In this series I review our generator experience of the last ten years. We’ve had a string of small generators, some worked well, others didn’t. In part 1, we looked at the first Generac unit and a high rpm diesel unit.
The Old Onan RV generator
Well, after the cheap Diesel generator, I was ready for something better. Fortunately, a friend offered me an old Onan generator taken from one of the RVs he worked on. This unit was a late 70′s vintage unit with some unique features. This 10KW unit was built rock solid (heavy too). It had two opposing pistons with it’s 11 horsepower motor. The reason for having a small 2 cylinder motor, was to create enough torque in a gasoline motor to run at 1800rpm. So this was really the best of both worlds; use gasoline, spins slower at 1800rpm instead of 3600rpm, like other non-diesel units that tend to rattle themselves apart.
I even ran a 75′ cable and had a starting switch in the house. This unit was Great and life was good! However, I had to order a gasket kit for the carburetor and the parts were expensive! $135 for a couple little jets and gaskets. One time, probably in the winter, we had a minor problem with the engine’s electrical system, and had to bypass some of its wiring temporarily to keep it running.
Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that the all-important low oil shutoff switch was bypassed while running the temporary fix. It stopped one day, and my son, did just as instructed and added gas trying to re-start it. 10 minutes later, AARGH! the motor locked up, end of the best generator we’ve had to date!
The 2nd Genrac with OHC
Next I purchased a fancy Generac, 6KW with electric start. It was designed for portable construction type of use, and the starting battery was the first item to give out. As long as it starts easily enough, we continued to use it. By the end of the second year I had taken it back to the shop a couple times for repairs. The Over Head Cam(ohc) had an intake valve stick open. No compression, no starting. This exact same problem happened a third time in the dead of winter!
It was quite frustrating to have the small motor shop work on it twice for the same problem, and if fails a third time, at a most un-convenient time. This situation was the genesis for the purchase of the generator we now use. More on that in part 3.
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