New to me - MEP-003A

[Mr4btTahoe]

Tank sealed... Now to wait.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

Got some work done tonight. Fuel system is buttoned back up. Parts came in to make my load bank so will likely do that sometime this week..

Also received a neat goody that will make it look better after it's repainted.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

More progress. Got the new Dorman throttle cable installed ($50)... Buttoned up the air box and engine ground... Can refuel tomorrow.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

And more progress...

Finished servicing the unit.. installed a new oil filter from 1990... Found that the last person to service it had double o-ringed the filter by accident.

With the ground repaired, the glow plugs and intake heaters are working great.

Now it's ready for pressure washing and paint .. then out to the pad for load testing.

Primed the fuel system and no leaks.

Cranked it over and it fired up pretty easily. Starter spins the motor over quite a bit faster. Oil pressure was solid... Throttle adjustment easy.. and the 24v charging system is now working.

Still need to adjust the starter switch. Otherwise, all is working well.

I'll post up video when I get some time.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

A short video of the initial start after all the work and testing the charging system. Excuse the shop... its currently a disaster. More to come next week.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

Got the unit cleaned up today... degreased and pressure washed. Then got all the sheet metal put back on and got to let it run for a good bit to check things over. Have a fuel line leaking and the starter switch is frozen apparently as the contacts don't separate once running... but it's getting there.

 

[Chainbreaker]

Sounds like you got it running pretty well. BTW, I recall some older threads on adjusting the "start control switch assembly" that might help with troubleshooting your starter switch freezing. Just do a Forum search and you should find them.

Did you remove the bolts holding the air cleaner housing in place or are they missing? Didn't see the cannister vibrating though.

Be careful how much load you pull through the convenience outlets. IIRC, they don't come off both legs and can create an unbalanced gen head load if too much load for too long possibly causing overheating in the gen head windings.

Once you get it all dialed in and ready for battle you need a good 220 V stepped load that you can work up to a full load to put it through its paces.

Good job so far!

 

[Guyfang]

If the starter is "stuck", try inspecting/testing/adjusting the S7 switch. That is the switch you have disconnected. That is what Chainbreaker ment by start control I think. The TM's are your best friend.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

If the starter is "stuck", try inspecting/testing/adjusting the S7 switch. That is the switch you have disconnected. That is what Chainbreaker ment by start control I think. The TM's are your best friend.

The S7 switch is what is stuck. The button in the center doesn't move and open the contacts as it should (at least that's how I think it works). I had it unhooked to set the running point gap.. which is when I noticed that it wasn't moving at all.

I need to pull it off and clean it up on the bench.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

Sounds like you got it running pretty well. BTW, I recall some older threads on adjusting the "start control switch assembly" that might help with troubleshooting your starter switch freezing. Just do a Forum search and you should find them.

Did you remove the bolts holding the air cleaner housing in place or are they missing? Didn't see the cannister vibrating though.

Be careful how much load you pull through the convenience outlets. IIRC, they don't come off both legs and can create an unbalanced gen head load if too much load for too long possibly causing overheating in the gen head windings.

Once you get it all dialed in and ready for battle you need a good 220 V stepped load that you can work up to a full load to put it through its paces.

Good job so far!

The load bank I'm putting together is a 220v setup utilizing 3 - 4500w heater elements. I may pick up a couple lower wattage elements just to dial in the load for different units. They will all be connected to a breaker panel and each element can be energized individually.

 

[Guyfang]

The S7 switch is what is stuck. The button in the center doesn't move and open the contacts as it should (at least that's how I think it works). I had it unhooked to set the running point gap.. which is when I noticed that it wasn't moving at all.

I need to pull it off and clean it up on the bench.

Thats the way it should work. Have you read the TM on adjustment? If not, then its kinda hard to get it right. Yep, you can pull it out and clean it up. But reinstall it IAW the TM, then adjust it. Every once in a while they go bad, but TEST before tossing it.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

Thats the way it should work. Have you read the TM on adjustment? If not, then its kinda hard to get it right. Yep, you can pull it out and clean it up. But reinstall it IAW the TM, then adjust it. Every once in a while they go bad, but TEST before tossing it.

Correct. I was attempting to adjust it as per the TM. I set the contact to barely touching with the engine off. Started the generator and the contacts never moved. Disconnected the switch and adjusted to .040" while running as per the TM. Shut down and contacts never closed. I'll pull it apart sometime this week.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

Getting close... Just a bit left before it's ready to sit in place.

5' paint job... But it'll help protect it a bit. The $40 Amazon gun I was using went haywire on the last pass and I ended up with some runs... But oh well. It ain't going to prom and it looks far better than it did when it came home.

It's showing up brighter in the pictures.. and it's not fully cured. It's a satin finish so the gloss will be gone.

 

[Chainbreaker]

Not a bad paint job and looks refreshed and better than the one it came with. Color on my screen looks Shamrock Green! Maybe going to be a lucky genset for you!

By the way, is that an Austin Healey Sprite I see sitting behind it in the last picture?

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

Not a bad paint job and looks refreshed and better than the one it came with. Color on my screen looks Shamrock Green! Maybe going to be a lucky genset for you!

By the way, is that an Austin Healey Sprite I see sitting behind it in the last picture?

MGB. Its a customer of mine. His dad has a Sprite. I rebuilt the Sprite last year and am now going through the MGB front to back. I turn wrenches on the side.

 

[Mr4btTahoe]

Doing some load testing today. Put a 33a load in the unit and let it run for 1/2hr or so. No smoke.. no oddities... just chugged right along.

Btw... 4500w water heater elements don't actually use 4500w. Closer to 3800 each.

Anyways... the freq. gauge was on 60hz.. decided to hook my Kill-a-watt up to the 110 outlet and it was riding at 57hz. Brought it up to 60 on the KAW and it nearly pegged the oem gauge.

Which would you trust? Only 2 elements on.

 

[Chainbreaker]

Given the MEP-002/-003 transducers that feed that hertz meter are prone to failure I would lean towards trusting the Kill-A-Watt meter.

For about $10 you can replace the Transducer with the new model OEM transducer that Light In The Dark recently posted here.

 

[Guyfang]

Given the MEP-002/-003 transducers that feed that hertz meter are prone to failure I would lean towards trusting the Kill-A-Watt meter.

For about $10 you can replace the Transducer with the new model OEM transducer that Light In The Dark recently posted here.

Of course. The kill a watt meter. Always.

Now, if the freq transducer is one of the older types, take it off the back wall of the control cube. remove the AC input wires. Some of the freq transducers had a metal plate on the bottom. Some didn't. But under the bottom of the plate or the housing, should be 2-3 pots. I forget how many. They should be labeled. Hook up wall power to the input side of the transducer. Hook the kill a watt meter up in parallel to the AC input wires. Look at the Kill a watt meter, and adjust one of the pots to raise the out put signal to the meter, and coincide with the Kill a watt meter. Cant hurt to take a look see. If it doesn't work, get the new one.