MEP-016B injector pump repair/rebuild issues

[Crawdaddy]

I have a MEP-016B that I had running around 2014. Unfortunately, it has nowhere to live except outside. I tried to periodically run it to keep it in good condition, but a few years ago, it wouldn't start anymore. Fast forward some additional time, and I realized the fuel filter cap had popped off. I wasn't sure how that happened, but it seemed like it was only letting air through, so I obtained a replacement filter housing and installed it, but I still couldn't get it started. Fast forward some more time, and I found that the lid popped off of the filter housing AGAIN despite not being moved or run. To add further insult to injury, the throttle arm wouldn't move...

So, clearly the pump has likely sucked up water. I've re-read this thread (https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/mep-016b-injection-pump-jammed.201667/) several times and it looks like I lucked out that the pump seized with the throttle arm at its midpoint, so it slid out of the engine block with ease. I left it to sit in a cup of ATF for a week before attempting to do anything with it. As it sat, the plunger that rides on the cam was in the fully compressed position and a jammed throttle rack. Some blows with a 1lb deadblow got the plunger itself to move out and I was able to pull the retaining pin. A few taps of the deadblow to the part of the rack sticking out of the pump body (not the pin itself) got it to move maybe 1/8". I have the top off and the delivery valve out, but that's as far as I can get it to come apart. The spring wants to rock in the bore, but not come out any. So far, I haven't come across any rusty parts inside, just signs of water in the form of a milky liquid.

Am I able to soak the pump in chemdip or something more aggressive to help break things free? Am I able to take a punch to the main pin/shaft/fuel control thing from the top to try to get it out? Should I give up? This is my first injector pump I've ever worked on, and I've read that diesel injection components are stupid-precise bits of magic that only wizards should touch, so I'm afraid to go too crazy on it. I could also use some documentation, if it exists. I've found the exploded diagram on GMG, a couple of youtube videos where everything just fell apart, but nothing to help figure out what my next step should be.

 

[Crawdaddy]

I managed to get the pump apart by heating it up with a heat gun and then pounding the top and bottom ends against a piece of 6x4. Inspecting the parts, it looks like they are gummed up, but no signs at all of rust. I'm still working on cleaning them. The check valve and plunger and plunger guide don't appear to be sliding as freely as I've seen in Youtube videos that appear to be the same type of pump.

I'm still on the hunt for parts and service manuals, if anyone has some links.

 

[Guyfang]

Have you downloaded the TM's from the TM forum for this set?

 

[Crawdaddy]

Unless I'm missing something, section 6-3 in the -34 manual describes the removal, installation, and timing of the injector pump, but nothing about the disassembly and servicing of the pump itself. I also looked in the -24P where figure 18 and its corresponding table list the injector pump as a single module with no exploded diagram or parts breakdown of the pump. As best as I can tell, the military considered it a non-serviceable module that was simply replaced.

 

[Guyfang]

You are correct. Its a pluck and chuck item.

You seem to be one the right track. Take them apart and clean them. They are not hard to take apart and clean. One step at a time. get the IP's clean, put back together and reinstalled. Then you will see what is the next step, if there is one.

 

[Ray Cook]

I have had good results using lacquer thinner to clean diesel sludge bunk from injection pumps. Just my .02

 

[CallMeColt]

That was my thread you referenced above. I have since sold that MEP-016B, but it was running like a new machine when it went.

Just take your time cleaning everything and putting to back together. There are some videos out there on these pumps that show them getting put together. Yes, they are precise but you can treat them pretty poorly and they will work. Diesel stuff is really robust. The 016B is a tank of a unit.

