towards the "OFF" position and hold it for around 10 seconds to prime fuel into the carb bowl before engaging the starter.) Reason I ask, is that my unit does NOT have that feature on the inside switch. It is a simple momentary rocker switch. It primes from the engine turning over. The switch on the genset itself will push towards the "OFF" position, but doesn't activate the fuel pump. I have to hold the choke until it pulls enough fuel in.

Try cold starting the genset from the switch on the genset itself first. If it is hard starting from there when it's cold, then I can't see any problem with the inside switches. Once the genset is "warm", there's already fuel in the carb bowl and it should start right up. When it's cold, the fuel in the bowl has likely evaporated and unless you can prime it, it takes several cycles of the engine turning over to pull fuel into the bowl to inject into the carb for combustion. I suspect, it starts right up from the genset switch because you've already primed it enough from turning the engine over when attempting to start it from the inside.
1999 Holiday Rambler Endeavor, 36' Gasser
Triton V10, Ford F53 Chassis
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John_Wayne
Explorer
Explorer
When mine did that I just pulled off the connections at the generator cleaned up the connectors and everything worked as it should. Try cleaning the connections.
John & Carol Life members
01 31'Sea View single slide, F53 V-10 with 134,000 miles and counting.
2012 Jeep Liberty Smi brake system
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