Generator - need small carburetor part

1231ChaseB

Well-known member
Hi All ! Do's anyone know of someone from Onan a person might get some help from concerning a small carburetor part ! I broke the bolt that hold's the carb bowl on and when i called the person from Onan they said they wouldn't sell me the bolt but they would sell me a whole new carb ! All i need is the small bolt !
chaseb
 

westxsrt10

Perfict Senior Member
Re: Generator

I'd take the good bolt to Lowe's or Home Depot (any hardware store) and match it up with a new one.
 

DougS

Doug S
Re: Generator

Try going to a local lawn mower repair shop, especially if they repair generators. Sometimes shops have old machines around.
 

newbie

Northern Virginia
Re: Generator

I have three ideas. The first is to check http://www.mcmaster.com/ They have tens of thousands of times the hardware that Home Depot has and there is a good chance they have it.
If it is an OEM specific part, check someone like http://www.onanparts.com/. They may be able to sell you a single bolt.
Finally, you could go to the Onan forums on http://www.smokstak.com/forum/ and I am sure one of the old timers there would be able to scrounge up one for you.

Good luck,
John
 

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
Onan probably doesn't make the carburetor, they buy the assembly from somebody else. The same carburetor is probably used on several other engines and brands as well. Any good small engine repair shop should be able to help you out..Don
 

1231ChaseB

Well-known member
Hi All ! Thank's for the responses ! After calling everyone i could from Onan and finally the headquarter's I am totally put out by Onan ! They don't seem to care whether i need any help or not ! To get this small bolt they say i will buy the whole carb and that's it ! I guess I'll find other manufacturer's from here on out !
chaseb
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Can you post a picture of the bolt and size? Maybe the carb model number and where the screw goes with pictures.

Jim M
 

newbie

Northern Virginia
No sir ! Up to this point i'm looking at getting a NEW carb ! I've ran out of idea's
chaseb

So, Mcmaster didn't have it, a local small engine shop didn't have it and nobody at Smokstak was any help?

I'd like to see a picture of this animal too.

John
 

1231ChaseB

Well-known member
Right now we're in Fl. and i don't have the set up to get any pic's of this bolt ! The carb is Onan part #0541-0765 so maybe a person could look it up and see what it look's like but it's kinda hard to see the bolt and where the little pressure switch screw's into it !
chaseb
 

newbie

Northern Virginia
I am going to bet you can't see the bolt from this angle...

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//heartlandowners.org/images/misc/pencil.png
 

1231ChaseB

Well-known member
Re: Generator

Found a used carburetor on E-Bay so this miserable little bolt is only gonna cost me about 40 buck's ! Shame on Cummins/Onan for not helping me out with something so simple !
chaseb
 

watchthebox

Well-known member
That's too bad you had to pay $40 to replace a bolt! :eek: I'd be interested in seeing a picture of the bolt in question when you get it. Is it because it's a uniquely shaped or proprietary bolt that it was so difficult to find a replacement?
 

1231ChaseB

Well-known member
Hi ! I can't send a pic because but the bolt is hollow and the head is threaded so the little pressure regulator can screw into it after you screw the bolt into place ! Wherever the carb is made there must be a box full of them and it should have been simple for Onan to get ahold of one ! But i guess that is the way Onan doe's thing's ??
chaseb
 

newbie

Northern Virginia
While I am not defending Onan, they buy the carbs complete from carburetor manufacturers like Nikki. I can understand that it doesn't make sense to stock every nut and bolt that is bought as a complete unit from another vendor. A lot of automotive parts are the same way.

Since you have a complete carb for $40 bucks, use the bolt you need and then try to part it out on Ebay. If you find it is not worth the time and effort, you may see why Onan does too. When they are selling generator units for 4000 bucks a pop, why waste resources on a $1 bolt?

When I rebuilt my Onan, I learned that OEM Onan parts almost cost their weight in gold. When they do stock a part, they charge through the nose for it.

Glad to hear you got what you needed though. Hope you are able to get her back up and running.

John
 

1231ChaseB

Well-known member
You hear and read about other RV item's going bad and the manufacturer goe's out of their way to help and Onan didn't seem to give a rip about helping ! It was just buy a new carb and that's it ! It's just good business to try and help people out ! You give the customer the impression that you don't care about their business and some day it will catch up with you !
chaseb
 

KENNY COCHRAN

MCNEESE STATE COWBOYS #1
Got to be able to find one somewhere. Get me a picture and model number of the onan unit. Do you have a local onan dealer? I would go see them and see if they have old units you could rob for parts. Somebody somewhere has it.
 
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