 

[CamTheManInc]

I am having trouble just getting the Injection Pump out of the block....... MEP-016B Injection Pump Stuck - YouTube

 

[CallMeColt]

I am having trouble just getting the Injection Pump out of the block....... MEP-016B Injection Pump Stuck - YouTube

MEP-016B Injection Pump Jammed

Everyone, I am currently trying to get a MEP-016B generator running. I confirmed I am not getting fuel on the high pressure side of the injection pump due to it being jammed. I want to remove it but it was left in the "off" position so that is where it's stuck. In the workshop TM...

www.steelsoldiers.com

 

[CamTheManInc]

Okay Colt, When you say you heat treated the injection pump what and where did you heat. I have had the pump flooded with ATF and penetration oil and the pump / Fork is still stuck... How loose does this Fork get?

 

[CamTheManInc]

Never mind I cranked the engine over a few times, watching to see if the center moves. after a few minutes the center finally moved allowing me to remove the pump from the block. Thank you for the information provided. At first it didn't help but after reading it multiple times and many hours of being irritated i got enough information to figure out how to remove this stuck pump.

 

[CallMeColt]

Okay Colt, When you say you heat treated the injection pump what and where did you heat. I have had the pump flooded with ATF and penetration oil and the pump / Fork is still stuck... How loose does this Fork get?

I took as much of the pump apart from the top as I could and let the ATF soak in there and put heat in there as well as well as around it to help the ATF really get in there. It took doing it a few times a day over 3 days or so to get it to finally loosen up enough. Feels like this was kind of a while ago but I can remember more than that.

 

[Crawdaddy]

After several months of letting it sit, I finally got back on working on the 16B. I suspected last time I tried to start the genset up after rebuilding the pump that I either didn't prime it enough, or that the mechanical pump isn't working right. So, I used the auxiliary tank pump and hooked it up in place of the mechanical pump. I cranked it for a bit and was getting white puffs of smoke and suddenly the machine came alive. One of the ball ends for the throttle linkage is broken, so I'm manually throttling it and shut it down about a minute after it starts. And that was it... (and yes, I know that the machine needs to stay running at 3600rpm to keep the AVR from dying. When it was running, I was trying to chase 60hz on the meter)

Since I got it running for that minute, I haven't been able to start it again. When I go to bleed the injector line, I get fuel, but I no longer get white smoke or running. Playing with the high pressure injector line some more, I'm not sure if I'm getting fuel with every stroke of the injector pump.

I noticed I'm not getting a constant stream of fuel out of the return to the tank like I get from my MEP-003 and that fuel seems to be intermittently leaking past the hose clamp for the return line at the injector. Furthermore, when I crack a line on the low-pressure supply side of the IP, a lot of pressure is built up there. I checked the return line between the IP and the tank, and can't find any restrictions in it. Also, I hear fuel returning to the tank while the pump and engine are off if I cycle the throttle arm for the IP. Have I messed something up in the IP by presumably feeding it too much pressure/flow from the electric pump? Is excess fuel supposed to bypass the IP to return to the tank like it does with the MEP-003?

I've been intermittently fighting with this all day and I'm frustrated that it RAN for a minute, then no signs of life since. I'm so close to success, but something is holding me back. Suggestions and alternate perspectives to help me sort this problem out are greatly appreciated.

 

[CallMeColt]

It has been a while since I worked on one of these, but if I remember, the bypass is before anything gets into the pump... the extra that goes back to the tank just does a 90deg turn or something. So, it would lead me to belive there is not enough fuel getting there. Air trapped in the line somewhere? Pump not moving fuel as it should? Fuel level below pickup line? Be sure the injection pump is all the way to full throttle when trying to start.

 

[robertsears1]

I had been negligent about cleaning my fuel systems over the years on my 804s, 003, and 002 gensets until they just wouldn’t run right. My fuel pumps ran erratically if at all sometimes and the fine screen inside the fuel fill had become coated. The screens on the 003/2 fuel pumps also had that coating. I damaged one while attempting to clean with a pressure washer. I found that carb/throttle body spray cleaner melts the residue. My tank was also embarrassing to look at on my 003 (first bought around 2003) and that got it squeaky clean also. Perhaps that will melt the funk and gummy residue from the IP. I used Valvoline first since it was on sale but the house brand at Advance also does fine.

