oldjohnt

Similar story here Tom. I needed a gasket where the temperature sensor mounted to the block on my Generac and I had I had plenty of NAPA brand make your own gasket material on hand (I chose it over cardboard) and made my own in like 10 minutes which worked and sealed perfect. I've not needed many parts but so far found anything I required that were in Generac OEM packaged sealed and labeled boxes on E Bay. As long as my Generac continues to perform I figure IF IT AINT BROKE DON'T FIX IT LOL Take care now, best wishes PS in 49 year RV owner and dealer experience I saw many Gensets even in 10 or more year older RV's with less then 500 hours. John T NOT endorsing, but "so far" a Happy Generac Camper

I have considered doing the same as its an easy wiring job. I have big heavy relatively short cables hooked to a 520 Amp Hour AGM battery bank so these no problem pulling the choke in. I'm going to tweak it both according to the manual and other experimentation and if it doesn't suit me I may well rig up a manual push to choke switch. Thanks for the info Denny John T

D & J, I cant seem to get my Generacs auto choke fine tuned for the best starting as well as I was able to set it on the Onans and Kohlers I've owned ???? I've set it by the manual and set it using my own method but its just not working as well as some other gensets I've owned. One thing is I may be where its cold then move to where its hot which obviously calls for different choking which the system just isn't compensating for as it might. I will check the manual and again try what it specifies. Some of my Onans had a carb adjustment for altitude but the Generac doesn't, although that's a different function. I think the Onans have a more accurate method/system to vary the choke versus temperature. Oh well all in all its working pretty well I may play with the choke adjustments when I head out again...…. John T

Hey Plan C don't sound bad either. With enough battery capacity, throw as many panels on the roof as you can fit (say 200 to 400 watts ???) add an Inverter, and you can do a lot other then of course AC or other high power devices. While their cost may be prohibitive, at least two up to perhaps three or four Lithium Ions or affordable AGM's may well fit in that space. Carry a small lightweight 2200 Inverter Generator and you're good to go yayyyyyyyyyyyyyy. But hey instead of reverting to Plan C, that Generac may do fine, mine is and as they say "If it aint broke don't fix it" See you down the road, gee its fun to spend your money lol John T

Matthew, over 49 years of RV ownership and a ton of RV's (past used RV dealer) I've owned Onan, Kohler, Generac and several other makes of gensets. Based on my experience and research, especially concerning parts availability and service, my own personal preference would be Onan far ahead of Generac. HOWEVER I currently own a Generac 4700 BECAUSE THATS WHAT WAS IN THE RV WHEN I PURCHASED IT. I have purchased Generac parts easily on E Bay since some smaller RV dealers, as you know, may not stock Generac parts (or service them) as compared to Onan. That being said, mine is performing flawlessly after I replaced the carburetor, a starter solenoid, and a few other minor parts. It "worked" when I bought it, just didn't perform as good as I like. FWIW I'm friends with a retired RV genset service man who non affectionately calls Generac "Genajunk" based on his like 30 years of service as a genset technician. His opinion has value, him being so experienced. I think they have a bad rep, likely a lot of which is deserved, although I'm sure some may have great luck with them. BOTTOM LINE HOWEVER If the genset works I WOULD NOT let it be any deal breaker if I liked the rest of the RV. That's exactly what I did when I purchased mine. If mine goes bad and I cant locate parts (but E Bay has a wide selection) and/or I cant make my own repairs as I do typically, I WILL JUST REPLACE IT If you buy the RV at a price where you figure if you have to spend big bucks later on a replacement genset its still worth it GO FOR IT. Otherwise pass it by ONLY YOU CAN MAKE THAT CHOICE NONE OF US. Sure Generac has a worse reputation (justified or not ???) then some others, but an RV service techs opinion would be more useful to me then lay or less experienced (like mine) opinions John T NOT any Generac technician or any other brand professional.

