I love these videos. You’re so thorough. There is nothing like seeing an old engine clearing out the old cobwebs when it fires up for the first time in a while.
I own two tractors, a Case and an Ingersoll. They both are used year-round. One has an 18 hp twin cyl Onan, and the other has a 17hp twin Onan. Those engines are excellent. They're quiet, strong, and very long lasting. My tractors are 1986 models. 33 years of constant use and no problems !! That's why I HAD to stop and watch your video. Great generator ! ( wish I had it) lol !
Just an observation after working on Onan's Wisconsin's, etc. for 40 years or so... on those CK and CCK engines that have been sitting around for a long time of not running, it's always a good idea to pull the heads and scrape them and the pistons well before you start. I noticed it was knocking a bit on the left side cylinder (as you look from the flywheel side of the engine). This is most likely caused by carbon and other trash that collects at the bottom of the head where the head and piston are closest. This was a bit of a design flaw on Onan's part and if the carbon buildup is bad enough, in some cases, it can even bend or break a rod when the piston comes up on TDC. It would be to your benefit to pull the heads now before you run it again, and clean everything out good. You're probably not going to get the full rated capacity out of that generator because of engine wear/reduced compression/point gap too close/crappy fuel (a common issue with the quality of gasoline these days), especially if it has ethanol in it. Good luck on it! Incidentally, your DC voltage regulator probably needs the contacts cleaned to get it charging again. With these, you can actually open them up and do that. Just make sure you have the battery disconnected, so you don't accidentally fry the regulator or the charge winding. ;-)
On CK and CCK engines it's easier to just pull the plugs out and look with a scope or get the light just right and turn the engine over by hand to observe the amount of carbon buildup on the top of the piston plus you will be able to see a bit of the cylinder wall and of course the intake valve. It's alot easier than removing the heads. If it was mine is tear it down and inspect it all anyway and install new valve rotators while I'm in there. Depending on the model, some had issues with the valve lash adjusters coming loose due to the resistance of the locking style threads not being able to hold adjustment on the nut. I always thought about how crazy of a design that is as it would be so simple to have just added a jam nut to the lash adjuster from the get go. Lol 🤣
Love the screw tool. I’ve had one for years along with one about 6” long for deeper access. Love the show. I’m from central Jersey now living in Florida. Keep up the good work.
I just got finished bringing a 3ck-1r just like this back to life just last month! I had never seen another like it. Too funny you just posted this, would've loved to have this as reference while going through it. Oh well. I even have the transfer panel that would automatically turn the generator on as the power went out. Truly advanced for their age. Very well done as usual mike!
A couple years ago I bought the 1500w version of that same generator set. Fortunately it’s in fantastic shape and is extremely complete. Mine is nearly identical just slightly smaller. Mine has the complete electric choke if you need photos or anything I can dig it out. Runs great and it’s very quiet! On mine the scalloped covers are cast aluminum and mine is badged as Montgomery Ward Powerlite
Hi. Great channel. I’ve had and used on of those screw grip tools since 1970, purchased from snap on. I did not realise how many times I would use it when I bought it. The older you get the more you need it as you become a shaky old git like me. Guess my grandson will get it soon and wonder what the hell he is going to use it for, better show him today whilst it’s on my mind. You’re doing a great job young man, I hope we are all taking this knowledge from you and and some point remembering and using it. Thank you. Regards Chris (Sheffield, England)
I want to thank you Mike for doing this type of video as it reminds me of the days when American products second to none. Today most of the stuff is just plain overseas junk. Keep on a working with the good old stuff.
I have a slightly older one of these. It was bought by my grandfather as a precursor to the REA putting in power back in '52. He got it two years before, about the time I was born, because of a remodel and installation of a forced air oil furnace in the house. The only electricity that was available was a 32Volt DC battery system charged by a 1500watt Wincharger generator on a 60' tower. This Onan gennie was bought from Montgomery Ward. It has the extra control box on a 10' umbilical that sensed the load coming on by running battery voltage out over the line and when the (adjustable) amount of load was sensed, it started the unit and when the load on the AC went down below a certain amount, it shut the unit down. I don't know how they arranged the load through a thermostat to start the furnace up in the middle of the night, but evidently they figured it out. This unit has the 12v electric choke, would have to, the unit sat in the garage, about 150' from the house and in South Dakota, it's COLD at nite. The unit also has, I believe, an adjustable oil pressure bypass via common screwdriver and setscrew. It is a 3kW unit. We used it in the 60's and 70's to run a 1/3hp submersable pump to water sheep at a remote spot on the ranch that had no power. And, YES, it has the art deco gennie look as well. I liked it so well, I brought it with me to Colorado when I moved. Now that I have retired, I will probably go through it and get it running, we took the optional control box off of it when it went into sheep watering mode, but I kept it. My current backup gennie is a used Generac 25kW diesel that came out of a cell tower site with 700hours on it, our house is currently 'all electric' bleah! GREAT video, as usual, Michael in Colorado, 45mi NE of Denver.
