My 802a in the northeast thread

[Bmxenbrett]

As you may know we change the clocks tomorrow. This is when i do my full generator test on my 802a. I took this short video of my set running my house. It was running two chest freezers, one normal fridge and my electric dryer. I believe this is just under 6kw. My dryer element kicks on and off and it took the 20a+ load being dumped on it like a champ.
https://youtu.be/wR0Lfahjp58

I got this set in late winter last year with about 190hrs. Its a non reset unit and currently has 220hrs. I have replaced the return lines and cleaned a mouse nest out.
The first time i could i did a 24hr test run with it to check the burn rate for my houses load.

Up next i need to remove the fuel filters that are so stuck i think i might have to remove pannels to gain acess. Change all the fluids and filters as well as the fan belt. The unit has a slight fuel seep that i suspect is coming from the upper fuel tank well nut. Im going to get the set up off the ground by mounting it on some timbers.

 

[Chainbreaker]

If that is your permanent hook-up wire, I would recommend switching over to copper stranded wire and larger gauge as your feed line. I use "UL 4C 6 AWG 600V SOOW" wire for my 5 kW unit to house inlet box.

 

[Bmxenbrett]

It does look like small wire in thr video but its 10awg and rated for 30a on a 30a breaker.
I might eventualy run the wire in a conduit thats why its not soow now.

 

[Guyfang]

As you may know we change the clocks tomorrow. This is when i do my full generator test on my 802a. I took this short video of my set running my house. It was running two chest freezers, one normal fridge and my electric dryer. I believe this is just under 6kw. My dryer element kicks on and off and it took the 20a+ load being dumped on it like a champ.
https://youtu.be/wR0Lfahjp58

I got this set in late winter last year with about 190hrs. Its a non reset unit and currently has 220hrs. I have replaced the return lines and cleaned a mouse nest out.
The first time i could i did a 24hr test run with it to check the burn rate for my houses load.

Up next i need to remove the fuel filters that are so stuck i think i might have to remove pannels to gain acess. Change all the fluids and filters as well as the fan belt. The unit has a slight fuel seep that i suspect is coming from the upper fuel tank well nut. Im going to get the set up off the ground by mounting it on some timbers.

Every person on the face of the earth who has ever changed the fuel filter, has probably wanted to blow up the gen set at one time or another. In the end, if it won't come off with a strap wrench, take off the panel. you will save much frustration and pain. The old trick of driving a screwdriver through it and turning it off will only make a HUGE mess, your wife will hate you and result in the filter tearing apart in several SHARP pieces. I have several small scars to prove that.

Panel off, strap wrench up high on the canister, apply pressure in a steady motion.

 

[Daybreak]

Every person on the face of the earth who has ever changed the fuel filter, has probably wanted to blow up the gen set at one time or another. In the end, if it won't come off with a strap wrench, take off the panel. you will save much frustration and pain. The old trick of driving a screwdriver through it and turning it off will only make a HUGE mess, your wife will hate you and result in the filter tearing apart in several SHARP pieces. I have several small scars to prove that.

Panel off, strap wrench up high on the canister, apply pressure in a steady motion.

Howdy,
YEP.
Every MEP-802 and MEP-803 has had the fuel/water filter put on by king kong dry.

Watch the sharp edges. Use a exact fit filter wrench, or a heavy strap wrench. And really really pull hard, and pull harder. It does actually come off.

 

[Bmxenbrett]

I decided to get the 802 in the garage to diag a fuel leak, change the oil, coolant and change the fuel filter that the hulk put on.

In the canister filter i found some fuel crud that built up most likely from sitting, nothing really to worry about.
My fuel leak only showed when i had fuel right up to the filler neck so i suspected the upper/return well nut. Filled it up and let it sit over night and sure enough..upper well nut. Since i was this far i decided to do the lower and clean out the fuel tank. Paint thinner works quite well for removing old diesel crud from parts. I have the fill screen soaking now.

I ordered plastic tank bulkheads that are made from brass. That info can be found on the "ultimate well nut" thread. Shipping was alot cheaper if you called.

I have a good friend who use to work in the testing laboratory at Prestone. I called him with the engine specs and said motocraft gold vc-7-b. So thats what im going to put in it for coolant.

 

[Bmxenbrett]

Got some time this weekend to finish the ultimate well nut install. The lower one required some metal removal around the hole so it could fit without taking the tank out. The upper one i made a flat sided washer to go around the tank mount.


I also took this video this morning of my 802 starting at 10* below zero. It wasnt to happy but it started.
https://youtu.be/ttrOWIsO9XA

 

[Bmxenbrett]

I picked up this horizontal diesel tank out of a aircraft generator this week. Its stainless and every bit of 3/16 thick. This thing is heavy! Easily 90lbs empty. By my measurements its 29gal.
Im debating making a skid that this would fit under the 802a.
I could also making the fuel tank vertical and put it next to it. Any thoughts? It alreaty has two suction tubes setup for horizontal.
With it not under the generator it would be preaty easy to fork lift the empty tank into my truck and the full one back in place.

 

[Guyfang]

There are several PP and PU, Power Plant, Power Unit applications that have a tank mounted under the trailer. It works well, the Aux fuel pump dosnt have a problem with it and I think its a real good idea. That's my two cents.

 

[CapePrep]

Just so I understand, when your dryer element would kick on, that 20+amps was on top of what you were showing on your Amprobe? I can't get my 802 above 20amps on L1. And showing 24+/-amps on L3 before everything just trips and goes to overload. No engine bogging or anything. I do get it to maybe 95%, but that is it. Trying to figure this one out. Your answer will help me know the capabilities of an 802.

