003A Down. Had to buy another generator.

[Jeepsinker]

My 003A has always ran well for years. Fires right up for everymaintenance run, but now that we needed it after hurricane Laura it won't stay running. Fires up, runs about ten minutes, misses a little sometimes, will bog down, idle way up, settle back to 60hz, then just die. Mind you, this is with no load connected. I think this is an injection pump failure.
It is not the shutoff solenoid shutting it down. I've verified that it does indeed die before the solenoid moves the fuel linkage to the shutoff position.
I have been through the entire fuel system from tank to pump in the past couple days in this oppressive heat to no avail.

Had to go get some little garbage gasoline generator to run the refrigerator and air conditioner. Frustrating to say the least.

 

[Chainbreaker]

Some more troubleshooting is in order...

0. Will it restart immediately after it dies? If not, how long do you have to wait for it to fire back up?

1. Check the safety circuit: If the oil pressure sender is failing or erratic it might cause a shutdown sometime after it starts as oil warms up. Its easy to jumper the oil pressure sender terminals to bypass it for a check. Also check the temperature sensor located behind the shutters as well, same thing it could be a temperature sender going bad but the temp sensors don't fail as often as the oil pressure senders. Also, might be helpful to know what oil pressure is when it dies.

2. Is your fuel tank vent open & not clogged? If you leave the fuel tank cap loose does it help?

3. Are your 2 fuel pumps working properly? Before engine starts, or right after engine shuts down, can you hear fuel running back into the fuel tank? Have you taken off the bottoms of fuel pumps and checked the screens? There is also a check valve after the last pump and before the injection pump that sometimes gets gummed up. If fuel has been sitting in tank for a few months/years it would not hurt to pour a can of Seafoam in fuel tank just in case something in fuel path all the way through to the injectors is gummed up or restricted. If you know your Aux pump is good you might consider swapping it with the primary fuel pump closest to fuel strainer/filters to see if there is any improvement.

4. Right after engine dies can you crack an injector line, with fuel pumps running, to see if fuel is still being delivered to injectors? Caution...If engine is very hot be careful and have a fire extinguisher nearby.

5 What are your battery voltages after it dies?

6. Air filter clean & no obstructions?

 

[nextalcupfan]

I'd add check the cooling fan, I think I read a thread in here where a 003 was shutting down after 30 min.
Turned out he had a nest of something (bird?) in the louvers/blower.

Though I'm concerned that it seems to try and stay running, that makes me think it isn't a safety since when those trip it just shuts down the set.

 

[Light in the Dark]

I would check the LOP switch as well as the overtemp switch behind the shutters. Both can be bypassed. Chainbreakers got a good list to work with.

 

[Jeepsinker]

Alright, I eliminated anything on the electrical engine control side being an issue when I verified repeatedly that it isn't the kill / run solenoid shutting it down. I can actually watch the linkage pull it up to full fuel as it dies, then when the engine comes to a full stop the kill solenoid plunger drops into the off position.
I have been through the entire fuel system including removing the tank and cleaning out some dead algae in the bottom. I use biocide in it as a preventative measure, but I've never had the tank off. Very clean with zero rust inside. Both pump screens were checked and no residue was present. They do flow fuel back to the tank through the return even after the set dies. Primary filter screen was checked and cleaned even though nothing was in it, and new fuel filters were installed. I removed the check valve day before yesterday with no results.
Oil pressure is nearly 60psi when the set is running. I have run it with the fuel cap removed even though the vent is open.

The set has 33 hours on it now. It had 22 when I got it, and was depot overhauled in 2005.

I should mention that last time I ran it ( ~5 ) months ago, I found the plunger stuck. I was able to remove the delivery valve and unstick it by pushing it in with a punch while turning it over. It ran fine and even load tested well after that.

Sometimes it will restart immediately, but is very hard to start. Sometimes it won't restart at all unless you let it sit for about 30 minutes.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

Fuel tank cap vent? Could be vapor locking.

 

[Jeepsinker]

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is whether the problem is the injection pump, or if something in the generator head is maybe shorting and pulling it down. The voltage stays constant at 240, so I'm leaning toward pump.

 

[Jeepsinker]

Fuel tank cap vent? Could be vapor locking.

Does it without the cap on.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

Does it without the cap on.