Congratulations Doc, heck yes you're good to go for another 19 years what could possibly go wrong ????????????? Sure you're right, oil and filter are relatively easy and what first comes to mind. But on the many Gensets I've owned (Onan, Generac, Kohler, a few other brands I forget) the air and fuel filters aren't all that hard to change or expensive, so I've done that on occasion also. I think what many neglect is the gennys regular exercise under load which is as important or more then the other items. Similar, if you have an auto transfer switch it gets exercised. I learned long ago its also good to exercise my panels circuit breakers. If my RV is going to set idle for very long I add Sta Bil to the tank and its in the gas the genny uses. I think oil and filters and regular routine maintenance is cheap compared to the alternative grrrrrrrrrrrrrr and I'm a believer in changing oil BEFORE things go into storage. As always fun chattin with you Doc Take care n God Bless John T

Hank, not knowing just how your RV was wired and what exactly you did electrically when you "cut the wires" its hard to say what's happening now. What makes matters worse is being an RV owner for 49 consecutive years and a past RV dealer, I SAW THINGS WIRED EVERY WHICH DIFFERENT WAY BUT LOOSE and even including loose lol. There's not so many "standard" wiring practices in the RV industry as I encountered when I practiced commercial and industrial power distribution engineering when the NEC was my bible . If you ONLY removed one individual 12 volt feed wire to a certain detector and the rest of the 12 volt circuit (+ and -) was still intact, that shouldn't affect other loads on that same, if still intact and hot, + and - 12 volt branch circuit. HOWEVER if there was a branch circuit and you inadvertently (when you cut wires) opened a main hot feed wire any other downstream loads would also loose power. Perhaps once you reconnect all the wires it will cure the problem in case you somehow cut open a main hot feed wire ???? I cant say not being there. I saw BOTH wire nut and crimped connections in RV's. FWIW I was never a fan of COMBINATION CO and LP detectors and have separate units in my current RV. It seems to me since LP is slightly heavier then air and would settle on the RV floor while CO is slightly lighter then air and drift towards the ceiling, the LP detector should be near the floor while the CO higher up, that's how mine and many RV's I encountered were installed. NOTE I'm NOT saying they don't work and many use them, I'm ONLY saying my personal preference is to have separate LP and CO detectors. Do however you please Get your 12 VDC test light or a volt meter and see if you have + and - 12 volts available and if you reinstall everything as it was before and all worked then you may be okay??? Best I have to offer not being there or knowing what you "cut" Best wishes and God Bless John T

Traveler, you done good. I would have treated it the same way ESPECIALLY since you couldn't buy an exact replacement anyway. I still think the bigger (do have some open air space) after market plugs and receptacles dissipate heat better then the small tight no air flow molded originals. Best wishes it was fun at least trying to help and we all learned something. Thanks for the feedback John T

Hey Kirk, I just happen to be "AN ENGINEER WITH A LAW DEGREE" and am ONLY going by what the OP said, which is as follows: Not being there nor having any schematic I have no idea if its a "thermocouple" as TRC Technical Services told the OP, or not ???? Maybe he lied to the OP ?? darn if I know. FYI They do make passive electrical components called "thermistors" which are in simple terms resistors that change resistance with differing temperatures. 1) Darryl's understanding and postings regarding a "thermocouple" are correct, its a two wire device as I technically described above. 2) Kirk is correct regarding how a "thermistor" basically operates. 3) Did Technical services tell the OP the truth ??????????????????????????????????? 4) Darryl is right, "we're all throwing dust into the wind, anyways", but hey I try to help the best I can. God bless yall, best wishes John T BSEE,JD Engineer and Lawyer but longggggggg retired n rusty so NO warranty mind you....just tryin my best to help all the fine gents and fellow campers...

As I best recall (been long ago) we had a machine to spot weld the junction of the two dissimilar metal wires (Iron or Copper and Constantan ???). Regardless, we know for darn sure it takes TWO WIRES to create a thermocouple !!!!!!!!!! and its NOT rocket science that the voltage produced is related to the temperature and voltage can be used to toggle a relay Really you say ??? lol. John T

Darryl, we made our own at a Naval facility where I was an engineer. We used Type J Iron/Constantan if my recall is correct ??? We had lengths of the jacketed two conductor thermocouple wire and we spot welded the ends. As you're obviously well aware but for others who may not know, a "thermocouple" is comprised of two dissimilar metal wires bonded together where temperature is measured and the voltage produced is a function of the temperature. I have no idea how his device operates ????? At "X" volts corresponding to a certain temperature some sort of a relay could be configured to open perhaps ??? darn if I know. This thread has been a learning experience for all of us. John T

Traveler, sorry to hear that. If the warranty doesn't apply and you cant purchase a replacement with the over temp feature anyway, looks like its just replace with a standard receptacle as you indicated. I think the after market units have less overheating and melting problems (versus smaller tighter molded) anyway because they are larger and have some degree of air circulation and better heat dissipation. You may be better off anyway. Glad you got it figured out, sorry for non awareness of that blue wires purpose, but now we all know better yayyyyyyyyyyyy. John T