SM Jones Thank you for the interesting bit of history. I always enjoy learning about the past lives of these old units! In reading the service manual for my unit, the adjustable oil pressure relief is up on the front of the block near where the governor rod passes through. I have never seen one of the automatic start onans, only Kohlers. Would like to fine one some day. Thanks for watching!
What that tool is it is called a screw starter. That's what it's used for. You can still get them. Proto and snap on and other tool company's have them. And you can get for both types of screws too. Just wanted to let you know. Thay are handy. Love the video.
Great video. Glad you have your own channel. We used to turn over the copper rings on those switches to get a new side toward the contact, also on starter solenoids. Thanks for an excellent video.
The nomenclature you're looking for is case ground vs floating ground. And I've got 1 of those little screw starting tools myself. Was my grandpa's. Very handy little thing when you need it.
David Oliver ... back in the days when EVERYTHING was points ignition we ALL had at least one of those. I still have two or three and have found other uses for it, although my short one (like shown) has grown feet. BTW, I called a parts store looking for points lube and they said WHAT? Called another and spoke with an old guy and he said no problem. I now have enough lube to last the rest of my years!
She's a beauty. Would love to have something like this as a backup generator. Engines were made for working, might as well put it to work (occasionally).
That was an excellent find and save. Its interesting that I found that same screw holder yesterday at the scrap yard. It was something that I needed working on small slotted screws . Family members just chuck their grampas or fathers tools for scrap prices. Its hard to find this stuff anymore. Looking forward to another video!
Very cool unit. I like these older ones that run at a low rpm. The new ones have to scream at close to 3600. The old onan sounds good. Valves are a “little tappy” as mustie would say. Keep up the great work! 👍🏻
I like that little VICTORY smile when it starts for the first time. I know that feeling well. Hope you and roadking805 have found a use for the valve seat cutters I sent to you. Greeting from Australia.
That Onan gen set is awesome. That was back when things were built to last. The retro design really gives it character. Also by how clean the carburetor bowl was, it is clear that real gas was used in it, not the crap we buy today that will destroy every carburetor after sitting a year.
Your drop in frequency and load is due to the engine RPM. Remember you dropped the governor speed? 1954 performing well, this is a jewel, a diamond in the rough. Maintained, this Onan is good for another 70+ years. I own a late 60's 8K gas twin boxer Onan, runs my entire home @ a rate of 2.5 gallon/89 octane gas per 24 hours. I do however minimize KWH consumption while in use. Thanks for the video.
I did like this video, since I have a late 40s Winpower Generator. Roadking mentioned your channel, but it just came up as a sugestion. You do a great job explaining things, even though some things are over my head, thanks.
Heya Mike. I've got a couple of those screw retainers here at the shop. They come in real handy for ignition points for sure. My handles are standard pen length though. Nice save on the Onan!! Always a lesson to be learned with your videos my Friend. Cheers! Zippy~
My dad had a 40s SAE 200 Lincoln that he replaced the cast iron pistons IN 1981 Some few years before he died he was finally talked into installing an electric start .... was a little strange starting it after seeing his crank w/choke, turn on magneto, crank for start ritual in my years with him...
Well ok then! I've got two of those Snap On SS screw starter/retainers. They both look older than dirt, with just about the same patina as yours, how cool 😁👍🇺🇸
Excellent video! I feel like I should get some continuing ed credits for all the stuff you taught us in this video! My dad had a Craftsman screw starter with the same design, but maybe 6" long. I wish I still had that thing!
Great to see you posting another video mike. I really like that snap on screw driver for the small slotted screws pretty neat tool. I Love the old onan's they are cool generators to me. Have a great week!!!
Thank you for a super informative video. You are a very good and gifted instructor. I have worked on new and old cars and trucks and farm tractors and riding lawn mowers and never knew the details about a start solenoid. Thank you for taking the time to share all of the details about this project! I am sure somewhere in my future I will use them and be glad again. I do have experience with some older vehicles that were positive battery ground and wonder if this unit was originally positive ground which would explain the amp gauge being "wired backward". It would show charge positive if it were hooked to a batter positive ground I believe.
We had one of this generator in my fathers farm... works 20 hours a day and only needs gas and some oil... once a month change oil every 6 month sparks and point set adjustment... and continue works... as I remember the engine was in condition till the land was sold in 1975...
That tool was very common for replacing point screws in gas engines say pre-73' before they went to electronic ignition. Very handy for engines with distributors back by the firewall.
