MEP-802a Power troubles

[fa35jsf]

Hey Yall! New here and this is my first post. The website looks awesome and there is a lot of good info here.

I just brought home my first 802 today from the auction warehouse. This thing is amazing. The outside is a little beat up as expected, but after a quick inspection it appears all fluids had recently been serviced. The oil filter didn't even have dust on it! So after addressing a dead battery it started on the second try.

So here is my problem. I am having trouble getting power to the output plugs. I AM getting power at the convenience receptacle but I can not get the "AC circuit interrupter" to close or the light to come on. Once, and only once was I able to get it to work and I confirmed I was getting voltage at the gen lugs.

Whats going on? Bad switch? Bad relay?

 

[Light in the Dark]

Welcome to SS. For starters... did the machine come with any manuals? If not, have you downloaded them? A casual pass through isn't going to answer your question tonight... but the sooner the manuals become less daunting... the easier your life will be.

Almost all of the switching devices on these units can be intermittent. Depending on age, and usage.. this might be needing a good cleaning with contact cleaner. I would personally start by just cycling the switch a bunch of times to see if the mechanical contacts clean themselves.

Have you done any topic searches in the forum? I would venture a guess that 'ac circuit interrupter' might be a topic with some hits . The historical search tool is a great way to tap into the collective mind of all previous group members. Good luck in making it a smooth runner!

 

[fa35jsf]

Thanks for the reply. No manual. I bought it of a gov auction website for only $500 total, out the door. The fact that this thing runs and does seem to be producing power makes me think I got a heck of a deal.

I have looked through the manuals before when researching these gens before I bought one. I need to go back and download and print the doc for offline use.

I will try cycling the switch and maybe take a look at any relays. I do suspect it is a bad contact since it seems to be intermittent.

 

[rogpike]

Good call by coming on the forum. You can spend a LOT of time reading and interpreting the manuals, you can do a historical search on the forum, you can also ask a question and see if someone has a quick answer for your problem. I am on a ton of internet forums. Duramax forum for my truck, tractorbynet for my tractors and farm, lawn mower forum for my lawn mower, ziller electric forum for my old residential generator. The majority of what I see forums being beneficial for is doing exactly what you did, come on here, ask a question and hopefully someone that is seasoned will respond to your question. That is what forums are for. Good luck and hopefully other will chime in and assist you with what is most likely a common issue and what to look for vs. pouring over thousands of pages or thousands of posts when all you want is to get you new equipment up and running as soon as possible.

 

[Bmxenbrett]

For $500 and you alreaty saw it make power your in good shape. Read alot on here and look at wire diagrams. You will learn alot and along the way you will learn thing that you may need in an emergency. No power, no internet..how would you diag the problem?

 

[Daybreak]

Howdy,
Welcome to the forums.

You could start here. MEP-802/803 Filters and Parts

The second post has quick links to lots of stuff.

The third post has the link to the manuals

 

[fa35jsf]

Thanks daybreak, I actually already used that same thread to find the filter list and bought some today on my way home

 

[fa35jsf]

I think I figured out the issue. Went through the troubleshooting procedures in the manuals and figured out this main relay is the issue. Hit it with an insulated screwdriver once or twice and now it works like a charm.

Edit: sorry, I don't know how to post pictures.

Edit2: figured it out!

 

[Guyfang]

What main relay? K1? If so, when you have a little time, take it out, and open it up. Sometimes K1 can have moisture in it. Sometimes LOTS of moisture. Or it had moisture at one time, and now has dirt,dust, corrosion and rust. You can fix that. There are several threads in the forum describing such things.

 

[fa35jsf]

It is the K1. Thanks for the info. I will take a better look at it


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[fa35jsf]

Just an update: I took the K1 apart expecting to find some rust. In actuality, other than some very light corrosion it was spotless. I cleaned the contacts with some 0000 steel wool (the super fine stuff) and pulled out the gaskets and instead sealed it with automotive silicone (red stuff). That should keep it clean and dry for years to come.

Thanks for all the help! I'll post pictures of my machine in a new thread after I get it cleaned up and moved to its permanent location on my property.


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[Guyfang]

Good to go!!