Generator woes

[Gregory OConnor]

Todd, if you reengineere the bus with a new genset be sure to realize
heat and airflow. Some of the box gensets are self insulated and
require flow past heat sinks. If you stuff a box in your box, you
may generate too much heat.

I have no basis for this assumption but I wonder if the Onan RV Box
sets are built to hold up to long duty use like the Big
powertecs????? I wonder if the boxset powertecs are built to compete
with the Onan RV market sets????? I have some portable light towers
for construction sites that have over 10,000 hours and run very
well. The gen heads and engines are much like the setup in the birds
except for the mufflers , noise insulation and load. The towers are
loaded to the max most of the time and I understand that it is better
for the genset to be loaded up when it runs. I have several Homedepot
gensets that run well but I do not think they will last more then the
intended 100 hours per the year.

If you make a change, this forum may be a good place to get a feel
for salvage value of your old gen set. I would say the broken unit
should be worth $2,500?????( however I am not in the market) Other
forum members may shed light on salvage value

Some time it is not a fact of 'throwing good money after bad'. Its
who you have on mound. I hope you find a good tech to help with your
repair or replacement.

GregoryO'Connor
94ptRomolanCa

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Eric Johnson"
wrote:
>
> Todd,
> We bought the largest totally enclosed unit that would fit in our
gen compartment which
> was the Powertech 8 KW. We wanted a totally enclosed unit for the
sound reduction and it
> is much quieter than the original gen. The powerplant is a 3
cylinder Kubota diesel and it
> has been very reliable. We have over 1,000 trouble free hours on
it. We chose Powertech
> on the recommendation of Blue Bird tech staff who said they were
the generator supplier
> for new BB's.
>
> We have two roof a/c's and the unit has never bogged down with any
electrical load we've
> put on it. If you want to run 3 a/c's, you probably need a higher
capacity generator than
> the 8 KW.
>
> Our original and replacement generators both had the radiator
mounted together with the
> unit as one package. The installed cost of the new generator in
2001 was $6323 with tax.
> Powertech labor to remove the old generator and install the new one
was $800 and is
> included in the above price.
>
> Your coach generator compartment dimensions are probably different
from our FC. If you
> want to explore this idea further, I suggest you contact Powertech
directly at the factory.
> Their number is (352) 365-2777.
>
> Good luck with whatever you choose to do!
>
> Eric in San Antonio
> 84FC35SBWL2
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Todd Desgranges
> wrote:
> >
> > Hello Eric,
> > I've been thinking about the new replacement because we depend
on the unit so much.
> Did you install a new 12.5K or a different size? What did your new
generator and
> installation cost? Also, did you keep the remote radiator, or get
an all inclusive generator
> in its own case? If I'm going to be keeping this Coach for awhile,
that might be my best
> bet. Thanks for all your help!
> >
> > Todd Desgranges
> >
> >
> > Eric Johnson wrote:
> > Todd,
> > From your story, I'm pretty sure you've decided to stick with the
original Kohler
> generator
> > since you've put quite a bit of effort and money into it.
However, you may want to
> > consider replacing the whole unit with a new diesel generator
from Powertech. You don't
> > have to shell out many $2,200 repair bills before you've bought a
new generator.
> > Powertech's factory is located in Leesburg Florida. They're easy
to work with. They let us
> > stay in our coach overnight at the plant while they did an
install for us.
> > Eric in San Antonio
> > 84FC35SBWL2
> >
> > --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "tdesgranges"
wrote:
> > >
> > > Hello Everyone!
> > >
> > > Long time since I've been here..... I'm having a problem again
with my
> > > Generator on the '87 Wanderlodge.... I had Kohler work on it
for a
> > > week, misdiagnosed the problem and now I'm in a worse jam. The
> > > bearing seazed and the main shaft that holds the Generator to
the
> > > Engine snapped. The Kohler repairman informed me that it was an
> > > injector problem, installed a new starter and handed me a
$2,200.00
> > > bill. After I finished pouting, which took about 2 months, I'm
ready
> > > to start looking for someone in the South Florida Area,
preferably
> > > Miami, to do the job. I know the Diesel Engine is in good
shape, and I
> > > had a new Generator portion installed about 4 years ago. We
will be
> > > heading back North in about a month and sure would like to have
an
> > > operational Generator prior to departure. Any help sure would
be
> > > appreciated. Thanks!!!
> > > Todd Desgranges
> > > 87Wanderlodge40
> > > Stuart, FL
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------
> > Don't pick lemons.
> > See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>