Generator problem - error code 19

[jimc99999]

I've tried disconnecting the battery for 15+ minutes, and holding the "stop/prime" button on the generator for 1 minute to attempt to reset codes. When I try to start the generator there is a very faint click and it shows the error code.   Research shows mentions of both governor problem and AC short. The generator is not on a slide. Is it likely this is a problem I can resolve by removing panels I can access from the generator bay door or bottom?  

We're crossing the country for my wife's new job and the generator quit last night while we were sleeping with the generator powering the rear AC.

The coach AC systems do work plugged into shore power. As it's 90+ across much of the US, the weak dash AC couldn't keep up so we finally had to stop at an RV park in the heat of the day. I guess I'll have to drive mostly at night until we reach our destination. Unfortunately we stopped just west of St Louis so I'm now waiting for serious thunderstorms to pass so I can try to cover some ground tonight.

[cbr046]

The generator should have circuit breakers on the generator.  Switching those off will eliminate any external AC shorts. 

The faint click is a bit of a mystery . . . .  

I had an Onan 5500 that seized the lower bearing on the armature that stopped the engine and kept anything from turning . . . at all.  Unfortunately I had the engine completely disassembled before I discovered the problem wasn't in the engine.  It was a challenging job to say the least, the hardest part being removing and re-installing the generator (and getting it up on a bench).  This could explain the "faint click".  It was a LOT of work for a $15 bearing. 

On that coach (Fleetwood gasser) the generator was behind the rear wheels and the coach had a lot of chassis rust (registered in IN most of it's life before me).  The lower armature bearing was too close to any road spray. 

Good luck,

- bob

 

Edited June 20, 2021 by cbr046

[Ivan K]

13 hours ago, jimc99999 said:

Research shows mentions of both governor problem and AC short. The generator is not on a slide. Is it likely this is a problem I can resolve by removing panels I can access from the generator bay door or bottom?  

Unfortunately I feel your pain, sort of but our generator is on a slide. Don't know your model, ours is 12.5 QD and quit after a month on our 4 months trip. So we moved with the weather and chose higher elevations to keep boondocking with just solar. If yours is similar construction, getting to the governor requires removal of the side and rear panel, lifting the top a bit too. There is nothing to remove at the bottom. You would need access from the rear over the axle and the governor is on driver side rear top of the housing. In our case an Isuzu engine. I don't know how nimble you are but I would see the access problematic. You might be able to reach it with your hand through the side door but not sure how that would help you other than to feel the levers moving. My advice would be to carefully go through the troubleshooting section of service manual because in my case it turned out to be a burned stator where the code (36) was pointing to an engine shutdown trouble. Some codes may be misleading or a catch all. Good luck on you travels!

[jimc99999]

I fixed it! I took off the front panel and there was the governor, oil and fuel filters, starter and solenoid, etc. One of the white wires going to the governor had broken at the terminal. I put on a new terminal and that was all it needed. 

For anyone with the generator mounted in the bay and not on a slide, this is what you'll see when you remove that front panel. The panel is a pain to reinstall (it's tough to line up the bolt holes), so removing it to replace the oil and fuel filters instead of working through the trap door on the bottom may not be worth it.

[Ivan K]

Glad it worked out so well for you. I did not know that you gen is in a bay and assumed it was behind the front cap as I am used to seeing. Good job.