Hi Mike you noted that when you first started it up that it did not charge , but when you started it a second time it did this could be caused by changing the polarity of the unit by connecting the battery the wrong way. which will account for the ammeter reading the wrong way . In the uk we did this a lot years ago to replace a dynamo with an alternator just a thought. Nice old tool good video
I've got a set of those screw holding handles, one for straight, and one for phillips head screws... Saved me countless times trying to put a furnace back together!!! But I've never seen a stubby like that, neat :-) And how's the married life treating you??? Been trying to figure it out myself... For 32 YEARS ;-) Glad you're back sir!!!
Capacitors don't rise in value over time, they become leaky... and since the meter measures how long it takes to charge, when current leaks the meter reads high, because it takes longer to charge than it should. Think "Filling a bucket with a hole in it", you'll measure more water going in than the bucket actually holds.
This was the exact comment I was going to make and it was the first one I saw when I opened the comments! Working on old tube radios, high value capacitors don’t mean they’re star performers, it means they’re converting into resistors and not doing their job anymore!
They do, in fact, rise in capacitance. The dielectric breaks down, increasing leakage as well as capacitance. A normal capacitance meter (and that can already be a basic 50 euro multimeter) doesn't respond to leakage a whole lot. A good 18nF capacitor with a 100k resistor parallel shows 17nF on my basic multimeter, which is far from the doubling or tripling of capacity you see in leaky paper capacitors. Some very old ones that use a 50hz AC current to measure the reactance, will be heavily influenced by leakage. The ones that use higher frequencies - not so much. The reactance of a 300nF capacitor at 1kHz is about 500 ohm. Paralleling 100k of leakage (very leaky but not impossible to encounter) to that is completely insignificant. My Mtester universal part tester recognizes it as only a resistor, but that's fair for a 6 euro device. It does factor in leakage and displays it as 'Vloss'.
thermoking used a simillar engine in their truck refrigeration units, the flywheel starter is also a generator, great little engine, they also made a LPG version.
A great vid mate and good explanation for those of us who think things with pistons are always too hard to work on... It may have been my old eye's flickering but I thought I saw some feral electrons just too the left of the fuel bowl when you mention "too many HZ".. around the 30:20 mark... Maybe more near the lead from your load box against chassis at about the 41 and 41:30 minute mark. where the black sheath ends at the green wire. Maybe a run in the dark would help. Incredible for something so old to run like that.
It's probably one of the new spark plug wires arcing to ground resulting in the miss he is hearing. Good catch... sparks near the fuel bowl that he already said was leaking. What could possibly go wrong?
@@patburnsent Hahaha... yeah like washing a compressor, and forgetting to pull the High Energy Ignition Unit circuit breaker on a Huey lol.. Can be very shocking ....
The type of start solenoid you have uses the ground terminal for the neutral safety switch. The N/S switch applies ground when the shift lever is in Neutral or Park. The solenoid then activates providing primary voltage to the starter when positive voltage is applied to the start terminal from the ignition switch.
Not better but it will quiet the valve chatter down quite a bit. Or you could machine and drop in hardened exhaust valve seats. The old CCK Onans run like a Swiss watch if there healthy.
Those early Onan's were know to have issues with lead fouling per Miller Electric owners manuals If need be, I'm sure valves and seats could be upgraded A salty machinist would know where to get them
15:55 I've got pretty much an identical tool, only difference is mine's a bit longer. Got it from my grandfather, never knew they were rare! They're really handy for starting screws in tight places!
for some reason onan engines had valve leaking issues cleaning/lapping helps the little spit/spudder/miss onan engines like many of engines this size have cam compression release like briggs and stratton easy spin..for some reason on onan the high spot on the cam was steeper than intended you notice it clears out on load due to less leakage you can fix this by readjusting the exhaust valve a little under oem spec it will let the exhaust valve open a little less just go maybe 2 sizes down on the feeler gauge its recommended to set valve lash after so many hours (maintenance) you can also grind the release on the cam but to much and you wont be able to start due to high compression but the lash method is the simplest the issue happens when the engine is running/freewheeling the lobe duration on the cam is a little long so at slow speeds the closeing of the exhaust valve is slightly late or sticks open enough to get leakage its the classic onan sound but doing that little fix and they purrr enough to make you sleep
@@alternatemusicaddict5226 Possibly some theory about the direction of current travel caused increased rusting in the vehicle chassis generally. .??. Comments anyone ??. Salt water in winter, electrolysis action ??,
You can maybe use the metal woven shroud of a flexible waterline (which can be found under most sinks providing water to the tap) for the spark plug wire shielding... Nice machine...
