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| [GMCnet] generator maintenance and a bit of safety, too [message #94012] |
Fri, 30 July 2010 16:18  |
scott cowden
Messages: 170
Registered: February 2004
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Hi all;
have been away from the 'net of late owing to a new job and a move further north from Orillia, ON.
Took the coach, No. 1 daughter and girlfriend to Indianapolis for the Brickyard 400 last week. Temps near 100 deg and other than a bit of vapour lock after idling at some intersections, the drivetrain ran great.
Stopped in Elhart, IN and bought a new dometic a/c unit to replace the original unit that was still limping along, but would freeze up every couple of hours. Would have to turn it to fan and melt the ice off the evaporator and set it back to cool.
An hour or so after pulling out of Elkhart heading south across country backroads, the gen quit. It fireed back up, but no voltage coming out. damn! now it's really hot!
We lived without the rear a/c on the road for the rest of the trip.
Got some time today so I read through the Onan Service Manual [Thanks, Tom Lin!] and deduced after determining that the main breaker was OK that the next thing to do was check the bridge rectifier.
I removed the two plastic screens on the back side of the gen and found a shopping-bag-sized pile of rodent nest inside the casing of the generator. Frankly, with all the heat emanating from there, I'm shocked the thing didn't catch fire.
cleaned all that out and had a good look inside. removed the bridge recitifier and looking in, saw that one of the generators' brushes had a broken wire. I removed the brush bracked and cleaned the wire, putting a new female connector on the end. I reinstalled the brush and the rectifier and generally cleaned up the wiring. TA-DA! the troll is making juice again!
I think that based on all the sitting that our coaches do, the genset is another area that needs an inspection for rodent infestation on an ongoing basis. I've cleaned out the drawer area twice since I've owned this coach to get rid of the leavings of animals that have wintered there. I'd never looked inside the generators' casting before and this was a lesson for me to look closer. that stuff was so dry, packed in very tightly and in immediate proximity to high heat and possible sparking that I'm feeling very luckty that the thing didn't ignite while I was using it.
I also noted that the 5 year old fuel lines are showing evidence of wear due to what I suspect is a high heat environment. something else to be changed sooner rather than later.
I was seriously looking for a replacement genset and with the email traffic on here this week, was scoping out my options. At the moment, though, with my 37 cent fix, I'm feeling rather pleased with my handywork for the day.
Scott [ 74 ex-Glacier] Sudbury, ON, Canada
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| Re: [GMCnet] generator maintenance and a bit of safety, too [message #94014 is a reply to message #94012] |
Fri, 30 July 2010 17:16  |
James Hupy
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma: -62
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Senior Member |
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Doesn't anyone do a walkaround inspection of their coaches like they taught
us to do in the Military? Lights, tire pressures and condition, fluids,
leaks underneath, open the engine cover and look at it when you first
startup, open the Generator compartment and look for insect nests and
critter droppings, same for the refrigerator access and water heater doors
as well as propane compartment. Wipers, mirrors etc, etc. Ten minutes well
spent while not talking on a cell phone or SO will ease your mind or perhaps
keep a preventable issue from hitting you down the road where you least
expect it. Don't confuse this with a walkabout like those folks down under
partake of occasionally.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 Royale 403
On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 2:18 PM, scott cowden <scottyforsail@hotmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>
> Hi all;
>
>
>
> have been away from the 'net of late owing to a new job and a move further
> north from Orillia, ON.
>
>
>
> Took the coach, No. 1 daughter and girlfriend to Indianapolis for the
> Brickyard 400 last week. Temps near 100 deg and other than a bit of vapour
> lock after idling at some intersections, the drivetrain ran great.
>
>
>
> Stopped in Elhart, IN and bought a new dometic a/c unit to replace the
> original unit that was still limping along, but would freeze up every couple
> of hours. Would have to turn it to fan and melt the ice off the evaporator
> and set it back to cool.
>
>
>
> An hour or so after pulling out of Elkhart heading south across country
> backroads, the gen quit. It fireed back up, but no voltage coming out.
> damn! now it's really hot!
>
>
>
> We lived without the rear a/c on the road for the rest of the trip.
>
>
>
> Got some time today so I read through the Onan Service Manual [Thanks, Tom
> Lin!] and deduced after determining that the main breaker was OK that the
> next thing to do was check the bridge rectifier.
>
>
>
> I removed the two plastic screens on the back side of the gen and found a
> shopping-bag-sized pile of rodent nest inside the casing of the generator.
> Frankly, with all the heat emanating from there, I'm shocked the thing
> didn't catch fire.
>
>
>
> cleaned all that out and had a good look inside. removed the bridge
> recitifier and looking in, saw that one of the generators' brushes had a
> broken wire. I removed the brush bracked and cleaned the wire, putting a
> new female connector on the end. I reinstalled the brush and the rectifier
> and generally cleaned up the wiring. TA-DA! the troll is making juice
> again!
