MEP 802A vibrates badly and shuts down with low fuel light

[Coley]

It will run for 2-8 minutes, then shut down with low fuel light. It seems to be vibrating more than normal. Any suggestions? It had new fuel filters. I may try putting new ones in.


CF

 

[DieselAddict]

Have you loaded it yet? I would recommend running it more and loading it up some to see if the vibration is always the same. Be sure to check all the mounts to make sure they are tight. If it won't pull a full load the shaking is likely part of that problem.

If it will pull a load and shakes the same regardless of the load you can try disconnecting the flywheel from the generator head and rotating the head one bolt hole then reconnecting.

You can kill the low fuel alarm by unplugging the sensor on the top of the tank.

I've found that some just shake and thats normal for them. Not that I like the shaking but I've learned to accept it.

 

[Coley]

It was running smoother. I am wondering if it getting starved for fuel? Could one of the metering pumps be going out?

CF

 

[DieselAddict]

Loading it up will answer the fuel question. It is possible. If its fuel starving it won't pull a full load.

 

[DieselAddict]

Have you been running it with any load on it?

Many of the ones I get have a LOT of gunk built up in the exhaust due to running without enough load and are generally unhappy to run. The solution is to run as much load as they it handle without stumbling and increase that load as the exhaust clears out up to the max I use for testing. An 802 in good shape will handle a 6500w resistive load without a problem.

 

[Coley]

Running at about 70% load.

CF

 

[DieselAddict]

Is that 70% on the gauge or calculated?

How is the smoke in the exhaust? Any to speak of?

Can you load it more?

 

[Coley]

Gauge. Not a lot of smoke. Unable to load it more. It is connected to an off grid power system and have it set to charge batteries at 100% and 30 amps. Well, maybe I could plug an electric heater in as well

CF

 

[Coley]

If it is vibrating enough, could it foam the fuel enough to trigger the low fuel?

CF

 

[DieselAddict]

The vibration might trip it if the fuel level is down that low. If you have 1/4 tank or more I would say its not likely.

Any way you can shoot a video of the vibration? Seeing how severe it is could be helpful.

See if you can get some more load on it. The convenience outlet won't be much help though. It won't provide a lot of power before tripping.

At 70% load you aren't causing buildup in the exhaust so thats good. You may not be burning too much off either but you won't be adding to it.

 

[Chainbreaker]

How is your fuel quality? Fairly fresh and no water in fuel? Running this unit inside a protected area or outside? What kind of diesel are you running in AK in those temps? Just wondering if you are running into some kind of fuel icing situation...

 

[Coley]

OK so here are some updates. First, no more low fuel lights. Second, the generator is sitting outside, but on a platform that is built up on cribbed railroad ties with 2x6 floor joists and sheets of plywood for a floor. It is about 8x8 in size. I think that the stand he built for it is causing the excessive vibrations.

New problem is that when it goes to take a load, the short circuit light come on and it sheds the load. The gen is sitting outside and it has been raining and pretty humid. I had him run it for 2 hours yesterday with no load to try and dry things out if it had moisture inside anything. I will se what is going on when I get back out there today.

 

[Guyfang]

I have seen this happen MANY times when repairing the 802 gen sets. The engine mounts were bad/cracked, and the engine vibrated so bad the fuel level switch tripped, regardless of how much fuel was in the tank. Here's a trick. Hold up the fault indicator reset switch while it runs. If the fuel level switch trips, the light will ´come on, but the set will NOT stop.
Another thing to check is if the main gen and engine were mounted properly. Sometimes people get them just a tad out of alignment, and the set vibrates badly.

 

[Guyfang]

Pull the top cover off the rear of the set. About a million screws, but what can I say. Then take a gander inside, See if its wet, and also look for something shorted out, like the load contactor. I dont think you have water in the set. The 802 is pretty good about keeping water out. So I think you have a worn wire someplace. Also look into the control panel. On the left side is a circuit card. The wire on it often rub on the side of the control cubicle and you get a short. Here's a trick. Wait until night, ( no flashlight!) and open the control panel and have the top removed. Start the set, apply load and watch for a spark. I have often found shorted wire this way.

Guyfang

 

[Daybreak]

Howdy,
Being that the MEP-802A is a 2 cylinder engine. It can vibrate across the floor. I had mine on a pallet, in the back of a pickup truck. The thing really shook around and the lifting rings sounded like bells ringing. After taking it off and placing it on the ground, it was then much smoother.

I would look at some type of dirt, cement, or some solid foundation for it to sit on.

 

[Lawman22]

I have 2 trailer mounted Mep-802A. Just bought them this week. One trips the circuit breaker under the panel when I apply load. The other doesn't start unless jumped on the other one..any help will be appreciated.

Eric

 

[jamawieb]

I have 2 trailer mounted Mep-802A. Just bought them this week. One trips the circuit breaker under the panel when I apply load. The other doesn't start unless jumped on the other one..any help will be appreciated.

Eric

Need to start a new thread so more people can help you. The circuit breaker your referring to, is it the ground fault that is below the fault indicator lights? Are you loading it through the convenience outlets or the lugs? 2nd Unit, did you check the batteries to make sure they have enough juice to start it?

 

[lindsey97]

Make sure the hertz is adjusted to 60-61 while under load. If the hertz drops below 60 while adding load, vibrations will get worse.