Onan 3.5 generator life expectancy ???

[harlie]

Looking at a boat with this generator onboard. I have no idea how many hours are on the unit and do appreciate that its' life expectancy depends on many factors. If it has been well cared for how many hours could one expect to get??? Looking forward to your responses.

[fairtide]

While I don't really have an answer to your question, I will say that hours alone may not count for as much as you think. Many gensets run without much of a load more than with. Diesel powered gensets, I am told, last longer when they do run under load than when free-wheeling. It is likely that the engine has a governor so that it tries to keep a constant 1800 rpm. With gasoline engines, the rpm will be the same, and it may be that loaded is better than otherwise. The a/c and fridge compressors are usually the heavy hitters and their calls for energy are not all that often, so it is assumed that most boat gensets operate at low loads most of the time. An electric galley stove can eat up the amps, but how often is that needed?
It is obvious that the past maintenance of the genset can be as important as the hours used. Some owners may not change oil, etc., especially when they have hardly used the genset. Hey, how many hours are put on the average propulsion engines each year?

[jleonard]

I have a 4.4 kw Westerbeke with 2100 hours. Still runs good. It's only loads are the fridge the water heater, and the battery charger. That's not much load considering that if I run it for an hour the water heater is only on for about 15 minutes, then there is basically no load.