Not another generator post!

[rankjo]

Hi, the Onan 4000 in my Winnebago is 12 years old and has never given much difficulty even though I don't use it much, though I do a "maintenance run as often as I remamber. I do routine service fairly regularly, oil, filter etc. But for the first time it gave trouble this weekend, on a hot day running the AC full blast. The rpms dropped, it overheated, and the engine went pop-pop-pop, and a check of the trouble codes pulled up #37--voltage/rpm mismatch. It recovered and runs ok for the moment.
Here in New Brunswick we have ethanol in the two lower grades of gas, but I'm not about to put hi-test gas in the V-10. So I'm thinking I'll buy some fuel hose and some carb cleaner and run some hi-test through it from a container and see how that works.
The question is, considering that I have also had trouble with my 2001 Cherokee 4litre since the useless ethanol arrived in NB, should I just think of putting in a separate tank for the genny, and run hi-test in it all the time?

Thanks Rankjo

[rvpuller]

It sounds like your generator had a vapor lock because of heat. As far as E10 gas what happens when you, your service stations and distributors change over to it is it cleans their the systems of dirt and water and the end user gets to run it through their fuel system where it cleans it out and burns it sometime not very well. What I have done when we have been in a area that has changed over to it is change my fuel filter, I have been running E10 for years in our home state of Nebraska without any problems but I still sometime have a problem out of state. When we where in NB last fall I can't remember if it was E10 or not I know my V10 ran alright on it.

Denny

[Foto-n-T]

Premium fuel won't solve the problem.  In fact it could actually make it worse.  Your genset engine isn't designed to run on higher octane fuels.

What I would recommend is to head down to your local auto parts store and get a couple of cans of SeaFoam.  For many years Stabil was the gold standard of fuel stabilizers but since the introduction of ethanol supplemented fuels SeaFoam has taken the front spot in that regard.  Read the directions and use the maximum amount recommended, then run the genset under load for a good six or seven hours.  Hopefully this will get you some improvement on your genset.

Keep in mind that ethanol supplemented fuels DO NOT age gracefully.  If you have a vehicle that is going to sit for more than a few weeks it's highly advisable to add some sort of fuel stabilizer whether it's SeaFoam or Stabil.  Also if your genset has an altitude adjustment make sure that it is set properly for your area.  Running a genset that is set for sea level at 6,000 feet can cause problems, especially if the fuel is not stable.

[Gary RV Roamer]

I would not use premium or a separate fuel tank. A fuel system additive like the Sea Foam might help, as might a fuel water absorbent (dry gas), but I suspect your problem was either moisture or a vapor lock problem due to hot, humid weather.

I doubt if ethanol is the problem either. It has a bit lower energy content, but both coach and genny should run ok on it. Just uses more.