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skiphoyt · 02-10-2019, 07:38 PM

I have had numerous, not unexpected issues with our 4 month old AI19. Not unexpected because it was a very early production and the show vehicle at Hershey. With the help of Colonial (long distance) and Mike at Airstream we have sorted out and addressed most issues. One still remaining is the every morning and now even during the day low voltage warning, 11.25 house and start. Batteries were all replaced last month. I will need to get a service appointment and see if they can diagnose and fix it.

NEW PROBLEM! Parked in driveway noticed volts dropping below 12 on house batteries...everything off that could be...decided to try the generator auto start feature... it immediately fired up and ran for about 20 minutes..volts up to 12.25...automatically shuts down...volts drop rapidly and it restarts as expected. I shut generator off. Later went out to run errand and noticed a massive pool of oil under the generator on our new tappy driveway $’s! I will try to see exactly where oil coming from but without a lift not easy. Anyone else experienced a major oil leak? I can’t imagine any oil left in generator at this point with at least a quart on the driveway.

skiphoyt · 02-10-2019, 07:52 PM

Additional picture of oil from generator.

OTRA15 · 02-11-2019, 05:22 AM

Ugh! Can you back up onto blocks etc. to get some better visuals on the source of the leak? Or you could hold your phone under there and get some shots now, with flash On if needed. Use a flashlight to get some side-lighting of the bottom of the gen, and you might luck out with some productive images IMO.

Good luck,

Peter

InterBlog · 02-11-2019, 05:59 AM

Your rig is still under warranty, obviously. Even still, it would be useful to examine the undercarriage and determine where the problem is, as it will probably dictate whether or not you can make a warranty claim (presumably if road debris punctured the generator, that would be covered by your insurance rather than by the new vehicle warranty).

Eventually you may want to get yourself a quad of ramps, which can be either purchased or DIY'd. IMO, it's the safest way to get under the Interstate without paying for a lift. I made ours out of scrap wood that I retrieved from waste piles when our subdivision perimeter fence was replaced. You can see well-worn surfaces here - we use these frequently.

Tad Zelski · 02-11-2019, 10:32 AM

We own an AS16 2017 and we had multiple battery issues. We had a factory 12 v Interstate marine deep cycle which we replaced once at the six month point under warranty. Last year we removed them and replaced them with 2 6 volts with 600 mamp capacity and found that they work much better.

skiphoyt · 02-11-2019, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Ugh! Can you back up onto blocks etc. to get some better visuals on the source of the leak? Or you could hold your phone under there and get some shots now, with flash On if needed. Use a flashlight to get some side-lighting of the bottom of the gen, and you might luck out with some productive images IMO.

Good luck,

Peter

Thanks Peter...I did talk to Airstream this morning and was informed that service cannot work on Cumming’s generators? They would need to pull the generator and send it to them or have me locate a Cumming’s service center. This all sounded like a huge hassle soooo under the coach I went. Found the dipstick plug just hanging loose and no oil left in generator. It is impossible to fill without some type of syringe due to only about 4” clearance with propane tank. Will sesrch Amazon or put something together to add the oil. The ramps that are mentioned sound like a good investment with all the times I spend under the 4 month old ‘bus’.

InterBlog · 02-11-2019, 04:46 PM

So it decided to change its own oil, eh?

We have another model year, but this post might help anyway. We didn't acquire any special equipment. We just sort of "slobbed" it with the partial aid of a funnel we had on hand. Put a tarp underneath so that you can clean up easily.

OIL CHANGE FOR AN UNDERMOUNTED, CONSTRICTED ONAN 2500 LP GENERATOR

skiphoyt · 02-11-2019, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by InterBlog

So it decided to change its own oil, eh?

We have another model year, but this post might help anyway. We didn't acquire any special equipment. We just sort of "slobbed" it with the partial aid of a funnel we had on hand. Put a tarp underneath so that you can clean up easily.

OIL CHANGE FOR AN UNDERMOUNTED, CONSTRICTED ONAN 2500 LP GENERATOR

Great post and thank you! On the AI 19 no spare but propane tank much closer than yours...no way to get any type of funnel in position. I did order a $3.00 large syringe with tubing from Walmart. Pick up tomorrow and we’ll see. I think I saw on the cover panel that this 2500 takes .6 of a quart...I will keep a close eye on the fill...dipstick doesn’t show any oil but suspect there is a small amount remaining or I will take drain plug out to find out. From the size of the driveway stain it looks like I dropped 2 quarts! What challenge will tomorrow bring? Bringing back memories of my boating days.

Lily&Me · 02-11-2019, 05:12 PM

With a brand new rig, I would be cautious on working on it yourself, lest you void your warranty.

You should have the documents on your generator in your materials you received from your dealer, and it would also be under warranty, I would think.

Might call a Cummins place with the generators serial number, and see what they suggest and/or arrange for them to service it under warranty.

