New owner of MEP 802A

I purchased a MEP 802A built in 1999 and rebuilt in 2010. It has 31 hours on it and hasn't been used for maybe 13 years. I've never owned a generator. I do own old cars and maintain and build on the engine.

The generator came to me emptied of it' s coolant, oil, etc for long term storage. Is there a procedure that I should follow before starting it to ensure it works well?

I see there are manuals available. It looks like there are multiple versions of the MEP 802A. How do I match my generator to the correct manual?

I welcome any other advice for a new owner.

Welcome. I would flush the coolant system and fill it up and check for leaks. Plan on fuel line leaks, fuel tank leak, and general shenanigans... anything better than that you are ahead of the curve.

802 books - https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/all-the-manuals-for-the-mep-802-5kw-generator.148871/

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Each has their use. Don't rush, be methodical. Test and change one thing at a time. Before you know it, it will be that boring, well maintained camo box behind your garage waiting to be used

Also make sure the unit has the quad-fuse and MOV mods before firing it up.



Here is a link for replacing the well nut on the fuel tank drain. They are notorious for cracking and leaking.

I don't see the Varistor so I ordered some.

The coolant hoses have been removed. The oil fill screws and coolant caps removed. Everything is sitting open. Is that why you have suggested to flush the system?

For the engine which has been sitting without oil, is there a start procedure that will allow oil to get to the bearings and pistons?

About the only thing you can do is get everything serviced and ready to fire up, but crank it from the dead crank switch for a while to get oil circulating a little before you attempt to start it from the main switch.

Light in the Dark said:

Welcome. I would flush the coolant system and fill it up and check for leaks. Plan on fuel line leaks, fuel tank leak, and general shenanigans... anything better than that you are ahead of the curve.

802 books - https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/all-the-manuals-for-the-mep-802-5kw-generator.148871/

Items ending -10 are Operating Manuals
Items ending -24 are Tech Troubleshooting
Items ending -24P are Exploded Parts diagrams

Before you know it, it will be that boring, well maintained camo box behind your garage waiting to be used

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And you will love it and will soon be coming up with all kinds of practical reasons to get another one.

cbisson said:

And you will love it and will soon be coming up with all kinds of practical reasons to get another one.

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My boring OD box is currently on my list with small repairs, half apart in my garage.

I saw a video of one of these and there was a grounding cable. I do not have one of those. I tried finding a topic on how to make them or buy them. Can someone direct me?

heimlich said:

I saw a video of one of these and there was a grounding cable. I do not have one of those. I tried finding a topic on how to make them or buy them. Can someone direct me?

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You're generally going to use the building ground... assuming you're going to use it hooked up to a building with its own electrical system. (And from there, assuming you're connected to the building in such a way that the normal grounding is still connected- this is usually, but not always, the case) For example, I have a subpanel that I power via a lockout-equipped breaker that contains all the circuits I want to power- the lockout kills the 2 live legs, but since it's a subpanel it has an unbonded ground & neutral, and both are hardwired to the bonded neutral & ground in the main panel.

If you need a separate ground, figure out how long you need the cable (20' is probably more than adequate, but depends where it is, and where some dirt is) and get some 6AWG single conductor, your choice of ground rod, and some method of connecting the two (you can use bare or soldered wire on the split bolt on the unit, some ground rods will have the same- I'd prefer something like a heavy lug on a stud, personally)

The use for this right now is on the back of a bus. Its use will be similar to the trailered models.

Ah, then you'd want to follow Option B. If you wanna grt fancy, you could make a pigtail & leave it hanging out of the cable port, with something like a 1-pole Anderson Powerpole so you can disconnect it easily.

I've seen a few videos that talk about the fuel lines leaking. Also mentioned above was the fuel lines leaking. Looks like it is a common problem. Is this just for the rubber lines or do the metal lines leak as well?

Never had an issue with the steel lines, both the rubber feed and return are notorious for leaks.

I may have mistakenly gotten frisky with the fuel distribution tube off the fuel filter, zipping the crimps off the metering pump fuel lines with a dremel... but thats a me problem, not a factory failure.

If you want do save yourself the hassle down the road, just swap all the rubber lines out now at the get-go. I use Gates off the roll from my local auto parts store. You can source OEM if you wish. There may be other choices, but thats what I use.

+1 on the advice to DO IT NOW. Otherwise you risk coming out to your unit after an overnight run to it bleeding fuel everywhere and making a mess that only 4 gallons of diesel fuel can make.

DieselAddict said:

+1 on the advice to DO IT NOW. Otherwise you risk coming out to your unit after an overnight run to it bleeding fuel everywhere and making a mess that only 4 gallons of diesel fuel can make.

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The fan blade can make a fun dance party out of fuel too...

That works out well. I have a bunch of aircooled VW vehicles. I can use the same hose. 3.5MM.

Lol, I don't know why the lines are so terrible, but they are. I have 1994, 2007, 2009 and 2010 units. The '94 has mostly OEM fuel lines. The newest ones have the worst lines. The 803a was decomissioned for IP feedlines leaks. These were low hour units and the feedlines were falling apart.



I've been using the yellow Tygon fuel tubing for return lines on the last two units I refurbed.

This is a good idea. I love bright colors.