Mep-002 stator

[Donaldjerome]

I'm working on my non charging mep-002. I had removed stator wires and got a reading of 42 volts (meter set to ac) . Before I go and pull blower wheel and assume stator is bad is there anything simple I could be overlooking. When I look behind blower wheel it appears that stator has quite a bit of red paint over it but I'm thinking it would not put out at all if the paint were a problem? Thanks in advance.

 

[derby]

I would check Your regulator, the box where the wires go. I had one that would not charge and the regulator was bad. There is a way to check the regulator and ohm the stator, but I have forgot. You may have to check the manual on that one. or put a pm in to Spedmon.

 

[Donaldjerome]

Regulator/rectifier is brand new, I also checked out fuse and fuse holder, all is good.

 

[Speddmon]

It's possible that the stator could still be bad even though you are getting plenty of AC voltage from it. Leave the wires hooked up to everything and check the AC voltage while you have the regulator hooked up to the stator. This will create a "load" on the stator...it's possible that the stator produces voltage while you have no load on it, but as soon as you hook it up to a load the voltage is no longer there.

Don't rule out the regulator as being bad again...I've said for years about electrical components "New only means it's never been used, not that it's any good" It's possible you could have a faulty regulator again.

 

[Donaldjerome]

Thanks, I'll check it out tomorrow. I heard people talk of wiring up a 24 volt 10 amp charger in lieu of the existing system is this more practical? I quess what I'm wondering is how reliable/trouble free the oem charging system is once it is up and running. It seems like alot of people seem to have issues with the charging systems on the meps.

 

[derf]

If you are getting 42VAC then your stator is probably good. At rest you should get like 6 Ohms resistance (IIRC). It is possible to get AC voltage from the stator when not loaded and then have it crap out when it tries to drive a load. But, most times stators go bad by going open, meaning a break in the wire somewhere, and when that happens you get little or no AC from them and very high resistance Ohms. The stator is just a bunch of wires wound around a core, very little to go bad. The regulator, on the other hand, has electronic components that are more complicated and fragile. If you have 42VAC then suspect the regulator.

As a test you can wire a 60W light bulb to the stator output. It should give a decent small load and glow if given 42V, I think. Cut an old extension cord or lamp cord and wire it to the stator.

 

[Donaldjerome]

I ran the generator with stator leads connected to rectifier. I got a reading of 28.2 volts on the ac setting. So this is not within specs. Before I go buy a new stator I am going to try to clean up the inside of the ring that rotates around magnets. I made up a bracket to utilize the 5/16 holes in the hub for a puller but this one is not going to come easy. I shot some blaster in on shaft and key way and will try again tomorrow.

 

[coyote62ny]

you should have 30 to 35 volts across the stator wires when running at 1800 rpm or 60 hertz. if you do end up needing a new stator tom at gulf coast trucks sells used parts for the 002a and 003a . his parts are garrenteed but used . toms number is 1-281-422-3200 office no. cell no. 1-832-323-1445. to test stator remove the stator wires from the terminal block with a milti meter connected between the two stator wires you should get a reading of approximately 0.6 ohms . check for continuity between each stator lead and ground if continuity is found stator is bad . with the stator leads disconnected and engine running at 1800 rpm you should get 30 to 35 volts ac. if voltage is less than 30 volts ac stator or magnets in rotor may be defective. DO NOT RUN ENGINE FOR MORE THAn 3 MINUTES WITH BLOWER SHROUD REMOVEDor you will over heat the engine. this info was taken from tm 5-6115-585-12 change #4 this is all the test information on the stator in this manual. hope this helps you get it going. if i can look up anything else for you let me know.

 

[Carl_in_NH]

I ran the generator with stator leads connected to rectifier. I got a reading of 28.2 volts on the ac setting. So this is not within specs.

How long was the genset running when you took the reading? Had your battery been fully charged beforehand?

I ask because the charging circuit on the MEPs can only supply something like 6A maximum; that takes some time to charge a battery. Remember, these units were designed to be started and run for hours and hours - which is why the output of the charging circuit can be fairly modest. It's not like a car or truck where you have a full charge in a few minutes.