Hi Great videos, I am also in a similar industry (electromechanical), Anyways regarding the screw starters I have one "more modern" and its longer and its for straight screws one end and phillips/ pozidriv screws the other end , Paul UK
It does run good for an old one...I have seen Fords and Chevys where the wire from the solenoid that gives the points 12 volts when cranking the engine was either a bad connection or someone left it off at the coil and or solenoid
It is a lot different looking than the 1960 era Oman’s I saw built for the military. Those were inline and sat lower on the frame with tote handles on each end, as I remember.
Ford 8N tractors use a starter relay that has one small post that gets grounded to energize it. I’ve used them for other applications and they work great.
I'd love to get my hands on one of these engines with a bad generator head. Seems like it'd be pretty boss for a garden tractor, gokart, something like that. I'd also like to see this one pulling its rated load. Vid's nearly a year old tho, so maybe that's been done; I'll have a rummage in the back catalog.
Looks like a beast, back when USA made things to last a few lifetimes. No plastic, no built in obsolescence, or designs to die, just after the warranty expires.
Found your channel while looking at musti1. You have a great engagement conversational style. Your electrical background is apparent. Being a former OSHA/Safety officer I have two concerns. You need more PPE for your ears on the small engines especially with no muffler connected. Second, please take care of getting so close to the open flywheels of those old big engines. A couple times your clothes were pretty close to those big old flywheels. Just a concern for your safety. Watching you makes Me feel like a kid again in the 1950s with my grandpa and dad as they fixed mechanical things for their ice and fuel oil business. They had a generator like this one they used to floodlight the lake in the predawn hours cutting ice. They also had an ice crusher On each ice truck powered by a rope starter Briggs & Stratton engine. They would catch the ice in old army duffel bags and lug them in to bars to cool the beer lines before refrigerated lines came in.
It was a great episode. What are you going to do with her now that you've got her running again? What do you do with the gensets you fix up? I haven't looked do you have a website where you sell them? GREAT CHANNEL 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I love these videos. You’re so thorough.
There is nothing like seeing an old engine clearing out the old cobwebs when it fires up for the first time in a while.
you can't beat it. When they fire up and they give the odd fart through the exhaust or the odd belch through the manifold.
I own two tractors, a Case and an Ingersoll. They both are used year-round. One has an 18 hp twin cyl Onan, and the other has a 17hp twin Onan. Those engines are excellent. They're quiet, strong, and very long lasting. My tractors are 1986 models. 33 years of constant use and no problems !! That's why I HAD to stop and watch your video. Great generator ! ( wish I had it) lol !
Just an observation after working on Onan's Wisconsin's, etc. for 40 years or so... on those CK and CCK engines that have been sitting around for a long time of not running, it's always a good idea to pull the heads and scrape them and the pistons well before you start. I noticed it was knocking a bit on the left side cylinder (as you look from the flywheel side of the engine). This is most likely caused by carbon and other trash that collects at the bottom of the head where the head and piston are closest. This was a bit of a design flaw on Onan's part and if the carbon buildup is bad enough, in some cases, it can even bend or break a rod when the piston comes up on TDC.
It would be to your benefit to pull the heads now before you run it again, and clean everything out good. You're probably not going to get the full rated capacity out of that generator because of engine wear/reduced compression/point gap too close/crappy fuel (a common issue with the quality of gasoline these days), especially if it has ethanol in it. Good luck on it!
Incidentally, your DC voltage regulator probably needs the contacts cleaned to get it charging again. With these, you can actually open them up and do that. Just make sure you have the battery disconnected, so you don't accidentally fry the regulator or the charge winding. ;-)
On CK and CCK engines it's easier to just pull the plugs out and look with a scope or get the light just right and turn the engine over by hand to observe the amount of carbon buildup on the top of the piston plus you will be able to see a bit of the cylinder wall and of course the intake valve. It's alot easier than removing the heads. If it was mine is tear it down and inspect it all anyway and install new valve rotators while I'm in there. Depending on the model, some had issues with the valve lash adjusters coming loose due to the resistance of the locking style threads not being able to hold adjustment on the nut. I always thought about how crazy of a design that is as it would be so simple to have just added a jam nut to the lash adjuster from the get go. Lol 🤣
Love these old flat twins. Amazing how easily it cranked up.
Ain't they sweet? I've someone's (too quiet?) HD muffler on my Miller AEAD PERFECT
Hey Mike,,good to see you back on line again,,regards Frank
Love the screw tool. I’ve had one for years along with one about 6” long for deeper access. Love the show. I’m from central Jersey now living in Florida. Keep up the good work.
I just got finished bringing a 3ck-1r just like this back to life just last month! I had never seen another like it. Too funny you just posted this, would've loved to have this as reference while going through it. Oh well.
I even have the transfer panel that would automatically turn the generator on as the power went out. Truly advanced for their age.
