MEP-003A

[Ray70]

Ok John, next thing I would to is:

Remove the 1" cap in the center of the IP ( #2)

Remove the 5/8" 12 point delivery valve holder #15 under the 1" cap. the sealing gasket #16 will stay on the holder.( careful not to drop the spring #3 under the holder )

use needle nose pliers to remove the delivery valve assembly ( looks like a 3/16" needle and seat about 1/2" diameter.) #4

Now if you look in the center of the opening you should be looking at a hole with a 5/16" plunger #10 recessed about 3/8" deep. ( should be a small hole in center of the plunger )

Turn on fuel pumps for 1-2 seconds and verify fuel shoots out of center of IP ( have a rag or container there to catch the stream )

Assuming fuel sprayed out, not put a 5/8" socket on the bolt in the center of the blower wheel.

Take a small wooden dowel , brass punch or aluminum rod about the size of a pencil and use a small hammer to very lightly tap on the plunger in the center of the IP pay very close attention to feel if it moves inward at all, or does it feel solid?

If it moved a little, the plunger was sticking.

If it felt solid, look closely at the plunger while rotating the motor slowly with the socket.

You should see the plunger rotating counterclockwise at 1/2 the speed you are turning the motor.

You should also see the plunger moving in and out about 1/4" or so.

If it is not rotating, your plunger guide is broken.

If it in not moving in and out, the plunger is sticking in the body of the IP.

Check this all out and then we will move on depending on the outcome.

 

[Johncar48]

No Sir, plunger not moving in & out and not rotating.

 

[Ray70]

Well, unfortunately that pretty much seals the deal! The plunger is stuck in the body AND the plunger guide ( shear pin like safety mechanism ) has split open.
There's really only 1 solution. The pump has to come back out, get cleaned and replace the plunger guide.
This is the 2nd failure I have heard about lately after only about 6 months sitting. Yet more evidence of what garbage today's fuel really is!
Rip it out, send it to me and let me know if you want to buy the plunger guide or if you want me to order it?
Unless you're feeling up to learning how to rebuild the IP yourself?

 

[Johncar48]

I would really like to learn how to rebuild this IP but don't think I have the right tools and certainly not a good room to work. Yes Sir, if you would please order the parts, I'll get it off, drain it and clean it up before sending to you. Thanks for all your help.

 

[Johncar48]

Perhaps I should go to 2 oz/gal of ATF in the fuel instead of just 1.
IP on it’s way to you.

 

[Ray70]

Might also want to look into some of the name brand diesel conditioners as well, but typically I toss about a pint per 5gl of ATF into my fuel and have recently started adding 2 stroke oil and Diesel 911 as well.
So I'm at like 3oz / gl on the ATF and I probably throw in another 1-2 oz / gl of 2 stroke oil, plus the max recommended dose of 911 cetane booster / conditioner. It's probably overkill, but I've been seeing several cases similar to yours recently and I don't want to have to tear any of my machines apart again!
Do you recall if the fuel was new from the gas station when you put it in the generator, or do you have other long term on-site fuel storage at your place?
6 months old diesel still seems like a really short time to start gumming.
The other thing that can cause problems is moisture and condensation, so make sure your tank is clean and dry at the bottom.
Seems like the best remedy is to treat the fuel and exercise the machine on a regular basis.
I remember the first 3 machines I got, probably 10 years ago. All had been sitting for an eternity, all had stinky stale old brown fuel that had to be 5+ years old, but none of them had IP problems because the fuel didn't gum up as fast.

 

[Johncar48]

Cetain is what some old Cummins mechanics recommend. Jet-A has less of a lubricating quality. I can buy off road diesel here, it has a red color added to it but is probably no different than taxed diesel. I have a diesel pickup with a 40 gal. tank. Will probably start rotating stored fuel into that and replenish storage. that way keep stored fuel a little fresher.

 

[glcaines]

I only run off-road diesel in my MEP003A. However, I religiously add OptiLube XPD to the fuel for lubricity. During a study, OptiLube XPD came out number one for adding lubricity to diesel fuel. I use it in all my diesel engines. I have attached a copy of the study. Some additives actually made the fuel less lubricating than straight diesel fuel. I think one of the most important things is to run the engine often. I run my genset at least once per month and usually more often.

 

[Johncar48]

So run your unit once per month for how long and do they need to be under load.

 

[Chainbreaker]

So run your unit once per month for how long and do they need to be under load.

Yes, monthly and at a minimum of 15 - 30 min, though an hour is probably optimum. You want to run it long enough to get engine & oil up to temp. When oil is hot it drives off moisture inside engine. Any fuel returning to tank, if running long enough, also gets warm & helps drive off moisture within the fuel system.

Yes, running under a load increases combustion chamber temperatures & helps prevent buildup of deposits in cylinders & on injectors.

A cheap, yet effective, load bank can be had by buying something like a 220V garage heater. Comfort Zone makes a very good 10,000-watt variable wattage heater that is fairly compact and easy to move about. Hooking it up and ramping up the load is good for the engine to get it up to temp and run under peak load for a few minutes. If anything is wrong, usually it will appear under varying loads, ramping up & back down.

 

[Abrant23]

Comfort Zone makes a very good 10,000-watt variable wattage heater that is fairly compact and easy to move about.