As you may know we change the clocks tomorrow. This is when i do my full generator test on my 802a. I took this short video of my set running my house. It was running two chest freezers, one normal fridge and my electric dryer. I believe this is just under 6kw. My dryer element kicks on and off and it took the 20a+ load being dumped on it like a champ.
https://youtu.be/wR0Lfahjp58

I got this set in late winter last year with about 190hrs. Its a non reset unit and currently has 220hrs. I have replaced the return lines and cleaned a mouse nest out.
The first time i could i did a 24hr test run with it to check the burn rate for my houses load.

Up next i need to remove the fuel filters that are so stuck i think i might have to remove pannels to gain acess. Change all the fluids and filters as well as the fan belt. The unit has a slight fuel seep that i suspect is coming from the upper fuel tank well nut. Im going to get the set up off the ground by mounting it on some timbers.

 

[Chainbreaker]

View attachment 716834
...Im debating making a skid that this would fit under the 802a. I could also making the fuel tank vertical and put it next to it. Any thoughts? It alreaty has two suction tubes setup for horizontal.
With it not under the generator it would be preaty easy to fork lift the empty tank into my truck and the full one back in place.

That's a nice tank! Where is your generator stored? If outside next to house you could build a nice sturdy wood platform to raise up generator and install tank underneath in horizontal position. Since its only a 29 gallon tank and your generator is not on a trailer it would be easy to just refill your aux tank using Jerry Cans. Its best to keep your aux tank always full rather than slowly burning down fuel over time and then transporting it somewhere when its empty to refill it. Keeping full helps to keep air and moisture out of fuel and your always good to go in case of an extended pwr outage. Its also nice to have a few Jerry Cans full of treated diesel on reserve to use for topping up and in case of a longer term multi-day power outage.

 

[Bmxenbrett]

Just so I understand, when your dryer element would kick on, that 20+amps was on top of what you were showing on your Amprobe? I can't get my 802 above 20amps on L1. And showing 24+/-amps on L3 before everything just trips and goes to overload. No engine bogging or anything. I do get it to maybe 95%, but that is it. Trying to figure this one out. Your answer will help me know the capabilities of an 802.

Yes the house load shows 1.7ish amps then the element comes on. I believe the 1.7a is prob the tumbler motor in the dryer. For what its worth i have overloaded this set to the point that the engine almost shut off, durring load testing. I have never had it trip the over load. Its about 1-2A from bogging the engine in the vid.

Chainbreak
My set is way behind my detached garage. Kinda wish it could share my home heating oil tank. I have forks on my tractor locader so loading empty or full wouldnt matter. How ever i would fill it with juggs once empty so mabe i should just stick it under the set like you and guyfang are saying. I wanted to get it up off the ground anyway. Its getting a roof over it in the spring.

 

[Bmxenbrett]

Its been a few years...and we just had a power outage last night. An odd wind storm came through. 5min of wind and a little drizzle about 6:30 and we lost power until i woke up this morning at 5am.

The set now has 248hrs. I took a peak this morning and saw the last return line that i didnt change was leaking so i changed that real quick. Burned theough roughly 2.5-3gal in about 10hrs. I did notice that my oil level went down to half too. I need to look into that more.

Put a very light load on it last night, tv, fan and took a shower so a good heavy run may be needed.

I should also note that i commited a SS crime..i bought a sportsman 1000w inverter generator this week. For under $200 shipped its hard to beat. It will spend alot of its time at our off grid property.

 

[Light in the Dark]

No harm in redundant power... MEPs are nice, but not the most portable.

 

[Bmxenbrett]

Checked the oil again after a day of sitting. Still at the half mark. When these things wet stack do they pull oil from the crank case?

I have ran this unit for longer with no oil loss. Nothing is leaking becids that return line that i fixed.

 

[Zed254]

No oil. Wet stacking is caused by unburned fuel in the stack. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet_stacking

 

[Daybreak]

Howdy,

Yes, it also draws oil.

Wet stacking causes the unburned fuel to glaze the piston walls, and interfere with the rings, which will lead to oil usage.

The culprit could have been a bad break-in procedure too. The life of a diesel is really dependent upon the initial break-in of the bearings and rings in the first 100 hours of service.

 

[Zed254]

I look at it as two specific problems. Can be related, but to me: two different problems.

I'm pretty confident that my 802 is suffering from glazed piston walls from incorrect engine break-in. It was wet stacked when I got it with 425 hours on it. Maintenance had been performed late in the preceding year so I suspect it was being used. I cleaned the fuel residue out of the exhaust system with progressively more aggressive runs. When I noticed oil consumption I decided to attempt to correct the situation without a tear-down.

I've been running it hard (~100%) in an attempt to RE-break the engine in and get the rings properly set. I refilled with break in oil and ran 35 hours on it with the 10W30. Lots of oil consumption. Blow-by was suspected due to the amount of oil splashing out of dip stick tube, but a vacuum test showed good vacuum....with LOTS of pressure cycling.

I recently changed oil back to 15W40. Oil consumption has gone WAY down, but it still burns some oil. 10mm on the dip stick in the last 35 hours at ~93% power factor. Improvement has a lot to do with the heavier oil, but I think the hard runs are helping. It now has 565 hours on it.

 

[Daybreak]

Howdy,
Understanding a piston ring setup is
top ring, combustion (compression ring
middle ring, groove ring, fine oil sweep
bottom ring, oil control ring

Anytime you have glazing, pitting, scraps, sticking rings, you can burn oil, blowby, power loss etc...

 

[Bmxenbrett]

The thing thats odd is i have ran this generator with the same load (my house) for 22hrs just last year with no drop in oil.

Im going to load it in the next few days.