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Old 06-30-2020, 09:02 PM   #1
z28
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: ACE 30.3
State: Florida
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THOR #9536
Oman shuts off but will restart

I have an o an generator 4000 in my 2018 ACE. This past weekend after running the A/C for anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours the generator would shut off, however it would always restart immediately. I found that it appeared that the generator was at times going under a load making the generator shut off. If I was able to catch the generator before it stalled and turned the A/C off I could keep the generator running. The unit cools well as long as it keeps running. I will say the outside temp was in the low 90 degree range. The generator was service by CW this past March with new fuel and air filters. But what’s got me stumped is that when it shuts off it will always restart immediately. Thanks in advance for any help

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Old 06-30-2020, 09:18 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by z28 View Post
I have an o an generator 4000 in my 2018 ACE. This past weekend after running the A/C for anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours the generator would shut off, however it would always restart immediately. I found that it appeared that the generator was at times going under a load making the generator shut off. If I was able to catch the generator before it stalled and turned the A/C off I could keep the generator running. The unit cools well as long as it keeps running. I will say the outside temp was in the low 90 degree range. The generator was service by CW this past March with new fuel and air filters. But what’s got me stumped is that when it shuts off it will always restart immediately. Thanks in advance for any help
Sounds like the A/C is cycling in hot weather and not pausing long enough for the A/C pressure to bleed down (4 to 6 minutes). A/C compressors have a stalled current rating of about 45 amps. This will certainly stall the 4000 which has a max output of 33 amps.
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Old 06-30-2020, 09:24 PM   #3
z28
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Thanks for the reply, so what can be done about this? is it a parts issue or an A/C over or under charge issue?

thanks
Mark
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Old 06-30-2020, 10:34 PM   #4
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Check the manual for your wall thermostat. Many digital thermostats have a built in time delay on call for cooling to prevent the compressor short cycling and potentially tripping breakers.
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Old 06-30-2020, 11:04 PM   #5
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Thanks for the reply, so what can be done about this? is it a parts issue or an A/C over or under charge issue?

thanks
Mark
The A/C control board (what the thermostat communicates with in the A/C) controls the min cycle time. If it is changeable on a mach 3 or 15 is unknown to me. If you leave the fan on continuous and not auto, it might help but it s not a cure. I used to have a coach with the original 1969 10,000 btu Coleman mach. It was forever stalling my Generac 4000 genset when traveling. The cure for the stalling was a new 2004 Coleman mach 3 PS on the roof.
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Old 07-01-2020, 01:00 PM   #6
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Thanks for your reply, the issue I am having is very random, sometimes the A/C can run for any where from 2-3 hours before I hearthe generator going on a load and shutting off , another time using the A/C it shut the generator off after a few minutes. The generator would always restart immediately in all cases. In all cases I always keep the thermostat at the highest temp setting that allows the A/C to turn on. So with that being said I don’t believe I have a thermostat or control panel issues but maybe a high head pressure causing the generator to be placed under load. Hoping someone has had the same experience.
Thanks
Mark
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Old 07-01-2020, 02:17 PM   #7
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THOR #7035
Is your water heater on AC or gas. That may be adding to the problem.
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Old 07-01-2020, 02:46 PM   #8
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Does your 2018 ACE have an analog or digital thermostat? I suspect (but don’t know) that Analog thermostats do not prevent short cycling the A/C unit compressor, so unless the A/C has its own circuitry to do that, there may be times during very hot weather when the A/C compressor comes on again too soon after just finishing a previous cooling cycle (as Beau388 was originally suggesting). This causes a high AC load current spike that we suspect is causing your gen to stall. I replaced the analog thermostat that came with my 2013 ACE many years ago with a cheap Hunter digital unit which is equipped with a built in 4 minute delay when calling for cooling. So this means that after the compressor operates for a cooling cycle and then shuts off, when the thermo calls for cooling again (could be very quickly in hot weather) there will be an additional time delay before the thermostat actually signals the A/C compressor relay unit in the ceiling to operate again.


The other interesting thing would be to refer to your generator manual for the procedure to see if the generator has created codes for why it shut down. It may turn out that there is something else causing a load response problem. The other thing to consider is what other loads are on when the generator stops under load......batteries also taking high charge currents via the converter; and any inverter loading, for example?
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Old 07-01-2020, 07:48 PM   #9
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Hope this isn't a stupid question. Are you sure it is electrical related? I used to have our generator shut down after being on for awhile. I found that it would shut down if the oil was filled just slightly above the upper fill line. I now make sure it is in the middle and it's worked fine for several years.

