Onan Generator Control Problem - RC as solution?

[RyanN]

This is a 1985 45' Hatteras Convertible yacht. Has 2 500HP Detroit Diesels and a 9kW Onan Marine Genset generator.

Really, I would love to let the engine run a little while since it has not been run really since Katrina. The little time I had it running yesterday it was blowing out a lot of black and nasty water. The owner before us obviously didn't care for it much. The oil is black, the impeller for the saltwater pump was basically just a rubber wheel after running dry for a while, and it doesn't run!

I think the engine runs great, but I hate forcing it on. I want to disconnect everything from the generator output and would like to let the generator run for a good 10 minutes or so. I'm also not even sure of the voltage output it is supposed to have. The boat can handle either 120V or 240V, as it has shore power connectors for both. I'm assuming the generator is supposed to output 240V, but everyone knows where assuming gets you.

I would look it up in the manual, but the owner before us took all the paperwork out of the boat before Katrina and put it in his home. Needless to say, the boat survived, the house did not.

Looking up this on Google has been impossible. There is little information for our model of generator, and I've been going off of info from like generators.

I love the boat, and getting this boat allows me to go back to the harbor, which I loved to do before the storm.

Before Katrina, we had a 33' Chris Craft with 2 gasoline, saltwater cooled Chryslers, which is a recipe for disaster. It went MIA during Katrina, and probably sunk somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, or could be in the woods somewhere. Who knows...

Anyway, any info is welcomed. I've pretty much gotten off the idea of controlling the generator with the IFI controller. I know it's not weather proof, but the whole engine room is dry. Unfortunately, like any boat, it relies on small electric pumps to keep water out, and they like to fail often. We almost lost the Chris Craft like that when the stern bilge pump failed to automatically turn on.

I'd really like to get this thing running right. I hear of people talking about how great Onan generators are, and I saw some really old ones on YouTube. They're designed to last, unfortunately, our has had its life cut short.

Another thing I want to add. I cannot believe how the engineers behind this generator used cheap bolts for the water pump. They were all rusty, and one broke when we tried to get it out! What a horrible design! I quickly replaced them with nice stainless steel ones.