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1978 MDJF 15kw ONO Generator

  • Thread starter Thread starter Capt Chad
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Capt Chad

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  1. OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
Hatteras Model
46' CONVERTIBLE-Series I (1974 - 1981)
We're pulling out a 15kw Onan Monday. It runs great. The voltage regulator OR governor started acting up and throwing crazy voltage. Make me an offer for this thing. Comes with soundshield. Knoxville TN
 
What did you decide on replacing that antique with?
 
The old one is out and sitting on a pallet in my building. I know somebody wants it. Freshwater only.
 
Come visit in Capt Chad's museum of a running antique MDJF. Admission $10. Running demonstrations on Wednesdays for $15.
 
17-18 years ago I was fixing old gen-sets and re-selling them. The last one I worked on was the old MDJE, 7.5kw set.
Got the injector pump fixed and all else was in great shape. When assembled it cranked up and ran very well.
On e-bay the next day.
That next night it was sold. I gave the address and the new owner was on his way with cash.
Next day, I showed it was cold and the gen-set started rite up and ran fine. It ran my air compressor and a heater with no strain.
The happy owner slid it up in his truck with a smile.
He offered the hang-on stuff back if I wanted it and I said no thank you.

While he was counting his cash out I asked him why he wanted to give the hang-on stuff back, he explained; he just needed the RDJE engine to get one of his 20 agricultural Irrigation pumps back on line quickly. Already has a pile of marine hang-on junk behind his shed.
Seems that's all his father purchased long ago and it was still cheaper/quicker to buy up old marine gen-sets (last parts source), fix what they could and keep their ancient pumps running than convert to anything new.

I bring this up; If it runs, put it on e-bay. No telling who will buy it and what for. ☺☺
 
I sold my Onan engine to a guy who was putting it in this old Melroe Bobcat. Same engine.
 
would you be interested in selling the sound enclosure? i rebuilt my antique last off season and it runs amazing but still obnoxious :ROFLMAO:
 
I really need to get some lotto numbers or blackjack tips from you guys who keep running these OhNo's, ya'll have obviously got a fatter wallet than I do. The last one I had (like most of them) OhNo had discontinued parts support for, I was always trolling through ebay and craigslist to find something or another. When you finally found the parts, they cost a fortune. I'd get it fixed and then a month later something else on it would break. All the years I fought with that generator, I spent at least $1k a year keeping it going, and because of how long it took to get parts it only worked right maybe 6 or 7 months a year. Its favorite thing to do was break in the middle of summer when you really need ice and a/c.

Like the OP, when I decided to swap it out it was one of those rare times it was in good working order, a guy drove down from the carolinas and picked it up. I knew good and well it wasn't going to stay working for long, it never did. I told him that but he wanted it anyway. That thing was horrible. I replaced it with a 12.5kw Phasor that cost me $0 a year, I only ever had to change the oil and filter on the for 5 years afterwards that I owned that boat.
 
Last edited:

Saltshaker, sure. I replaced the old insulation with sounddown too.
 
As it turns out. There's a really good chance there's nothing wrong with the Onan. I started having voltage issues out of the Phasor too. It went to the low side. After a lot of crawling around we found that my new (last fall) AC unit had the ground tied back to the ships common circuit. It worked but it was causing several little gremlins that I could never tie back to the AC install. Because the AC install was followed by the boat sitting in the slip for most of the winter and no real time spent off shorepower. As long as it was hooked to shorepower and the marina's earth ground everything worked great. BTW, it took a guy a lot smarter than me to find it.
 
$1500 for the generator and soundshield.
 
Do you still have the OH-No?
 
I do not. I gave it to my generator repair guy for parts.
 
Thanks for letting me know, I would have bought it. I have a 1978 Onan on my 1978 53MY.
 
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