Any Ideas What This Is?

[lexadmn]

Today feels like a good day to see if I can get the generator started.
Once I started looking everything over, there is a broke terminal on this "thing".
The wire on the broke end goes to the power cable on the solenoid.
The other end goes to a broken wire and I do not see the other part of the wire.

Any ideas what this component is?? There is no legible writing on the case.

KC

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Need the information of the Onan ID plate (e.g. 4.0KW EMERALD PLUS, ONAN BGE-FA/26100G) to know what you have so I can look at the parts book.  I assume this is inside the control panel?

[CapnDirk]

Kind of hard to tell where it's at from the pic,  can you back up a bit 

[bluebird]

Today feels like a good day to see if I can get the generator started.
Once I started looking everything over, there is a broke terminal on this "thing".
The wire on the broke end goes to the power cable on the solenoid.
The other end goes to a broken wire and I do not see the other part of the wire.

Any ideas what this component is?? There is no legible writing on the case.

KC

What ever it is, looks like it is missing a terminal and the wire hooked to it. Is there two more wires on the other side of it? It also looks like it may have been added on.

[CapnDirk]

There is a lose wire top left of the screen.


Given it only had two terminals on it I'd GUESS diode or resister or fuse?

[M & J]

Looks sorta like a circuit breaker.

[lexadmn]

Need the information of the Onan ID plate (e.g. 4.0KW EMERALD PLUS, ONAN BGE-FA/26100G) to know what you have so I can look at the parts book.  I assume this is inside the control panel?

Oh yea...   I guess that might help       

[lexadmn]

Kind of hard to tell where it's at from the pic,  can you back up a bit 

The pic is a little cluttered. Here is a better one.
This is secured to the frame below the control panel. @ wires were connected, but one of the terminal is broken off.  Not sure what to look up to buy.

[Rickf1985]

I would guess it is the 30 amp circuit breaker that is indicated on the cover.

[lexadmn]

I would guess it is the 30 amp circuit breaker that is indicated on the cover.

I did test it with an ohm meter and could get no reading at all. If it was a breaker, and it was in good working condition, would I get a reading of 0.00? Or am I way off base?

[M & J]

Unless it had failed open.

[Rickf1985]

The manual is on the site here, I don't know if it has a wiring diagram in it but it might be a good place to start.

[CapnDirk]

A breaker would have some means of reset.


Was it inside to box that you have the cover off of and now it's just laying below?


Sorry, just re-read the post.  Whatever it was for, I don't think it was stock  They would not have left something in the weather if it wasn't necessary.


Where does that lose white wire in the upper left of the fist pic go?

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

They would not have left something in the weather if it wasn't necessary.

It's not.  Refer to his first picture to see where it was mounted inside the control circuit area.

I suspect it is the K4 relay that was added for Spec J and later generators (yours is a 4K BGE Spec K). Relay K4 provides power to the fuel pump and Choke.  Please note this K4 relay is not the K4 start relay on the A1 control board. Source power to K4 is K1 (B+) -> F2 -> K4 -> E2 (fuel pump) and H1 (choke).  K4 is energized by the A1 control board basically the same was as power is applied to the Electronic Ignition circuit.
Schematic for your unit is on page Appendix B-5 (BGE 60Hz Spec K) in the Service Manual.

[bluebird]

That has to be something somebody added on. Onan would never have used the blue splice connector like that. Hard telling why they added it on. There has to be a wire that has the terminal that broke off somewhere. You just have find out where it goes.


If it were a relay it'd have to have another set of wires.

[CapnDirk]

Dave:


First pic is turned sideways (I guess it the BBS software making height take a less priority than width?)  Right click on it and open in new tab or window and it rights itself (or lefts itself ;-)  both pics are the same.


He did say it was secured to the frame below the panel.


Lexadmn:


Pop the other wire off get it in your hand and bend back those little legs that hold the cover on.  Pop the top and take a pic.  You can't really hurt it now.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Still, his best bet is to start with the wiring diagram and work from there.  He is a Life member and can download them for free in the members area

[M & J]

Thermal breakers dont have resets. High current heats and opens like resetable ones do, but these cool down and reset. Pictured is a newer style.

EDIT: I mispoke. Automatic reset thermal breakers dont have resets.

[bluebird]

Thermal breakers dont have resets. High current heats and opens like resetable ones do, but these cool down and reset. Pictured is a newer style.

Thermal breakers DO have resets. They make them both ways, automatic and manual. Most of the coachs I've owned has had manual reset breakers.

[lexadmn]

My apologies to all - if I would have looked a little more instead of doing what was easy, I would have seen what this was.
This is an "On-Off" switch for the fuel pump that has been added at some point.

KC

[CapnDirk]

If we had a nickle for every time we shot ourselves in the foot, we could all get together in some part of the country and have a party of EPIC proportions.   


I would move a new switch to the face of the black panel if you have the room behind and get it out of the weather. Could be he had some other problem in the wiring that was causing the pump to run when it shouldn't have been.

[Rickf1985]

PARTY? did someone say PARTY?! I'M IN.

[M & J]

Party at Ricks. Who need the address?

[Rickf1985]

Bring boots, it has been raining for a month and a half!

[DRMousseau]

My apologies to all - if I would have looked a little more instead of doing what was easy, I would have seen what this was.
This is an "On-Off" switch for the fuel pump that has been added at some point.

KC

Dave has tis handled well, so listen close to his advise.


This funny added switch doesn't surprise me much. Many have fuel problems with these models and don't understand the systems involved or have any familiarity with the strange expensive components, like the fuel pump. Since OEM parts can be expensive and hard to locate, many will make do and adapt what IS familiar to them in the best way they can. This is the result of such efforts, bypassing important systems to make it work the way THEY think it should. The Onan systems are great IMO, as they lend greatly to extended life and safety of the entire setup. This kind of stuff greatly jeopardizes BOTH in very undesirable ways.


There's A LOT of resources out there for extensive info AND PARTS, and it's rather easy to work on and restore to proper function. Although it may tax your budget, I feel they are well worth it as they are IMO one best, most reliable and quieter systems that will outlast any new one you be tempted to replace it with,.... and some of the new technology is pretty dang good.