onan generator life span

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westley

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May 27, 2009
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Looking to purchase my first class A.    Should I shy away from a rv with 1600 plus hours on a onan 4000 microquiet??  This seems like a lot of hours and not sure how it was maintained.
 
Seems like alot of hours to me, but I think you have several hundred left before I would be concerned.

We had a 4K Onan, and one thing I noticed right off that it doesn't have an oil filter.  :eek:
 
"We had a 4K Onan, and one thing I noticed right off that it doesn't have an oil filter."

I doubt that. They do hide them very well, however. Look again on the underside adn open all the access panels. Needs fresh oil and filters every 150 hrs
 
rhmahoney said:
"We had a 4K Onan, and one thing I noticed right off that it doesn't have an oil filter."

I doubt that. They do hide them very well, however. Look again on the underside adn open all the access panels. Needs fresh oil and filters every 150 hrs

I cannot speak for other types of generators, but my Generator is a Onan MicroQuiet 4000 (model:4KY FA261OOJ) and there ain't no oil filter. And none is mentioned in the manual under the oil change procedure.

-Don- SSF, CA​
 
Welcome to RV Forum, Westley!

1600 is a lot of hours for a gas engine generator, but probably preferable to one that was used very little. Generators are subject to internal failure from moisture if if not run regularly, so very few hours is as much a negative as too many.  Any sort of generator repair is an expensive item, though.  I'd consider it to be less than desirable, but not an automatic disqualifier.
 
DonTom said:
I cannot speak for other types of generators, but my Generator is a Onan MicroQuiet 4000 (model:4KY FA261OOJ) and there ain't no oil filter. And none is mentioned in the manual under the oil change procedure.

-Don- SSF, CA​

Onan Maintenance video on th MicroQuiet...shows how to change the oil...no mention of a filter...
http://www.cumminsonan.com/rv/video/howtomicroquiet4000/
 
A 3600 RPM generator with 1600 hours, would be roughly equivalent to a car with 60,000 miles in terms of number of piston detonations (making some gross assumptions).  Obviously a 10hp gas motor is not as sophisticated as a car, but I wouldn't think it is a non-starter.  I have read stories of folks going 5000 hours or more on onan gas generators, but I can't corroborate that.  I would be more afraid if I found a ten year old generator with 100 hours on it for the reasons Gary mentioned.
 
During the walkaround when we purchased our Class C, I was told that about the biggest problem with generators is lack of use.  I was told to use it whenever needed and basically not worry about wearing it out.  They have a much longer life span than most folks think.

It is also important to exercise the generator at least monthly all year long, even if the unit is in storage.
 
"It is also important to exercise the generator at least monthly all year long, even if the unit is in storage."

For at least two hours continuously.    One long run is a lot better than several shorter runs.

-Don- SSF, CA​
 
We have an Onan 6.5KW generator in our coach. It runs almost all the time the coach is moving--we like to be comfortable. It now has 2459 hours on the meter and is still going strong. I do change both the oil and filter every 100 hours. I fully expect to get at least 5000 hours from it before an overhaul.

To answer your question, 1600 hours on the genset wouldn't bother me at all.

Chet18013
 
Just to keep things in perspective, I believe Chet's Onan is a diesel and running at half the RPMs of gas genset. Ergo, less engine wear for the same number of hours.

I think the consensus is clear; 1600 hours is not an issue.
 
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