Onan Quiet Diesel

[chuckd]

Looking at replacing my current 8kw gen set.  I have talked to Dick at Wirco, and will probably buy one of his.  However there is a 12kw Onan Quiet Diesel for sale on Craigslist, it has 5000 hours, and he wants $4000, which sounds like a lot.  No problem with it fitting in my bay.  Thoughts on the Onan as a gen set, and this unit with that many hours.

Thanks as usual

Chuckd
1979 Prevost
Stillwater Mn

[TomC]

The 12kw quiet is a constant rpm run engine. They use Kubota engines. I had one of my trucking friends sell his truck with 23,000hrs on the engine and still going strong. $4000 for that genset isn't much considering they're close to $10,000 new. But-all Onan electronics are made in house so you have to buy from Onan-and big money. Wrico uses universal electronics easily obtainable most anywhere. I'd spend the money for a new Wrico. Good Luck, TomC

[gumpy]

I like my Onan 7.5 QuietDiesel, but then again, I haven't had any problems that require work or parts and only have a few hundred hours on it. I think I paid $4K for mine.
It came out of a wrecked RV and was nearly new, so $4K for the 12KW is not bad.

You should come up to Hinkley tonight and join the party. I sent you an email.

[DaveNCari]

A Firestone Indy Lights team I used to engineer  had one of those 12kw Quiet Power gensets in their Renegade/Freightliner hauler..... I LOVE that genset.....quiet...smooth...plenty of power...efficient...

I wish I could afford one in our 4104 right now.....

Dave

[uemjg]

I have a Wrico 10k generator with kubota diesel engine and it is VERY quite and all parts on it are very easy to find. I had a great deal: $4,500 and it only had 10 hours on it and entire generator looked VERY new.  Support for owners, even if you weren't the original, is very good.

[Utahclaimjumper]

 I have 2100 hrs. on my 7500 Quiet diesel, one tip you should know if you wish yours to live,,,REMOVE ALL LOADS PRIOR TO SHUTTING IT DOWN,,,,,,,,,,, that lesson cost me $1400 smacks.>>>Dan ( All lessons cost you,, some more than others)

[Geoff]

From my experience I would run as fast and turn my back on any generator that uses a computer.  Onan is the worst.  They break down and you have to have a shop with Onan diagnostic equipment and be a certified Onan approved dealer to work on it or even call the factory for troubleshooting advice.

Get a Wrico, etc. generator with manual controls or pay up the(*&^) later.

--Geoff

[Cary and Don]

We have an Onan 7.5kw quiet pac in the 4107.  We have had it for ten years, no idea as to the hours, but it wasn't new when we got it.  It has never been worked on.  Runs and performs flawless.  It is mounted in the bay under the sofa and you can barely feel it running.  It is really quiet.  Unlike our 12kw Wrico,  it also speeds up with load and idles down with small loads.  Love it.

Don and Cary

[wg4t50]

Being an Onan dealer for 40+ years, have seen both sides of the above.  It all seems to cone down to the old expression about some can destroy an anvil with a feather.
If your the type that does little to zero PM, OIL CHANGES ETC, use bad batteries, poor air circulation, in general abuse it, for sure your better off with the idiot proof units that are cheap to fix as it is frequently required.
On the other side, keep a good battery, keep up with servicing, do not shut down with large load unless you have a magnetic contactor that will drop load when voltage drops during an unplanned shutdown.  Most issues are due to poor installations and abuse/lack of proper care & feeding.
We all do what makes us happy

[Lin]

Dave, What is the magnetic contactor that you refer to?  I do not have one of these generators but am just curious.  Is it an add on or is it something that is integral to a particular model?  It would seem that if shutting down while not under load is so critical, there should be a failsafe built in.

[wg4t50]

Not standard but highly recommended, the purpose is to allow the engine to come up to speed & voltage before it connects to the load, and also disconnects the load when the engine is turned off snd voltage drops below acceptical limits.
You do not start your bus in gear, nor stop the engine with full throttle I bet, so why do it to your generator ? VERY hard on the voltage regulator,  Unload it first.

Most Rv setups include some sort of auto transfer switch, some have a delay on connecting the generator to load, a desirable feature, also a time delay for the A/C compressor so it starts with no head pressure (easier).  The modern units including the Onan do a great job, given a chance properly setup & installed, sad, too many are lacking in both areas.

[luvrbus]

I don't believe Onan is really that bad they cost to have worked on at Cummins but they pretty much rule the RV market.

Dick's units are not that bad either Dick and I have been friends for 20+ years his personalty gets him in trouble sometimes but he will help you

 I never bought but one generator from him it was a 13kw it had a few problems till I installed a Murphy controller on it then it was never a problem he helped me install the Murphy controller, his controller does leave a little to be desired 

[wg4t50]

Yes the F.W.Murphy controls are great, howsonever I prefer the DynaGen ES-52 control, easy to install & adjust, when your through, your done and have replaced many OEM controls from about all brand names, older Onan, Kohler and you name it.  My shop has one standing rule, NEVER touch a Generac.

The last Murphy I have played, was older technological design, making more difficult installation due to a magnetic p/u for crank terminate and over sped sensing, where the DynaGen uses the ac voltage for frequency sensing for both rpm sensing, in general a easier control to install and use.  And very reliable too.q

[somewhereinusa]

I've had two Onan quiet diesels. both had the rotor go bad on the generater. Cost more to fix than what I considered worth it. Both with less that 500 hrs.

[luvrbus]

They did have a problem for a few years with the magnets coming  loose and taking the rotor out but Cummins got that fix

 I got caught it the repairs cost on one that happen too it cost me $3600.00 for repairs on a unit I could have replaced for less money IMO but the wife told Cummins to repair it wasn't much I could do but pay