Jilted Gen

We have a Winnebago Adventurer. Our generator has 150 hours on it and it will only start if we manually hold the lever to keep the idle up otherwise it dies. We have changed all the filters. Any other suggestions? Thank you and we truly love hearing all the questions and your great answers; we all learn.
Jan, (Temecula, CA)

Jan, thank you for your kind words. From your description, it appears the choke, carburetor and/or the governor are out of adjustment. To be sure, the generator must be connected to a specialty device called a load bank. This tester will enable the generator to be set up properly while a varying, though measured, load is applied. Adjustments should only be made while connected to load bank. Perhaps someone tried to adjust the generator without one; this is a very common occurrence. Unfortunately, it is not possible to tune a generator engine by ear. Every mechanical adjustment will yield an electrical response that will affect the running of the generator as well as the output voltage and frequency. Some, but not all, RV service facilities are equipped with a generator load bank. It will be necessary to call around and find a shop with one in its tool crib. Many shops have a load bank but are not trained to fully appreciate its value when setting up or tuning up the RV generator. I do have a videotape which details the procedures for using a load bank on any RV generator. If your shop has an interest, have them contact me and I’d be happy to forward them the ordering information. No tweakin’ without the proper tester!