|
Sharing my experience of replacing the original 6.5Kw Onan in my 1990 345LE coach. I actually spent $1200 plus getting the original gennie rebuilt, as it had not done too many hours, but it still was not 100% unreliable. And noisy. I didnt want to risk the AC going off because the gennie fails for my dogs if we leave the coach for a few hours in the summer heat. And I as I work remotely often I needed to know I have reliable power on demand anytime.
So I bit the bullet and ordered a new Onan 5500 QG EFI Commercial unit. Yes, it was close to $7k, but I am aiming to keep this coach from now on! The EFI means that it will start at any altitude, and you don't have to worry about regularly exercising it to 'clean' the carbs. Press the start and GO.
It is 4 " longer (as confirmed in the thread above, but I found that there is space to make the compartment wider to fit by extending 7" under the front dinette bench. It was super tight, BUT, it fits and is literally perfect. This new gennie is the same one they use here in Hollywood on movie sets, especially in the catering trucks. It's quiet, super reliable, and the access door is still functional for all service needs. And it runs both roof AC's without problems.
I've had it installed now for the past few months, and it's perfect. I used a ton of sound proofing in the compartment under the bench in the cabin, and more under sofa. It's just a gentle vibration. Oh, and these gennies are cooled from the underneath so you can pretty much block off the top and sides.
One thing to mention, you have to make sure the 'smog' input gas line to the gennie is blocked off, and that the fuel line return is a large enough bore, other wise the gennie wont run properly.
|
Linear Mode