Very well done as usual mike!
A couple years ago I bought the 1500w version of that same generator set. Fortunately it’s in fantastic shape and is extremely complete. Mine is nearly identical just slightly smaller. Mine has the complete electric choke if you need photos or anything I can dig it out. Runs great and it’s very quiet! On mine the scalloped covers are cast aluminum and mine is badged as Montgomery Ward Powerlite
Cool! I think an electric choke from a CCK will fit mine. There are a few units at the shop at work that might have one.
Hi. Great channel. I’ve had and used on of those screw grip tools since 1970, purchased from snap on. I did not realise how many times I would use it when I bought it. The older you get the more you need it as you become a shaky old git like me. Guess my grandson will get it soon and wonder what the hell he is going to use it for, better show him today whilst it’s on my mind. You’re doing a great job young man, I hope we are all taking this knowledge from you and and some point remembering and using it. Thank you. Regards Chris (Sheffield, England)
I want to thank you Mike for doing this type of video as it reminds me of the days when American products second to none. Today most of the stuff is just plain overseas junk. Keep on a working with the good old stuff.
Victory First
Thanks for checking it out!
@@SmallEngineMechanic I really enjoy your projects fella.
I have a slightly older one of these. It was bought by my grandfather as a precursor to the REA putting in power back in '52. He got it two years before, about the time I was born, because of a remodel and installation of a forced air oil furnace in the house. The only electricity that was available was a 32Volt DC battery system charged by a 1500watt Wincharger generator on a 60' tower. This Onan gennie was bought from Montgomery Ward. It has the extra control box on a 10' umbilical that sensed the load coming on by running battery voltage out over the line and when the (adjustable) amount of load was sensed, it started the unit and when the load on the AC went down below a certain amount, it shut the unit down. I don't know how they arranged the load through a thermostat to start the furnace up in the middle of the night, but evidently they figured it out. This unit has the 12v electric choke, would have to, the unit sat in the garage, about 150' from the house and in South Dakota, it's COLD at nite. The unit also has, I believe, an adjustable oil pressure bypass via common screwdriver and setscrew. It is a 3kW unit. We used it in the 60's and 70's to run a 1/3hp submersable pump to water sheep at a remote spot on the ranch that had no power. And, YES, it has the art deco gennie look as well. I liked it so well, I brought it with me to Colorado when I moved. Now that I have retired, I will probably go through it and get it running, we took the optional control box off of it when it went into sheep watering mode, but I kept it. My current backup gennie is a used Generac 25kW diesel that came out of a cell tower site with 700hours on it, our house is currently 'all electric' bleah! GREAT video, as usual, Michael in Colorado, 45mi NE of Denver.
SM Jones
Thank you for the interesting bit of history. I always enjoy learning about the past lives of these old units! In reading the service manual for my unit, the adjustable oil pressure relief is up on the front of the block near where the governor rod passes through. I have never seen one of the automatic start onans, only Kohlers. Would like to fine one some day.
Thanks for watching!
That classy '50s styling is a sight to behold.
What that tool is it is called a screw starter. That's what it's used for. You can still get them. Proto and snap on and other tool company's have them. And you can get for both types of screws too. Just wanted to let you know. Thay are handy. Love the video.
Got to hand it to you got that classic back up and running I am the grand son &son of electrician,s you made my day in getting a classic back to life
I love watching old machines come back to life that were well built in the first place unlike the throwaway Nation junk we have now
Mike, you stay gone too long. I always love your videos and your ability to make them run and be able to put them to use.
Great video. Glad you have your own channel. We used to turn over the copper rings on those switches to get a new side toward the contact, also on starter solenoids. Thanks for an excellent video.
Love how compact they made that thing
Bringing another one back to life, well done!
The nomenclature you're looking for is case ground vs floating ground.
And I've got 1 of those little screw starting tools myself. Was my grandpa's. Very handy little thing when you need it.
David Oliver
... back in the days when EVERYTHING was points ignition we ALL had at least one of those. I still have two or three and have found other uses for it, although my short one (like shown) has grown feet. BTW, I called a parts store looking for points lube and they said WHAT? Called another and spoke with an old guy and he said no problem. I now have enough lube to last the rest of my years!
She's a beauty. Would love to have something like this as a backup generator. Engines were made for working, might as well put it to work (occasionally).
I love the retro look of that generator.
not retro if it's real vintage
That was an excellent find and save. Its interesting that I found that same screw holder yesterday at the scrap yard. It was something that I needed working on small slotted screws . Family members just chuck their grampas or fathers tools for scrap prices. Its hard to find this stuff anymore. Looking forward to another video!
Hi Mike. Loving your videos 👍🏻 Well done for showing all the technical aspects of theses fantastic old machines 😄 Cheers Stevie 😎🏴
Really cool seeing a new episode Mike! Understandably you’re very busy these days!
