Does anybody know the fuel consumption at idle for a Winnie E450 6.8L V10 engine ?
I am trying to figure out what is most cost effective to charge my batteries,checked the voltage at idle from the alternator at my solenoid bank and it is 13.96V.
The data from Onan shows that it consumes
0.2 gal/hr no load,
0.5 gal/hr 1/2 load
0.7 gal/hr full load
It certainly is much more quiet running the engine than the generator.
Frecku,
I am not sure what the fuel consumption would be but I would not recommend that you idle the 6.8L V10 for the length of time that you would instead be running a generator. If you are concerned about the econiomics of the choice you then need to take into account the longer term affects on the engine. Idling for long term may cause issues with valvetrain and oil quality. Police fleets that idle vehicles for extended periods of time out on patrol have many issues with valvetrain durability and intake manifold deposit issues.
Once in a while it would be fine but certainly not as a general operating procedure.
Along the same lines as the post above, I was going to state that the valves and camshaft normally get plenty of oil while the engine is above 1,200 RPM, but extended idle time leads to excessive wear on the camshaft and lifters in some engines.
The oil volume through the engine is 1/2 the normal volume when at 750 RPM instead of at 1,500 RPM, and will double again at 3,000 RPM.
And you would also be putting a load onto the 130 amp alternator that is best to be avoided.
As to your original post, the engine if it is getting 10 MPG at 55 miles per hour at part throttle, then it will consume 5.5 gallons per hour. This would be considered about 25% of full load? Or perhaps 30%? At idle, I am thinking it might be at 5% full load, just overcoming the friction within the engine. Still probably going to use more than a gallon per hour. That is a lot of power considering your total alternator output to the batteries might only be 60 amps at 12 volts, or about 720 watts.
You might want to consider a really quiet generator. Honda makes a water cooled generator that is said to be super quiet. The Onan is air cooled, and has a big fan blowing past the engine that is turning 3,600 RPM, and makes a lot of noise.
Honda also makes some really quiet variable speed generators that are super lightweight, and fairly fuel efficient if you will only be recharging the batteries and plan on using the Onan when you run the microwave.
Mayberries.com has been advertising in Trailer LIfe for years, and sells the Honda generators over the internet with shipping included at a fair price.
The 1,000 watt generator is really light, easily stolen, and requires a good cable to lock it to the RV. It will provide the power that you need and only use a couple of gallons per long weekend trip.
Another thought is to invest in solar panels. That is what I did. My generator has very few hours for being in a 13 year old RV. I hated to listen to the generator, the wife agreed, and we invested about $2,000 in solar panels. I figure that I have dry camped in the desert, national forests, and other wonderful places enough to save $10 a night or well over $3,000 in the past 2 years.
I would suggest a pair of 120 watt solar panels from this place. SolarOnSale.com
Thanks for all your help, it does make sence, I did not take into consideration the long term ramifications on the engine itself.
I do have a portable honda Eu2000 that I take along to do the charging and it works great, super quiet. It was just an idea having one less item to bring along.
I have been toying with the idea of solar panells for quite a long time but this year I invested in new battery banks and a Magnum Energy MS2812 pure sine wave inverter. They will just have to wait.
My Scangauge reports a fuel consumption of 0.8 gph when the engine is warmed up and idling. That is certainly much more fuel than the generator will consume just to charge the batteries, since it won't be running at full load to accomplish the task.
Agree with others that idling the big engine for a long time isn't healthy for it.
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