Mep016d voltage. Please help

[doghead]

I'm surprised there is no data plate on the unit to show connections.

 

[Gunzy]

Here is a drawing. Generator is not tapped to a neutral in 120v mode which I find as odd but it's the way I understand it. It's for 16bView attachment 661863

I would have never guessed you would get 60vac from each leg to get 120vac. Learn something new everyday

The 240v 1ph pic is showing the wrong voltage. It should show 240V.

 

[Dwnorton1]

The 240v 1ph pic is showing the wrong voltage. It should show 240V.

I see what you are talking about. A whole thread could be started just from the winding configurations on the Mep-016 units.

 

[dstang97]

I see what you are talking about. A whole thread could be started just from the winding configurations on the Mep-016 units.

You need to add a jumper to get 240/120 split. If you are not already aware of it.

 

[Dwnorton1]

Was not aware of that. Sounds like might be time for some light reading on my part from the TM

 

[Guyfang]

Was not aware of that. Sounds like might be time for some light reading on my part from the TM

Should have been your first stop, in this adventure. The TM shows the jumper, and has a warning about it. So yeah, its good to read.

As soon as you said 60 volts, I thought you were measuring phase, and no neutral. 60 volts is half of 120 volts. One leg, without N, gets you half the normal output. I had this same problem here in germany, but with 220 volts. I was troubleshooting a problem, and came up with 110 volts, when I measured from L1, L2 and L3 to N. Turned out my N was broken. It took me a while to get it, and even then my partner had to wack me one on the head.

If I had any choice of gen sets, the MEP-16 anything, would be the last. I just never had much luck with them. Any of them. As for reliability, they were far down the list until the diesel engine came along. The wiring was always a problem. And mice love to crawl into the control cabinet from the underside, where the cables run in. EVERY spring, we found most if not all of the sets with unauthorized dwellers in the control cube. The AC volt adjustment rheostat tends to need cleaning often, and breaks easy. I could go on and on. The only good thing I can say for the set is that the volt regulator fits 4-5 different types of gen sets, and is, or was easy to get. The regulators were also something we kept in a hidden drawer, because we often needed one. The big difference between you and what we were doing is that we ran 4 sets, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, years on end.

Take a good look at your wiring. Don't forget, it might be as old as you! If not older. Because the sets were originally gassers, they vibrated lots. The wire harness was often damaged. Shorts in the control cube happened a lot. The F-1 and F-2 wire that run from the first two terminals on the left side of the regulator often broke at the connectors.
If you leave it outside, put canvas over the control cube. They were famous for leaking water into the control cube, through the turnlock screws that hold the lid shut.

 

[Dwnorton1]

Thank you so much for your wealth of information Guyfang. I don't actually have one of these units myself, just saw a fellow steel soldier needing help which sent me on a learning adventure. After all of this I have no desire to have one either. For that I thank you.

 

[dependable]

The 240v 1ph pic is showing the wrong voltage. It should show 240V.

Yes, be aware there are multiple mistakes in the TM's for these units.

 

[dstang97]

Thank you so much for your wealth of information Guyfang. I don't actually have one of these units myself, just saw a fellow steel soldier needing help which sent me on a learning adventure. After all of this I have no desire to have one either. For that I thank you.

Mep002a/3 are much better

 

[Dwnorton1]

Yes, be aware there are multiple mistakes in the TM's for these units.

I know what is wrong with their TM, I just checked. They didn't have proper form with chick Telling you to send in the dope on the problem.

 

[Guyfang]

You need to check out Connie and Bonny in the 60's and 70's. They were fine!

All kidding aside, the military hates to update manuals. It costs money. When I was on active, I submitted a boat load of TM changes. A few came out long after I retired. What a waste.

 

[Dwnorton1]

Wow I'm thinking same thing keep is!!!!!

 

[rustystud]

Should have been your first stop, in this adventure. The TM shows the jumper, and has a warning about it. So yeah, its good to read.

As soon as you said 60 volts, I thought you were measuring phase, and no neutral. 60 volts is half of 120 volts. One leg, without N, gets you half the normal output. I had this same problem here in germany, but with 220 volts. I was troubleshooting a problem, and came up with 110 volts, when I measured from L1, L2 and L3 to N. Turned out my N was broken. It took me a while to get it, and even then my partner had to wack me one on the head.

