Annoying generator issue

[James Hobbs]

Hello everyone,
We are getting ready to hit the road full time in our 04 PT this September. I seem to be chasing gremlins with the coach, nothing too serious, but annoying none the less! I have the Onan 10K generator, it works great. But the issue I am having is the start button on the dashboard. It has always worked fine until now. Usually you push the switch, the light flashes while it primes, then the genny fires up. Now the light comes on, no flashing and it won't start the generator. The one on the generator itself works perfectly, I can also have the invertor control start the generator. The dashboard switch is the most convenient way to start it.

I would sure appreciate some help and ideas of what to look for.
Thanks,
Jim

[David T. Richelderfer]

When I cold start our generator from the 3-way dash switch - especially in colder weather, I always hold the bottom side of the switch down for 15 to 20 seconds or longer, then push down the upper side of the switch to start the engine.  Pushing the bottom side of the switch down for 15 to 20 seconds lets the pump give a longer prime to the carburetor.  If the generator is warm from running previously, then I simply push the top of the switch down to start the engine.

[James Hobbs]

Hi David, Thanks for this, unfortunately I have tried that as well. The switch doesn't seem to work at all. Even though it worked 2 weeks ago!

[David T. Richelderfer]

If the start/stop switch on the generator, the start/stop switch in the bedroom, and the inverter/Silverleaf/AGS start/stop features all work, then the obvious place to look is the dash switch itself or the wires connected to the switch.  Reach under the dash and wiggle the wires going into the switch and/or if you can reach the connectors on the wires near the switch, then wiggle them too.  Several years ago, I had to replace the switch that raises/lowers my ceiling-mounted TV... so those switches do go bad occasionally.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

James,
I just had to replace the dash geni switch on my coach as the lamp burned out and is not a replaceable item. The original switch was a Carling V8D1 with 2 bulbs and a dimmer input. It is no longer available according to my source. I replaced it with a VLD1-A60B. Purchased it at Rocker Switch Pros (843-297-8648) along with an actuator removal tool for $21.51 including shipping. Highly recommend the tool to prevent breaking of the actuator tabs. The new switch will not use the same pins for the wiring but they supply a diagram, making hookup easy, especially with the wire labeling from the geni. This switch does not accept the dimmer input but that's no big deal IMHO.
Steve

[Frank Bergamo]

James,

as David said, do the rest of the start/stop switches in the coach work? If they are all inoperable, there is a plug running along side the generator that sometimes gets unplugged as you extend/retract the generator. This plug controls all the start/stop switches in the coach and when it gets unplugged the only start/stop switch that will work is the one on the generator itself. A few well placed wire ties will secure it out of the way when extending/retracting the slide. Hope this helps.

[Bill Lampkin]

Found the switch that Steve replaced:

https://www.alliedelec.com/view/search/?keyword=carlingswitch+v8d1&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkZiFBhD9ARIsAGxFX8AYtNtBWY4Z1zrKzXfg_pCod59FvBrXP6VdHXfW5M6uvKCKJSLLgyUaAlBNEALw_wcB