I suggest you start the genset and let it run for an hour or two and keep checking the AC output voltage of the stator (and the DC battery voltage) - if it is creeping up over time, it's because your battery is charging and the load on the stator is diminishing over time. You may just find that it is within spec once it has had a chance to charge things for awhile.

Help things along by charging your battery fully with an external charger before running the test - then you'll only have to overcome the drain put on the system by starting the genset this last time. Starting the test from a discharged state could take a long time.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[storeman]

I've got to agree with Carl. Charge the batteries first so you get a truer picture.
Jerry

 

[derf]

Agree with above. A bad battery can put a bad load on the charging system and cause problems. Also, if you use two 12V batteries they need to be similar. Mating two different size and shape batteries can cause problems.

 

[Donaldjerome]

Yes, I understand what you guys are saying. I kept the batts up with the charger. I pulled my blower wheel off today and it appears someone has done a repair on my stator where harness connects to magnets. The housing that revoles around the magnets was pretty rusted along with paint which I could only describe looking like red oxide primer. I'm sure this would'nt help things. I tested the stator for resistance got anywhere from .8 phm to 1.0 ohm. I used three different meters got same results. Another member had said it should be around .6 ohm. I dunno you tell me. This unit was rebuilt by melton has tag on machine, Hour meter reads 2.7 hrs. It says tier II reset but I'm thinking I read this mainly means engine rebuild? So maybe some of the other issues did not get addressed. The hertz guage is alsp not working. I've heard people say some aof the transducers need to be calibrated? I'll yank that out later for now I just use a Kill-o-watt to dial it in. Thanks for all the input it really helps fasttrack someone working on these sets.

 

[coyote62ny]

my mep-003a with fully charged batteries and a new regulator reads 28.5 volts across the batteries when running . the meter on the panel is at the upper edge of the green zone [normal]. the batteries i have in my set are 1000 cca exide batteries also new last year . the stator does not have the magnets they are part of the blower wheel [fan]. put your meter on the stator wires and shake the wires to see if you get a change in the reading if you do get a change you may just have a wire that is broke inside the insulation worth a shot.the voltage gauge will start a little low like the middle of the green then climb to the upper edge of the green mine does this . at the upper edge of the green you should get around 28.0 to 28 .7 volts . also remember that these gauges tell the charge condition of the batteries not the rate of charge like a car does. also it is very important to have two batteries that are exactly the same cold cranking amps and deminsions on the outside as well as the same make. using to mismached batteries will cause one battery to charge faster than the other.as for the transducers my 003a had the same problem as yours the guy at delks told me how to test it by putting a cord on the ac side with a plug and plugging it into a household outlet but i cant remember what the readings were supposed to be . if yours is adjustable there will be two trimmer screws on the bottom one is marked sp the other is marked bal . the spot where you hook the cord with the plug is marked 120 volt input . the one i have that was bad and adjustable was made by square D company clearwater fla. mfr# 12670. as for the paint i would clean the stator where it comes close to the magnets the metal part not the copper windings. also clean the magnets with fine emery paper so every thing is real clean to bare metal. if this dont work it looks like you need a new stator. if someone has tryed to repair the stator it may be bad and only showing up under load . mine reads 32 volts with the stator wires unhooked and the set running at 1800 rpm.

 

[Donaldjerome]

Coyote:

Are you using the 6utl batts in your mep-003? If not what is the group number? 1000 ccas sound good. I have an 003 but never broke down and bought something good for it. I use (2) group 51 batts then I can swap them and use them in my 002's.

 

[coyote62ny]

im not shure of the group size i do know i had to saw about half the hold down tabs on the ends of each battery off to get them in the battery tray. the batteries i got came from a local company that makes fork lifts i got a good deal on them through a friend . but they will really spin the 003 engine over even at 0 degrees they help a lot in the cold. but if it wont start i also have a mep-025 28 volt battery booster wwith a 2ao16 engine another very handy toy.