Just picked up MEP-016D from DMRO, what next?

[445gsdss]

I’m new to all of this and just picked up my first GL purchase from Fort Meade yesterday. It is a 1978 dated MEP-016D with ~475 hours on the meter. Frankly, the motor looks brand new and I wonder if the hours could have been accumulated before the Yanmar was retrofitted?

Anyhow, I managed to get it picked up, brought home and unloaded. I’d love to get it fired up and was wondering if there was good process to run down?

Also, the fuel petcock seems to be stuck – is this typical?

I used the lift eye on the motor to lift the entire generator out of the truck – but that looks fairly fragile – is it actually intended to be used to lift the entire generator repeatedly? Or was it just intended for the diesel engine portion?

Is there a specific manual for the Yanmar engine? I believe I am supposed to use the MEP016A manual for the generator portion, but wanted to have a good understanding of the motor as well. (EDIT: FOUND MANUAL ABOUT 5 THREADS DOWN)

Thanks,

-Calvin

 

[Isaac-1]

One thing that many of the units have in common are wiring issues in the control box, it seems little attention was paid to this during the Yanmar conversions, and after 40 years of vibration wiring and in particular solder joints can get a bit brittle.

 

[1800 Diesel]

Calvin,

That model is new to me as well. Got two in a few months back and have only been able to crank one up so far. Read my thread about the fuel tank--that may be a common problem with these units. After sanding the bottom in prep for fiber-glassing (what I thought was one hole), I found 5 pinholes in a row in line with the internal baffle plate. If you can lift it with a tractor or shop hoist, it might be a good idea to inspect the bottom of your tank. I'll try to post a photo tonight...

As far as pre-start, verify oil level is good, confirm fuel filter is clean & bleed line to IP inlet fitting. Fill tanks, set valve with (IIRC) lever facing up, set & tighten throttle knob to run speed position, pull crank 'til you feel compression hard stop, reset pull handle all the way in, press in compression release button & you're ready to crank. Pull hard. It might take a couple pulls to get it running but once mine ran a few times, it has been cranking on the first pull.

Good luck with it--I'm still trying to sort out voltages on this thing...

Kevin

 

[Isaac-1]

One more note, you can start these with a 12V battery it is just weaker cranking than a 24V battery, there is no battery charging system, the on board alternator only powers the transfer fuel pump, and has no voltage regulation.

 

[1800 Diesel]

One more note, you can start these with a 12V battery it is just weaker cranking than a 24V battery, there is no battery charging system, the on board alternator only powers the transfer fuel pump, and has no voltage regulation.

Thanks Ike--noticed no provision for a battery but hadn't heard or read about the on board alternator setup. Appreciate the info!

Kevin

 

[epitts]

Saw a 16D in Indy go for 2370.00, may have been an error but that's what it showed.

 

[truck1]

These units come with either a plastic or metal bottom tank. Mine was plastic and was pretty nasty inside. I removed the tank and cleaned with lacquer thinner . It also had a split in the drain fitting. Epoxy fixed that. Mine started on the first pull. The retrofits to diesel were done very well by a contractor or very poorly by military personnel . Mine was the later and wired wrong on the engine side of the unit. The generator control box was in good shape but dusty. I think it was in the sandbox - desert dust. Watch out for the main voltage selector switch in the control box. Mine was stuck and took a some careful coaxing to turn. Only set voltage before starting or you will fuse the switch and it won't turn ( like mine). The meters also have been known to fluctuate or be totally inaccurate . I use a voltmeter to manually set and check voltage at the lugs before use. You can regulate voltage in each phase unlike civi gen sets by using the switch on the front of the control box. Hertz is adjusted via the throttle . The float switch in the aux. tank is hit or miss also. Mine worked on the bench but not in the unit so I bypassed it to a toggle switch near the start switch at the slave connection. Fuel transfer from bottom to top tank is now manually controlled. Sorry to go on and on but if you search there are many threads regarding getting these units operational. The stuck fuel switch at the filter is typical. Mine just needed lube and easy back and forth. Also regarding hours, mine was 2 hours on the meter but there is no way to know for sure . Could be a new gauge at retrofit or just a new gauge . Great gen sets. What are they going for now on GL ?

 

[445gsdss]

I paid top dollar for mine in the GL auction that was taking place. I won with a $480 bid and after tax and auction fees was around $540ish. There were about 12-14 As, Ds and Bs. I was bidding on 3 Ds concurrently, but won the one I'd decided was my first pick based on: D model, physical appearance in pics, total hours, and age of manufacture. They went from around $330 to $480. Mine has a Yanmar engine that looks practically new, decent paint, was one of the latest manufactured Ds available (1978 ) and has a little over 400 hours on meter.