Very cool unit. I like these older ones that run at a low rpm. The new ones have to scream at close to 3600. The old onan sounds good. Valves are a “little tappy” as mustie would say. Keep up the great work! 👍🏻
Have one of those tools also, except it is longer with a very strong magnet on the other end. pretty common actually. Great video
Fine looking machine, you’ll have here humming in no time!
Great job, well beyond your years of age. Must have learned very young. God bless.
I like that little VICTORY smile when it starts for the first time. I know that feeling well. Hope you and roadking805 have found a use for the valve seat cutters I sent to you. Greeting from Australia.
That Onan gen set is awesome. That was back when things were built to last. The retro design really gives it character. Also by how clean the carburetor bowl was, it is clear that real gas was used in it, not the crap we buy today that will destroy every carburetor after sitting a year.
RANDALLOLOGY
Got lucky! Thanks for watching!
Your drop in frequency and load is due to the engine RPM. Remember you dropped the governor speed? 1954 performing well, this is a jewel, a diamond in the rough. Maintained, this Onan is good for another 70+ years.
I own a late 60's 8K gas twin boxer Onan, runs my entire home @ a rate of 2.5 gallon/89 octane gas per 24 hours. I do however minimize KWH consumption while in use.
Thanks for the video.
1 gallon per hour maby
I did like this video, since I have a late 40s Winpower Generator. Roadking mentioned your channel, but it just came up as a sugestion. You do a great job explaining things, even though some things are over my head, thanks.
I sure love the ole Onan generators , I have a 4.0 RV model and it has served me well ! ENJOYED
ShawnMrFixitlee
Thanks for watching Shawn!
Heya Mike. I've got a couple of those screw retainers here at the shop. They come in real handy for ignition points for sure. My handles are standard pen length though. Nice save on the Onan!! Always a lesson to be learned with your videos my Friend. Cheers! Zippy~
Great video. I have a 1954 continental F140 driving a newer 12kw generator. Its smooth and quiet! Love those old engines.
wizard1800
Cool! Thanks for watching!
My dad had a 40s SAE 200 Lincoln that he replaced the cast iron pistons
IN 1981
Some few years before he died he was finally talked into installing an electric start .... was a little strange starting it after seeing his crank w/choke, turn on magneto, crank for start ritual in my years with him...
I didn't know they made capable machines like this back then. The original retro look of it is one of the coolest things!
Nice machine. We've got a similar vintage with a Wisconsin motor, little bigger genset. Comes in handy.
Great Looking Unit!!!
Wish i could find a 1800RPM Model Like that!
Well ok then! I've got two of those Snap On SS screw starter/retainers. They both look older than dirt, with just about the same patina as yours, how cool 😁👍🇺🇸
Glad to see that your not sick anymore
Valve adjust and some lead substitute and this Jewel will continue to serve. Nice load bank.
Time mark 13.13 that new connector and shrink tube mad a classy looking job. The Art Deco period influenced a lot of things. In and out of the home.
I still have some of those Snap-On screw starters from my automotive days from 50 years ago. They're handy as a pocket on a shirt!
Great job Mike breathing life back into the Onan
The engine is state-of-the-art for it's year, very well designed.
Still going strong after 65 years, you won't be able to say that about today's stuff
@@alanlake5220 Some of the new stuff will be lucky to see 6.5 years of life before needing a rebuild.
I WAS ALSO MADE IN 1954 AND I DON'T RUN AS HARD AS I DID 50+ YEARS AGO EITHER.
so was i , i don't run worth shit,lol
I hear a new set of rings will fix that.
Loose piston, worn crank.
I was born in 1954. Lol. And I'm trashed.
Right there with ya
Excellent video! I feel like I should get some continuing ed credits for all the stuff you taught us in this video! My dad had a Craftsman screw starter with the same design, but maybe 6" long. I wish I still had that thing!
It looks and working better than what we have nowadays.
Good to see some more videos! I assume the move went pretty well! Nice job with this awesome machine! Can't wait to see more content soon!
Great to see you posting another video mike. I really like that snap on screw driver for the small slotted screws pretty neat tool. I Love the old onan's they are cool generators to me. Have a great week!!!
I have one of those screw starters and have used one for many years to put points in cars with they are a great tool
Thank you for a super informative video. You are a very good and gifted instructor. I have worked on new and old cars and trucks and farm tractors and riding lawn mowers and never knew the details about a start solenoid. Thank you for taking the time to share all of the details about this project! I am sure somewhere in my future I will use them and be glad again. I do have experience with some older vehicles that were positive battery ground and wonder if this unit was originally positive ground which would explain the amp gauge being "wired backward". It would show charge positive if it were hooked to a batter positive ground I believe.
