1st Milsurplus generator buy..think I did ok

[BadBrad1]

Well after reading thru many posts on here I rolled the dice and bought a Mep002 off the GSAauction site.

It was from PA State/Federal property warehouse.

Seems the State gets a huge amount of Federal surplus for cheap re-sale to State and local government agencies and if items are not snapped up by a local agency in a 1 year time frame they sell it off on the auction site. They had piles of everything you could imagine in the warehouse, computers, trucks, all kinds of generators...you name it.
Anyway I won the auction for $349.00 and went and picked it up, got it home and started digging into the thing and it's a mixed bag it seems:

Good:

Switches, gauges all seem functional and in good shape with exception of the fuel gauge, the gauge is good the float guides in the tank are toast.

Electrical connections are all looking pretty nice, I was surprised at the condition of wiring and terminal connections in the main control cabinet, they were like new.

Motor turned over by hand without much effort, seems no seizing issues.

Injector pump linkage moves freely.

It has fresh oil in the motor, it looks like it has never ran on the oil that is in the crankcase.

Fuel pump filter's were surprisingly clean, no particulate matter just light tea color staining. The AUX pump looked like it had never had a ounce of fuel though it, snow white and the rubber gasket still had the white talc powdery stuff new gaskets come coated with.

Coarse filter/separator had some rust in the bowl and the two fuel filters were free of visible particulates, fuels was amber but syrup thick with waxy residue in canister bowls...all cleaned out fine.

Came with 2 Military - 2hn batteries, date of manufacture 06-2011, They took a charge and it seems they will be functional.

Has a QR smart indicia US Army Reserve inventory tag on it.

It shows 196 hrs. on the HOBBS meter.

Bad:

It looks like ****, seems every spot where the green paint started to peel or anywhere rust started somebody just grabbed a can of black spray paint and splotched it all over.

The fuel tank was filled with crap, I removed it stripped it of fittings and dumped out a gallon of sludge that looked like muck and smelled like old varnish. Fuel gauge float guide rods are corroded beyond salvation so will need a new tank gauge assembly.

I need to remove and flush the remaining fuel lines and put it back together with new filters, purge the air and hopefully give a go at firing it up this weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed, if it fires off we will see how the electrics are from there.

I have noticed people have repainted these things, what kind of prep are you doing, pressure wash, engine cleaner, solvent wipe down?

Also what is a good paint to use to re-paint these short of two part catalyzing epoxies...something DIY friendly (I have a compressor and pot spray gun and a airless but no protective PPE beyond filter respirator so the nasty stuff is out .)

My ugly Mep002A

 

[davo727]

Interesting. I haven't tried any of the mil generators yet. Seems like a lot of guys have problems with getting them going, maybe more trouble than worth... ?

 

[dependable]

Nothing ugly about that. Change all fluids and filters, check out the WIKI here on the 002, download the TMs , read some threads here about the 002 in on this forum. I'd worry about paint after it was running and making power.

 

[NDT]

Looks great to me. The tank sludge is a given on most. Funny how GSA didn't get the memo from the EPA that all the military diesel powered equipment can't be sold anymore.

 

[Rapracing]

Congrats! For $349 you can put a few bucks into it and still have a deal. I wouldn't worry too much about the cosmetics.

About a year and a half ago I got an 002 from GSA. Cleaned the fuel tank, changed filters, added oil and batteries and GTG.

 

[rustystud]

You got a screaming deal on that unit my friend !!! It also looks just fine to me ! As far as the fuel tank goes, they all have crud in them ! I paid $1200.00 for my last one I bought in 2012 , so I would trade places with you in a heart beat .

 

[BadBrad1]

Well thanks for the words of encouragement guys, I hope I will have a good runner out of it.

I have downloaded the TM's, read through both them and the Wiki before purchasing the unit.

My job in the USMC was a Electronics Tech on the HAWK missile system and for the last 27 yrs. I have worked as an Electronics Tech for the US Postal Service fixing the automation equipment so I feel the electrical/electronics side will be fixable if it has issues. If I have a print I can usually isolate problems in short order.

I have lots of experience with gas motors of all flavors but never messed with diesel so that aspect will be a learning curve but it seems there is a good depth of knowledge here on the board to help out in that regard.

As to the EPA ban on sale of diesel equiped units being sold, I'm not sure exactly what all that applies to as I see liquidation sites (not just the GSA site) still have generators up for sale but have pulled truck listings so maybe it is only a vehicle ban?? I know GOVliquidators just wrapped up a sale on a large number of Mep802 gensets sold out of Crane naval base here in Indiana but they were not running and missing some parts..would have taken a good bit to get one of them up and running.

Maybe we will see them find a loophole such as everything being made innoperable by removal of some components and being sold as salvage/for parts only side stepping the "ban".

So anybody have any suggestions on paint to use once I get this beast running?

 

[dependable]

Rapco sells rattle cans of paint that is pretty close to the color of the CARC paint that is on it now.

