Onan 5500 generator

[Cole Brewed]

Unit failed while running and in use with very light load. original owner, 700+ hrs. No start condition. Replaced carb with brand new, plugs, oil change, fuel filter, air filter, replaced brush block, etc... Still no start. Press and hold start button, sounds like wants to run, but stops upon release of start button. Now I’m looking at the control board, $400.

If any have knowledge or experience with these issues, and would share their solutions, it would be appreciated

 

[Singleton]

Unit failed while running and in use with very light load. original owner, 700+ hrs. No start condition. Replaced carb with brand new, plugs, oil change, fuel filter, air filter, replaced brush block, etc... Still no start. Press and hold start button, sounds like wants to run, but stops upon release of start button. Now I’m looking at the control board, $400.

If any have knowledge or experience with these issues, and would share their solutions, it would be appreciated

Where are you located?
I just had Quality RV in El Cajon, fix my 5500EFI within 2 days.
Jerry is an Onan wizard and exceeded expectations

 

[blender over]

Don't go with a control board yet.
I had the same issue and it was the fuel pump, real easy to change out if you have access to the bottom of the Gen?
What happens is they get weak and hot quick after that many hrs, once hot they wont pump fuel... Just my 02.

 

[Cole Brewed]

Singleton,
I am located in Bullhead City,

Blender over,
Noted to wait on board and will confirm pump. It won’t start after sitting a week in the winter. Cold temp. Fuel absolutely available to carb

 

[monkeyswrench]

X2 with fuel pump.

Also had one kicking my ass in a big class C. Random stall, or sometimes no start...turns out the flex hose connector between tank and hard line had a small crack, allowing it to lose prime...but only occasionally

 

[Bigbore500r]

Will it run if you continue to hold the switch "in", then die once switch is released? Or will it not start at all

 

[HB2Havasu]

Yeah first I would read the codes before going any further. If the code is fuel related I would pull off the fuel hose and hold down the primer to verify the fuel pump is working correctly before anything else. They usually start failing around 600-700 hours of use.

 

[Cole Brewed]

Will it run if you continue to hold the switch "in", then die once switch is released? Or will it not start at all

It sounds like it’s running while hold switch in yes it quits once released. Attempting to start normally , prime, then depress start....no start.

I will pull codes after work today and post.

 

[185EZ]

watch the choke as you try and start it and see what it's doing
if it's trying to start and choke is still closed then hold it wide open while trying to start
you may have flooded the motor
check the plugs to see if they're wet

 

[Bigbore500r]

It sounds like it’s running while hold switch in yes it quits once released. Attempting to start normally , prime, then depress start....no start.

I will pull codes after work today and post.

Not sure if its the same issue, but my Onan 4000 would only run while the "start" switch was held in. It wasn't outputting 120v / 60hz , which in turn was not letting itself know to "keep running" and was also not kickin on the RV converter. My issue turned out to be the generator needed the HZ adjusted, which my understand of this was that it is RPM based. Once it was re-set to 60HZ (correct rpm) my issues all went away. No idea if the 5500 is the same deal, but if it starts and runs, but only runs while you are holding the switch on, that could be the issue.

 

[Uncle Dave]

Check oil level if at an angle and low it can trip the sensor
If totaly full suck 1 pint out (usual symptom is it dies after 5 min)
Give me error flashes - 2 sequences

If you are totally Fucked I can loan you a honda 2K till its fixed.

UD

 

[Cole Brewed]

Check oil level if at an angle and low it can trip the sensor
If totaly full suck 1 pint out (usual symptom is it dies after 5 min)
Give me error flashes - 2 sequences

If you are totally Fucked I can loan you a honda 2K till its fixed.

UD

Thank you I have three weeks to have it running , I wouldn’t feel comfortable borrowing, though I appreciate the offer and community

 

[Uncle Dave]

Thank you I have three weeks to have it running , I wouldn’t feel comfortable borrowing, though I appreciate the offer and community

No problem good peeps here looking out for each other.

I trust 3 guys to work on it - Ive received excellent service from these establishments

Colton trucking
Smith powerhouse
Olifant
Quinn Power (mostly cat stuff)

Giant RV- clowns.

Cummins in Irvine circus master with more clowns in the ring - was a joke - they didn't have parts for their own products after scheduling a service weeks in advance.
Im not talking a rebuild or anything major - Im talking about the standard 1K hour service. Basic stuff. Lost 2.5 days of work because of these clowns.

Not saying other good guys aren't out there - I jus haven't done much if any business with them.

UD

 

[blender over]

Singleton,
I am located in Bullhead City,

Blender over,
Noted to wait on board and will confirm pump. It won’t start after sitting a week in the winter. Cold temp. Fuel absolutely available to carb

So just to confirm when it is cold outside you disconnected the fuel line to the carb and checked for fuel while hitting the prime button or start button?
Or when you do have it running for a sec then it dies have you checked the fuel line at the carb for fuel right after?

 

[jet496]

I always take mine to Quality RV in El Cajon. Usually something simple and they have all the parts.

 

[stokerwhore]

if you look at the float bowl there is a solenoid that controls fuel flow to the pilot jet. take this off throw it in the trash and replace it with a metric bolt correct size and length. it will then run every time. also if you run your generator for more than thirty seconds with the cover off it will shut down since the cover is a vital part of the air cooling system. also check to see if you have fuel flow when pressing prime button(same as start button). the fuel pumps are junk too. i replaced mine with a 3.5 psi truck pump and never had a problem again.

