Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

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chin_k
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Re: Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

Post by chin_k »

Glad that you are making progress. BTW, if your rooftop AC have a heat pump mode, you can use that to load the genset. I used the heat pump when I am at a camp site with shore power because I am don't want to use my LP.
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SMan
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Re: Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

Post by SMan »

chin_k wrote: May 27th, 2020, 2:16 pm Glad that you are making progress. BTW, if your rooftop AC have a heat pump mode, you can use that to load the genset. I used the heat pump when I am at a camp site with shore power because I am don't want to use my LP.
It took me a few years to realize there was a heat pump mode with the A/C unit. Boy did I feel stupid! :lol:
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Re: Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

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dougm wrote: May 25th, 2020, 11:26 am IMO, the non-commercial cummins/onan generators are completely unreliable. They should be fuel injected, that would eliminate a huge amount of problems people have with them. I got so sick and tired of the one that came in my rig that i finally just went out and bought a brand new replacement. When it craps out i think i will just find a Honda, yank the onan and find a way to adapt the honda into that compartment. It seems like everytime you go someplace and need to rely on that generator, they dont work. They are garbage imo.
Dougm, I have been thinking of going with the same approach. If you don’t mind me asking, where did you purchase the new replacment and what was the cost? Happy with it?
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Re: Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

Post by Manitou »

I looked into a way to adapt a system from https://affordable-fuel-injection.com. After a little back and forth with them, I decided it was too expensive/complicated/untested. I hate carburetors. The onan would be fine if it was fuel injected (well.. and quieter.. ok ok.. it's not "fine").
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Scott
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Re: Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

Post by Scott »

You can convert just about anything to fuel injection using a Megasquirt. It's not insanely expensive but it is insanely complicated.

IMO a much better approach would be to leave it carbureted and figure out a way to run it dry so you don't have fuel sitting in the carburetor between uses. That would solve a lot. I don't have an Onan anymore, but from memory I think an inline shut off valve would not be terribly complicated to install underneath.
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Re: Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

Post by markatherton »

You have to drop the tank to access the Onan fuel line. It is not a terribly difficult job. I would advise , as long as you are there, replace the main fuel pickup/sending unit. Mark
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Re: Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

Post by SMan »

This is a pic of a section of the fuel line on my wifes 69 Mustang. (It ran thru the torque box section of the frame.) Couldn't understand where that gas smell was coming from. lol I was shocked at how bad it had become.
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Blue~Go
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Re: Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

Post by Blue~Go »

Scott wrote: June 26th, 2020, 7:33 am IMO a much better approach would be to leave it carbureted and figure out a way to run it dry so you don't have fuel sitting in the carburetor between uses...I think an inline shut off valve would not be terribly complicated to install underneath.
I was thinking about that before I realized that I wasn't going to be using the generator (carb isn't a problem then :geek: ). But would a shutoff valve be enough? Reason I ask is that on my outboard motors, running them dry (by disconnecting or shutting off fuel supply line) isn't enough, and leaves fuel in the carburetor. The solution on outboards is to crack the drain screws on the carbs, let the ~ teaspoon of gas run onto a rag, then re-tighten them. There are screws near the bottom of each carb (80hp has four carbs, yippee).

I don't know if the Onan is the same in regard to fuel being left in the carb, and if so if there is a way to drain it like an outboard.
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chin_k
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Re: Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

Post by chin_k »

I will need to look at the Onan service manual to make sure, but I do not remember any kind of drain screw on it.
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Scott
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Re: Accessing Onan fuel line at a 2004 Destiny gas tank

Post by Scott »

Chin, Have you examined the carb on your generator? I never did. But also I've never seen any carburetor that didn't have some sort of drain, or some sort of ability to remove the float bowl for the same purpose. It could be prohibitively inconvenient in a Chinook's Onan for sure, so let us know what you find out.

Blue, That's a great point. In my experience, that last teaspoon has never been a problem. As you suggest though, draining every possible drop is certainly ideal.

I have little experience with outboard boat engines apart from the two-strokes of my youth (an irrelevant comparison from both historical and mechanical standpoints). I don't know how they're arranged in modern examples ... but are the carbs horizontally mounted? How are the float bowls positioned?

But certainly, if possible, run it dry then drain the remainder.

Here's where I bow out since I have no idea how that would be performed on the green hulk.

I'm looking at my leftover Onan fuel line right now and adding a shutoff would take a few seconds....
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