If I had any choice of gen sets, the MEP-16 anything, would be the last. I just never had much luck with them. Any of them. As for reliability, they were far down the list until the diesel engine came along. The wiring was always a problem. And mice love to crawl into the control cabinet from the underside, where the cables run in. EVERY spring, we found most if not all of the sets with unauthorized dwellers in the control cube. The AC volt adjustment rheostat tends to need cleaning often, and breaks easy. I could go on and on. The only good thing I can say for the set is that the volt regulator fits 4-5 different types of gen sets, and is, or was easy to get. The regulators were also something we kept in a hidden drawer, because we often needed one. The big difference between you and what we were doing is that we ran 4 sets, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, years on end.

Take a good look at your wiring. Don't forget, it might be as old as you! If not older. Because the sets were originally gassers, they vibrated lots. The wire harness was often damaged. Shorts in the control cube happened a lot. The F-1 and F-2 wire that run from the first two terminals on the left side of the regulator often broke at the connectors.
If you leave it outside, put canvas over the control cube. They were famous for leaking water into the control cube, through the turnlock screws that hold the lid shut.

And that is why I just chucked the whole gen-head on mine and bought a "modern" gen-head to attach to my Yanmar engine. I was getting 60 volts out of one winding, 30 out of another and 120 out of the third ! But after running it awhile it would change ! The windings where totally shorting out. The wires where so brittle they would break if you looked at them wrong ! The only saving grace was the brand new Yanmar engine it had on it. I'm just sorry I spent over $300.00 in parts trying to fix that old gen-head.

 

[rustystud]

You need to check out Connie and Bonny in the 60's and 70's. They were fine!

No kidding ! I remember guys hiding their copies of PS magazines to keep others from stealing them. Of course that kind of view of women is no longer tolerated in our military due to all the "Fema-Nazis" out there. I was never disrespectful to any woman or to any woman who was my boss. I gave respect where respect was due irregardless of their sex. Those "degrading" depictions of women never "warped" my mind and I never knew of anyone whose mind was warped either. But then I'm just a disgusting creature of my time.

 

[Guyfang]

When I retired from active, I gave away ALL, (as in compleat) the P.S. magazines, from 1967, to Jan-1993. I had a bunch of them from before 1967, but not complete years. Wherever I went, when ever I poked around an old motor pool, when I went to a Pubs NCO, when I went to the TM library, what ever. I asked about looking for old copies. I found them everyplace. I had then in some wooden boxes I made, to keep them ship, shape. What a world of knowledge. I am sure they all wound up in the garbage sooner or later. Sad, Sad.

 

[dstang97]

Let's say I wanted to run some sensitive equipment that needed 110 like a tv or computer. Would I run the generator at the 110v setting or the 220v and only run one leg?

 

[Dwnorton1]

They should be a collectors item, I would think.

 

[Dwnorton1]

Let's say I wanted to run some sensitive equipment that needed 110 like a tv or computer. Would I run the generator at the 110v setting or the 220v and only run one leg?[/QUOTE

On a normal generator it would make no difference if it was 120vac or 240vac(as long as it is 3 wire H-H-N) because the voltage is not what determines "cleaness" of power. I looked back at you're schematics again and got frightened again. I have no idea how electronics would respond to 60vac per leg with no ground reference. I think if I were going to hook up to it I would run in 3 phase configuration. It's the only one that looks normal.

 

[DieselAddict]

Let's say I wanted to run some sensitive equipment that needed 110 like a tv or computer. Would I run the generator at the 110v setting or the 220v and only run one leg?

I hate to say this out loud on this forum but.. If that is the majority of what you are trying to run on generator power I would recommend that you sell the green monster to a collector and buy a Honda EU2000. Quiet, modern, totally fuel efficient, extremely good power quality, and reliable. Done.

 

[rustystud]

When I retired from active, I gave away ALL, (as in compleat) the P.S. magazines, from 1967, to Jan-1993. I had a bunch of them from before 1967, but not complete years. Wherever I went, when ever I poked around an old motor pool, when I went to a Pubs NCO, when I went to the TM library, what ever. I asked about looking for old copies. I found them everyplace. I had then in some wooden boxes I made, to keep them ship, shape. What a world of knowledge. I am sure they all wound up in the garbage sooner or later. Sad, Sad.

All I can say is I wished I had been there when you gave them all away ! I never throw away any book, especially a book with technical information in it. My father told me of the stuff they threw out after the war (WWII) . All those manuals and tools and such. He felt sick doing it then and even years later wished there had been a way he could have saved even a little of it. There are manuals I have spent decades looking for and probably don't even exist now because someone thought there was no use for them anymore.