Generator smoke's

ultrafarmer

Well-known member

• Sep 13, 2010

• #1

My Onan 5500 uses oil , dealer said this is normal. I think he is full of it. It has 179 hours on it. when I start it the smoke just roll's. I have to add oil all the time. Does any one else have this problem.

 

M

mdhill

Active Member

• Sep 13, 2010

• #2

ultrafarmer said:

My Onan 5500 uses oil , dealer said this is normal. I think he is full of it. It has 179 hours on it. when I start it the smoke just roll's. I have to add oil all the time. Does any one else have this problem.

Click to expand...

When it first fires up it will sometimes do a puff of smoke but not really using oil.

 

newbie

Northern Virginia

• Sep 14, 2010

• #3

I only see smoke when it's really cold out and then just for a few seconds. I also don't burn oil. I think you have a problem.

John

 

F

fljlcw

Well-known member

• Sep 14, 2010

• #4

Mine did that for the first 60 hours took me 2 years to get that I talked to onan at the GS rallt they said I hadnt ran it hard to seat the rings believe me it got rode hard and put away wet at that rally and after the first day it quit using oil put over 100 hrs on it in 5 days they said run at half to full power for at least half A day.

 

M

Mike Repp

Member

• Sep 14, 2010

• #5

Mine has 260 hrs on it and has never used oil.

Mike

 

PUG

Pug

• Sep 14, 2010

• #6

250 hours and gives a puff when first started but have never had to add oil. Dealer is full of - - - -.

 

PUG

Pug

• Sep 14, 2010

• #7

Check your date of purchase and warranty. I believe mine was for 2 or 3 years through Cummins. Cummins does the work on them internally not your dealer.

 

ultrafarmer

Well-known member

• Sep 16, 2010

• #8

It should be broke in, at Topeka it ran for 2 day's in 95 deg. heat. We worked it hard, should be seated good.

 

Loco

Well-known member

• Nov 28, 2010

• #9

Got over 600 hrs on ours. A little smoke on start up but that is it. Burns no oil. I run Castrol synthetic 15W-40 in it always.

 

C

captpfd

Active Member

• Dec 9, 2010

• #10

OK, so I have a 2008 Razor with 12 hours on the Onan 5500. Just got trailer a month ago. It is 40 degrees outside, so how do I exercise the genny at a half to full load for thirty minutes a month. This is new stuff for me. Capt.

 

B

branson4020

Icantre Member

• Dec 9, 2010

• #11

A couple of 1500W space heaters (on different circuits in the coach, of course) will do it.

 

dewwood

Well-known member

• Dec 9, 2010

• #12

You are not by chance overfilling the oil. When you change the oil and put the spec amount in the crank check the dipstick and see where it reads. It is possible the dipstick is off and you are overfilling which would then cause the smoking. This may not be the problem but I have seen this happen.

 

jpajax

Well-known member

• Dec 9, 2010

• #13

It sound to me like the valve seats are leaking oil on to piston. Or as dewwood said to much oil in crank case.

 

caissiel

Senior Member

• Dec 9, 2010

• #14

Sometimes the assembly of the piston rings have been done improperly. On older cars it was commun to have the rings installed with the gap in line causing the rings to leak oil or leave a strait line of oil on the cylinder wall and it would burn on the combustion cycle.

I had a lawn tractor that burned so much oil that the muffler would catch on fire. I used synthetic oil for 10 years and it never smoked again.

In my Generator I use 100% synthetic oil to prevent any smoke smell by the unit.

 

ultrafarmer

Well-known member

• Dec 13, 2010

• #15

Thanks, I will check out the overfilling idea.

 

S

santafedave

Santafedave

• Jan 3, 2011

• #16

At 100 hours I changed over to Purple synthetic and I have no smoke. I start my genset at least once a month and run a load on it (those portable heaters work great) and I have 250 hours on mine now without any problems.