>
>
>
> I think that based on all the sitting that our coaches do, the genset is
> another area that needs an inspection for rodent infestation on an ongoing
> basis. I've cleaned out the drawer area twice since I've owned this coach
> to get rid of the leavings of animals that have wintered there. I'd never
> looked inside the generators' casting before and this was a lesson for me to
> look closer. that stuff was so dry, packed in very tightly and in immediate
> proximity to high heat and possible sparking that I'm feeling very luckty
> that the thing didn't ignite while I was using it.
>
>
>
> I also noted that the 5 year old fuel lines are showing evidence of wear
> due to what I suspect is a high heat environment. something else to be
> changed sooner rather than later.
>
>
>
> I was seriously looking for a replacement genset and with the email traffic
> on here this week, was scoping out my options. At the moment, though, with
> my 37 cent fix, I'm feeling rather pleased with my handywork for the day.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Scott [ 74 ex-Glacier] Sudbury, ON, Canada
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
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| Re: [GMCnet] generator maintenance and a bit of safety, too [message #94020 is a reply to message #94012] |
Fri, 30 July 2010 18:03 |
GeorgeRud
Messages: 1380
Registered: February 2007
Location: Chicago, IL
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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There was a sheet that came with the coaches that served as a "pre-flight" checklist. Probably a good idea to check it once in a while!
I also found out that a check for wasp (mud dauber) nests is not a bad idea either!
George Rudawsky
Chicago, IL
75 Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] generator maintenance and a bit of safety, too [message #94358 is a reply to message #94356] |
Mon, 02 August 2010 18:23 |
James Hupy
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma: -62
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Senior Member |
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Mud dauber wasps are particularly fond of building nests in the furnace
exhaust and air intake. I had to remove my furnace, disassemble it
completely as they built nests on the squirrel cage blower and when I
started the fan it made a most unusual noise. Had to take a long stick and
break up the nests in the heat exchanger, then used an 18" blowpipe on my
air hose. OSHA approved max 30PSI for sure. All day job and then some. They
make screens that will block them out I found out later. How come hindsight
is always 20/20?
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 Royale 403
On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 3:51 PM, Eddie Pettit <eddie@thepettits.com> wrote:
> That's great, Bob. That appears to be for a later model coach. Was/Is there
> anything like that for a 73? Thanks in advance.
>
> > GeorgeRud wrote on Fri, 30 July 2010 17:03
>
> > > There was a sheet that came with the coaches that served as
>
> > a "pre-flight" checklist. Probably a good idea to check it
>
> > once in a while!
>
> > >
>
> > > I also found out that a check for wasp (mud dauber) nests
>
> > is not a bad idea either!
>
> >
>
> > Here you go:
>
> >
>
> > http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showgallery.php?cat=3218
>
> > --
>
> > Bob de Kruyff
>
>
> _____
>
> I am using the Free version of SPAMfighter <http://www.spamfighter.com/len
> >
> .
> SPAMfighter has removed 220207 of my spam emails to date.
>
> Do you have a slow PC? <
> http://www.spamfighter.com/SLOW-PCfighter?cid=sigen>
> Try free scan!
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
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>
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| Re: [GMCnet] generator maintenance and a bit of safety, too [message #94361 is a reply to message #94358] |
Mon, 02 August 2010 19:31 |
k2gkk
Messages: 4452
Registered: November 2009
Karma: -8
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Senior Member |
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Camping World and most any RV dealer should stock
these for virtually every furnace.
They were just about the first thing I purchased
for two separate travel trailers.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ Mac Macdonald ~
~ Oklahoma City ~
~~ "Money Pit" ~~
~ '76 ex - P.B. ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 16:23:35 -0700
From: jamesh1296@gmail.com
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] generator maintenance and a bit of safety, too
Mud dauber wasps are particularly fond of building nests in the furnace
exhaust and air intake. I had to remove my furnace, disassemble it
completely as they built nests on the squirrel cage blower and when I
started the fan it made a most unusual noise. Had to take a long stick and
break up the nests in the heat exchanger, then used an 18" blowpipe on my
air hose. OSHA approved max 30PSI for sure. All day job and then some. They
make screens that will block them out I found out later. How come hindsight
is always 20/20?
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 Royale 403
On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 3:51 PM, Eddie Pettit <eddie@thepettits.com> wrote:
That's great, Bob. That appears to be for a later model coach. Was/Is there
anything like that for a 73? Thanks in advance.
GeorgeRud wrote on Fri, 30 July 2010 17:03
There was a sheet that came with the coaches that served as
a "pre-flight" checklist. Probably a good idea to check it
once in a while!
I also found out that a check for wasp (mud dauber) nests
is not a bad idea either!
Here you go:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showgallery.php?cat=3218
--
Bob de Kruyff
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GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
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