I priced the bracket from the Onan dealer and it was about $70 and a couple
of days for delivery. I thought the cast iron was awfully thin for the job
so I decided to just make my own out of 1/2" steel. I know that will never fail.
I did pull a goof on this one. I was thinking that the thickest steel I had
on hand was 1/2" but I had some 5/8 I'd picked up for another job. Without
bothering to measure anything I made the piece out of 5/8 then when I put it
together it all bolted in place ok but the sheetmetal rubbed the flywheel.
Once I realized something wasn't right it was immediately obvious what I'd
done. Luckily I have a buddy with machine tools and it was quicker to mill
it to 1/2" than it was to make a new one. This is the type of dumb mistake
that happens when we allow ourselves to get into overload mode.
Anyway if anyone else has this problem it's my recomendation to make a
bracket out of steel and not put cast iron back in there. Start with 1/2"
it's less work that way. If you don't have the tools to make it yourself I
would think that a shop could fabricate the bracket in steel for close to
the Onan price.
Likewise when I replaced the rectifier I found alternatives but not an exact
fit so I went with the Onan part. It looks like there is now a cheaper
alternative there also. In the late seventies my 65 hp Merc blew it's
rectifier. The mercury dealer wanted something like $60 for a replacement
and Radio Shack had a 25 amp equivalent for about $3. The Radio Shack part
has worked just fine for about twenty years now.
The Mercury is a 1974 and still runs the same as it did when it was new. I'm
afraid to get it too close to the GMC, the disease might be contagious.
Dick
>In a message dated 8/12/98 6:49:03 AM Central Daylight Time,
>
> and the generator up and running again as I pushed the generator back
> into
> it's compartment it's cast iron starter bracket broke and the starter
> fell >>
>
>Looks like you have had your share of problems. The Onan starter bracket
>breaking happened to me too. The mechanic was working on it when it broke. He
>sent me to Onan for a new one. The Onan parts man asked if the genset was slid
>out at the time it broke. It was. He commented that for some reason that was
>not unusual and as a precaution the generater should be pushed back in before
>hitting the started. I told the mechanic what I had been told and listened
>to a big HORSE LAUGH. He installed the new bracket, hit the starter and it
>immediately broke. No more horse laugh. I had a bracket made out of sheet
>steel after that. But weld the old one together for a spare and keep it handy
>
>
of days for delivery. I thought the cast iron was awfully thin for the job
so I decided to just make my own out of 1/2" steel. I know that will never fail.
I did pull a goof on this one. I was thinking that the thickest steel I had
on hand was 1/2" but I had some 5/8 I'd picked up for another job. Without
bothering to measure anything I made the piece out of 5/8 then when I put it
together it all bolted in place ok but the sheetmetal rubbed the flywheel.
Once I realized something wasn't right it was immediately obvious what I'd
done. Luckily I have a buddy with machine tools and it was quicker to mill
it to 1/2" than it was to make a new one. This is the type of dumb mistake
that happens when we allow ourselves to get into overload mode.
Anyway if anyone else has this problem it's my recomendation to make a
bracket out of steel and not put cast iron back in there. Start with 1/2"
it's less work that way. If you don't have the tools to make it yourself I
would think that a shop could fabricate the bracket in steel for close to
the Onan price.
Likewise when I replaced the rectifier I found alternatives but not an exact
fit so I went with the Onan part. It looks like there is now a cheaper
alternative there also. In the late seventies my 65 hp Merc blew it's
rectifier. The mercury dealer wanted something like $60 for a replacement
and Radio Shack had a 25 amp equivalent for about $3. The Radio Shack part
has worked just fine for about twenty years now.
The Mercury is a 1974 and still runs the same as it did when it was new. I'm
afraid to get it too close to the GMC, the disease might be contagious.
Dick
>In a message dated 8/12/98 6:49:03 AM Central Daylight Time,
>
> and the generator up and running again as I pushed the generator back
> into
> it's compartment it's cast iron starter bracket broke and the starter
> fell >>
>
>Looks like you have had your share of problems. The Onan starter bracket
>breaking happened to me too. The mechanic was working on it when it broke. He
>sent me to Onan for a new one. The Onan parts man asked if the genset was slid
>out at the time it broke. It was. He commented that for some reason that was
>not unusual and as a precaution the generater should be pushed back in before
>hitting the started. I told the mechanic what I had been told and listened
>to a big HORSE LAUGH. He installed the new bracket, hit the starter and it
>immediately broke. No more horse laugh. I had a bracket made out of sheet
>steel after that. But weld the old one together for a spare and keep it handy
>
>
