MEP003a Starter lockout and Poor Running

[Ratified442]

Purchased last year - upgraded fuel filters and oil filter to more modern style. Initially hooked up the batteries incorrectly. (1st mistake). Since then the starter lockout seems to be burnt out? It will not crank with it plugged in. If I jump the wires to the starter lockout the unit will turn over.

Once running it does a strange cycling action. Runs good for 15 sec then blows blue smoke for 15 sec then black then no smoke and continually does this. Most of the time it stalls and becomes progressively hardly to start thereafter.

I assume start with starter lockout - how can i test to see if its working or if i fried it?

Really appreciate any help

 

[Isaac-1]

Are you getting good fuel return from the injection pump?

 

[Ratified442]

How do I check? Look in tank while running?

 

[Ratified442]

Ok - pulled line - cleaned it and i hear diesel splashing in the tank. No change in performance. While starting black smoke out of the exhaust - once running heavy blue smoke then no smoke and cycles again from black to blue to clear and stalls within a min or two. Any ideas?

 

[Isaac-1]

My guess and it is just that a guess is that you have more than one problem going on here, I would personally start with pulling the injectors and having them pop tested, while they are out I would suggest compression testing the cylinders. Then if it is still having some issues which I suspect it would look at the governor and the injection pump.

Ike

 

[Ratified442]

Thank you - I may do that shortly. I have another question - what PSI is supposed to come into the IP? I pulled the intake line off the IP and put it into a gas tank - it was basically a light stream - not a spray as I would have expected? Could I be running out of fuel because i don't have enough PSI?

 

[Ray70]

You don't need much pressure or much volume feeding into the IP. The fuel consumption is very low so you only need a small stream feeding the pump.
The IP takes the low pressure fuel supply , raises it and meters it to the injectors in small high pressure bursts that are timed to the engine's compression stroke.

 

[Isaac-1]

Like Ray said injections pumps don't need much pressure feeding into them, many older generator designs use a small day tank that is mounted a foot or so above the injection pump to provide a constant flow to the injection pump.