Finally Joined The MEP Family

[CT-Mike]

How big is the hole and how thick is the tank?

I haven't gotten the tank removed yet, that is the plan for my 2 days off starting tomorrow. It is a plastic tank so I'm not sure how it could be repaired that would stand up to the diesel fuel. I received another quote for a NOS tank for $425 and may just go that route for peace of mind. Still need to get the old tank out and find the hole.

 

[dstang97]

I fixed my Dodge Ram sport bumper with a 1/2 inch hole and a 4" long crack with a zip tie and my soldering iron. So far so great.. I'm only 20 min south of you.

 

[CT-Mike]

I fixed my Dodge Ram sport bumper with a 1/2 inch hole and a 4" long crack with a zip tie and my soldering iron. So far so great.. I'm only 20 min south of you.

20 minutes south of me would put you in the middle of Fishers Island Sound. I am located near Foxwoods. Unless you meant south along I-95, which is west.

 

[dstang97]

20 minutes south of me would put you in the middle of Fishers Island Sound. I am located near Foxwoods. Unless you meant south along I-95, which is west.

south west

 

[CT-Mike]

So does the fuel tank come out from the end, or from the side (opening the side door)?

EDIT: NVM, finally found my electronic maintenance manual, and I am in the process of printing it out. I need to disassemble the whole **** thing just about.

Oh well.

 

[CT-Mike]

Ok folks, I have read through the instructions to remove the fuel tank, and I am still having trouble. I have removed the following so far:

- Top cover
- End cover (fuel tank end)
- Radiator
- Perforated heat shields on either side of radiator
- 4 bolts that hold filler neck to angled plate behind radiator
- Countless other bolts that I probably didn't need to

Per the TM I still need to removed the fuel drain valve, and I still need to remove the electrical and fuel connections from the top of the tank.

But I can't for the life of me figure what is holding the tank itself in.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[cuad4u]

I have an 802 and an 803. While both work well, when it comes to repair it makes me glad that I also have an 002A and an 003A.

 

[CT-Mike]

Well I finally got the fuel tank out, and it appears that the fuel leak was coming from the dry rotted rubber gasket around the drain valve. Anyone have any hints as to what is available over the counter as a replacements?

Thanks.

 

[m-35tom]

no need to remove tank, it is a well nut, search for A3816, just a few $
802 and 803 are very easy to work on once you are familiar with them

 

[CT-Mike]

no need to remove tank, it is a well nut, search for A3816, just a few $
802 and 803 are very easy to work on once you are familiar with them

So I ended up pulling the drain valve, put a bead of Hylomar Blue around it, and put it back in. Waiting for it to cure and will start reassembly tomorrow. Is this a reliable fix or should I just order the replacement part and be done with it?

Thanks.

 

[m-35tom]

i would not trust that, the new part is just a few dollars. the old one probably is unreliable, they seal by having a threaded object screwed into them which causes them to pinch the tank walls. should be a 3/4" hole in tank.

 

[CT-Mike]

i would not trust that, the new part is just a few dollars. the old one probably is unreliable, they seal by having a threaded object screwed into them which causes them to pinch the tank walls. should be a 3/4" hole in tank.

So I buy a new well nut, put it in the tank, and run a machine screw through it to compress the brass insert. Then I just install the rest of the parts from the existing drain valve and I'm in business?

 

[m-35tom]

you just screw the fitting into it and tighten it.

 

[CT-Mike]

I received the new well nut M-35Tom recommended, and finally had a little time today to start putting things back together. I was able to get the fuel tank installed, most of the sheet metal connected up, and all the wiring and fuel lines. On my next day off I need to get the radiator installed, and finish up a few minor things.

I also bought one one of these from Amazon to recondition the Optima Red Tops:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EKY20K?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Once everything is all back together, a friend from work will be coming over to help me bleed the fuel lines and being the beast to life. He is the Emergency Diesel Generator System Engineer at the nuke plant where we work. Massive 14 cylinder 5MW generators that are required to automatically start and be ready for full load in less than 11 seconds. Impressive machines.

 

[m-35tom]

fuel system is self bleeding, just leave the pump on for a minute and verify fuel return to the tank.

 

[CT-Mike]

fuel system is self bleeding, just leave the pump on for a minute and verify fuel return to the tank.

That's good to know, thanks for the info.

 

[CT-Mike]

Got home today to find one of the Red Tops was fully conditioned/charged, so I swapped the charger to the other one. The charger has already paid for itself.

 

[Daybreak]

Howdy,

Here is another method for charging 12v and 24v stuff

and if that rubber was rotted, then you might review this thread Fuel Return Improvements, before you put the top back on.

And you probably know all the MEP-803A Filters

Good luck with your 803

 

[CT-Mike]

Daybreak,

Thanks for the info on the fuel lines, but everything on this is brand new. It had the factory reset in 2012 and only has 16 hours on the clock. It just had a leaky drain valve and dead batteries from sitting in the snow at Ft Drum.

 

[Daybreak]

Daybreak,

Thanks for the info on the fuel lines, but everything on this is brand new. It had the factory reset in 2012 and only has 12 hours on the clock. It just had a leaky drain valve and dead batteries from sitting in the snow at Ft Drum.

Howdy,
OK,
My 802 had 14 original hours in it. 2007 model. I still wanted to change the oil. I put in break-in oil since it was still such a low hour unit. Something to think about.