Good luck and safe travels.
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Old 07-11-2020, 06:41 PM   #10
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When considering extra electrical loads, such as the water heater as mentioned, I learned from a member a few years ago to make sure your fridge is set to Gas and not Auto to reduce the load as well.
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Old 07-11-2020, 06:59 PM   #11
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Onan Gen

Before you tackle the A/C as the culprit, I would remove the generator fuel pump located within the generator cabinet. It gets so hot that it will shut down. Once I located it outside so that it could be cooler we have not experienced the generator periodically shutting down.

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Old 07-12-2020, 01:57 AM   #12
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Does your 'start light' blink when the gen quits?
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Old 07-12-2020, 02:13 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by z28 View Post
I have an o an generator 4000 in my 2018 ACE. This past weekend after running the A/C for anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours the generator would shut off, however it would always restart immediately. I found that it appeared that the generator was at times going under a load making the generator shut off. If I was able to catch the generator before it stalled and turned the A/C off I could keep the generator running. The unit cools well as long as it keeps running. I will say the outside temp was in the low 90 degree range. The generator was service by CW this past March with new fuel and air filters. But what’s got me stumped is that when it shuts off it will always restart immediately. Thanks in advance for any help


Well had a similar issue on my Thor Ace 30.1. not cooling issue but generator shut down. Guess we're lucky because even on 90 degree an above heat, inside stays mid seventies. Now shutdown issue.... Cummings has a facility here in Tampa. Cummings Onan. My neighbor is a certified Onan tech. He works there. He explained gen set shutdown issues as following reasons. No gas delivery, no spark, low oil...before the last one, he advised me that all Onan sets including 4000 KWs have a circuit breaker. Inside gen door located usually to the right of oil dip stick. (Fill) This breaker trips so set won't shut down. Coach loses power. Must reset. It's a toggle. Now the last cause for shutdown Too Much Oil.
It will splash and foam causing a overheat and sensor thinks opposite no oil. Shutdown.
And yes it will restart and run. Oil ran back in to pan. Crazy!!!!! But a little under full line better than over full. I used a baster an put mine back to line maybe a smidge under. Has never shut off again. Learned one more thing Onan prefer a 15/40 weight oil. Book calls for 30????
Stay safe
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Old 07-12-2020, 03:53 AM   #14
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THOR #13058
I would check for error or condition code from Onan 4000. It should tell you when and why it shut down. If you have the AGS EC-30 you can read that code on the remote controller otherwise you may need the manual to determine how to get the code off the 4000 Generator unit outside.
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Old 07-12-2020, 11:59 AM   #15
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I would check for error or condition code from Onan 4000. It should tell you when and why it shut down. If you have the AGS EC-30 you can read that code on the remote controller otherwise you may need the manual to determine how to get the code off the 4000 Generator unit outside.


Code at shutdown is 36. Unfortunately when you read about 36 it is a non specific fault. Could be sever issues. And yes you shod do a generator reset to wipe out code. It easy and done with the outside prime start switch on generator
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Old 07-12-2020, 12:31 PM   #16
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Onan Gen

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Does your 'start light' blink when the gen quits?
The dash remote switch does not blink. The light indicating it is running just turns off. My shutting down experience is while we are driving using the roof A/C. Could not run for more than a few miles before this happened.
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Old 07-12-2020, 12:35 PM   #17
z28
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THOR #9536
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Originally Posted by Luke D View Post
Well had a similar issue on my Thor Ace 30.1. not cooling issue but generator shut down. Guess we're lucky because even on 90 degree an above heat, inside stays mid seventies. Now shutdown issue.... Cummings has a facility here in Tampa. Cummings Onan. My neighbor is a certified Onan tech. He works there. He explained gen set shutdown issues as following reasons. No gas delivery, no spark, low oil...before the last one, he advised me that all Onan sets including 4000 KWs have a circuit breaker. Inside gen door located usually to the right of oil dip stick. (Fill) This breaker trips so set won't shut down. Coach loses power. Must reset. It's a toggle. Now the last cause for shutdown Too Much Oil.
It will splash and foam causing a overheat and sensor thinks opposite no oil. Shutdown.
And yes it will restart and run. Oil ran back in to pan. Crazy!!!!! But a little under full line better than over full. I used a baster an put mine back to line maybe a smidge under. Has never shut off again. Learned one more thing Onan prefer a 15/40 weight oil. Book calls for 30????
Stay safe
So I found the oil level to be slightly above the full mark when cold. I changed the oil and placed the level in between the add and full mark. Hopefully this will correct the shutting down. I will also add that this problem just occurred after CW serviced the generator. Sometimes we are better off doing it ourselves.
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