MEP-831A engine repair

[fb40dash5]

Perhaps yours is possessed, like I occasionally wonder if mine is.

I was beating my head against one of my last issues, the actuator not kicking the target off the magnet when attempting to start. It would virtually never do so without flicking the start switch several times (turns out the SLA batteries the previous owner installed wouldn't crank it and kick the actuator). After work I go to check a couple things Kurt suggested, and decided to try starting it first just to make sure the symptom is still there before I go testing things, SOB fires up just fine like 5 times in a row... and then 3-10 seconds later shuts off with the no fuel light every time, despite the fact I'd just topped it up, if anything overfilled, the last time I messed with it.

I wish I could even tell you what did that, I took a break to look at the TM & try to figure out that, poked around a little in the tank with a paint stirrer to make sure it wasn't somehow actually empty & maybe free up the float... then the next time I tried, it was back to not kicking the target off the magnet, but would run without issue once I started it.

 

[loosegravel]

Perhaps yours is possessed, like I occasionally wonder if mine is.

I was beating my head against one of my last issues, the actuator not kicking the target off the magnet when attempting to start. It would virtually never do so without flicking the start switch several times (turns out the SLA batteries the previous owner installed wouldn't crank it and kick the actuator). After work I go to check a couple things Kurt suggested, and decided to try starting it first just to make sure the symptom is still there before I go testing things, SOB fires up just fine like 5 times in a row... and then 3-10 seconds later shuts off with the no fuel light every time, despite the fact I'd just topped it up, if anything overfilled, the last time I messed with it.

I wish I could even tell you what did that, I took a break to look at the TM & try to figure out that, poked around a little in the tank with a paint stirrer to make sure it wasn't somehow actually empty & maybe free up the float... then the next time I tried, it was back to not kicking the target off the magnet, but would run without issue once I started it.

I would name that machine “Christine.” This is my first MEP-831A . I’ve had several of the 5kw’s, 10kw’s, 15kw’s and a couple of the 30kw units go through my hands now. I’m willing to bet that these little 3kw’s can be a little more finicky to work with. I managed to donate a little skin from my arms while reaching around the muffler with the stainless wire holding on the muffler wrap attempting to get to the high temp switch. It looks like I tormented a cat! Both arms too!

 

[Guyfang]

The most hated gen set in the Army!

 

[fb40dash5]

I would name that machine “Christine.” This is my first MEP-831A .

This is my first one too, in fact my 1st generator I actually own. I went into it with my eyes open knowing the rep it had and I still... I don't wanna say regret it, I just got my fingers crossed I made the right choice. I really like the idea of a super fuel-efficient unit that can make enough power to get me through the occasional 1-4 day outage.

I got nothin' on the fuel thing.... I can't believe it's coincidence that the last thing I'd done the time before was shut it off & polish off dumping in the last gallon of diesel in the can, and then the 1st thing it does next time is claim it's out of fuel. But I can't for the life of me figure why dumping more fuel in would cause the low fuel float to randomly stick down... and it hasn't acted up before or since in the month or so of dinking on it that I've owned it.

The most hated gen set in the Army!

Having been the guy who'd be putting it into use, and the guy who'd be called to fix it even though it's not my job, I can totally see why it'd get a rep as a temperamental pile. Especially when the throttle control apparently decides it doesn't like the weather today so screw with these little adjustment pots for a while. And especially when the user doesn't care that it sips fuel or makes clean power, cuz he ain't paying for the fuel, or the stuff plugged into it. For as not easy as the mechanical & electronic parts of throttle adjustment are, there's basically no explanation in the TM of what each thing is adjusting, why you're adjusting it, or how it interacts with anything else.

Like, it took me a good bit to figure out that when it's pulling the rod up out of the throttle lever, that means the controller thinks the RPM is too low and you've got the mechanical governor set too low... so it's got the actuator fully opened, but it's not accomplishing anything because the mechanical governor is now just sitting there doing its thing, and that thing isn't what the controller wants to see.

 

[loosegravel]

IDK? I came up to the shop this morning with a cup of coffee to check out the high temp fault. I reinstalled the fault indicator that I bench tested last night and flipped on the S1 power switch. Guess what? No high temp fault light! The unit was mostly cooled down last night when that fault came up. I’ve had the thing running here for about 30 minutes with a load on it. No issues yet, but just like fb4, it’s got gremlins! I’ll let it run for an hour or 2. Just like Guy said, the exhaust is clearing up too!