MEP-25A engine issues

[BT13Guy]

Good Morning all,

Finished fixing up my little MEP-25A 24v DC gen set. Once I put a new fuel line on her (one without a crack normally helps) She fired right up with a little starter fluid, and two pulls.

However, i started getting a milky oil coming out of the governor shaft area into the carb. She was running very well but once she warmed up the oil/fuel leak got worse and I shut her down. Thought I over-serviced the oil reservoir, but when I opened the oil tank plug, I drained very milky fuel soaked oil out of the bottom of the engine.

Tech specs on it:
MEP-25A 24v DC unit - 1968 mfg/and issued
2A016-III engine

Fingers crossed I am not as screwed as I think I am with this little motor.

Ideas?

r/Gunny

 

[Guyfang]

The milky part is water. The reason fuel is in it is because the diaphragm in the mechanical fuel pump is bad. This is the only way fuel and oil can mix, other then bad rings. If it ran well, I do not think the rings are the problem.

 

[BT13Guy]

The milky part is water. The reason fuel is in it is because the diaphragm in the mechanical fuel pump is bad. This is the only way fuel and oil can mix, other then bad rings. If it ran well, I do not think the rings are the problem.

Guyfang, ok I will pull the fuel pump, I have a brand new one from Saturnsurplus. It has really good compression's, and I had suspected rings but it runs very well. I did get all of the water out of the unit when I went through it to get ready to run, I guess by milky oil I meant it was heavily diluted with fuel. I will swap out the pump and see what happens.

Fingers crossed that it wasn't pistons and rings....it has about 120-130 hours on it, very low time according to the paperwork I received with it from Army DRMO.
Thanks again. I am off to the hangar to repair....

r/Dan

 

[BT13Guy]

Well that did the trick!! Running great and charged our aircraft battery right up!!

Thanks Herr Guyfang!!

r/Gunny

 

[BT13Guy]

Here is our set up.

 

[BT13Guy]

Another

 

[Guyfang]

Gimme some close ups. Is it with electronic ignition? If it hasn't run in a long time, put some carb cleaner in it. Start easy? Or do you have to crank a while. I like the wheels and tow bar. We did the same with a 3KW that was DC gen set, so we could jump off trucks in the winter. Since it's yellow, looks like you are on a flight line.

 

[BT13Guy]

Here are some close ups of the generator. Yes we are on a flight line. We will be using this little guy to start our 1942 Mitsubishi A6M3-32 Zero fighter. It has a P&W 1830 in it, hence the 24v start cart requirement.


It ran for about 45 minutes and charged this 24v aircraft battery with no problem. I am now fabricating a battery cart that will go between the generator set - to the ground 24v battery - then to the 24v DC plug on the aircraft.

Put some marvel mystery oil in the fuel, about a cap-full, then a cap-full into oil. Using NON-ETHANOL gas, and it is up and running after I R&R'd that bad fuel pump.

 

[Guyfang]

Is this one of the john Sterling recovered wrecks? I read something about them a few years ago. What other birds do you have there?

In some of the first pictures, it looked like you are missing some of the Engine Skin. If you ever get a chance, pick up some, as it keeps the engine cooler. Your lucky that it has the plastic tank. The steel tanks were crap. The fact that all 4 turn-lock studs on the control panel lid are still there is a sign of a well kept gen set! VERY rare!! Hope you downloaded all the manuals from SS TM forum. If its a pain to get it primed, after long periods of non use, in the middle of the top side of the Carb, is a brass plug. It has a long brass "rod" that goes down into the carb float chamber. Take the plug out and dribble some fuel into the hole, and it starts easier.

 

[BT13Guy]

Guyfang,

I have all of the cooling shrouds, I was repainting them. I will install today when I am done building the rack that will hold our 24v aircraft battery.

