Purchasing Question

[superman4283]

In an earlier thread ya'll convinced me a 803 is what I need. I am wondering what are some problems ya'll look for when purchasing one?

 

[Ray70]

Are you planning to buy from a retail / private owner or are you planning to buy at auction?
They list will vary depending on where you plan to buy and if you can see it run or not.

 

[superman4283]

Probably a private owner. I don't know anything about the auction sites.

 

[Guyfang]

In an earlier thread ya'll convinced me a 803 is what I need. I am wondering what are some problems ya'll look for when purchasing one?

If I were you, I would download the TM's and asorted other things here from the TM forum, and read the operators TM, (both the engine and gen set) 2-3 times. Then thumb through the -24P TM for BOTH the engine and gen set. Then find someone near you who has one. Go look, and play with it. That way when you look at one for you, you at least know what should be there and if it works right. Reading several billion threads here in the SS forum would not hurt. I did, and don't even own one. But I wanted to get an idea about whats the problems that seem to be "everyday" problems.

 

[Light in the Dark]

Well if you can see it in person, thats best. You can look the set over for overall condition (leaking fluids, general visible maintenance condition (corrosion, sounds, etc), with your eyes see that it produces power (and possibly shown under load that it will put out whats on the data plate at least) and that all gauges read correctly. Make sure the exhaust note sounds strong and without issue. Thats easier to do when you have had more seat time with these sets, but they should hum along nicely.

What you SEE is not always indicative of overall condition (I've seen a number of sets that got the old used car oil spray treatment to make them look better than they really are), so don't always judge the book by the cover. I take videos (if requested) for folks who are inquiring with me. A few examples:

 

[superman4283]

I've been reading on here a lot. I thought there might be a thread with a list of things to look out for. I haven't seen one so I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

 

[Ray70]

Some other things to look for are the Quad fuse mod. , does the owner know how to operate it correctly ( if he starts it up and lets it idle run away! )
If he load tests it and touches the throttle to keep the engine up to speed... Run away!
As LITD said, look for leaks especially at the fuel tank well nut and the return lines from the injectors.
Look where the muffler attaches to the exhaust manifold. A wet, black oily looking stain seeping out indicates excessive wet stacking a sign the machine was possibly neglected or used improperly ( although not the end of the world )
ALSO.... don't rely on the hour meter to make your choice! I have had lots of machines in the 1000 , 2000 3000 and even 4000 hour range that performed better than ones with 20 or even 200 hours. Sometimes the low hour units were sitting around unused for a reason!
When you go to see it, be sure to let it run for a while under a heavy load.

 

[Light in the Dark]

Some other things to look for are the Quad fuse mod. , does the owner know how to operate it correctly ( if he starts it up and lets it idle run away! )
If he load tests it and touches the throttle to keep the engine up to speed... Run away!
As LITD said, look for leaks especially at the fuel tank well nut and the return lines from the injectors.
Look where the muffler attaches to the exhaust manifold. A wet, black oily looking stain seeping out indicates excessive wet stacking a sign the machine was possibly neglected or used improperly ( although not the end of the world )
ALSO.... don't rely on the hour meter to make your choice! I have had lots of machines in the 1000 , 2000 3000 and even 4000 hour range that performed better than ones with 20 or even 200 hours. Sometimes the low hour units were sitting around unused for a reason!
When you go to see it, be sure to let it run for a while under a heavy load.

100%

 

[superman4283]

I'll really need to learn the proper starting procedures.

 

[Light in the Dark]

I'll really need to learn the proper starting procedures.

The manual ending -10 is where you will want to start for that. Its the Operator Manual, and goes through all the basics of the machine.

MEP-803A, All the TM's you need

This should be all the TM's and additional information you need to work on the MEP-803A

www.steelsoldiers.com

 

[Daybreak]

Howdy,

You can go through this sticky to look at the parts. The 2nd post has quick links to lots of other neat stuff. The top of the 2nd post has a quicky startup routine, many folks forget about the emergency stop button.
3rd post has the TM's needed.

If buying at auction, or private seller NOTE: Look for the exhaust flap. No Exhaust flap could mean water damage in the engine.

MEP-802A MEP-803A Filters and Parts

Howdy, MEP-802a and MEP-803a use all the same filters and such MEP-802A ONAN DN2M 2-cylinder engine (Lister-Petter LPW2) Liquid cooled diesel, aluminum housing MEP-803A ONAN DN4M 4-cylinder engine (Lister-Petter LPW4) Liquid cooled diesel, aluminum housing Oil Filter Spin-On (FILTER ELEMENT...

www.steelsoldiers.com

 

[Guyfang]

Tell folks ahead of time. Cold Engine Start. When you show up, put your hand on the engine. Is it warm? If so, I would get back in my car and drive home.

There are about 1000 other things I would look for, some are listed above. But then this is what I did for close to 30 years. So I might have an advantage over you. But lots of things are pretty common sense. This is not rocket science. These machines are made simple, and tough as nails. Read some more threads, and the TM's. Get someone who KNOWS what its all about to teach you, or go with you.

LITD sells gen sets. He is one of the folks I have no trouble recommending. There are several more in the forum. Place an add in the forum. See who has something to sell. But get smart first.

 

[superman4283]

Thanks for the tips! I have been reading about them every chance I get.

 

[Light in the Dark]

While the TMs have pretty much all the info you could ever want or need, don't hesitate to ask any pointed questions you come across in this thread... it is yours to do with what you want, after all

 

[superman4283]

Light in the Dark helped me find a mep-803. It needs the fuse mod (waiting on parts) and I'm adding remote start. Are there any necessary modifications that need to be done to these machines? Oh and I'm going tto mouse proof it.

 

[Light in the Dark]

Hey Clark, good to see you here. The quad fuse is one of the more important, glad you got parts for that coming in. Definitely if you can add some 1/4" hardware cloth to the underside of the set with self tapping sheet metal screws (if you keep the batteries in place, those holes need not be covered... but the large cutout below the engine is a must) your machine will thank you.

If your set runs well and makes good power, you should concentrate on stocking up on preventative maintenance items... what do you need to keep the set running during an outage. Fuel, Fluids, filters, basic stuff. Never hurts to hunt down a spare belt (you will likely NEVER need to change it, but kind of important to have one on the shelf if you ever need it, as you won't be running long without one), how about if you ever spring a leak in a fuel line? All you need is some bulk fuel gates fuel line (they sell it on a spool at O Reillys, surely other places too) for the 4 main fuel lines to the metering pumps, and the return line. And some small hose clamps to secure them.

Think about what might go wrong in a reasonable scenario... if you can't get out for parts. Can always build from there.

 

[Light in the Dark]

Ray70 higher in this thread had some good recommendations (well nut, for example) on items to look at, which could also be considered items to put on the shelf).

 

[nextalcupfan]

I plan on doing the ultimate well nut mod, changing the aux fuel/low level switch, and upgrading the S1 start switch to the mk3 version.

Also thinking of swapping to one of Mr. kloppk's voltage regulators.