 

[2FORCEFULL]

here's some easy checks...open the drain screw on the carb, let the fuel drain out...hold the stop button and confirm that fuel is coming out... some times the float sticks and fuel isn't getting to the carb...next, make sure the choke isn't staying stuck closed...next pull the air cleaner and make sure it's clean... then prime it again and crank it over....make sure gas isn't dripping out of the carb..also… if it's a gen that has to be plugged into a box on the coach... test with it unplugged.... next, try spraying a little starting fluid in the carb... or carb clean if it runs and then starts to die, but keeps running with little squirts... it's the carb.... you say it's a new carb....how new?

 

[2FORCEFULL]

Unit failed while running and in use with very light load. original owner, 700+ hrs. No start condition. Replaced carb with brand new, plugs, oil change, fuel filter, air filter, replaced brush block, etc... Still no start. Press and hold start button, sounds like wants to run, but stops upon release of start button. Now I’m looking at the control board, $400.

If any have knowledge or experience with these issues, and would share their solutions, it would be appreciated

I wanna ask this.... please don't take it wrong,.. just try'n to figure out whats up...why did you replace the carb..and why did you replace the brush block?

 

[LazyLavey]

Fuel pump X3 just did mine, common issue

Also, any codes?

 

[Willie B]

...Not saying this is your case ...but it can happen...I toasted a 2.5 propane by shutting it off a few times with the 120 ac air-conditioner running ...it toasted the internals of the generator...
... have you been shutting it off while it is powering something up on the AC circuit???...Symptoms are the same as what you describe will only run while holding the off/on sw in the on position...

 

[wzuber]

sorry for the silly ? but does it run off the coach fuel tank and if yes how much fuel is in the tank? Below a quarter? Coach levelish etc.? If plenty of fuel maybe the sender in the tank, system etc. is malfunctioning and the genee doesn't know the diff.?
I ask because I was asked by a service writer the other day on the phone while discussing our no start related issue and that was one of his ? (ours a 98' Onan 4k I believe) He said it happens all the time with peeps. He also mentioned many of the things you've done and asked here by others. (carb/fuel pump etc.)
How much was your carb? I think he quoted me about $250.00 (ball park'n) just for the carb. plus labor. I was surprised it was that much as I thought I read here in another thread not to long ago someone mentioned theirs at around $125.00? I have yet research to research the specifics on it.
Sucks to have genee issues but perfect perfect timing for me. Good luck with your sitch.. I hope you can get yours resolved quickly and easily.

 

[Cole Brewed]

Did you fix it?

No not yet. Still in process however I did get a commitment for a loaner from a longtime friend for my upcoming bbq comp.

 

[pwerwagn]

My dad just had his 5500 onan take a dump. He called the guys at flightsystems.com, and they had him do like 3 quick tests, call them back...and diagnosed it as his control board. Swapped it and was good to go. They were also pretty cheap on replacement parts.

 

[Cole Brewed]

Thank you I will reach out to them. Was he experiencing a no start condition?

 

[Cole Brewed]

My dad just had his 5500 onan take a dump. He called the guys at flightsystems.com, and they had him do like 3 quick tests, call them back...and diagnosed it as his control board. Swapped it and was good to go. They were also pretty cheap on replacement parts.

Was he able to replace the board without removing the generator from its installed permanent location? Mine is located in a compartment in the front of my fifth wheel. The door is actually smaller than the generator itself so it would also have to be removed

 

[Jonas Grumby]

Try a different prop.

 

[LuauLounge]

I had an Oman in my boat, it would start, run, sometimes for hours, sometimes for 20 minutes. No pattern at all. Sat for awhile and all was good until it died. Turned out to be a relay on the circuit board. If you are handy with a soldering iron, takes an hour to replace them all. Cost was under $30 for all.

 

[aka619er]

Check oil level if at an angle and low it can trip the sensor
If totaly full suck 1 pint out (usual symptom is it dies after 5 min)
Give me error flashes - 2 sequences

If you are totally Fucked I can loan you a honda 2K till its fixed.

UD

This is exactly what the issue with mine was last use. Great fuel pressure and suddenly a no go situation. I added some oil to the proper level and it fired immediately. They are very sensitive to oil levels. I also added a fuel shut off valve and run it dry after use for storage to avoid any bad fuel in the bulb.
Last thing to look at is fuel tank level. I have read they need more than 1/8 tank of fuel to run in some cases.

 

[pwerwagn]

Was he able to replace the board without removing the generator from its installed permanent location? Mine is located in a compartment in the front of my fifth wheel. The door is actually smaller than the generator itself so it would also have to be removed

Yes he was. Wasn’t that hard at all to install.

 

[Shrub Lurker]

My dad just had his 5500 onan take a dump. He called the guys at flightsystems.com, and they had him do like 3 quick tests, call them back...and diagnosed it as his control board. Swapped it and was good to go. They were also pretty cheap on replacement parts.

I have used Flight system boards for at least 15 years.
They are a great company with repair flow charts right on their website.
These boards have more features and are better and less expensive than OEM.
Other RV appliances get Dinasuar boards which are also better and cheaper than OEM.
Once you get the part number you need, find it on eBay.
I think the 5500 has easy access to left of the compartment behind the black plastic cover.