This A6M3 is out of the Marshal Islands group, an Island called Tarowa, not the Marine Corps battle of Tarawa Island. It was recovered in late 1990. Intact, except for the engine, it was demolitioned by the Japanese by order of the US troops on the island at the time. It originally went to the Evergreen Air museum in McMinville Oregon. We have since purchased the aircraft and are completing the restoration.

To date we have built (4) Me-262 replica fighter jets, (1) Static Display Me-262 (at Evergreen Museum) (1) Me-262 restoration for the US Navy Air Museum in Pensacola FL, (1) Me-163 Comet for the Paul Allen museum, (1) static display FW-190.

Currently in restoration here in Everett is the A6M3-32, as well as a 1936 Lockheed Electra 12a Jr. the name of our little company is Legend Flyers LLC, we are based at Paine Field (KPAE), just north of Seattle in the city of Everett. I will post a couple of pics if it is ok with the admins here.

The 24v generator is just the ticket for our projects. I bought it along with a USAF Hydraulic Mule with a Wisconsin engine....that is my next project.....!

r/Dan

 

[BT13Guy]

Here is what we started with

Where we are today

Tail section completed

 

[Guyfang]

Guyfang,

I have all of the cooling shrouds, I was repainting them. I will install today when I am done building the rack that will hold our 24v aircraft battery.

This A6M3 is out of the Marshal Islands group, an Island called Tarowa, not the Marine Corps battle of Tarawa Island. It was recovered in late 1990. Intact, except for the engine, it was demolitioned by the Japanese by order of the US troops on the island at the time. It originally went to the Evergreen Air museum in McMinville Oregon. We have since purchased the aircraft and are completing the restoration.

To date we have built (4) Me-262 replica fighter jets, (1) Static Display Me-262 (at Evergreen Museum) (1) Me-262 restoration for the US Navy Air Museum in Pensacola FL, (1) Me-163 Comet for the Paul Allen museum, (1) static display FW-190.

Currently in restoration here in Everett is the A6M3-32, as well as a 1936 Lockheed Electra 12a Jr. the name of our little company is Legend Flyers LLC, we are based at Paine Field (KPAE), just north of Seattle in the city of Everett. I will post a couple of pics if it is ok with the admins here.

The 24v generator is just the ticket for our projects. I bought it along with a USAF Hydraulic Mule with a Wisconsin engine....that is my next project.....!

r/Dan

Dan,

I have been following off and on the ME-262 projects for several years. Love that bird! Was out helping someone I know look for ME-262 parts in a field in the old DDR. Supposed to have been an airfield. There was a ditch there that we dug up all kinds of aircraft "stuff", but it looked like junk to me.

Been to Paine field a long time ago, 1980. Was stationed at Lewis. A nut fellow Platoon Sergent had a plane there. He was from the Red Zone, up by St Helens.

Yes, please, if it OK, post some pictures. Cant never get enough War Bird pictures.

Guy Wiltfang

 

[Guyfang]

Sweet, sweet, sweet!

 

[Chainbreaker]

Very impressive restoration you have underway on that bird! Also, aren't there like only just a small handful, ~8 or so, of Lockheed Electra 12a Jr's that are restored and in flying condition? Beautiful airplanes!

I've passed by the Evergreen Museum in McMinnville (on the way to pick up a generator purchase) but didn't have time to stop in. I'm gonna have to make time to drop in and take the tour especially with the Spruce Goose on display. I flew with a close friend who has a T34 up to Oskosh one year and got in a little stick time on the way up...fun plane to fly! Oshkosh is another visit I need schedule, again, the first time I went I drooled for a week!

Keep up the great work on those restorations your company has underway!

 

[BT13Guy]

Chainbreaker,

Thanks for the words of encouragement. The Zero has been a handful for sure!! Over 4 years of labor in her as of now. The Lockheed 12a Jr. is a rare bird for sure. There are (7) I know of that are still airworthy in the US, a few more abroad. Ours used to belong to Conoco Oil in the late 30's and then went to RCAF for the war and then back to the US in 1946 with a few small airlines until 1980 when it was purchased by a gentlemen in Colorado where we bought her from.

