docforster Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Hi all, First post here, although I've been a guest lurker for a while. Finally picked up my 'new' 87 Odyssey today, so first time proud owner and newly fledged member of the Toy motorhome family. I've spent a while researching the vehicle and it certainly fits the bill for my requirements - I feel comfortable with the purchase, price and condition. And so on to the list of changes, desires and general time-vampire projects... First up is the need for a generator. The vehicle did at one time have an onan, it has the starter switch / setup inside the home and everything 'pre-plumbed'. Just no generator in the bay, which is located at the back of the cabin (rear bath / shower set up in the home). Now, there are two onan 4.0 rv gensets available locally - one an '82 and another later model emerald electric start. Both apparently in good running order, and for about the same price ($500 ish). First question, - will these fit / work for the vehicle, or are they too big / heavy and overkill? I have been able to get specs but no dimensions - the genset is also quite heavy at 215lbs. Anyone put such a large genset in? Most of the threads mention the lighter 2.8 units, and despite quite a bit of searching, I can't find anything on a 4.0 I really do need a generator, as quite a few of our proposed destinations require self containment, and TX summers require A/C. I'd prefer to use the bay rather than an external unit set up. Any and all help would be most appreciated, along with your patience in dealing with yet another newbie and the anticipated plethora of questions to follow. (Having said that, I promise to commit to doing my bit of 'thread searching' before posting questions - the wealth of info here is awe-inspiring!) Many thanks again for your help, one & all - I'm looking forward to participating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapaFred Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Welcome aboard! I'm also looking for a generator. Found an Onan 4k but it wouldn't fit in my bay 30"L x 19.7"W x 14.4"H and weighed 172lbs. I believe a 2.8 will only fit in mine which is an '84 Huntsmen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 4.0 30" x 19.7" x 14.4" http://www.nooutage.com/4.0KYFA-26100.htm 2.8 19.6" x 16.7" x 12.3" http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/onan-rv-qg-2800-series-generator/66711 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 The 2.8 is plenty powerful to run rooftop a/c and other 120v items. The fact your preplumbed pretty much makes it a plug and go. New these units are about $2500.00. Good used ones can be found for less than $1000.00 Total weight of genset 113#. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totem Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Nice information. I recently remember reading about a guy who is taking an onan out of his rig in this forum to sell.. perhaps its a 2.8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docforster Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Many thanks for all the info. The closest I've found is a 'camp power' 2.8 that is apparently in good shape and in running order. My research shows that its the same genset as the microlite, minus the muffler. There is a muffler kit available, but it seems to be an under-mount affair, which seems a little strange when considering mounting. At $200 asking price, it seems I have a little wiggle room in terms of maybe having to acquire a few parts. I'm 'fairly' mechanically adept and am not squeamish about taking on a challenge. With it seemingly more-or-less the same gen, I'm thinking the electrical should be relatively similar. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Here's a "Micro-Heavy" 2.7 KW RV generator a little cheaper for sale near me (northern Michigan). I'm sure very heavy, but built like a battleship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Hmm. Photo did not go through. I'll try again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Many thanks for all the info. The closest I've found is a 'camp power' 2.8 that is apparently in good shape and in running order. My research shows that its the same genset as the microlite, minus the muffler. There is a muffler kit available, but it seems to be an under-mount affair, which seems a little strange when considering mounting. At $200 asking price, it seems I have a little wiggle room in terms of maybe having to acquire a few parts. I'm 'fairly' mechanically adept and am not squeamish about taking on a challenge. With it seemingly more-or-less the same gen, I'm thinking the electrical should be relatively similar. Any thoughts? Yeah it is the same unit that's a very good price if it's in good shape. The generators for RV all exhaust hot air and exhaust gas out the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docforster Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Well I pulled the trigger on the camp power onan 2.8 for $200 - I pick it up in Houston next week when I'm there on business. I also happened to come across 2 Honeywell 2000i Inverter generators with less than 50 hrs a piece on them - $400 for both, and less than 15 miles from me. The Honeywell's both are in excellent shape (look new), both started straight away and powered appropriately. The owner knew his business (always had made sure the carbs were completely drained before any prolonged period of non-use, clearly kept up maintenance, etc). So.... I now have 3 gen sets (!) for $600, which was my initial budget for finding one. Now on to the connection project - temporarily using the Honeywell before sorting out the Onan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyohome Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I just bought an Onan 2.8 to install in my 1987 Dolphin. At some point, the previous generator was removed leaving a fully enclosed compartment. With the installation of the replacement generator, is the floor of the compartment supposed to be fully open so that the generator can breathe? As is, there is no provision for outside air intake, exhaust exit or oil drain. Also, what is the best sound deadening insulation for the compartment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 A generator compartment will always be vented. Maybe it never had a generator in there. Onan sells a mounting system where you mount it from underneath. I've seen them on a lot of van campers. No real compartment at all. There must be a way to lower it for servicing. If inside a compartment I would think you would need some kind of exhaust extension to keep the fumes away from you house section. