On my '72 its a 6kw generator that runs on gas from the fuel tank. the start button is mounted on the wall between the drivers seat and the kitchen sink. when the seller showed me how it worked, he just pushed the button and it fired up. I don't see an off switch and don't remember what he did to turn it off. not finding any info in my manual. like to run it but want to be able to stop it to. sorry for the question but I'm a newb. thx, john.

JJ: If the switch is original it should be similar to a rocker switch. Push in top to start/bottom to stop. You should have another switch on the Gen. itself..............................Carl

thanks. the switch is a small chrome push button, not rocker style. just starts it. no off option. I think the guy went to the generator to kill it-not from inside the rig. I am going to go and work on it this weekend. I try to post a pic Monday. thx, john.

Can't help with the shutoff problem, but when starting, you can hold the button in until the engine is running smoothly without hurting anything, unlike a car, which you want to release the starter asap. My Onan often sputters and if I lift the starter it will stall, so I keep it mashed until it's running. Anybody know more about this?

John, Is your generator gas, diesel, propane or steam powered?

The early Onans don't have starters. They energize the generator to run as a motor until a threshold rpm is reached and then switch to a motor driven generator. This is how the 4kw one on our new 1981 Onan works. You can't damage it like a starter overheating.

Mine has the same switch as Carl's but it is diesel. Perhaps it is a metal tab near the spark plug (if the generator is gasoline or propane powered) to kill the spark as were on old lawnmowers. When the metal tab is pushed against the spark plug the spark was shorted to the block and not sent to the spark plug. This was old school shut off for many gasoline engines.

The genset is gas, supplied right from the rv gas tank. there is a switch on the right upper side of the generator that says start. it is a 2 position switch from what I remember. the barth is a my property out in the sticks, am heading there soon for the weekend. will be doing some polishing of the ext. too. thx for the replies! john.

found the switch; far right upper corner of genset. little stick of a switch. the electric fuel pump was grounding/arcing off of gen body. working fine now.