Both my MEP-002a units run!

[edgephoto]

A friend and I bought 2 MEP-002a units from a GL auction recently. We had worked the other night for a few hours inspecting and PMing the units. We started to clean the fuel system, replaced the oil filters and filled the crankcases with oil. Today we worked on finishing the fuel system cleaning and we cleaned the fuel pump screens. Old diesel smell as bad as old petrol.

We removed the glow plugs and did compression checks. Both engines had about 350-375 psi. Getting the glow plugs out took some work. We worked them back and forth many times. We did not want to break them off in the head. Once out we cleaned the terminals and ran a die over the threads to remove the carbon. The were all good and measured just under 5 ohms each. We chased the threads in the head and put them back in.

We finished cleaning out the fuel tanks. They do have some internal rust but we used nuts and bolts to try and get most of it out. We then used acetone, followed by gasoline and then fresh diesel to rinse out the tanks. Put Marvel Mystery Oil in the secondary filter and then ran the pumps until they stopped pumping fast and the return was going to the tank. Eventually we will coat our tanks but for now they should be good. If any rust is in the fuel I think the filters will do their job. There is enough of them.

We got lucky as one unit came with 2 batteries that are good. One unit is missing a couple hoses. The other unit is missing the fuel check valve assembly.

Once we got the fuel systems back together we attempted to fire them up. The first unit would not run the fuel pumps. Only the Aux pump ran. No voltage to the pumps. Traced it back to loose screws at the terminal board inside the control unit. Almost all the screws were loose on the terminal board. Now we have one of the 2 pumps running. The other gets voltage buts does not work. We will deal with that later. At first we had a fuel leak but that was quickly resolved. Then we attempted to fire it up. She fire ran for a short time and died when the start position was released. Several more attempts were not as successful. We then moved to the other unit. Since that unit is missing some fuel system fittings and hoses we swapped them over. That unit fired right up and stayed running but the frequency and voltage gauges were not working so we shut it down.

We called it a day. The one that would not restart we will put the fuel check valve inline and then see if we have fuel at the injectors. The other unit we will do some electrical checks of the gen head.

 

[storeman]

Congrats on a good pre-start routine. If you need hoses, etc., let me know.
Jerry

 

[Isaac-1]

Yeah sounds like your going to have a pair of good ones with just a little work.

Ike

 

[edgephoto]

Jerry, I just bought a box of things from you.

Forgot to mention that both units built oil pressure. My next goal is to see if they are ok electrically. I know the one I could not restart just needs a good going through and a fuel check valve. The good running unit scares me a bit. The gen head is rusty. I hope that is not a sign the unit was severely overheated and is fried. Time will tell.

 

[storeman]

Rusty genhead is common as it is iron and doesn't hold paint well. Sorry, didn't correlate the screen name.
Jerry

 

[edgephoto]

Rusty genhead is common as it is iron and doesn't hold paint well. Sorry, didn't correlate the screen name.
Jerry

Don't expect you to know all member names. Especially not new ones. I have read that the gen heads do not hold paint. Also I am sure the gen heads get pretty hot in normal operation so that does not help either. I will not be getting back to my units until after Thanksgiving. Once I do more work on them I will update this post. I still have to fix my wife as she is not convinced we need one of these generators.

 

[edgephoto]

I do have a fuel pump question. Only one of the two electric pumps works. (The aux. transfer pump works fine). I have a feeling the unit does not work because the old fuel gummed it up. Has anyone had luck getting a dead pump working again?

 

[Isaac-1]

Well the bottoms do twist off and some of the guts do come out of the pumps so it is worth a try.

Ike

 

[Triple Jim]

I have a couple similar pumps in an old Bluebird motor home. They were very gummed up and had clogged filters when I got them. They can be completely disassembled and cleaned, but it's been a long time and I can't remember if there are O-rings or gaskets that need to be replaced before reassembling them. Even if so, they are available and/or easily made. I haven't had the pumps on my MEP-003A apart yet, but they appear to be nearly identical.

 

[edgephoto]

I am going to give it a try. Nothing to lose. The pump does not work now so the worst that happens is it doesn't work after I am done. I have found a new unit for under $90 shipped.

First I have to get that unit running again. It ran for a minute then died and would not restart. I did not spend too much time trying to get it started again because I was running out of time. The other unit starts and runs good. I may go and work on this over the long weekend.

 

[edgephoto]

Well my friend and I finally had time to get back to our units. The one that would not start was found the linkage at the IP was sticking. A little PB blaster on the linkage, a tweak to the linkage itself and it works like a charm. No more sticking. Both units fired right up and ran. We brought them right up to 60 Hz and let them 10 mins or so. Then shut them down. We put them in 120V 1 phase mode and put a 2000 watt load on both. Did not miss a beat but at that load we did not expect much. We just did not have any other things we could use for a load. We fixed a couple of minor fuel leaks.

So here are our results so far:

Unit 1 - Came with 2 1 year old 2HN batteries. Charging system works. Frequency meter does not work. It is the transducer but the gauge has condensation and rust in it so the gauge may be bad too. We will look for a new gauge. Also need one fitting for the aux. fuel line at tank. Then she is good to go home.

Unit 2 - Had to install 2 batteries. Used 51R batteries from WalMart. Charging system works. All gauges work. Thanks to Jerry(storeman) I now have a check valve in the fuel line and a working throttle cable. My old one was bent and would not lock. Only one of the main fuel pumps works. I will replace it.

We are now looking for some good casters to install for moving them around. We will build a load bank with some electric heaters and load them both up. If all goes well we will bring them home.

 

[storeman]

Congrats Greg!
Jerry

 

[edgephoto]

Congrats Greg!
Jerry

Thanks Jerry. Next I have to replace the couple of items I am currently sourcing. Then I will install some casters and then bring them to my house and my buddies house. Then I will wire up and run a test. I will probably go on generator power for a weekend to test things out.

 

[storeman]

Smart move.

 

[edgephoto]

Unfortunately the pump was not gummed up. It has an open in the electrical side. I was hoping it was the EMI part but no such luck. Storeman had a used one and I will install that this coming weekend. Still looking for a frequency gauge and transducer. Then my units will be complete.

 

[NJ_Toolnut]

Unfortunately the pump was not gummed up. It has an open in the electrical side. I was hoping it was the EMI part but no such luck. Storeman had a used one and I will install that this coming weekend. Still looking for a frequency gauge and transducer. Then my units will be complete.

Greg,

The frequency gauge and transducer system is not very reliable, based on my experience. Mine typically does not register until after a prolonged warm-up. My solution was to buy a Kill-a-Watt meter. I think Amazon has them for about $20. It's nice to be able to independently verify the frequency setting in any case.

Stan

 

[edgephoto]

I already have a Kill-a-Watt that I use to find energy hogs. I also can use my Fluke meters or even Fluke scopes to verify the frequency. I am the kind of person who likes everything working. I may spring for a modern replacement gauge

 

[NJ_Toolnut]

I already have a Kill-a-Watt that I use to find energy hogs. I also can use my Fluke meters or even Fluke scopes to verify the frequency. I am the kind of person who likes everything working. I may spring for a modern replacement gauge

I know what you mean. I like everything working too, but prioritizing what gets fixed and when has become important as I've accumulated more equipment. Sounds like you're set up pretty well with electrical test equipment; I've always wanted an oscilloscope, but have not yet been able to justify the expense. I see them listed on GL sometimes, sometimes I'm tempted to bid on one. I think Speddmon has posted on troubleshooting and fixing the frequency monitoring system.

Stan