MEP018 shorted windings..how?

[cranetruck]

Started the set 0830 this morning. The good news is that after a field flash, it generated 120/208 VAC, however, just like Peter predicted, there was smoke, less than a minute after the field flash, with the typical smell of melting wire insulation. I shut it down immediately. The thermocouple probe still indicated 60°F (ambient), so it would probably take a while for the casing to get warm.
Well it was fun experimenting and it looks like I have another head available, so nothing was really lost, since the cost of rewinding the generator would be way out of reach for me anyway.
Thanks all for helping!

PS. There was a lot more smoke, but by the time I got the camera, it was almost all gone.

 

[Speddmon]

Sorry to hear that is didn't work out for you. At least it sounds like you have access to another head though. I hope you get it running soon, and without breaking the bank.

 

[cranetruck]

Sorry to hear that is didn't work out for you. At least it sounds like you have access to another head though. I hope you get it running soon, and without breaking the bank.

No problem here, if things don't fail we don't learn so much from them and I'm getting real comfy with the mep018.

 

[PeterD]

And, sometimes it is fun to learn by letting out the smoke!

(there's an old saying: "If it wasn't broken before, it sure is now!" If you have a line on a new head, that's great, probably won't be that difficult to swap it out.

 

[cranetruck]

Well, it turns out the the new generator head also features two shorted windings, T3 -T6 to T9 - T12.
So, I'm still looking for a replacement generator head...

 

[DieselBob]

Sorry to hear about the second head. Might check on SmokStak if you come up empty here. Just a thought.

 

[cranetruck]

Work on this off and on and removed the rotor to see about getting the stator out.
It would be very difficult to fix a wire to wire short between two windings IMHO, so I'm looking for another MEP018 or at least a "new" head...

 

[DieselBob]

Wonder how much copper by weight is there. Might be a decent down payment on a replacement.

 

[cranetruck]

Wonder how much copper by weight is there. Might be a decent down payment on a replacement.

The local recycler/scrap dealer pays $.23/lb for an electric motor or generator, which includes the iron and aluminum stuff... That's where it's going when all useful parts are taken off.

 

[cranetruck]

Got working on the genset again and found dirt and small rocks inside, which could easily have caused a problem if jammed up between the rotor and stator. Didn't see any evidence of that though...
Brought the generator head to the recycler today. FWIW, the head weighs 269 lb.