Fuel filters? It sounds fuel related for sure. Is the shut down solenoid deenergizing and shutting it down or is the solenoid still up when it happens?

 

[Jeepsinker]

Fuel filters? It sounds fuel related for sure. Is the shut down solenoid deenergizing and shutting it down or is the solenoid still up when it happens?

I think so too. Look 5 posts above, 9 minutes ago I posted a rundown of everything I've done over the past few days, but forgot to mention I put new batteries on it too.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

I think so too. Look 5 posts above, 9 minutes ago I posted a rundown of everything I've done over the past few days, but forgot to mention I put new batteries on it too.

Have you checked voltage at the fuel pump when it starts to die? I had a bad ground do funny things with thebpumps. The only other thing I can think of is you are sucking air somewhere but it doesn't sound like it. Have a way to test fuel pressure? It doesn't sound IP related if it starts back up when heat soaked.

 

[Jeepsinker]

If it does restart hot, it's only barely. It takes a lot of cranking and then it'll only run for about ten seconds before dying again. Won't restart at all after that. Light or no puffs of smoke from the exhaust.

I haven't checked pump voltage or fuel pressure.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

If it does restart hot, it's only barely. It takes a lot of cranking and then it'll only run for about ten seconds before dying again. Won't restart at all after that. Light or no puffs of smoke from the exhaust.

I haven't checked pump voltage or fuel pressure.

For testing...I'd unhook the fuel supply to the injection pump... get a small pump from a parts store and supply fuel from a fuel can directly to the IP and see if the problem is persistent.

 

[Chainbreaker]

...I should mention that last time I ran it ( ~5 ) months ago, I found the plunger stuck. I was able to remove the delivery valve and unstick it by pushing it in with a punch while turning it over. It ran fine and even load tested well after that.

Sometimes it will restart immediately, but is very hard to start. Sometimes it won't restart at all unless you let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Since you had prior trouble with stuck plunger and most of the upstream potential fuel issues being checked & eliminated, I'm leaning toward your inclination that there is a problem with the IP.

I recall that there have been issues with plunger guides getting stuck and cracking but not breaking and then getting rotated out of position. That "might" lead to the symptoms you describe. Perhaps it would be a good idea to order a plunger guide or an IP rebuild kit to have on hand so if you decide to examine the the inner workings of the IP you have parts to fix at hand.

 

[Jeepsinker]

I think I'm going to do that. Was hoping to get it fixed before I have to go back to Korea, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Probably going to be without power here for another month and the gas generator goes through about ten gallons a day, not even running all the time.

 

[Guyfang]

Look at the E2 and E3 electric fuel pumps. Are they EXACTLY the same? Or are they two different types. Look for the part numbers on them. Facet makes several different pumps, that all LOOK the same, but are not. The pump that is suposed to be on the set, is a flow through type. That means when one fails, the other keeps pumping, THROUGH the failed pump. If the pumps are not flow through type pumps, then you get this sort of failure.

 

[Isaac-1]

I have a MEP-003a about 10-15 miles from you (in a shed on the family ranch on Hwy 26 about 10 miles east of DeRidder) doing the exact same thing, I have a spare injection pump for it, just have not found time to get it installed.

 

[Ray70]

I think Chainbreaker has it correct. I bet when your IP got stuck last time, the plunger guide skipped 90* on the plunger itself.
I had an 002 do exactly the same thing. It would start and run for a few minutes, maybe 10 at most. They it would slowly die out and could not restart until it cooled off. Also, the valve cover would get hot very quickly while running.
Pulled the IP out and the plunger guide was not split open but it had been slightly damaged on the corners of the hole and the plunger had skipped 90* to the next flat section.

 

[glcaines]

I should mention that last time I ran it ( ~5 ) months ago, I found the plunger stuck. I was able to remove the delivery valve and unstick it by pushing it in with a punch while turning it over. It ran fine and even load tested well after that.

I would recommend that once you sort out the problem that you run the generator at least once per month. I test run mine religiously once per month with the whole house on the load. I run it a minimum of 30 minutes during test runs. We also have numerous power outages which exercise the genset, some lasting several days and one over a week. I've had my MEP003A for 11 years now and have never had a failure.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

The IP is pretty easy to go through on these units. I've got a post that is a tear down and repair with pics. Easy to remove and disassemble. If you've had issues with the pump before, yes.. pull it apart and check it out.