Onan oil leak

Vanha Pieru · 02-27-2015, 07:13 PM

Well I just ransomed my Journey. Had a generator oil leak and of course one can not look in the "box". Oil dripped right on the cooling fan, really nasty mess. Had to remove the unit, clean the whole thing up, repair the damage, and reinstall it. They found out the bolts that hold the pulley on the crankshaft came loose and worked out, knocked a hole in a housing, partially shredded the belt and damaged the belt tensioner. Repairman says first time he has seen this issue in 25 years of generator repairs, and if not fixed when we did likely would of needed a new unit.
$1700.

bill, mostly labor due to horrible R&R process and oily mess to clean up. DUMB (IMO) way to mount these things in here.
SO, if you got an oil leak best not let it go, might be same issue and cause an "opportunity" to get a new generator!

Doggy Daddy · 02-28-2015, 12:04 AM

Ouch. When ever I have an oil mess, I use "Brake Clean" to clean the area. Especially after doing an oil change and messy repairs. Works great. When an area is clean, it is easier to trace the source of the leak.

jerichorick · 02-28-2015, 11:11 AM

Thanks for the heads-up. Do you have an extended warranty?

Vanha Pieru · 03-01-2015, 01:48 AM

No. First one I checked with did not insure that old(2002) and I did not chase it. Now found out it IS available so am looking into it with other carriers.

jerichorick · 03-01-2015, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vanha Pieru

No. First one I checked with did not insure that old(2002) and I did not chase it. Now found out it IS available so am looking into it with other carriers.

Ouch! Let us know who you go with.

Did you hear any strange noises when the generator was running?

Vanha Pieru · 03-02-2015, 07:03 PM

Did not notice noise, but it kept dripping oil wherever I parked so did not dare keep running it. Being new to this RV stuff I did not know what it was supposed to sound like. My hearing might not have picked up small ticking noises anyway.

Vanha Pieru · 03-23-2015, 06:30 PM

We finally settled on Good Sam extended warranty and roadside assistance. Don't know if it was cheapest or best but they cover an older unit, and people were very friendly and helpful. SO now we got coverage; hope it will not be needed but suppose it will.

jerichorick · 03-24-2015, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vanha Pieru

We finally settled on Good Sam extended warranty and roadside assistance. Don't know if it was cheapest or best but they cover an older unit, and people were very friendly and helpful. SO now we got coverage; hope it will not be needed but suppose it will.

That's good news.

I hope you never have to used it but at least you have the security of knowing you will not go broke when something covered does break.

Happy trails.

Rick Y