Which model comfort zone do you have? The reviews on Amazon are not exactly stellar, so I want to make sure I get the correct one. The wife doesn't want to have to make me brownies once a month when I run her dual ovens load banking my "big green toy box thing" once a month......

 

[Chainbreaker]

Which model comfort zone do you have? The reviews on Amazon are not exactly stellar, so I want to make sure I get the correct one. The wife doesn't want to have to make me brownies once a month when I run her dual ovens load banking my "big green toy box thing" once a month......

Since I have a 5 KW MEP-002a I purchased the 5,000 Watt Comfort Zone model rated at 4.5 stars on Amazon. I've had mine for over 5 years & no issues at all. I noticed that the 10,000 watt model CZ260ER is also rated 4.5 stars (72% rated it 5 stars). Anything 4 stars or above with sufficient # of reviews is usually good-to-go in my experience.

Though I noticed there appears to be a run of a few 1-star reviews on this 10,000 watt model on some recent purchases. Of course, there will always be the random lemons that occur given the number of units produced or other issues that people are more sensitive to (sound, aesthetics, better instructions). If you're an Amazon Prime Member I believe they have a 90 day return window on eligible products no questions asked. Also, there are other models of garage heaters that you can order from places like Northern Tool, etc.

 

[Abrant23]

Since I have a 5 KW MEP-002a I purchased the 5,000 Watt Comfort Zone model rated at 4.5 stars on Amazon. I've had mine for over 5 years & no issues at all. I noticed that the 10,000 watt model CZ260ER is also rated 4.5 stars (72% rated it 5 stars). Anything 4 stars or above with sufficient # of reviews is usually good-to-go in my experience.

Though I noticed there appears to be a run of a few 1-star reviews on this 10,000 watt model on some recent purchases. Of course, there will always be the random lemons that occur given the number of units produced or other issues that people are more sensitive to (sound, aesthetics, better instructions). If you're an Amazon Prime Member I believe they have a 90 day return window on eligible products no questions asked. Also, there are other models of garage heaters that you can order from places like Northern Tool, etc.

Yeah, that run of one star reviews is what caused me to pause. I’ll roll the dice on one and hopefully it won’t be a lemon.
Thanks!

 

[Chainbreaker]

Yeah, no matter the brand there is a slight risk you could get a lemon now & then or incur shipping damage. However, I have 3 Comfort Zone products (garage heater, portable bathroom heater & a small floor fan) the build quality on all is very good, and they have all performed flawlessly during my years of ownership. So, I think the odds are good that yours will be fine.

 

[Ray70]

Well time for an update on John's situation.
His pump arrived today and I was able to tear it down tonight.
When it arrived the plunger was stuck pretty good and the throttle lever was very stiff.
Opened it up and sure enough, plunger guide was split in half.
Gonna see if Ambac will still sell to me, since they no longer sell to the public.... but they used to make exceptions for us existing customers.
I can't believe how quickly John's pump got stuck again. and it was still perfectly clean inside, just that microscopic layer of varnish I guess.
One thing I have noticed is that very low hour IP's have Super tight tolerances vs. a "used" IP.
I'm sure the low hour units will be much more susceptible than an older unit that is worn in a few microns.
After reading the article above from glcaines I think I'm going to invest in the OptiLube XPD myself!

 

[Chainbreaker]

...After reading the article above from glcaines I think I'm going to invest in the OptiLube XPD myself!

Yeah, it's good stuff. I just topped up my diesel generators & aux tanks, tractor, mower, truck & car and jerry cans with diesel last week due to the Ukranian conflict's increasing impact on fuel pricing. I used up the last ounce in my gallon jug of Optilube XPD. I reordered a few days ago via Amazon & was going to order just 1 gallon but decided to stock up now before fuel additives take a price hit. I got a discount by ordering (2) of the one-gallon XPD jugs along with free Prime Shipping. That should last me a while.

 

[SCSG-G4]

We

Yeah, it's good stuff. I just topped up my diesel generators & aux tanks, tractor, mower, truck & car and jerry cans with diesel last week due to the Ukranian conflict's increasing impact on fuel pricing. I used up the last ounce in my gallon jug of Optilube XPD. I reordered a few days ago via Amazon & was going to order just 1 gallon but decided to stock up now before fuel additives take a price hit. I got a discount by ordering (2) of the one-gallon XPD jugs along with free Prime Shipping. That should last me a while.

We ordered a 5 gallon pail direct from Opti-Lube, came out to 54.49 a gallon delivered. Good Stuff! It goes in all our machines.

 

[Ray70]

Talked to Ambac today and they were fine with still selling to previous customers, the only down side was that they have raised their price a bit to $20 on the GU8546 plunger guides.... worst part is shipping was $14 for something that could go in an envelope with a stamp on it.
With that said, the price at GMG is actually exactly the same as buying direct from Ambac once you add shipping.

 

[Johncar48]

So I have added ATF to all my diesel, both in the machines and storage. Will it be ok to add the Optilub I just bought along with the ATF? Don't suppose it will hurt a thing but just have to ask.

 

[Ray70]

It should be fine... and I am doing the exact same thing. I always add ATF and 2 stroke, but after seeing your plunger guide break twice in 12 months and reading the low sulfur diesel lubricity report, I ordered 2 qts. of OptiLube as well, and I'm just going to add it in on top of what additives I have already thrown into my fuel.