Sam,
Good point, I've heard of this method before and I believe there are
products on the market which claim to do the same. My only point here is
that there were a couple of other serious problems besides the carbon
buildup. I would have soon had other problems if I hadn't checked everything.
There was another thread about redirecting the generator air flow to reduce
the amount of dust blown back into itself. I had a piece of six inch stove
pipe laying around the shop. I cut a piece about a foot square and fastened
it below the outlet. With a little bending it has just the right curvature
to redirect the air outward without having to cut anything else. The amount
of dust kicked up is now dramatically reduced.
In the 100 degree weather my generator was running terribly hot. Some of
this may have been due to the crud on fins but I don't know how much. The
temperature was high enough to get me thinking that synthetic oil might be a
good investment. I'm burning about a quart of oil every day or two when I'm
using it heavily (ie. running both AC's all day). I'd like to know what
others think about this. Is synthetic worth the cost? If so then what
weight is appropriate?
Dick
>Point of interest? Decarbonization of heads internally; a good approch is,
>set idle high and using a spray mist bottle - spray water into the intake.
>The water shatters the carbon sending it out the exhaust. I've used this
>technique since the '60's
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Dick Kennedy
>To: gmcmotorhome
>Date: Friday, August 21, 1998 9:08 AM
>Subject: Re: GMC: Onan points
>
>
>>When I recently did mine I didn't have any luck at all in trying to use a
>>feeler guage upside down and backward. So I disconnected the points from
>the
>>coil and used an ohmmeter to find the point where they open. Then with some
>>trial and error I managed to get that point lined up with the hole in the
>>sheetmetal. I then used a timing light for a sanity check when I was all
>done.
>>
>>I had mine torn down to replace the starter bracket so I decided to
>decarbon
>>the heads while I was at it. They need it badly and I also found the
>cooling
>>fins were crudy to the point of restricting air flow, so check yours
>>carefully while you"re in there.
>>
>>When all the sheetmetal is off there are timing marks visible on the end of
>>the casting. After much consternation I found that the hole in the
>>sheetmetal is the only correct reference and that the cast marks don't
>>correlate to the timing marks on the flywheel.
>>
>>I changed my points just to be complete and the old ones weren't too
>burned.
>>Can someone jump in here and tell me how often these need to be changed?
>>Mark Grady made another post about converting his to solid state. Is this a
>>conversion using standard onan parts or is it salvage or aftermarket parts?
>>Let us know the details Mark. This may be an upgeade that the gang wants
>to
>>consider as their points need replaced. Good Tech page project!
>>
>>FWIW a friend of mine presently has the flywheel off a renault chucked in
>>his lathe. He's drilling a series holes for the sensor to convert it to
>>solid state. I don't know any of the details but once he's done he's
>through
>>messing with points. The Onan flywheel is easily accessible enough so even
>>flywheel mods are necessary this approach would be within reason.
>>
>>Dick
>>
>>
>>
>>>Any tips on how to set the points on the Onan generator? I know the
>>>settings they should be at, but because of the housing it seems that
>>>you would have to be a contortionist.
>>>Les & Des
>>>Living Praise Ministries
>>>
>>>mailto:lesndes
>>>Visit us at: http://www.livingpraise.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>
Good point, I've heard of this method before and I believe there are
products on the market which claim to do the same. My only point here is
that there were a couple of other serious problems besides the carbon
buildup. I would have soon had other problems if I hadn't checked everything.
There was another thread about redirecting the generator air flow to reduce
the amount of dust blown back into itself. I had a piece of six inch stove
pipe laying around the shop. I cut a piece about a foot square and fastened
it below the outlet. With a little bending it has just the right curvature
to redirect the air outward without having to cut anything else. The amount
of dust kicked up is now dramatically reduced.
In the 100 degree weather my generator was running terribly hot. Some of
this may have been due to the crud on fins but I don't know how much. The
temperature was high enough to get me thinking that synthetic oil might be a
good investment. I'm burning about a quart of oil every day or two when I'm
using it heavily (ie. running both AC's all day). I'd like to know what
others think about this. Is synthetic worth the cost? If so then what
weight is appropriate?
Dick
>Point of interest? Decarbonization of heads internally; a good approch is,
>set idle high and using a spray mist bottle - spray water into the intake.
>The water shatters the carbon sending it out the exhaust. I've used this
>technique since the '60's
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Dick Kennedy
>To: gmcmotorhome
>Date: Friday, August 21, 1998 9:08 AM
>Subject: Re: GMC: Onan points
>
>
>>When I recently did mine I didn't have any luck at all in trying to use a
>>feeler guage upside down and backward. So I disconnected the points from
>the
>>coil and used an ohmmeter to find the point where they open. Then with some
>>trial and error I managed to get that point lined up with the hole in the
>>sheetmetal. I then used a timing light for a sanity check when I was all
>done.
>>
>>I had mine torn down to replace the starter bracket so I decided to
>decarbon
>>the heads while I was at it. They need it badly and I also found the
>cooling
>>fins were crudy to the point of restricting air flow, so check yours
>>carefully while you"re in there.
>>
>>When all the sheetmetal is off there are timing marks visible on the end of
>>the casting. After much consternation I found that the hole in the
>>sheetmetal is the only correct reference and that the cast marks don't
>>correlate to the timing marks on the flywheel.
>>
>>I changed my points just to be complete and the old ones weren't too
>burned.
>>Can someone jump in here and tell me how often these need to be changed?
>>Mark Grady made another post about converting his to solid state. Is this a
>>conversion using standard onan parts or is it salvage or aftermarket parts?
>>Let us know the details Mark. This may be an upgeade that the gang wants
>to
>>consider as their points need replaced. Good Tech page project!
>>
>>FWIW a friend of mine presently has the flywheel off a renault chucked in
>>his lathe. He's drilling a series holes for the sensor to convert it to
>>solid state. I don't know any of the details but once he's done he's
>through
>>messing with points. The Onan flywheel is easily accessible enough so even
>>flywheel mods are necessary this approach would be within reason.
>>
>>Dick
>>
>>
>>
>>>Any tips on how to set the points on the Onan generator? I know the
>>>settings they should be at, but because of the housing it seems that
>>>you would have to be a contortionist.
>>>Les & Des
>>>Living Praise Ministries
>>>
>>>mailto:lesndes
>>>Visit us at: http://www.livingpraise.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>