 

[mkcoen]

Rapco sells rattle cans of paint that is pretty close to the color of the CARC paint that is on it now.

Another option is to look at the Behr paint thread. Lots of guys (myself included) have shot their vehicles with it and turned out great. Since it's water based the only thing you need protection from is your nose hairs turning green.

 

[Scar59]

You did good, even has the batteries installed. Seperate, service and charge the batteries independent of each other, make sure they will hold a load, fresh fuel, get it primed and I bet it will make power. Paint it later.

 

[Isaac-1]

I agree it sounds like you did good, the tank sender may be a hard to find part, but is at least not critical for operation. I paid $400 for a MEP-002a about 2 years ago from GL that was also an ugly duckling (brush painted CARC camo), only problems were a bad battery gauge and a bad AC voltage regulator board.

Ike

 

[BadBrad1]

Another option is to look at the Behr paint thread. Lots of guys (myself included) have shot their vehicles with it and turned out great. Since it's water based the only thing you need protection from is your nose hairs turning green.

I saw that thread and it looks amazingly good on the vehicles...my only concern using it was the fact that most of what you see on the generator is the motor and generator end, both which get quite hot in use. I was wondering how the heat would affect that type of paint.

 

[massey]

1 part rustoleum rusty red primer and 3 parts rustoleum hunter satin green makes a real nice OD color.

 

[BadBrad1]

1 part rustoleum rusty red primer and 3 parts rustoleum hunter satin green makes a real nice OD color.

That sounds like a winner I googled it and found a thread with pics of a jeep painted with that ...looked real nice!

 

[Keith_J]

It is a thing of beauty, even with the rattle can camo job. Fix the rust and make it run, then store it under cover. Run it once a week, under load until it is fully warmed up and the louvers open. For a load bank, I use water heater elements, a 4500 watt unit is perfect, just make sure it is fully under water. Five gallons of water is enough, once it boils, the engine should be at operating temperature.

 

[BadBrad1]

It is a thing of beauty, even with the rattle can camo job. Fix the rust and make it run, then store it under cover. Run it once a week, under load until it is fully warmed up and the louvers open. For a load bank, I use water heater elements, a 4500 watt unit is perfect, just make sure it is fully under water. Five gallons of water is enough, once it boils, the engine should be at operating temperature.

Ah! Thanks for the tip on using heating element for a dummy load. I was wondering what people used as I have read that extended running with no load is not healthy for diesel motors.

 

[Isaac-1]

Personally I like cheap sub $10 hair driers, they are very portable, and at around 1,500 watts each on high in the real world (for 1,875 watt on the label) they give you a fairly broad range of test loads.

 

[steelypip]

As everybody else has said, yes you got a great deal, as long as it's a runner, which it probably is. Heck, parts MEP-002As sometimes go for more than what you paid these days.

As for the paint, I'd definitely go the house paint route. Cover up all the holes and seal up the control cubicle and then pressure wash it. Wet sand as much as you feel the need, then give it the Behr imitation 383 treatment unless you want perfection.

Yes, the fuel tanks are often nasty and you've done exactly the right thing in taking it off and cleaning it out. I'd probably go after the inside of that with a pressure washer too. Gravel and chains with agitation have also been used to good effect.

Once you've got the fuel system together keep it full and you'll avoid the moisture problems you're dealing with now. Completely empty the fuel tank once a year (this involves suction and a hose as the drain valve is not in a sump in the tank bottom) and get all the moisture off the bottom if you think it's going to spend a lot of time sitting (most do), then fill it back up with fuel.

Be sure to check out your float switch and fuel pickup tube. If there's that much corrosion on the gauge assembly, you might have problems there, too. You surely don't want a pinhole in the pickup tube...

Lastly, yes you want to be able to load it to rated power. Most folks prefer resistive loads because they're easier to monitor and measure. A strip heater and blower, a cook top boiling several pots of water, water heater elements, space heaters - all work. I've actually had a little trouble getting consistent load from hair dryers - they'll cycle the heating elements on and off on a hot day. No matter what you do, put an ammeter shunt in line to your load so you know what kind of current your really putting into the load - the gauges on the gen set are both unreliable and inconsistent.

Lastly, get a kill-a-watt, or even better, get two kill-a-watts so you can measure the voltage on both legs simultaneously if you're doing 240/2 leg like most of us do. They also make excellent frequency meters, which is handy, because the frequency meter is the least reliable gauge on the MEP-002 and MEP-003.

 

[acesneights1]

Looks great to me. The tank sludge is a given on most. Funny how GSA didn't get the memo from the EPA that all the military diesel powered equipment can't be sold anymore.

Different situation. GSA is selling from municipal entities. GL is in contract with DoD/DLA.

 

[glassk]

Mine had 18 Hours on it, I did go with a spin on water separator ,... I think you will like it more when you get to working on it and running it,