Maggie

skiphoyt · 02-11-2019, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

With a brand new rig, I would be cautious on working on it yourself, lest you void your warranty.

You should have the documents on your generator in your materials you received from your dealer, and it would also be under warranty, I would think.

Might call a Cummins place with the generators serial number, and see what they suggest and/or arrange for them to service it under warranty.

Maggie

I agree but....if I had not been hands on for the last 4 months it would most likely been in the shop most of the time. It is our daily driver and I have seen parts of this coach that I never expected to view. I am retired, have the time to sort the issues out. We still love our ‘bus’!

Alex AVI · 02-11-2019, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skiphoyt

Great post and thank you! On the AI 19 no spare but propane tank much closer than yours...no way to get any type of funnel in position. I did order a $3.00 large syringe with tubing from Walmart. Pick up tomorrow and we’ll see. I think I saw on the cover panel that this 2500 takes .6 of a quart...I will keep a close eye on the fill...dipstick doesn’t show any oil but suspect there is a small amount remaining or I will take drain plug out to find out. From the size of the driveway stain it looks like I dropped 2 quarts! What challenge will tomorrow bring? Bringing back memories of my boating days.

SKIPHOYT - Part nos. & vid courtesy of WACHUKO on "Onan Oil Change" (if you have not already dug up the ONAN docs from their website):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKfZKWcrML4

skiphoyt · 02-11-2019, 06:04 PM

Thanks Alex AVI...Atwood Gear Pump exactly what I was looking for! Thanks

swilly43 · 02-11-2019, 08:02 PM

Something to consider about your warranty. How much time does it take to damage the generator bearings by running with low oil? If it fails after your warranty runs out, it will be expensive to repair/replace. If it were me, I would contact the responsible party and get a claim in process so that you do not get a nasty surprise later.

OTRA15 · 02-11-2019, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swilly43

Something to consider about your warranty. How much time does it take to damage the generator bearings by running with low oil? If it fails after your warranty runs out, it will be expensive to repair/replace. If it were me, I would contact the responsible party and get a claim in process so that you do not get a nasty surprise later.

Ditto. There are probably Cummins shops near you, Skip.

Good luck,

Peter

skiphoyt · 02-12-2019, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Ditto. There are probably Cummins shops near you, Skip.

Good luck,

Peter

I did talk with two of the Cummins shops that Airstream listed before I had climbed under the coach, removed the cover plate and discovered the source of the oil leak. They both said that the generator would need to be removed by Airstream and sent to them for repair or replacement. Since I manually shut down the generator I suspect their must be enough oil remaining in the unit or the ‘low oil sensor’ would have stopped it, thus no damage. When I drain remaining oil tomorrow I will measure it. Both shops mentioned that a loose cap could be the cause and the oil level should be checked and dipstick tightness checked before each startup! I can’t imagine anyone climbing under the coach, removing cover plate and doing this each time.

OTRA15 · 02-12-2019, 02:47 AM

Ouch . . . that is not good news.

I imagine you have thought this through already, but if you put oil in the gen, and can get an accurate reading on the dipstick oil level, you could fire it up and see what happens, I guess? By shutting it down, you may have prevented any major damage, as you said.

The obvious risk is that you will further damage an already-damaged gen motor and lose your warranty coverage.

On the other hand the gen might run just fine.

A hard choice which depends on your need for the vehicle [with A/C functional], the time required for full diagnosis by AS/Cummins, and so forth.

Good luck,

Peter

Lily&Me · 02-12-2019, 04:40 AM

It sounds absurd that Airstream would need to remove the generator, ship it to a Cummins dealer for service, who would ship it back to said dealer to then reinstall for you.

We have had our generators on two different rigs serviced at a Cummins dealer several times, and they drop it down and just do the service.

Might get Airstream involved on this, and speak with a supervisor at Cummins.

This just sounds ridiculous.

Maggie

Mansderm161 · 02-12-2019, 05:37 AM

There's a Cummins dealer near myrtle beach. They changed my oil. My RV storage service center recommended them. I made appointment, waited in their reception area...took about 1 hour.

Mansderm161 · 02-12-2019, 05:45 AM

The dealer is actually in Lori's, SC if you can get there. They are a truck service center so they can get under there and get a good inspection, repair it, and go over future issues. I changed the oil after 20 hours per the new recommendations. They told me I likely would not need further service for at least 100 hours of use.

InterBlog · 02-12-2019, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skiphoyt

I agree but....if I had not been hands on for the last 4 months it would most likely been in the shop most of the time. ...

Therein lies the rub. When potential buyers debate the pros and cons of different warranties, my advice to them is to buy used rigs that don't have any, and use the price differential to deal with anything that arises. The warranty work wait times and job completion times are often so long that they can effectively cancel out your ownership.

There was an Instagrammer who recently sold their Interstate after having to wait months for a simple electrical inverter diagnosis and repair. So they had a warranty - sounds fantastic in theory. But their "up and running" time made ownership questionable.