Common failures of the MEP-002 and MEP-003 gensets

[Crawdaddy]

What are the common failures of the MEP 002 and 003 gensets? It seems like the major issues come from the engine.

So far, I haven't been able to figure out what the failure was with the 003 I recently got, but it must have been engine-related. It apparently had the injector lines removed and reinstalled with one missing, starter lines disconnected, and probably the heads pulled because the oil line going to the heads is disconnected. There's something missing on the oil lines as I have a broken fitting. I'm also missing part of the engine wiring harness including the started lockout plug and wiring.

Tommorow, I'm going to call Delk's and see if they can get me a wiring harness, injector line, and a master switch. Any suggestions on other suppliers that might have these somewhat odd parts? Saturn doesn't seem to have any real genset parts.

So, what are the common failures I should be looking out for with these gensets? Thanks for the help.

 

[steelandcanvas]

From what I've read here on SS, it seems like the Voltage Regulator Board has alot of failures. I'm sure Gary or Ike or Tom will chime in on this thread....I'm still a Novice on 003A's

 

[Crawdaddy]

Luckily, the voltage regulator board is very simple to replace. Also it seems they're had pretty easily.

 

[glcaines]

I have had minimal problems with my MEP-003A, mostly some loose wires. I have used my genset fairly often since I got it and it has proven to be very reliable. Since I have had minimal problems, I don't have a lot of experience with the MEP-003A other than preventive maintenance. In my opinion the weakest part is the VR, but these are commonly damaged by idling the engine. The engine should never be idled. Shut it down at normal operating RPM and when re-started it will come up to operating RPM immediately. I power the entire house with mine as backup, and tow it to remote locations for power on my property when needed.

 

[Speddmon]

I don't know of any "Common" failures Most of the people who have troubles with them are due to their own mistakes. Like Gary said, don't idle the engine, don't remove the batteries while it's running to see if your charging system will keep it running. Don't hold the start switch for more than 10 to 15 seconds MAX or you'll be repairing the electronics sooner or later. I know of no major engine failures other than timing issues that members have with sets that they get. Mostly because of old diesel in the tank and lines gumming up the Injection Pump. When the pump is replaced/repaired, the timing is not set correctly usually, and needs to be done again.

Those are the most common issues I can think of with the sets, but I can't classify any of them as failures because like I said, it's usually the owners mistakes leading up to the problems.

 

[steelypip]

To expand on Speddmon's post a little, it's important to remember that these machines have usually been sitting unused for a year or more before you get one home.

It's important to resist temptation and a) read the manual so that you know how to operate the thing (procedure for purging the fuel system of air before starting comes to mind) and,

b) go over it carefully before you try to fire it up. Assume there's crud in the fuel system. Assume that parts may be missing. Assume that there's no oil in the crankcase and no filters anywhere. Assume that one or more fuel pump doesn't work. Assume that the gunge in the fuel system has made the injection pump varnish up and stick.

A little careful reading here reveals clever ideas like filling the last fuel filter with solvent (marvel mystery oil was suggested) and priming the fuel system without starting until you hear fuel trickling back into the tank, then stop and leave it for a day or two. I did this, then, before starting, I gently turned the engine through by hand (there's a convenient bolt head on the flywheel and a removable plug on the air intake fan grille) and verified that nothing was binding and no unusual effort was required.

The point being is that they don't seem to tolerate fools quite as well as a deuce does. If you run them as directed you will find them very reliable. All the services settled on this pattern of generator for almost 30 years. I doubt they would have remained in service so long if they'd been lemons.

 

[Crawdaddy]

It does look like the pump has been pulled at some time on mine as evidenced by the IP missing a nut to hold the IP to the block. I wonder if that's the issue. That could possibly explain why they took the injection lines loose and put all but 1 back, the oil line they never reconnected. That doesn't explain why the wiring harness is butchered, but that could have been partially stealing parts off the set for other sets. The set only has around 200 hours on it.

I guess while looking for parts I know I'm missing, I'll try spinning the engine manually and check the filters and such then pull the IP and check its condition and make sure it's properly timed while I'm at it. I won't say I've read the entirety of all 3 manuals, but I've been reading them and saw the warnings about not idling, how to prime the fuel system, and proper startup procedures. Seems simple enough to operate with some common sense. The only things that caught me by surprise were no idling and how to modify the set to prevent the double fault when running in 120V single-phase.

 

[orren]

Unhook batteries question

You say not to unhook batteries when running unit. Why? What will this do or not do? I did this for a very short time and the DC indicator gauge went all the way over to the right but that was all I noticed happening.

The reason I would like to do this is because I start the unit with my duece only and don't have batteries for the genset; would like to be able to disconnect the duece after starting genset.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks for your help.

Orren

I don't know of any "Common" failures Most of the people who have troubles with them are due to their own mistakes. Like Gary said, don't idle the engine, don't remove the batteries while it's running to see if your charging system will keep it running. Don't hold the start switch for more than 10 to 15 seconds MAX or you'll be repairing the electronics sooner or later. I know of no major engine failures other than timing issues that members have with sets that they get. Mostly because of old diesel in the tank and lines gumming up the Injection Pump. When the pump is replaced/repaired, the timing is not set correctly usually, and needs to be done again.

Those are the most common issues I can think of with the sets, but I can't classify any of them as failures because like I said, it's usually the owners mistakes leading up to the problems.

 

[Crawdaddy]

Orren, from what I have read, disconnecting batteries while the generator is running causes damage to the electronics because the alternator can not regulate the voltage fast enough. This causes a voltage spike like you saw on the meter and cooks the electronics.

 

[Speddmon]

Not so much the electronics, but the DC voltage regulator doesn't like the voltage spike, and niether do the capicitors on the fuel pumps....most of the DC components will not like a voltage spike like that.

Do yourself a favor and get a pair of batteries for the generator. If you can't afford new ones right away, you can get tested used ones at a junkyard for like $10 to $20 each. They will not last as long as new ones, but for that kind of money....who cares

 

[TPK]

I know this thread is old, but in case anyone else reads it there is a way to disconnect the batteries safely while the gen is running. In the TM's there is a procedure to check the battery charging system. It involves replacing the batteries in the charging system with a resistor (Don't recall exactly the resistance, but I believe its somewhere around 12 ohms, and the TM also states the wattage needed). The resistor goes across the two battery leads so you can use a volt meter to check the amperage flow into the batteries using ohm's law. Then you disconnect the batteries to check the system while the resistor now substitutes for the batteries in the system - (which normalizes the system so there is no damage from spikes - the resistor 'fools' the VR so it operates normally as it 'sees' the similar internal resistance of the batteries. I do not know if you can run the gen safely for an extended time like this, but at least it can be done.