- 170
- 1
- 16
- Location
- Taunton, MA
Many of you folks know me from my initial adventures a couple of years ago with a depot-rebuilt MEP-002A. After being away from SS for about a year (Life gets hectic sometimes), I became active again a few weeks ago as I closed in on my two year search for just the right MEP-003A.
A recent lot of generators closed a couple of weeks ago at Fort Drum. A couple of gems were in this bunch and I pulled the trigger on one that appeared to be rebuilt and intact, but was receiving minimal scrutiny due to missing a fuel cap and a couple of fuel filter canisters. I snagged it for just over $1300, including buyer's fee. Shipping from Fort Drum to my local freight terminal two towns away was arranged for $499. I paid an additional $169 for lift gate truck delivery from the terminal to the top of my driveway.
The generator arrived quickly and was well wrapped. I started the process of bringing it to life this weekend. I removed the military fuel canister array and installed two Napa fuel filter spin-on bases. The first base sports a fuel/water separator and the second base sports a 10 micron fuel filter. I installed the military style oil filter for now, although I have one of Speddmon's adapter kits already coming. I used his kit on the 002 a couple of years ago and much prefer that style.
The fuel tank was exceptionally clean. Paperwork with the generator indicated that the military DRMO'd this generator in March of this year, at which time the fluids were drained. An absorbent pad was placed in the bottom of the fuel tank. There was residual fuel in the base of all three fuel pumps. The fuel was fresh. The screens and magnets in the fuel pumps were all exceptionally clean.
Opening the operator's control box yielded a very nice surprise!!! There was a tag indicating that the generator had been serviced at OSMS Oregon to TM -10/-20 standards. It appears that this refurbishing occurred sometime in 2010. Most of the relays, the VR circuit board and some of the gauges appear to be brand new. The air filter appears to be brand new and is also dated in 2010.
The generator started right up, but I shut it down after a couple of seconds so I could assess the oil level and add some makeup oil. Although I had initially added to the top of the fill range, the generator was devoid of lubrication throughout to the point that I had to add a bit over a quart in makeup oil after it was turned over for a few seconds. The engine was then restarted and left to run. I am running Shell T6 full synthetic 5W-40 in this, just as I run in my 002. The oil pressure in this 003 is very strong. Assuming the pressure gauge is accurate, I read 50 PSI cold and it settles down to 42 PSI when hot. That is approximately 8 PSI better than I get on my 002. I did have a leak at my oil filter canister that was resolved with a slight tightening of the canister bolt.
There is a strong fuel return to the tank. The diesel engine runs strong with just a minor hint of smoke during the first few seconds of run time. I checked the electrical output with my Fluke VOM. Surprisingly, the hertz and volt meters are incredibly accurate, as in dead on the money!! That was a pleasant surprise, especially considering that the voltage meter is not one that got changed.
I'll load test sometime in a couple of weeks. The wife and I are going away this coming weekend for our anniversary, so I cannot do it earlier. If the load test is successful, it will be time to market the 002 and place this one on my M101A2 trailer.
I have uploaded pictures as an album and I will attempt to include these pics here. Meanwhile, I would be interested to hear from anyone else that picked up one of the 003's out of Fort Drum in event 12005. I suspect most or all of them are resets. I'm also going to PM Storeman to see if he has a fuel cap for sale. He seemed to be the "parts guy" around here a couple of years ago and that appears to still be true.
John
A recent lot of generators closed a couple of weeks ago at Fort Drum. A couple of gems were in this bunch and I pulled the trigger on one that appeared to be rebuilt and intact, but was receiving minimal scrutiny due to missing a fuel cap and a couple of fuel filter canisters. I snagged it for just over $1300, including buyer's fee. Shipping from Fort Drum to my local freight terminal two towns away was arranged for $499. I paid an additional $169 for lift gate truck delivery from the terminal to the top of my driveway.
The generator arrived quickly and was well wrapped. I started the process of bringing it to life this weekend. I removed the military fuel canister array and installed two Napa fuel filter spin-on bases. The first base sports a fuel/water separator and the second base sports a 10 micron fuel filter. I installed the military style oil filter for now, although I have one of Speddmon's adapter kits already coming. I used his kit on the 002 a couple of years ago and much prefer that style.
The fuel tank was exceptionally clean. Paperwork with the generator indicated that the military DRMO'd this generator in March of this year, at which time the fluids were drained. An absorbent pad was placed in the bottom of the fuel tank. There was residual fuel in the base of all three fuel pumps. The fuel was fresh. The screens and magnets in the fuel pumps were all exceptionally clean.
Opening the operator's control box yielded a very nice surprise!!! There was a tag indicating that the generator had been serviced at OSMS Oregon to TM -10/-20 standards. It appears that this refurbishing occurred sometime in 2010. Most of the relays, the VR circuit board and some of the gauges appear to be brand new. The air filter appears to be brand new and is also dated in 2010.
The generator started right up, but I shut it down after a couple of seconds so I could assess the oil level and add some makeup oil. Although I had initially added to the top of the fill range, the generator was devoid of lubrication throughout to the point that I had to add a bit over a quart in makeup oil after it was turned over for a few seconds. The engine was then restarted and left to run. I am running Shell T6 full synthetic 5W-40 in this, just as I run in my 002. The oil pressure in this 003 is very strong. Assuming the pressure gauge is accurate, I read 50 PSI cold and it settles down to 42 PSI when hot. That is approximately 8 PSI better than I get on my 002. I did have a leak at my oil filter canister that was resolved with a slight tightening of the canister bolt.
There is a strong fuel return to the tank. The diesel engine runs strong with just a minor hint of smoke during the first few seconds of run time. I checked the electrical output with my Fluke VOM. Surprisingly, the hertz and volt meters are incredibly accurate, as in dead on the money!! That was a pleasant surprise, especially considering that the voltage meter is not one that got changed.
I'll load test sometime in a couple of weeks. The wife and I are going away this coming weekend for our anniversary, so I cannot do it earlier. If the load test is successful, it will be time to market the 002 and place this one on my M101A2 trailer.
I have uploaded pictures as an album and I will attempt to include these pics here. Meanwhile, I would be interested to hear from anyone else that picked up one of the 003's out of Fort Drum in event 12005. I suspect most or all of them are resets. I'm also going to PM Storeman to see if he has a fuel cap for sale. He seemed to be the "parts guy" around here a couple of years ago and that appears to still be true.
John