Rat got in because the expanded metal on one side of the shroud is missing. But you knew that! Really like your videos.
woodhonky
Thanks for watching!
cant wait to see further improvements in performance
Great video👍
Fun to see how different things are around the world, when you flip a switch up you turn it on, here in Denmark it's the opposite😊
Kroghs Machine shop
Interesting! Thanks for watching!
We had one of this generator in my fathers farm... works 20 hours a day and only needs gas and some oil... once a month change oil every 6 month sparks and point set adjustment... and continue works... as I remember the engine was in condition till the land was sold in 1975...
Why didnt you keep it all
Great video! Screw Starter. We used them on the planes in the AirForce. I remember them being about 8 inches long. They must make different lengths.
Nice Generator, bit of love it will be fine, good find
That tool was very common for replacing point screws in gas engines say pre-73' before they went to electronic ignition. Very handy for engines with distributors back by the firewall.
You would be noisy too...65 years old, sleeping, some young'n wakes you up and wants to jog around the yard on your back...LOL
good video
Hi Mike you noted that when you first started it up that it did not charge , but when you started it a second time it did this could be caused by changing the polarity of the unit by connecting the battery the wrong way.
which will account for the ammeter reading the wrong way . In the uk we did this a lot years
ago to replace a dynamo with an alternator just a thought. Nice old tool good video
I've got a set of those screw holding handles, one for straight, and one for phillips head screws... Saved me countless times trying to put a furnace back together!!! But I've never seen a stubby like that, neat :-) And how's the married life treating you??? Been trying to figure it out myself... For 32 YEARS ;-) Glad you're back sir!!!
Capacitors don't rise in value over time, they become leaky... and since the meter measures how long it takes to charge, when current leaks the meter reads high, because it takes longer to charge than it should. Think "Filling a bucket with a hole in it", you'll measure more water going in than the bucket actually holds.
This was the exact comment I was going to make and it was the first one I saw when I opened the comments! Working on old tube radios, high value capacitors don’t mean they’re star performers, it means they’re converting into resistors and not doing their job anymore!
They do, in fact, rise in capacitance. The dielectric breaks down, increasing leakage as well as capacitance.
A normal capacitance meter (and that can already be a basic 50 euro multimeter) doesn't respond to leakage a whole lot. A good 18nF capacitor with a 100k resistor parallel shows 17nF on my basic multimeter, which is far from the doubling or tripling of capacity you see in leaky paper capacitors.
Some very old ones that use a 50hz AC current to measure the reactance, will be heavily influenced by leakage. The ones that use higher frequencies - not so much. The reactance of a 300nF capacitor at 1kHz is about 500 ohm. Paralleling 100k of leakage (very leaky but not impossible to encounter) to that is completely insignificant.
My Mtester universal part tester recognizes it as only a resistor, but that's fair for a 6 euro device. It does factor in leakage and displays it as 'Vloss'.
Happy Sunday to you Mike
from you I have learned a lot. Thank you
Art in motion! Thanks for this.
My dad has had that tool in his tool box for years and I never had a clue what it was. Says Snap On so it never got pitched, I’m gonna use it now!
Mike has learned the secret of the UA-cam Cold Start. Great video, cool genset.
thermoking used a simillar engine in their truck refrigeration units, the flywheel starter is also a generator, great little engine, they also made a LPG version.
Great work, Mike! I always enjoy your videos. Headed to Craigslist now to see if there's any gems around here to check out. Cheers!
Art Deco was a cool look. Nice.
Not too shabby for a 65 year old machine
A great vid mate and good explanation for those of us who think things with pistons are always too hard to work on... It may have been my old eye's flickering but I thought I saw some feral electrons just too the left of the fuel bowl when you mention "too many HZ".. around the 30:20 mark... Maybe more near the lead from your load box against chassis at about the 41 and 41:30 minute mark. where the black sheath ends at the green wire. Maybe a run in the dark would help. Incredible for something so old to run like that.
It's probably one of the new spark plug wires arcing to ground resulting in the miss he is hearing. Good catch... sparks near the fuel bowl that he already said was leaking. What could possibly go wrong?
@@patburnsent Hahaha... yeah like washing a compressor, and forgetting to pull the High Energy Ignition Unit circuit breaker on a Huey lol.. Can be very shocking ....
Always very interesting Mike please more videos 👍🇦🇺🚜
Kerry Gleeson
Working on it! Thanks for watching
my grandfather had one of those tools at 16:04 i never knew what it was used for until now!