 

[Guyfang]

After several months of letting it sit, I finally got back on working on the 16B. I suspected last time I tried to start the genset up after rebuilding the pump that I either didn't prime it enough, or that the mechanical pump isn't working right. So, I used the auxiliary tank pump and hooked it up in place of the mechanical pump. I cranked it for a bit and was getting white puffs of smoke and suddenly the machine came alive. One of the ball ends for the throttle linkage is broken, so I'm manually throttling it and shut it down about a minute after it starts. And that was it... (and yes, I know that the machine needs to stay running at 3600rpm to keep the AVR from dying. When it was running, I was trying to chase 60hz on the meter)

Since I got it running for that minute, I haven't been able to start it again. When I go to bleed the injector line, I get fuel, but I no longer get white smoke or running. Playing with the high pressure injector line some more, I'm not sure if I'm getting fuel with every stroke of the injector pump.

I noticed I'm not getting a constant stream of fuel out of the return to the tank like I get from my MEP-003 and that fuel seems to be intermittently leaking past the hose clamp for the return line at the injector. ( this needs to be corrected. Every line on the set is suposed to be dry, all the time) Furthermore, when I crack a line on the low-pressure supply side of the IP, a lot of pressure is built up there. I checked the return line between the IP and the tank, and can't find any restrictions in it. Also, I hear fuel returning to the tank while the pump and engine are off if I cycle the throttle arm for the IP. Have I messed something up in the IP by presumably feeding it too much pressure/flow from the electric pump? (I daunt that very much. The E-Pump can not provide TOO much pressure. Simply not possible.) Is excess fuel supposed to bypass the IP to return to the tank like it does with the MEP-003? (This is normal. All diesel engines do this)

I've been intermittently fighting with this all day and I'm frustrated that it RAN for a minute, then no signs of life since. I'm so close to success, but something is holding me back. Suggestions and alternate perspectives to help me sort this problem out are greatly appreciated.

(I would suggest that you pull the injector out, then hook the fuel lines back up to the Injector and turn on the starter. See if anything is coming out of the injector. It should be uniform spray. Not drops, not a flood. A spray.)

Open to see comments.

 

[Crawdaddy]

A new weekend, a new attempt to get the set running. Admittedly, I didn't check Guyfang's comments before doing my first attempt today, but I will definitely apply his suggestions once I head back outside.

But, I did observe white smoke coming out of the exhaust again, telling me some quantity of fuel is actually making it into the cylinder. Enough, or of a quality spray pattern per Guyfang's description, that is to be seen. What I also observed, was white smoke coming out of the intake neck, which definitely doesn't seem right. I don't know how I'd go from working to stuck open intake valve, but that's the only reason I can think of white smoke coming out of the intake. I quickly pulled the rocker cover and the valves are moving, though it was hard to tell if the intake valve was coming up to full closed. The rocker arm never seemed loose when I tried to wiggle it.

Anyway, heading back out to pull the injector to inspect the spray pattern.

 

[CallMeColt]

A new weekend, a new attempt to get the set running. Admittedly, I didn't check Guyfang's comments before doing my first attempt today, but I will definitely apply his suggestions once I head back outside.

But, I did observe white smoke coming out of the exhaust again, telling me some quantity of fuel is actually making it into the cylinder. Enough, or of a quality spray pattern per Guyfang's description, that is to be seen. What I also observed, was white smoke coming out of the intake neck, which definitely doesn't seem right. I don't know how I'd go from working to stuck open intake valve, but that's the only reason I can think of white smoke coming out of the intake. I quickly pulled the rocker cover and the valves are moving, though it was hard to tell if the intake valve was coming up to full closed. The rocker arm never seemed loose when I tried to wiggle it.

Anyway, heading back out to pull the injector to inspect the spray pattern.

I would not even bother pulling the injector at this point if you are getting white smoke coming out the intake. I would check valve seating , timing, and adjustment.

Of course, doesn't hurt to do it all.

 

[CamTheManInc]

Here colt thanks for the help.