MEP 803a no power to terminal lugs

[justicelee26]

I went to start my trusty MEP and for some reason it will not send power to the terminal lugs. It is sending 120v to the convenience receptacles and the machine says the generator is outputting 240V. Voltage responds to manual control but when I close the main circuit breaker I don’t think anything is happening. Normally I see a little blip in voltage and current when I shut it but today there was nothing. I checked FU1 and CB1 and they were fine. I have the fuse mod on my voltage regulator but that doesn’t seem to be the problem. I don’t think the connection is being made to shut the main breaker. Any insight on this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[justicelee26]

I’ll add some more info. Battleshort does not make any difference. Also the unit has been run recently with no problems at all. It has been functioning perfectly until this very moment. None of the trips were in and I pressed the reset just to be sure. Everything seems to be normal except the switch seems to not be shutting the breaker.

 

[Light in the Dark]

Do you have a can of contact cleaner? If not, consider getting some for your stockpile. Corrosion in the open element switches on these machines is a real thing, and can definitely cause what you are experiencing. I think you should start (when the machine is off) flipping the load switch on and off as many times as you can do without going mad. If there is any corrosion in this, you may free it up and cause a connection to be made again. The same could be said for the main phase switch behind the gauges... always when off. Any connection that can corrode, will corrode over time.

 

[justicelee26]

I found the problem!

This little guy broke off from opening and closing the panel. Hooked it back up and everything back to normal. Thanks for the help. Sorry for wasting your time. I should have looked into it more before i made a post. I'm not exactly sure what this wire does but i assume it has something to do with making the connection to the circuit breaker.

 

[Guyfang]

Justice,

LITD advice is still good. Can't hurt, can improve conductivity. Good work finding the problem.

 

[Chainbreaker]

Sharing a problem and then coming back with the solution is never a waste of time. We all learn from others experiences so when we encounter the same or similar problem and do a search here on SS it often leads to a quick fix. Thanks for sharing!

 

[rtrask]

Do you have a can of contact cleaner? If not, consider getting some for your stockpile. Corrosion in the open element switches on these machines is a real thing, and can definitely cause what you are experiencing. I think you should start (when the machine is off) flipping the load switch on and off as many times as you can do without going mad. If there is any corrosion in this, you may free it up and cause a connection to be made again. The same could be said for the main phase switch behind the gauges... always when off. Any connection that can corrode, will corrode over time.

My generator is not outputting any current at the main lugs but is at the convenience receptacle as described on this thread. I believe that it was putting out current at the main lugs last spring after I got all the issues with the diesel engine ironed out and it running well. I never had a load on the main lugs. I just measured the values with my multi-meter, and it seemed correct.

The genset sat through most of the summer fall and winter, with sporadic short periods where the convenience plug was used lightly. Last weekend I needed the power for an air compressor out on my off grid property, and there was no power on the main terminals. Where the generator sat is at 8000 ft, and it was exposed to the weather which included cold, wind, snow, etc., so I guess it is not a surprise that issues arose with it sitting so long.

I don't understand the above post. What are the "open contact switches"? What is the "load switch"? The main phase switch I understand, and is noticeably stiff, so that may be the culprit, the starting switch seems stiff to me too. I doubt that just switching the phase switch back and forth is the best approach to freeing it up. Should I pull these switches and try to give them a through cleaning? Should I go through all of the relays and clean them. What is the best order of maintenance I should follow to diagnose and fix my issue?.

 

[Guyfang]

The best thing to do, is start your own thread. That way, people do not confuse what you write and what has been written by someone else. Starting with a clean slate makes it easier for you and us to help you through this.

I do not think your elevation has an impact on the problem.

When I write advice here, I will almost only use proper terms. I rarely say start switch. I saw S1, or instead of Emergency Bypass switch, I say S7. Shorter, and its exact. So If you haven't downloaded the TM's, and maybe read the operators TM, and or looked at the wire diagrams on the doors, it may be a bit confusing for you.

The symtoms you describe sound like you can not get K1, (AC Circuit Interrupter Relay) too close. Lets not go any farther here, as TWO threads is even worse then trying to hook your problem onto someone else's problem.

 

[rtrask]

The best thing to do, is start your own thread. That way, people do not confuse what you write and what has been written by someone else. Starting with a clean slate makes it easier for you and us to help you through this.

I do not think your elevation has an impact on the problem.

When I write advice here, I will almost only use proper terms. I rarely say start switch. I saw S1, or instead of Emergency Bypass switch, I say S7. Shorter, and its exact. So If you haven't downloaded the TM's, and maybe read the operators TM, and or looked at the wire diagrams on the doors, it may be a bit confusing for you.

The symtoms you describe sound like you can not get K1, (AC Circuit Interrupter Relay) too close. Lets not go any farther here, as TWO threads is even worse then trying to hook your problem onto someone else's problem.

Thanks Guy,

I will start a new thread as you suggest, I was just responding to LITD's post asking for clarification. That is why I did not start a new thread.

I started a new thread here https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/redux-mep-803a-no-power-to-main-lugs.202510/