THREAD DRIFT ALERT!

bigcat, I've been planning to replace the Kohler Klanker genset with something more civilized, and I've narrowed it down to the EV-4010/6010 or the Onan 4KW Microquiet.

Is your EV-4010 gasoline or LPG powered; if gaso, what size tank is installed?

And how quiet is the Honda? They don't publish figures for the EVs, but I figured that with liquid cooling, it's probably pretty unobstrusive...

I can barely hear it inside the MH. It is also very quite outside. Fits the compartment perfect. I talked to a Honda service shop sales guy not to long ago and he told me he has seen some of these Hondas with 10000 hours. He was a repair person in the shop for many years. I think the tank is a 20 gallon which maybe a little big. I have had the Onan LP and this Honda is alot quieter and seems to run smoother..

Thanks for the info and the quick reply!

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
And how quiet is the Honda? They don't publish figures for the EVs, but I figured that with liquid cooling, it's probably pretty unobstrusive...

Hicklin Power Systems says 67 db at an unspecified distance. The EV is naked, so depends on the installation. I did not measure mine the last time I ran it, but it did not seem that loud.

When you consider the Microquiet 4000 (the quietest gas gen I have measured) is an air cooled single cylinder engine, the water cooled Honda twin should be easier to quiet. Some of the noise is gen cooling fan noise, I think.

BTW, if you go Honda, look at a SenDEC tach/hourmeter to save a little money.

Thanks for the link; the Microquiet is rated at 68 db @ 10'; I suspect the Honda is about the same.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
the Microquiet is rated at 68 db @ 10'; I suspect the Honda is about the same.

I measured a MQ4000 at 61 dbA at 20 ft. At half that distance, it would be 67 dbA, which corresponds with Onan's figure you cite.

If my EV didn't need carb cleanout I would gin up a test stand and run it just to measure it.
Way backed up on projects.

Thanks for the measurement - I'm gravitating towards the Honda EV-4010 (a little cheaper than the OMQ, and I can get the 6 KW for slightly more - $250 [but I'd rather not have to rewire the main]). And I like twin cylinders and liquid cooling.

Whatever goes in will be gaso (probably add a 25-30 gal tank), as I'm tired of having to chase down LPG stations. But that conversion will have to wait for winter...

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:

Whatever goes in will be gaso (probably add a 25-30 gal tank), as I'm tired of having to chase down LPG stations.

Another advantage of gaso is that you can use your toad to fetch generator fuel. If you don't want to deal with jerry cans, and the toad has an electric fuel pump, it can pump directly to the genset tank. I used to gas my boat that way when no fuel dock was available.

Just talked to a movie guy. They use a lot of the EVs. He said changing the oil is like voting in Chicago. Do it early and often. The oil pump drive gear is plastic and will fail if the oil breaks down. It is a b**** to replace.

Honda says change oil at first 50 hours, then every 100 hours. He says first 50, then every 50-75 hours. If I may paraphrase, Oil is cheaper than plastic.

They also use a lot of EX5500s, which are basically EV6010s with a sound supressing enclosure and a trolley. How would one of those fit? The EX4500 is a single cylinder air cooled enclosed generator that is even quieter. I have not seen your generator installation, but I wonder if an enclosed generator might be easier to keep quiet. That 3000EU is really quiet, too. I see them on slide out mounts in compartments.

Thanks again for more info...the EX-4500 is apparently discontinued, as it doesn't show up on the website.

I wonder what oil they're using if they have "breakdown" after 75 hours. Honda recommends 10W/30 for most environs.

A comment or two, about multigrade oils, like 5W/30, 10W/30, etc.

[soapbox] There's a misconception that multigrades actually thicken from a 10-weight to a 30-weight as the temp increases. Not so. Oils rated 10W have a range of viscosities at a low (W, or "winter") temp. Oils rated 30 have a [thicker] viscosity range measured at a much higher temp. The typical 10W at that higher temp would be off the scale (low).

But if an oil can be made resistant to thinning out too much from the lower to higher temp, it could be classified "multigrade". That rsistance, BTW, is VI, or Viscosity Index - higher is better. The VI is raised by additives called "Viscosity Index Improvers". One of the first was polyisobutylene, which became anonymously famous as a major constituent of ________ (guessing game - post a correct answer, and receive...nothing!)

The problem with polyisobutylene is that it consisted of coiled molecules that appeared small at low temps - like a spring; smaller molecules have lower viscosity. As temps increased, the coil would stretch, and would act like the larger molecules they now were and keep the oil from thinning out as much as it normally would.

The problem was that these molecules were so large, they could be mechanically sheared in cylinder sidewalls and cam-follower interfaces. Now a bunch of little pieces, they tended to manifest themselves as ringbelt and valve deposits, and, worse, were hard and gritty. In an engine of the '50s, this could take as little as a few hundred miles (and that was when oil change intervals were 1,000 miles)

But VI Improvers have improved to the point that they're quite stable.

So that brings me back to the idea of the engines not tolerating more than 75 hours before breakdown...it's strange to me; my recommendation would be to go to a straight SAE30, but then I wasn't asked...[/soapbox]

This coach is not for sale. I am sorry I though i moved this to the Barth Sold column.

Seller just advised me a few days ago..