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What to look for when previewing MEP-002A

mrcarman

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Location
Salt Lake City, UT
I plan to preview an MEP-002A in the next few days and am curious what I should be looking for. I recognize there are lots of potential issues but I'm looking for a sense of what someone experienced in buying 002s would look for at a preview. I'll be previewing five or so 002s with hours ranging from 6 to 600. Thanks for any input.
 
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1800 Diesel

Member
768
26
18
Location
Santa Rosa County, FL
I plan to preview an MEP-002A tomorrow or Friday and am curious what I should be looking for. It is a GL auction with condition code F. I recognize there are lots of potential issues but I'm looking for a sense of what someone experienced in buying 002s at GL auctions would look for at a preview. I'll be previewing five or so 002s with hours ranging from 6 to 600. Thanks for any input.

P.S. I also have a question about manufacturers (Onan, Libby, Hollingsworth) but it's a different question so I'll ask that in a different post.
Might want to check in with the moderator to see if you're walking the edge on the prohibition item noted above. Probably you're not in a technical violation but maybe should do a little editing to your post to remove a few words....or maybe I'm over concerned....?
 

mrcarman

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Location
Salt Lake City, UT
Might want to check in with the moderator to see if you're walking the edge on the prohibition item noted above. Probably you're not in a technical violation but maybe should do a little editing to your post to remove a few words....or maybe I'm over concerned....?
Thanks, 1800 Diesel, for watching my back. My guess is I'm okay because I'm not referring to any specific auction: just asking generally about inspecting/previewing a unit. But, that said, better safe than sorry. Maybe I'll tweak the post a bit.
 

mrcarman

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Location
Salt Lake City, UT
Bob from Green Mountain Generators said this about common problems: "[W]e understand the common problems: blown voltage regulators ($399), blown bridge rectifiers ($134), damaged/seized injection pumps ($500-$899), seized fuel pumps ($200), damaged throttle cables (esp. on the MEP002A) ($100+), seized/damaged glow plugs, broken meters, rusted phase selector switch, faulty oil switch, missing brass nuts and tie-downs in the distribution box, broken lights on the control box, bad starters or starter solenoid, bad fuel tanks, bad fuel lines, warn out battery cables, etc."

For those of you who have purchased units, is that a pretty good list of the common problems you are seeing?
 

1800 Diesel

Member
768
26
18
Location
Santa Rosa County, FL
I plan to preview an MEP-002A in the next few days and am curious what I should be looking for. I recognize there are lots of potential issues but I'm looking for a sense of what someone experienced in buying 002s would look for at a preview. I'll be previewing five or so 002s with hours ranging from 6 to 600. Thanks for any input.
First thing I'll say is that even being on site has it's limitations--there's only so much you're allowed to do when inspecting...but a few ideas I'll throw out:

1. If allowed, bring in a 1/2" breaker bar with (I think) a 5/8" socket and a small flat screwdriver. Use the screwdriver to carefully remove the plastic cap in the center of the shroud to access the blower wheel bolt hex. Use the breaker & socket to rotate the engine to confirm it's not seized up. Reinstall the plastic cap when done.

2. Look for obvious missing parts--gauges, meters, aux fuel pipes, ground rods, starters, battery hold-down frames, battery wires, switches, panel lights--to name as many as I could think of & most of the items that I've found missing. In cases where major components have been removed--this MAY indicate a damaged unit that has been subjected to the cannibals or maybe not...regardless, replacement parts are expensive, so consider this in your eagerness to buy...

3. Open fuel tank and look into tank--the interior tank condition can sometimes tell you the environment & care (or lack of) the unit was subjected to...

4. Look for oil leaks underneath the engine at both ends.

5. Inspect all wiring inside boxes and external--as best as you can access. Missing components or wiring--big red flag.

6. Inspect the generator head for any evidence of burning. Rust on top of the head may be a result of something burned, but normally it just means the paint failed due to poor surface prep or excessive heat from the normal operation of the generator. But black soot, burned smells--red flag.

7. Pull dipstick--it should be clean. If you see rust and/or evidence of water--red flag.

8. Try turning the phase selector switch (under the hinged plate). If it's stuck on a 3-phase setting, red flag..unless you want to attempt a disassemble, cleaning & light lube application--there's a post on here somewhere where someone successfully restored the function of this switch, though with great effort & time....If it's stuck in the 1-phase position & that's what you need, carry on.

9. If the unit is on a slab or other flat surface, look for any warping in the skid frame from forklift damage or dropping during rough ground handling or airlifts. If noticeable, a warped frame (skid) can cause abnormal loading on the bearings in the generator and/or the engine. Red flag if you see parts of the frame in contact with the surface and others raised in a noticeable racking condition.

10. Bashed in sheet metal on the housing, fuel tank or gauge/meter box may not affect function but they do serve to indicate some rough handling occurred.

11. The data plates, wiring schematic plates & the face of the meter/gauge board often provide indications if the unit was outside for extended periods. Faded, scratched or damaged plates also indicate prior operating conditions and long exposure to sun/heat/rain, etc.

12. There's been a few discussions about units painted in desert tan, vice OD green. It seems the tan units MAY have been in desert operations and have possibly experienced some harsh environmental conditions such as high temps and blowing sand/dust. In some cases I avoid these units but that's a personal preference. Interestingly I've also seen ODG units with evidence of DT paint underneath and vice-versa...

13. As to hour meters, the value on the meter may or may not represent the actual time on the machine. These are routinely swapped out to replace defective meters and the replacement meter may be new or a take-off from a donor machine. Log books for each machine are simply marked accordingly for planning future service intervals. Overall appearance of a unit means more to me than a hour meter reading, though I do put some weight to the meter reading.

