Genny don’t lose my number…
You often take for granted the systems that are built into your campervan. Systems which you rely on for essential tasks such as cooking, bathing, heating, and simple electricity. So when something as hidden away as my onboard generator goes out, you suddenly realize how much you need it.
In our case, our 2022 Winnebago Travato 59K is equipped with a Cummins Onan 2800i generator. Its fuel injected and quieter than past years models. It’s one component of our power system. The Travato has 2 large AGM batteries onboard and they can be charged using solar (slow trickle), 110v shore power (fast) and also with the Onan 2800i generator (fast). So the “Genny” is one of the three ways to keep the lights on, refrigerator running and gear powered. It’s also the only way to run the Coleman brand rooftop air conditioning system or microwave when you are not someplace with electricity, because both of those units have such a large power draw.
So when our Genny went out in the spring of 2022, it became apparent how important it was to us. Not only are our Ohio summers hot and sticky, but we were planning some big trips to places like Texas and Colorado. I had just performed an oil change the week before a trip to wild West Virginia and a couple of days in, it simply would not start. Perhaps I had messed up something. I had read that if the oil level is too high or too low it may not run. But the oil level was perfect.
It would crank over for a few moments and then cut out. At first, I poured through the owners manual hoping it was something simple that I had forgotten to do. I also searched the online forums, group pages on Facebook, and the owner’s manual from Cummins. But nothing I found resulted in any satisfaction. Plenty of other scenarios for older models that had various known problems. But this model was supposedly rock solid. When reading through the owner’s manual, it did clue me in that there was a “fault code” that may help pinpoint the problem. On some models, that code would show on the screen inside the RV. But on this model of the Travato, Winnebago had not made it this easy.
So I put on some old clothes that I used to do the oil change, slid underneath and pulled off the front of the case that holds the generator to the bottom of the van. This required me to look for some blinking lights and count the number of flashes after attempting to start the unit with a momentary switch located just inside the case. I counted the flashes. I counted them twice. They flashed really fast and I was certain I had it wrong. But I think it said fault code 28. Now I had to figure out what that meant and I’m sure I can fix this. But when I referenced the operator’s manual, it has a code 27 and a code 29, but no 28. What the hell? Is that a misprint? Did they accidentally skip 28?
That Error Code Does Not Exist
At this point, I called the local Cummins dealer and repair shop to get their opinion. They too were amazed that there was no fault code 28 in the manual. They asked me to bring it in to inspect it. So on one of the rainiest days of the week, a poor young mechanic was told to go out to the parking lot and crawl under the van in his dirty yellow rain gear to inspect the fault code. And it was not the same fault code I found with my inspection. It was code 82. Wait, not 28? But 82! How was I supposed to know that? Did I mention they flashed really fast? Maybe I’m just getting slow.
They kept the van for a couple of days to investigate. As code 82 means: Vent Pressure Sensor Circuit Fault. Not that I know what that means but it’s possible there is a bad component that is shorted out and causing an open circuit. And sure enough, they diagnosed the problem as the Fuel Injection Pressure sensor switch being bad. Simple! And covered under Cummins warranty. But there was one small problem. The part was unavailable. We were in the middle of the ongoing supply chain debacle that has been going on since the pandemic began shutting down countries like China where many components are made. They looked at every dealer and warehouse and it did not exist in North America. So they placed the parts order but warned me it could be weeks or months before something became available.
How To Pivot, Adapt & Overcome
Well dang. We were due to leave for Colorado in a matter of days for a three week trip. And the midwest was dry and hot in July. I was very concerned about our ability to cool the vehicle, especially when we had to leave our dog Siggy in the van and go on a hike or into a store. My wife was even more concerned, so it was a source of stress that lost us some sleep. I considered all of the alternatives and researched generator options locally, which were in short supply due to supply chain shortages.
I was about to go out and spend big money to get a portable generator but I also knew that many of the places we were going to were going to be at elevation up in the mountains. Not all of them…, and certainly not on the two day drive to and from Colorado where temps were in the 90’s. A friend offered to lend me his small portable generator, but it was not up to the task of running the AC unit due to its massive power draw.
Now I was out of time. And so I figured we’d risk it and try to adapt and overcome the problems as they arose. Afterall, there is often a Home Depot or hardware store within a moderate drive along the way, if I needed, and I could justify the spend due to the heat risks. I’ve traveled in high heat before and it can be dangerous if you are not prepared. As it turns out, it was very hot on this trip. But not up in the mountains and in most places where we did need to run the AC such as Mesa Verde National Park. In most places, we had a campsite that included shore power. And so, we survived.
And on each of our next trips over the summer, we also managed to work around staying in state parks or campgrounds that had electric power instead of boondocking out in the backcountry. Not our preferred method of camping but heck, in the hot summer, it’s nice to have lots of power to run appliances and air conditioning, so I’m not complaining. We seemed to be able to time all of our boondocking to places of high altitude or places with power. It took some planning at times, but we managed.
Six Months With No RV Generator
As summer dragged on and became autumn, I would call or email the Cummins dealer about every two weeks. But the answer was always the same, no parts available yet. And so, eventually I stopped calling. I would ping them once a month, often with no response to my emails and voicemails. And finally, in early December, I called and got a different answer than I had received over the past 6 months. They had the part! No, they hadn’t called me to let me know… nor responded to emails… but I could bring it by tomorrow to have it repaired.
And that’s exactly what happened. The service manager asked me if I wanted to wait in the lobby while the work was performed but I was going out of town overnight and suggested the following afternoon. I also didn’t want the tech to be rushed, and wanted to give them enough time to “do it right the first time”.
Suddenly, the van backup power systems were all running. This experience reinforced why you need multiple sources of power when traveling via campervan. If one small sensor goes bad, you don’t want it to be a trip ending problem. You always need alternative methods to charge or power appliances in any van build. Redundancy is key.
In this current day and age, if you suddenly need a repair, it could take forever to find a part. Which is a thought that brings me a small amount of anxiety. Sure, we don’t need air conditioning much in December, but at least the oil in the generator is fresh and ready for our snow bird trip in February. Our plan is to relocate to the Phoenix area for a few weeks to defend against the winter blues and cabin fever that we experienced last winter, which was long and cold. I hope we get to use the air conditioning while we are there. Just because we can.
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