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 The Onan exhausts hot air and engine exhaust out the bottom and there should be provisions for servicing. The doors had vents added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyohome Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have a solid, non vented, generator compartment door. I also have an hour meter/starter with wiring inside. That tells me that once upon a time there was in fact a generator there. Also, the access door could have been changed to a non vented type but I wonder about the likelihood of that. My question remains (for you Onan owners): Is the floor of your compartment fully open (for ventilation) or does it just have holes drilled for exhaust and oil drain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have a Kohler and there is no floor in the gen compartment. Just the mounting frame the generator bolts to. Oil is changed through the door but access to starter and some other stuff is underneath. I have vents in the door too. Generator exhaust comes out the bottom as far as the truck exhaust and right next to it. Just a smaller pipe. Lots of these units came prewired so you could easily add a generator but it was an option that many didn't buy. So the manufacturer put in a floor so you could use the space Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred heath Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 The bottom of the 2.8 chassis has several openings in addition to the oil drain plug and exhaust. These should not be covered over.The crucial opening is the air intake to the right of the access cover. Cooling air in drawn through this and exhausted through the bottom openings. Elevating the chassis off a solid deck is a must. It's also important to keep the access cover in place while running the generator. Leaving this off or missing will cause overheating problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyohome Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Linda and Fred, Thanks so much for the clarification! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 My Escaper had a solid floor with a drain hole and an air exhaust hole cut in it. The door had a wire screen that covered about 50% of the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapaFred Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 My Huntsman has compartment for a 2.8 generator and is prewired but no gas line.How difficult is it to run fuel line to gas tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 My Huntsman has compartment for a 2.8 generator and is prewired but no gas line.How difficult is it to run fuel line to gas tank? I never owned a Toyota RV with a generator that was factory installed and connected to the main tank. So I cannot comment on how that was done OEM. I do know that it depends on what sort of fuel system you have. If your fuel pump is electric and inside your fuel tank, regardless if low pressure for a carburetor, or high pressure for fuel injection, - the pump does not run when the engine in the RV is not running. Likely to be too high a pressure to hook to your generator anyway. Seems you'd have to run a separate fuel tap into the tank - dedicated to the generator and then hook up some sort of fuel pump. Note that vacuum power fuel pumps are available for small engines like your generator has, if you don't want to hook up an electric low-pressure 4 PSI max pump. If your RV had a fuel pump mounted outside the tank somewhere - then it would be easy to just cut the fuel line, install a T fitting, and attach a flexible 1/4" ID fuel hose to your generator, along with a dedicated fuel pump (unless the generator already has one). My 1984 Nissan RV has an electric pump outside the tank and such a hook-up is easy. My 1977, 1978, and 1988 Toyota RVs all have electric fuel pumps inside the tanks so not "tap" can be done on that fuel line. At least, not in a simple way. I guess if you have a low pressure system for a carburetor, you could TEE in a new fuel line and then install a manual power switch to force the pump in the tank to run when you need the generator. That will NOT work with a fuel injected truck since the fuel pressure is too high. If it was mine, and I wanted to hook a generator to the main fuel tank, I'd just drill a hole on top of the tank and install a top-fuel-tap. It easily attaches with sheet metal screws and sealant. Then just run it in-line with a low pressure 2-4 PSI electric fuel pump like Advance Auto sells under the Mr. Gasket brand for $45. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapaFred Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Onan should have the fuel tank tap setup it does not go to the bottom so the generator can't run your tank dry. Your Onan generator has it's own electric pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 On my 86 Escaper the Onan was a factory install. The 22RE has a no pressure fuel return line, it goes about 3/4 the way in the fuel tank.The factory put a T fitting in that line to feed the generator. If the Toy is parked the generator draws the fuel out of the main tank, if the Toy is running it draws from the return fuel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapaFred Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Thanks, the onan is what I'm considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.