The type of start solenoid you have uses the ground terminal for the neutral safety switch. The N/S switch applies ground when the shift lever is in Neutral or Park. The solenoid then activates providing primary voltage to the starter when positive voltage is applied to the start terminal from the ignition switch.
welcome back I have missed your videos
Truman Renz
Thanks for watching them!
the one thing every one forgets is leaded petrol i.e 50s petrol.
bet it would run better with it
not really. These onans are quite noisy. I have one on my tractor. I'd say the tappets need adjusted.
Not better but it will quiet the valve chatter down quite a bit. Or you could machine and drop in hardened exhaust valve seats. The old CCK Onans run like a Swiss watch if there healthy.
The lead lubricates the valves.
@@goldpipe2003 And softens the blow when the valves slam into the non hardened valve seats.
Those early Onan's were know to have issues with lead fouling per Miller Electric owners manuals
If need be, I'm sure valves and seats could be upgraded
A salty machinist would know where to get them
cool looking genset
great old gear , a bit of tlc ect runs good 50+ years old well done
15:55 I've got pretty much an identical tool, only difference is mine's a bit longer. Got it from my grandfather, never knew they were rare! They're really handy for starting screws in tight places!
for some reason onan engines had valve leaking issues cleaning/lapping helps the little spit/spudder/miss
onan engines like many of engines this size have cam compression release like briggs and stratton easy spin..for some reason on onan the high spot on the cam was steeper than intended you notice it clears out on load due to less leakage you can fix this by readjusting the exhaust valve a little under oem spec it will let the exhaust valve open a little less just go maybe 2 sizes down on the feeler gauge
its recommended to set valve lash after so many hours (maintenance)
you can also grind the release on the cam but to much and you wont be able to start due to high compression but the lash method is the simplest
the issue happens when the engine is running/freewheeling the lobe duration on the cam is a little long so at slow speeds the closeing of the exhaust valve is slightly late or sticks open enough to get leakage its the classic onan sound but doing that little fix and they purrr enough to make you sleep
that unit was likely positive ground when new, you are hooked negative ground so swap the wires on amp gauge and it will work fine
God why did positive ground exist
@@alternatemusicaddict5226 Possibly some theory about the direction of current travel caused increased rusting in the vehicle chassis generally. .??. Comments anyone ??. Salt water in winter, electrolysis action ??,
You can maybe use the metal woven shroud of a flexible waterline (which can be found under most sinks providing water to the tap) for the spark plug wire shielding... Nice machine...
I have a mid 1970's Onan 5000 watts and the motor looks the same bigger generator with lots of chrome. Good stuff
Journeyman Randy
Cool! Thanks for watching!
Hi Great videos, I am also in a similar industry (electromechanical), Anyways regarding the screw starters I have one "more modern" and its longer and its for straight screws one end and phillips/ pozidriv screws the other end , Paul UK
1954... That sucker is within a few years of being as old as I am! lol
It does run good for an old one...I have seen Fords and Chevys where the wire from the solenoid that gives the points 12 volts when cranking the engine was either a bad connection or someone left it off at the coil and or solenoid
Enjoyed! Thank you Mike, You are super!
Another great video
It is a lot different looking than the 1960 era Oman’s I saw built for the military. Those were inline and sat lower on the frame with tote handles on each end, as I remember.
Ford 8N tractors use a starter relay that has one small post that gets grounded to energize it. I’ve used them for other applications and they work great.
I have three of those screw starters. One for slotted head, one for philips, and one for small nuts.
I'd love to get my hands on one of these engines with a bad generator head. Seems like it'd be pretty boss for a garden tractor, gokart, something like that.
I'd also like to see this one pulling its rated load. Vid's nearly a year old tho, so maybe that's been done; I'll have a rummage in the back catalog.
Looks like a beast, back when USA made things to last a few lifetimes. No plastic, no built in obsolescence, or designs to die, just after the warranty expires.
Awesome video , keep it up 👍
Found your channel while looking at musti1. You have a great engagement conversational style. Your electrical background is apparent.
Being a former OSHA/Safety officer I have two concerns. You need more PPE for your ears on the small engines especially with no muffler connected. Second, please take care of getting so close to the open flywheels of those old big engines. A couple times your clothes were pretty close to those big old flywheels.
Just a concern for your safety.
Watching you makes Me feel like a kid again in the 1950s with my grandpa and dad as they fixed mechanical things for their ice and fuel oil business.
They had a generator like this one they used to floodlight the lake in the predawn hours cutting ice. They also had an ice crusher On each ice truck powered by a rope starter Briggs & Stratton engine. They would catch the ice in old army duffel bags and lug them in to bars to cool the beer lines before refrigerated lines came in.
It was a great episode. What are you going to do with her now that you've got her running again? What do you do with the gensets you fix up? I haven't looked do you have a website where you sell them?
GREAT CHANNEL
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Holy crap some one besides mustie 1 fixing a generator sweet