RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Tech Issues: Onan 2800 gen control panel

RV Blog

  |  

RV Sales

  |  

Campgrounds

  |  

RV Parks

  |  

RV Club

  |  

RV Buyers Guide

  |  

Roadside Assistance

  |  

Extended Service Plan

  |  

RV Travel Assistance

  |  

RV Credit Card

  |  

RV Loans

Open Roads Forum Already a member? Login here.   If not, Register Today!  |  Help

Newest  |  Active  |  Popular  |  RVing FAQ Forum Rules  |  Forum Help and Support  |  Contact

Search:   Advanced Search

Search only in Tech Issues

Open Roads Forum  >  Tech Issues

 > Onan 2800 gen control panel

Reply to Topic  |  Subscribe  |  Print Topic  |  Post New Topic  | 
Sponsored By:
george1977

Hidden Meadows, CA

Full Member

Joined: 03/25/2001

View Profile


Offline
Posted: 07/06/12 12:49am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

The gen (2800 evap spec-k) starts and runs well with or without load. The harness to the remote start harness is 5 wires (red, green, blue, brown, orange) When attached as instructions say the gen starts, the switch lights up but the hour meter does not register. The hour meter functions when a 9v battery is attached. The blue and brown have power when running but the brown voltage doesn't run the hour meter. When I jump the blue wire to the hour meter (as per the 4 wire harness directions) then everything works, switch lights and hour meter works.

Also, does this gen have a prime feature? Holding the switch in the stop/prime position does nothing except when stopping a running gen.

Handbasket

Asheville, NC

Senior Member

Joined: 01/17/2003

View Profile



Posted: 07/06/12 04:34am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

Can't answer the harness question, but I've had 3 2800's, and none have a prime function. Depending on the length of the fuel line from the tank, it may make somewhere around a minute of cranking to get it to fire when it hasn't been run for a while.

Jim, "Mo' coffee!"


'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison (aka 'Loafer's Glory') www.tigervehicles.com

Johnworth914

USA!

Senior Member

Joined: 04/27/2012

View Profile


Offline
Posted: 07/06/12 05:32am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

Handbasket wrote:

Can't answer the harness question, but I've had 3 2800's, and none have a prime function. Depending on the length of the fuel line from the tank, it may make somewhere around a minute of cranking to get it to fire when it hasn't been run for a while.

Jim, "Mo' coffee!"


DO you mean I have been pushing the stop button all this time for nothing? I suspected it was so, because I really did not hear the fuel pump doing anything, but I guess all those years with the 4k led to a habit!


Alaska is next! Still trying to fit the pontoons to the RV so We can get to Hawaii!


Handbasket

Asheville, NC

Senior Member

Joined: 01/17/2003

View Profile



Posted: 07/06/12 06:00am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

Johnworth914 wrote:

.... DO you mean I have been pushing the stop button all this time for nothing? ....


Yep, if it's a Micro'lite' (weighs 113 lbs!) 2800.

Now I'm off to the basement shop to install a new fuel pump in my current 2800... got it out in the cool of yesterday morning, re-doing the sound deadening in the compartment this AM, hoping to reinstall tomorrow AM.

Jim, "Mo' coffee!"

george1977

Hidden Meadows, CA

Full Member

Joined: 03/25/2001

View Profile


Offline
Posted: 07/06/12 08:50am Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

Handbasket wrote:

Can't answer the harness question, but I've had 3 2800's, and none have a prime function. Depending on the length of the fuel line from the tank, it may make somewhere around a minute of cranking to get it to fire when it hasn't been run for a while.

Jim, "Mo' coffee!"


Thanks for the info. It looks like they may have put the wrong panel/harness in the coach. 4 wire for non prime and 5 wire for priming gens?

DryCamper11

Hartford

Senior Member

Joined: 05/08/2012

View Profile


Offline
Posted: 07/06/12 12:31pm Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

george1977 wrote:

It looks like they may have put the wrong panel/harness in the coach. 4 wire for non prime and 5 wire for priming gens?

The remotes on Onans are all pretty similar. Three wires are used for start/stop control. One is ground and the other two are start and stop. If start is grounded, it starts, and if stop is grounded, it stops. Simple. The other wires go to the relay that connects to battery. When the gen is running, the relay closes and battery voltage is applied to the other wires. One is used for a running light to show you it's on. One is used to run the hour meter, and one can be used for battery voltage. You could run all of them on the same wire, but current draw through the long wires needed on a remote would make the battery voltage wrong.

As to prime, the old Onan 4.0 and 5.0 CCKs with the original 859 solid state control board used to prime when the stop side of start/stop was held down. That solid state control was notoriously bad and was replaced in the field and in production by a more reliable and much simpler 611-1157 relay system. It did not prime when stop was held. Some people installed auxiliary remote priming switches when they upgraded the control board to the 611-1157 design and lost the priming function. It was nice to be able to remote prime and it saved the batteries. Some people used one of the remote wires for that function, but it wasn't Onan standard.


In the Boonies!

george1977

Hidden Meadows, CA

Full Member

Joined: 03/25/2001

View Profile


Offline
Posted: 07/06/12 10:58pm Link  |  Quote  |  Print  |  Notify Moderator

DryCamper11 wrote:

george1977 wrote:

It looks like they may have put the wrong panel/harness in the coach. 4 wire for non prime and 5 wire for priming gens?

The remotes on Onans are all pretty similar. Three wires are used for start/stop control. One is ground and the other two are start and stop. If start is grounded, it starts, and if stop is grounded, it stops. Simple. The other wires go to the relay that connects to battery. When the gen is running, the relay closes and battery voltage is applied to the other wires. One is used for a running light to show you it's on. One is used to run the hour meter, and one can be used for battery voltage. You could run all of them on the same wire, but current draw through the long wires needed on a remote would make the battery voltage wrong.

As to prime, the old Onan 4.0 and 5.0 CCKs with the original 859 solid state control board used to prime when the stop side of start/stop was held down. That solid state control was notoriously bad and was replaced in the field and in production by a more reliable and much simpler 611-1157 relay system. It did not prime when stop was held. Some people installed auxiliary remote priming switches when they upgraded the control board to the 611-1157 design and lost the priming function. It was nice to be able to remote prime and it saved the batteries. Some people used one of the remote wires for that function, but it wasn't Onan standard.


Good info, thanks. The brown and blue wires show voltage when running but the brown must be 9v< as it will not run the hour meter but the blue runs the light and hour meter.

Reply to Topic  |  Subscribe  |  Print Topic  |  Post New Topic  | 

Open Roads Forum  >  Tech Issues

 > Onan 2800 gen control panel
Search:   Advanced Search

Search only in Tech Issues


New posts No new posts
Closed, new posts Closed, no new posts
Moved, new posts Moved, no new posts

Adjust text size:

© 2013 RV.Net | Terms & Conditions | PRIVACY POLICY | YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS