Do genset work?

[two.fiveM35]

Hey Guys, I have been tossing around the idea of getting a genset from GL. Ever since hurricane Ike my wife keeps bugging me to get a generator. We have never had a us for one except after Ike, and I have no place to store the thing. Now, if I can get one on a trailer to pull in back of the deuce, she wins and I win. I would need one big enough to power the a/c in our travel trailer and freezers in the house. My question is;

Are the gensets that GL is offering in working condition or are most of them that you guys are getting needing repairs?

Can they be services at a local generator service facility?

Thanks, eric

 

[doghead]

Maybe and no.

Honestly, every item you bid on anything from GL, it's a total crap-shoot.

Unless you are your own mechanic and electrical technician, I would not recommend a mil surplus gen set.

 

[WillWagner]

And they are way old school. You are better off going to HF, Northern Tool or your local Kragan. You won't use it much, but it will be there when you do need it. To run A/C and freezers plus lighting, 4000w minimum.

 

[Isaac-1]

I have bought 3 generators from GL, one small 3KW MEP-701a, and 2 larger commercial standby diesels, a 30KW Kohler and a 125KW Onan of the three only the MEP-701a was a ready to run when I bought it. (It did have a small pinhole oil leak in the oil cooler though, I found a replacement oil cooler on ebay for about $40). The Kohler had been pulled from a sheltered / indoor installation with remote exhaust, no muffler was included, someone had taped a trash bag over the exhaust manifold which had rotted away allowing the oil pan to fill with a gallon or so of water. The engine was lightly seized and there were some minor instrumentation problems (bad oil pressure sensor, battery gauge, bad ground point/poor design on the coolant sensors), I was able to free up the engine and get it running thanks to a good week long soak in ATF/Marvel mystery oil combo. So after a few hours of work over the course of a week repairing the damage done in removal and by GL (cut hoses to drain fluids, crushed/scraped battery cables, missing filters, clogged fuel lines) I was able to get it to start. The Onan was somewhere in between, it was missing a $300+ control circuit board, and caused no lack of trouble to get running that was eventually traced to a corroded ground stub in the control box and a clogged fuel strainer in the electric fuel pump, for 30 years and 695 hours of run time it looks like the government changed the oil/fuel and air filters every 6 months if it needed them or not, but never once cleaned the strainer in the fuel pump.


So to sum it up, my luck has been 1 for 3 on being in running condition, but 3 for 3 on being economically repairable.

Ike

 

[Isaac-1]

My "3KW" MEP-701a will run my fridge and freezer, plus a 5,000 btu window unit, and a 11,000 btu portable air conditioner with enough left over for some CF lights, tv, etc. For a box store unit, I would certainly suggest one rated for 5,000+ watts, but remember the military rating on these units is ultra conservative, plus they use different math and rate the output as 24/7 for the life of the unit, not some surge rating.

Ike

 

[steelandcanvas]

My MEP-003A came complete, minus BII. I removed the fuel tank, rinsed it out real good, replaced it, changed all the filters, and started the unit up. The only thing that didn't work was the oil pressure gauge, and I purchased a new one from Jay at Saturn Surplus. I lucked out, your results may vary.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Don't know if it will help or not, we found an mep002 will fit nicely behind a deuce cab and if its centered, you can still fold down both troop seats.

 

[TexAndy]

My mep-002 works. I've got it mounted in a 101 trailer with the eye flipped so I can move it around with the silverado if need be.

I thought about putting it in one of the deuces, but the pickup is so much easier to maneuver around the yard.

 

[Carl_in_NH]

It does vary; I got a gas powered 5KW unit and the only thing it needed to be fully operational was a good carb cleaning to remove rust from the bowl. An MEP-003A I bought needed an injection pump to make operational - and made that unit more expansive than I would have liked, but still a lot less than I could purchase a generator of its caliber for.

All the information you would ever need to repair one of these units is in the TMs that you can find on line. Parts for the unit may be a little more difficult to come by - using the surplus houses and on-line forums and auctions to find what you need. If you can do some basic wrenching, and are able to run a voltmeter and follow the TM for electrical troubleshooting, you should be able to repair it yourself. If you're not comfortable doing that, then it's likely you'd be better served by something from the bigbox store - because parts and service won't be an issue (for some number of years, anyway).

 

[Isaac-1]

One more thought, if you do end up buying a MEP-016B (built by Onan)) / MEP-002a or MEP-003a (militarized Onan engine) and need help repairing it one of the very helpful Onan Experts on the Smokstak board lives only about 100 miles north of you up I-45.

Ike

p.s. I have to disagree with Carl about servicing of big box store generators, many of the cheaper ones are made in China with little or no support or parts available. If your going to buy a commercial generator, buy one from a good generator company, not something rebranded in a big box store from a company better known for (power tools, tractors, kitchen appliances, etc.) The 2 brands I would trust most for portable gasoline/propane (conversion kits) in small generators would be Honda and Yamaha (real honda generators, not just "powered by"). If your looking for a REAL home stationary standby buy Kohler, and stay away from anything built by Generac (there is a reason they are called Generjunk in the trade)

 

[Carl_in_NH]

Isaac's statement is correct - the real 'bargain' gensets are no bargain at all in the long run. I should have been more clear - I'm specifically thinking of Briggs and Stratten or Techumseh powered units. A step up would be a Honda or perhaps a Yamaha (although I've never owned one from Yamaha).

The ultra-low cost no-name units are likely throw-aways.

Even with these 'name brand' units, parts can be somewhat difficult to find - for the generator heads, at least. The engines are fairly common.

 

[Isaac-1]

Another thing to keep in mind, regardless of the type of generator you buy, if it breaks down during actual emergency chances are parts/service availability is a moot point unless you have the spare parts on hand and can fix it yourself. The repair shops will be full of generators brought in by people that realized during the disaster that the generator they bought 5 or 10 years ago and never thought of again until it would not start when needed.

Ike

 

[pctrans]

Another secret to a successful emergency situation; start that puppy up once a week and use it for a awhile. They always seem to fail if they sit for long periods. As for a GL purchase, pick one with a lot of hours. At least you know it's been used a lot and has been working.

 

[kipman]

I like that Idea, most go for low hour units, 3000 hours on these is not much at all.

 

[doghead]

I better sell my "new" 10 hour unit fast and cheap, before it lets me down!

 

[gimpyrobb]

I'll give ya $50 for it.

 

[Nonotagain]

Isaac's statement is correct - the real 'bargain' gensets are no bargain at all in the long run. I should have been more clear - I'm specifically thinking of Briggs and Stratten or Techumseh powered units.

The ultra-low cost no-name units are likely throw-aways.

Even with these 'name brand' units, parts can be somewhat difficult to find - for the generator heads, at least. The engines are fairly common.

Do not purchase any generator with a Tecumseh engine until the new plant is decided upon. They went belly up a few years ago, ( toledoblade.com -- The Blade ~ Toledo Ohio ) the new owners haven't decided whether to reopen in the US or move to China.
Purchasing a consumer grade gasoline generator can be problematic. When you look at the labels on the gensets, sometimes they list surge (peak) watts other times running watts. A genset supposedly rated for 6000 watts is more likely rated at surge meaning that for a brief period of time it will produce that wattage. The actual wattage is closer to 4500-5000.
The small consumer gensets don’t hold voltage well if run close to the maximum wattage.
Provided you manage your power demands (startup amps) a 7500-8500 watt unit will power your intended items listed. You will need a fairly large supply of gasoline, figure 15-20 gallons per day if running 12-16 hours.
Just remember that a gasoline power genset will be running at 3600 rpm. They are not intended to run continuously. A couple of hours on and a couple of hours off after checking the oil level. Frequent oil changes are a must. Most manufacturers recommend 20 hour changes.

 

[blacktop_one]

Also, on GL, don't forget that you want one that's 60 hz and not 400 hz. A number of people have won 400 hz units and found out they aren't good for anything but powering aircraft on the tarmac.

 

[Floridianson]

Also, on GL, don't forget that you want one that's 60 hz and not 400 hz. A number of people have won 400 hz units and found out they aren't good for anything but powering aircraft on the tarmac.

Lets not forget in a emergency they will run a stove, a hot water heater the little quick oven or toster, and electric fry pan/ crock pot and of course light bulbs and space heater if it does not have a motor. Think if it was real bad and all I had was a 400hz gen I would still be better of than someone with nothing.

 

[CARNAC]

Another secret to a successful emergency situation; start that puppy up once a week and use it for a awhile. They always seem to fail if they sit for long periods. As for a GL purchase, pick one with a lot of hours. At least you know it's been used a lot and has been working.

Concur. In the hospital, we are required to do an emergency generator test every month to pass JCAHO. Won't even bother with all the documentation that goes with this--I will let you imagine.