14. Look closely at all of the fuel hoses. These are essentially double-braided & jacketed hydraulic hoses that are quite expensive to replace. If you see fuel seepage through the hose or obvious cracking or dry rotting, figure on about $10 per foot if you reuse your fittings and lots of elbow grease if you redo the fittings yourself....With new fittings--add about $30 per hose.

15. This one seems to be obvious but a few victims have been known to purchase 400 hz units, assuming the units are 60 hz. Always verify you're looking at a 60 hz unit.

Finally as a general comment about looking at photos vice what you see in person, I have recently noticed some significant variances between published photo sets vice on-site reality. For those not doing on-site previews, beware, beware, beware....The further a photo is taken away, the blurrier a photo set, the other-than-straight-on perspective of a photo and lastly--the low quantity of photos provided--all these can serve as a warning to be wary of what you think you're getting.

I'm sure there are many other areas & items to look at but these are some that came to mind. We could probably all write a four-page tech bulletin but this covers several to consider. I'm confident I missed a few, but it was not intentional & others can add to the list...

Good luck with your search.
 
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DeucesWild11

Active member
1,265
12
38
Location
Putnam County, NY
1800 Diesel has a great list there, however most of the expensive repairs are hard to test for. I found out with a sized Injection Pump, on my way to replacing that. The gas tanks are usually in poor shape as mine is. I plan on doing a retrofit of a 12 gallon aluminum generic tank on mine so that if I get a power outage I can crank her up, go to work, come back and she'll still be running. With the 5 gallon tank your limited to about 10 hours on a 002.

It's a pain in the donkey for me right now but actually a fun learning experience.
 

Isaac-1

Well-known member
1,970
50
48
Location
SW, Louisiana
Just a couple of more points,

Take a look at the 3 electric fuel pumps, often these pumps will be damaged or missing on GL units, they also retail for about $150 each.

While your there see if any of the accessories are still there: ground rod, drum bung adapter and pipe, remote fuel hose, or even the spare lifting eyes. It is rare that you will find all of them, and depending on your intended use it may not be important, however if it comes down to two otherwise identical sets you are considering bidding on you may want to opt for the ones with the accessories you might use.

On the topic of green or tan, I tend to think green is less likely to have been used in the sand, however in recent "post war" peace keeping years it seems lots of green generators and other equipment have been coming back from being in the sand. I can tell you that I bought 3 GL generators last summer without inspecting in person (2 MEP-016D's and 1 MEP-002a) all were green and all had sand in the control boxes, fuel tanks / filters, etc.

Ike
 

1800 Diesel

Member
768
26
18
Location
Santa Rosa County, FL
1800 Diesel, thank you very much for providing that guidance. I appreciate you taking the time and I will follow your advice. I'll let you know how it goes.
You're quite welcome...I'm sure others will add more items of interest. And remember, even an on site inspection can only tell you limited information...in the end it's a gamble as to the operability/function or repairability of the unit purchased. I believe most times you'll end up with a unit that, at a minimum, can be repaired at reasonable cost and for other times you get a unit that just needs a full service "go-through", fueling and then light-off.

Finally, I can't stress enough about recent photos I've seen that don't really provide the full story of the disasters that await. You're doing the right thing by taking the time to do an on-site check....
 

Isaac-1

Well-known member
1,970
50
48
Location
SW, Louisiana
One more thought, read the stencils and the labels that are the unit, they may include service dates, or an idea of how they may have been used. For example my MEP-002a has a "serviced 2008" stencilled note on the unit, this would at least imply things could have only been sitting up for less than 4 years at worst when I bought it. (somewhat lower chance for diesel to gum up than one that had sat for 10 years). Same goes for use, a generator that was used by a medical or hospital unit was probably held to a higher maintenance standard than one used by some lesser support position.
 

o1951

Active member
899
155
43
Location
Bergen County, NJ
Just a couple of more points,


While your there see if any of the accessories are still there: ground rod, drum bung adapter and pipe, remote fuel hose, or even the spare lifting eyes. It is rare that you will find all of them, and depending on your intended use it may not be important, however if it comes down to two otherwise identical sets you are considering bidding on you may want to opt for the ones with the accessories you might use. Ike

What are the chances of the accessories still being there when you pick up?
 

Isaac-1

Well-known member
1,970
50
48
Location
SW, Louisiana
It depends on the GL site, some are known for even bolted down parts to go missing between inspection and pick up, others are fairly good about site security.
 

mrcarman

Member
32
0
6
Location
Salt Lake City, UT

What are the chances of the accessories still being there when you pick up?
Interesting. Maybe I'll take pictures of the units I'm interested in so I have a record of some sort. Probably wouldn't be worth a claim if something were missing but at least I'll have a record.

Thanks for all the input.
 

mrcarman

Member
32
0
6
Location
Salt Lake City, UT
Just wanted to bring this full circle and say thanks to those who helped. To bring this to conclusion, I did a preview of the various generators available and ran through the various recommended inspection steps as best I could and ended up bidding and winning an MEP-002 on GL at a local AF base. I got it home, cleaned out sludge from the fuel tank, replaced fuel filters, oil filters, replaced oil, installed fresh fuel, and installed new batteries. I crossed my fingers and sure enough it started right up and fairly quickly stabilized at around 60 Hz. Here are pictures:

IMG_0101.jpgIMG_0102.jpgIMG_0103.jpgIMG_0104.jpg

Thanks, again, for the help. Great forum.
 
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