THANKS trailer man. We all learned something that's GREAT. I'm like you I wouldn't be all that much worried without it, just keep an eye on things and you should be fine. Being black if in direct sunlight on a bright day now that can heat it up. Also, and it comes as a bit of surprise to me, if you pull say 25 + amps (heaven forbid near 30) on those plugs for an extended period, especially on a hot day, even though they are rated for 30 amps, I HAVE SEEN THEM SUFFER HEAT DAMAGE. When I practiced power distribution after I computed the maximum continuous current I sized the conductors to have a minimum ampacity of 125% of that IE if I was using 30 amp rated wire the max continuous current would have been 24 amps. FWIW Ive seen more heat damage on the factory molded plugs then the larger after market add ons. Best wishes, thanks again for letting us know what it was for. John T

I'm running a Progressive Dynamics PD 9280 I believe, which being an 80 amp is in the range you mentioned. It has performed great and there are several other quality brands to choose from. These aren't "cheap" but you get what you pay for and if they extend battery life it makes them worthwhile. John T

WOW thanks Tom, that's almost too much information even for us techys lol. In the cities I was near last season my King Jack outperformed my Batwing substantially BUTTTTTTTTTTT I'm glad I kept my Batwing as I may be somewhere different next time (where it might out-perform my King) and they both mount and exchange so easy on the same mast. Fun sparky chatting even if we are boring the others John T

Good morning traveler, You say you already removed the old molded plug, and you cant hurt it anymore, so can you cut away more insulation or molding and get into the "blue wire" in question to ohm out to which, if any, terminals its connected to as I described in my post above ?? That comes as no surprise to me. As I posted above, perhaps its an extra outer shield/braid/protectant of some sort used on the factory installation ? As above I still see use of an ohm meter as one possible method to figure out what the "blue wire" is used for. Let me know what you find, this is a mystery I'm unfamiliar with and look forward to what you discover. Were never too old to learn I figure John T

Can you get an ohm meter into that blue wire circuit??? If so use it to see what terminal it connects to and what if any resistance is present. It may simply be a shield or extra ground connection but if you can get connected to it you should be able to ohm it out to see where its attached. THAT IS IF YOU CAN STILL REPLICATE HOW IT WAS CONNECTED TO WHAT WAS REMOVED??? Even if you removed it you should be able to get an ohm meter onto the blue wire and see what terminal (if any) it was attached to, maybe some sort of an extra outer cable shield not on any of the terminals??? John T

Big Jim, we have pretty well beat this subject to death, lots of good info from all the fine gents here. For a bit more boring reading and research take a look at these sites: The seven best RV Antennas https://www.outsidepursuits.com/best-rv-tv-antenna/ Amazon RV Antennas https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rv+television+antenna&hvadid=78340255731091&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_3h3q9my4s4_e Camping World RV Antennas https://www.campingworld.com/electronics/antennas?msclkid=8a325e396ffd13bc331402e0a3d43c7a&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=B_S_NB_CW_Electronics%2BGPS%2BSatellites_All&utm_term=rv%20tv%20antenna&utm_content=Electronics%2BGPS%2BSatellites_Antennas Bing Search RV TV Antennas https://www.bing.com/search?q=RV+TV+antenna&src=IE-SearchBox&FORM=IESR3A&pc=EUPP_UE00 Based on my own personal experience and research its my conclusion the best antenna depends on six factors: 1) Your location 2) Your location 3) Your location 4) What (channels and frequency) are being broadcast in that area 5) What (channels and frequency) are being broadcast in that area 6) What (channels and frequency) are being broadcast in that area LOL It depends on stations near where you're located and what channels are being broadcast within your range. In some areas a person may receive more channels with one antenna while in another area a different antenna may yield more stations. Just because in the places I frequented the most in the last six months my current antenna yielded the most stations, doesn't mean in some other city a different antenna might not yield more. Your present antenna may be fine, a bit of troubleshooting, maybe check the coax and connections ?? verify your 12 VDC power injector is working and actually supplying voltage up to the antenna ?? and you may not need anything else. Do your homework, research what's (channels and frequencies etc) broadcast where you will be, look at the options in the above links, make a wise informed decision. If yours isn't able to be repaired, STUDY (look at reviews and research) THEN PICK THE ONE IN YOUR BUDGET THAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU IN WHATEVER LOCATION (OR LOCATIONS) YOU PLAN TO VISIT. Perhaps if you stay in one RV park an entire winter one antenna is best versus if you travel the entire USA another might be better ??? Hard to say with so many variables, different antenna designs and what's being broadcast within your range. God Bless yall and best wishes, nice chattin with you John T

