Got MEP 003a up and running

[randyman]

I finally got around to getting the generator off the laundry trailer I bought about a year ago and got it running. I did a lot of searching on here and reviewing the TM's which saved me a lot of headaches. Like I said, the generator had been sitting here for a year or so and who knows how long before that. I removed the fuel tank which had a lot of crud in the bottom and cleaned it out , blew out the fuel lines, reinstalled the tanked and filled with fresh diesel and Diesel Kleen. Luckily, I don't think anybody had tried to start it with all the gunk in it. I also removed the fuel pumps to check the filters in them and found alot of gunk/varnish in them. I cleaned them up the best I could but after reinstalling them only one would pump good so I took two pumps off a parts generator from my other laundry trailer which looked to be fairly new and used them (the aux pump looked good and pumped good so I left it on). I'll try cleaning up the fuel pumps better and hopefully will have two spares. So, with new fuel filters installed and the fuel strainer cleaned, I jumped the generator with the M1028 and bled the fuel system. Then I preheated for a minute and tried to start it. After a few cranks, she roared to life. The oil pressure pegged high for a little longer than I liked but soon settled in at about 40 psi. There were a few minor glitches though. The frequency meter worked sporadically and the battery charging system didn't work. I called it a day and worked on her some more today and things went well. I tightened the conections on the frequency meter and transducer and found that I had a blown fuse in the charging system (thank goodness I checked the fuse before taking the blower cover off and troubleshooting the voltage regulator and stator according to the TM). Changed the oil and filter (added a quart of Lucas oil stabilizer) and cranked her up again. SUCCESS! Now everything seemed to be working properly-good frequency and voltage on all legs with selector switch in all three positions. The only concern I have is that the battery charging system is a little low. It SLOWLY increases to about 27-28 VDC. However, it puts out 30-40 VDC if batteries are not connected. Maybe speddmon (who I gather is the resident generator guru from all the threads I looked up on the subject) or someone else could give some insight. Like I said, all the past threads were invaluable and I just want to say thanks to all who contributed. I tried to upload pictures (jpeg) but wasn't able to because I think the files are too large. If anybody has suggestions, I'll try again.

 

[Polycop]

My 003a charging system meter moves slowly, I initially thought it was broken and (unlike you) I pulled everything off to trouble shoot it (a couple of times no less). Anyhow, your voltage looks good (it's what mine was putting out, anyway).

 

[Carl_in_NH]

Remember, your charging system is only good for something on the order of 6A maximum output, so that's going to take some time to charge the system. Think how long it takes to charge a battery (depending on the state of discharge, of course) on the bench with a 6A battery charger; expect like performance from the genset's charging system.

It's also not a big deal, since in the typical application the generator will be running and supplying power for hours after a single start.

You do want to keep it connected to a set of battries, and not operate it open-circuit. When the voltage creeps up as high as you report, it could cause damage to the controls and instruments.

 

[glcaines]

My MEP-003A also puts out 27-28 VDC. The alternator should put out 6.5 amps with completely discharged batteries according to the TM.

 

[randyman]

Thanks for the replies. I remember reading in the TM's about max output 6A or so but didn't think about it in terms of a 6A charger as Carl_in_NH points out. Now, can anyone help with the downloading pictures problem?

 

[glcaines]

Now, can anyone help with the downloading pictures problem?

You need to click on the 'Manage Attachments' button under Attach Files at the bottom of the page when making a post. You will then need to brouse for the photo you want to upload from your computer. If you have more than one photo go to the next line and do the same thing. After you have all of your photo files listed, simply click on the 'Upload' button. It can take some time for the photos to upload, depending on your upload speed for your internet connection. I've had it take almost 15 minutes before. Once the files are uploaded, they will be listed. Then, simply submit your post.

 

[randyman]

If this works, thanks to glcaines (I must not have waited long enough the first time). Also, to Carl_in_NH, I only disconnected the batteries for a second to check the voltage so hopefully no damage was done.

 

[randyman]

Here's some more.

 

[Speddmon]

It looks like you have had a successful day. Congrats on getting your generator running. It sounds like everything is working OK. The charging system on these sets seems to be a great source of trouble recently with quite a few members. Carl summed it up pretty good though. It is a slow system, where unlike a vehicle, you'll not be running anything else off of the DC side of the set. And as Carl mentioned when you start the set, typically you're going to be running it for an extended period of time. Not just a quick 5 minute run to the corner store and back.

 

[randyman]

Thanks for the reply. I "knew" from reading the TM's that the max charging rate was 6-6.5A but it didn't register until Carl made the correlation to charging a battery with a 6A charger. As you noted, this is not like a vehicle charging system as the set doesn't have the DC loads that a vehicle does.