1986 AS 345 MH Onan generator

[Jim Tyrney]

I wanted to pass on an incident that I had from a repair to the 6.5 KW generator. I had taken the 345 in to a authorized Onan service business for a problem with not being able to crank/run. They found trash in the carb due to a lack of a filter (removed I assume by a PO), removed it, cleaned and reinstalled. All was well again but during this repair, the tech had replaced the original hose on the crankcase vent (he said it was defective) with a piece of regular straight hose and this hose was too long. It kinked which blocked the vent from the crankcase when making a 90 deg. turn. This led to excessive crankcase pressure that blew the front seal, dumping oil while running thru the nite. Luckily, it still had enough oil in the AM but quite a bit on the ground (over a quart low) when I shut it down. There was oil on the muffler and thank God, it did not ignite during the nite. This hose should have two formed 90 deg. turns in it to fit properly and breathe. Also, an expensive repair by the Onan distributer in New Orleans but has the proper hose now. Beware!!!!
Jim