Here is a picture of the Lockheed being delivered to Conoco Oil in Texas, behind a beautiful Braniff Airways Lockheed 12a as well.

Here she is today



Excited to get going full time on her restoration. Going back to full 1937 delivery colors and interior. Should be fun.
Funny you mentioned a T-34 to Oshkosh, I just flew a T-34C up to Arlington Airshow here in Seattle on saturday. T-34C turbine mentor. What a hoot to fly. My buddy keeps it here at Paine Field, so it was a quick hop over to the fly in, but still great fun to fly.

The Evergreen Museum is well worth the visit!!!! Our Me-262 is there, as well as our FW-190, and of course the Spruce Goose!!

 

[Chainbreaker]

Wow, your Lockheed Electra looks to have an amazingly complete instrument panel with all gauges appearing to be intact. That should be a fun restoration project but with lots of work ahead...but I'm sure its a labor of love!

I bet the T-34C turbine was a kick in the pants to fly for sure! My long time friend who lives in Houston, and has the T-34 we took up to Oshkosh, is a member of the T-34 association and is currently secretary of the association.

I will have to work in a visit to the Evergreen Museum this fall after I get all my summer projects completed. Yesterday I just bought another MEP-002a generator that is going to need restoration itself... prior to my ownership vandals cut out ALL the wiring harnesses just for the small amount of copper contained in the sections they removed. I'm gonna have to find a complete wiring harness or attempt to build one myself as they at least left the connectors intact.

 

[Guyfang]

The -34 manual gives you all the info to make a harness, but man, wait till winter when you cant go out. I have done some repairs, using all the right wire and pins/connectors. Was a lot of work.

 

[BT13Guy]

Chainbreaker,

I will have to look into the -34 manual, but I bet I could manufacture those harnesses in my hangar shop for the cost of materials. I have a full electrical bench and harness table. Snap me some pics of the connectors and I can see what I can do.

Here are some pics of a radio/transponder box I made for the Zero. we had to fabricate one from scratch as the original Japanese radios are long since gone, we have simulated ones to go in for airshows and etc, but we needed functional modern set for the aircraft to fly safely and in FAA regs.



here is the Dynon radio we went with, it is affixed to the fake 7.7mm machine guns, for ease of use for the pilot. RH gun receiver.

 

[Chainbreaker]

The -34 manual gives you all the info to make a harness, but man, wait till winter when you cant go out. I have done some repairs, using all the right wire and pins/connectors. Was a lot of work.

Yeah, sounds like a rainy winter day project for sure!

 

[Chainbreaker]

Chainbreaker,

I will have to look into the -34 manual, but I bet I could manufacture those harnesses in my hangar shop for the cost of materials. I have a full electrical bench and harness table. Snap me some pics of the connectors and I can see what I can do.

Here are some pics of a radio/transponder box I made for the Zero. we had to fabricate one from scratch as the original Japanese radios are long since gone, we have simulated ones to go in for airshows and etc, but we needed functional modern set for the aircraft to fly safely and in FAA regs.

View attachment 773854View attachment 773855View attachment 773856View attachment 773857View attachment 773858View attachment 773861View attachment 773859

here is the Dynon radio we went with, it is affixed to the fake 7.7mm machine guns, for ease of use for the pilot. RH gun receiver.
View attachment 773860View attachment 773862

Thanks for the kind offer, that may be an option if I am not up to the task or can't find a used one for sale. I won't receive my generator in until sometime next week after it ships. So I'll have to wait to closely inspect the damage to determine whats needed, so will take some photos then.

Wow, you guys do some REALLY NICE work! Where was the Zero's hull recovered from? Looks like you would have to re-fabricate 99% of the air-frame. Do you work off of original mfg plans to replicate?