RV Generator Maintenance: Oil, Filters and Regular Exercise

Most RV generator trouble comes from sitting, not from hard use. Fuel goes stale in the carburetor of a gasoline generator, leaving varnish that blocks tiny passages. Oil settles and seals dry out. Moisture collects inside the unit during Alberta's freeze and thaw cycles, and mice love a warm, sheltered generator compartment for nesting.

The other common cause is the battery. Your onboard generator usually starts from the RV house batteries. If those are weak after a winter in storage, the generator will crank slowly or not at all, even though nothing is wrong with the generator itself. Check battery charge before you blame the generator.

Many generators also have a low oil shutdown. If the oil level drops below the sensor, the unit either will not start or dies after a few seconds. That is a safety feature, not a failure, and it is one of the first things to check.

Your owner's manual lists the oil type and change interval, usually measured in hours of run time plus a yearly change regardless of hours. Check the oil level on the dipstick before every trip and after every long run. Use the exact grade the manual calls for, since generators run hot in a small enclosure and the wrong oil can shorten engine life.

Change the oil before you store the RV for the winter, not after. Used oil carries acids and moisture that sit against internal parts for months. Fresh oil going into storage protects the engine while it waits. Change the oil filter at the same time if your unit has one.

The air filter is the other easy one. Alberta gravel roads and prairie dust load it up faster than you might expect. Inspect it a couple of times a season and replace it when it looks dirty. Gasoline generators also have a spark plug worth checking, and diesel units have fuel filters and often a water separator that need attention on schedule.

A generator needs to run to stay healthy. The common recommendation is to run it at least once a month, and not just idle it. Put a real load on it by turning on the air conditioner, the microwave or an electric heater. Running under load brings the engine up to full operating temperature, which burns off moisture, keeps seals lubricated and moves fresh fuel through the system.

A short idle without load does more harm than good. The engine never gets hot enough to clear condensation, and unburned fuel can foul the plug. Give it enough time to warm through fully, then shut it down with the load removed so it can cool for a moment.

If the RV is in storage over an Alberta winter and you cannot get to it, add fuel stabilizer to the tank before the final run of the season so treated fuel fills the carburetor or fuel lines. For gasoline units, running the generator until it draws that treated fuel is the single best thing you can do to avoid a spring carburetor cleaning.

Some jobs belong on the bench. If the generator cranks but will not fire, surges or hunts at idle, shuts down under load, smokes, or trips its own breaker, the cause is usually a fuel, ignition or electrical fault that takes diagnostic tools to find. A carburetor cleaning or rebuild on a gasoline generator that sat with untreated fuel is a common spring repair.

Exhaust is the other reason to get help. A generator exhaust leak can push carbon monoxide into the living space. If you smell exhaust inside, hear a change in exhaust tone, or the exhaust pipe looks rusted or loose, stop using the generator and have it inspected. Make sure your carbon monoxide detector works every time you run the generator.

Horton RV Services in Calgary can handle generator servicing, oil and filter changes, carburetor and fuel system work, and the electrical faults that leave you without power. If you are buying a used RV, ask for the generator to be run under load as part of the inspection, since a seized or neglected generator is an expensive surprise.