Fortunately, I still have a batwing on hand in addition to my currently installed King Jack which performs much better now, but if stations where I travel repack making the old batwing best in the future I WILL CHANGE BACK IN A HEARTBEAT LOL John T

To add one more testimonial, after me and another person bragged how many more stations we got with our King Jack (Both of us got far better reception) versus our Batwings, another buddy bought one yet his didn't work as well as HIS batwing lol. There's just a lot of variables and unknowns and different conditions. However when using Batwings when I added that extra 3 or 4 more element UHF upgrade, It helped very little ??????????? Oh well "different strokes (and results) for different folks" John T

I have owned BOTH those antennas where the amplifier is up inside the head, as well as indoor stand alone TV signal booster/amps. Obviously, it's easier to by pass the amp and troubleshoot if they are stand alone indoor units WELL DUH LOL although some are still nearly impossible to gain access and/or attach coax. One thing I've noticed is there's a difference when troubleshooting the batwing amplifier types if you A) Just turn OFF the 12 VDC power injector versus If you attach a new length of coax up on the roof to the batwing and run it direct down to the TV. When you run the direct coax you're obviously NOT injecting 12 VDC, same as if all is left in place and you just disable the power injector, but I have observed a noticeable difference in those two methods. Of course there can be coax or connection problem contributions. FWIW Again I found more often a coax or connection problem then bad amps. FWIW I switched to a King Jack and it outperforms a batwing BIG TIME A funny story this winter in Florida my buddy was having all sorts of problems with his coax from the antenna to TV. Mine was working perfect and I was able to receive 3 times as many stations and we BOTH had the same antennas. HOWEVER my old coax up on the roof was all ratty looking and had some outer shield exposed covered with caulking. Take care yall, best wishes John T

Sure there are inline coax signal strength meters one can use BUT you have to gain access to the darn unit and coax connectors AND THAT CAN RANGE FROM A BEAR TO NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE LOL. BUT if you can easily get there to bypass the amp and observe the TV for differences if the amp is used or not used, YOU DONT EVEN NEED A METER. Most have an On Off switch. In 49 years of RV use I've observed more problems in the cables and terminations and connections then those amps, and its usually on the rooftop. John T

Sure, the charger you posted will pump some (albeit low only 3.5 amps, would take a longggggg time to replenish if much discharged ) charge into your batteries HOWEVER I view your selection more of a battery maintainer or trickle charger then any serious RV charger if you have a substantial battery bank such as say 200 to 400 Amp hours and you dry camped and they become say 40% discharged. With 4 AGM batteries, although I don't know your total Amp Hour Capacity, if you dry camped very long, Id venture a pure "guess" more like a 30 to 50 amp or more AGM compatible charger may be in order once you're on shore power. As an example, I'm running 520 Amp Hours of AGM batteries, might discharge say 150 Amp Hours worth, and have an 80 Amp PD 9280 Smart 4 Stage Charger which is more then needed. If you dry camped for some period and lets say you used up 100 Amp Hours of stored battery energy, so you got plugged up and wanted to bring your batteries back up to 100% SOC, at 3.5 charging amps it would take (in simple but inaccurate terms) 100/3.5 = 28.57 hours HOWEVER it takes much longer due to battery chemistry and loses etc. If you had say even a 30 amp charger you see how much shorter the time to get charged back up. Of course, if you only became say 30 Amp Hours discharged a lower amp charger can get you by. Its also a matter of your budget, but a 3.5 amp trickle charger maintainer isn't what id consider a serious charger IFFFFFFFFF you need to replenish very many amp hours over a reasonable time. If time to recharge isn't an issue a low amp charger can get you by. John T NOTE not knowing your battery capacity and degree of discharge and time to recharge, the above can only represent a pure inaccurate guess, sorry

A big AMEN to that. I like to keep it simple, do some basic troubleshooting, check, remove and clean and re attach connections, and if you're lucky (unfortunately may NOT be the case lol) you may cure the problem. If you have an EMS that should reduce the risk if you get any more high voltages but don't count your chickens yet, your high voltage condition may rear its ugly head again. If so, a prime suspect remains that "Voltage Regulator" and perhaps its adjusting pot has become dirty, corroded or took on excess moisture ?? Anyhow congratulations for now at least and keep a close eye on things. Thanks for the feedback John T

Thanks Vern, I have several manual sources tucked away somewhere, but its always good to have more. John T