Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

This week while dry camping in a heat wave in Oregon (mid-upper 90's), my generator would stop running after about 10 minutes when under load with the air conditioner running. It runs fine now that it is cooler. The oil level is fine, and it is not at the number of hours required for service. I don't see this issue in these forums. Any suggestions?

My best guess is that you have a weak fuel pump issue with your Onan generator.

I see from a previous post that you have a 2015 Born Free Freedom. I'm not familiar with your generator but some Onans will issue a fault code when problems arise. I think you have to look on the generator to check this. If the generator is overheating, opening the compartment door may help.

Did you ever get an answer to this. Since it runs when it is cooler the cooling system should be working so I was wondering the answer on it.

I think that it was shutting off due to the heat. I have successfully run it under load for several hours once it was cooler. It was surging a bit and carburetor cleaner seems to have solved that problem. I think I am going to change the generator oil since I am not sure when that was last done. It only has 80 hours and the oil level is full, but it may not be the right viscosity for this hot summer weather. I have read that could potentially cause cooling issues.

Both the Onan and Generac generators use air cooled engines. But the lubricating oil also helps cool the engine but I doubt if the viscosity of the oil used makes any difference in the amount of cooling the oil provides.

I posted my experience in another forum, my issue sounded exactly like yours. I ended up adding an oil cooler with a fan and re-locating the generator muffler. My temps went way down and I can now run my generator in 100+ degree weather.