lineman 1 #1 Posted May 15, 2013 anyone have any thoughts on weather the onan in a late 80's 416-8 is as good or comparable to the twin kohlers? Seems they didn't use the onan very long and I have one. Always thought onan was a pretty good motor. I also owned I bdelieve a 417-8? Was a pressure lube motor I believe but don't think it had oil filter like the onan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nylyon-(Admin) 7,965 #2 Posted May 15, 2013 There's been a lot of discussion on this, try a to see the past discussion. I have an Onan powered 416 and love it. In my opinion, it has more torque than the single cylinder Kohler, and it sounds awesome. In the 20 years I've owned mine, I have only needed to clean the carb and replace the plugs, in addition to the standard maintenance. It's been reliable and powerful. Can't compare with the twin Kohler's, but I've read bad press about some of those. The 16HP Onan seems to be a good performer, but they are expensive if they require parts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leeave96 490 #3 Posted May 15, 2013 IMHO, the Onan's are (for a hack mechanic like me) are somewhat complicated to work on, parts are expensive and sometimes folks have headaches with them, including myself - however..... When they run, it seems like they run forever! They are smooth, hardly any vibration, they look great setting in a Wheelhorse, massive power and have the coolest sound of any Wheelhorse I've ever owned. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarkPalmer 81 #4 Posted May 15, 2013 Longevity and performance wise the Onan twins were every bit as good if not better in some respects than the Kohler KT and Magnum twins IMHO. The test of time where rebuild-ability becomes a factor gives advantage to the Kohler twins though, as repair parts are plentiful, inexpensive, and the engines are reasonably easy to rebuild. -Mark- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fordiesel69 271 #5 Posted May 15, 2013 Only from what I have read on here, the 16HP onans do not seem to have as high of failure rates with the valve seats in comparison to the 20HP version.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheeledhorseman 579 #6 Posted May 15, 2013 I have a 316-8 with the Onan and would second several of the things said so far. The 16HP seems to avoid the valve seat issue, mine has 1760 hours on it and I don't think it was particularly well cared for by the PO. It is also the budget version with no oil filter! The sound they make is magic, instantly addictive, and they run so smooth with bags of power. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
