MEP-004 questions

[Meinlein]

I have got an MEP-004 that I acquired from a salvage yard. With a little bit of work - filters/injector pump - the thing runs great now.

I applied Sewerzuks 3-phase to single phase conversion, and that worked perfect.

I am not a diesel mechanic - I am figuring this stuff out as problems arise.

The purpose of this generator is as a whole-house backup for use when inclement weather, such as a blizzard or hurricane may knock out grid power for days at a time.

With that said I have some questions for those of you operating these units.

- I live in the northeast US, where temps in the winter go below freezing for months and subzero some years for a month or two as well. The unit I have has does not have any winterization kit. I have had it suggested to me to mix a small amount of kerosene into the fuel. I'd like to know what do people here use to keep the fuel from gelling up in the tank and lines?

- There are some general cosmetic parts I would like to fix on this unit. Specifically right now I am looking at the control panel lamps (the three along the top of the panel) and 2-3 door latches.
The TM doesn't specify (that I could find) part numbers or anything for these parts. I thought I should ask here before I go to someplace like Delks for parts that I could probably get many other places if I knew what to ask for.

- I am considering using heating oil, off-road diesel, and regular diesel as fuel at different times as price and convenience dictate. Are there any problems with any of these fuels in this mep? I've been reading about ULSD but I still don't have a good handle on what the reality is as it concerns these units.

That's about it for now. I will attempt to attach some pics to this post.

Thanks and super thanks to Sewerzuk for figuring out the phase conversion!

 

[PeterD]

- I live in the northeast US, where temps in the winter go below freezing for months and subzero some years for a month or two as well. The unit I have has does not have any winterization kit. I have had it suggested to me to mix a small amount of kerosene into the fuel. I'd like to know what do people here use to keep the fuel from gelling up in the tank and lines?

I'd recommend you use a commercial diesel anti-gel agent. PS is one brand, Stanadyne makes another. Most car parts stores carry the stuff, especially in the winter. Note: don't use 911 unless necessary, it is a bit harsh on the engine.

- There are some general cosmetic parts I would like to fix on this unit. Specifically right now I am looking at the control panel lamps (the three along the top of the panel) and 2-3 door latches.
The TM doesn't specify (that I could find) part numbers or anything for these parts. I thought I should ask here before I go to someplace like Delks for parts that I could probably get many other places if I knew what to ask for.

I know that places such as Grainger will carry them. As well any surplus house would have them too. They are 24 Volt lamps, not uncommon at all. There is a very remote chance I may have a few here, but Grainger or another commercial supplier may be your best choice. Order a few spares (get six, for example) just in case you loose one at some point!

- I am considering using heating oil, off-road diesel, and regular diesel as fuel at different times as price and convenience dictate. Are there any problems with any of these fuels in this mep? I've been reading about ULSD but I still don't have a good handle on what the reality is as it concerns these units.

Heating oil is usually the same as diesel fuel, but some is mixed with kerosene to prevent gelling. I run off-road (red) diesel in my MEP-004, never a problem there. You can run jet fuel as well. If you use kerosene, or a strong kerosene mix with diesel, add a lubricant!

That's about it for now. I will attempt to attach some pics to this post.

Thanks and super thanks to Sewerzuk for figuring out the phase conversion!

Dang'ed right, he's great!

I keep my MEP-004 in the shop (it is a big shop!) in the winter. This keeps it warm (the standby heat is set to 40 degrees) and ready to go. I then pull it to the house when I need it. Much easier than cleaning off snow, but I have an ASK which requires snow removal from the top before it is used, a problem you won't have. Were this my setup, I'd add an engine oil heater and a block heater (perhaps a coolant heater instead of the block heater) to help with cold starts. Mine starts up just fine at 20 degrees, I've never tried to start it any colder.

These are equipped with an ether starting aid, and those tanks (look just like a propane torch tank) are available. PM me if you need a source, I believe I can order them from my CarQuest store in town.

 

[Harleyd315]

I have had a lot of heavy equipment over the years and have worked in the winter snow plowing. We have at times mixed some kero with the fuel to keep the fuel from gelling, the only problem you may encounter is if you dont use all the kero blended fuel by the summer time. Its probably not good to run kero in your unit on a 90 deg day during the summer months. The best product I have found is Howes fuel additive. I use all year long as a conditioner and it works well as a anti gel additive. We run home heating oil, diesel and ultra low sulfur in all our machines depending on pricing also. Don't know what latches you need, but the bulbs are likely 24 volt. You can get them at a Heavy equip dealer, McMaster Carr and I'm sure other suppliers as well. Hope this helps.

 

[Munchies]

All those fuels ARE fine. Just stock a set of filters for whenever you have issues.

Kerosene or Winterized Diesel for Winter Blending? - Diesel Forum - TheDieselStop.com

 

[amolaver]

can't comment on the hard parts, but the fuel i might be able to help with. basically #1 'diesel' IS kerosene (or extremely similar), just like JP4. 15-20% kero/#1 will bring a true #2 cloud point down to about -20F. however, kero is a much better solvent and will tend to put into solution any crud in the tank / fuel system. i'm not sure what kind exercise regimen you have for the MEP, but i would run it once a month for at least an hour under load. slowly introduce kero to its diet so any crap that it dissolves has a chance to catch in your filters rather than dosing it during the winter and having it shut down because the fuel filters get plugged. i would run a tankful at 5% kero, and another at 10%, then just fill it up with #2 - off road, on road, and heating oil are all fine. when the weather cools off, you either a) add kero to reach the concentration necessary for your desired cloud point, or b) drain and fill with fresh fuel. diesel is blended in the winter with #1 by the wholesalers per your local climate, so i wouldn't expect to have to add anything if you're feeding it winter fuel.

the ULSD is, IMO, something that is easily dealt with. one of the diesel truck forums had a lab do lubricity tests on diesel fuel treated with nineteen different additives. HFRR Diesel Additives? - Chevy and GMC Duramax Diesel Forum the best was biodiesel. the soy-based biodiesel is a far better lubricant than anything else, so if you have it available, just dose your 'normal' fuel with bio. next was opti-lube xpd. works great, but expensive. 3rd through 9th was close to a draw. 7th was 200:1 of diesel to walmart synthetic 2 stroke oil. i buy it in gallon jugs - goes in my tractor, gen, and truck. optilube's summer blend was also inexpensive and worked very well (4th), but not quite as accessible as 2stroke oil

for these older motors to last, using one of the cheaper-but-effective additives seems like good sense to me as they were definitely not designed for the 'dry' ULSD.

ahm

 

[Meinlein]

Thanks - this is some good info for me.

I am thinking that I will likely go with some optilube xpd to begin with for fuel conditioning. It is certainly expensive, but right now I am apprehensive to wreck anything by mixing too much or too little DF-1, and that stuff appears to be all-season and helps significantly with lubricity.

I figured the bulbs were a standard part but I appreciate the confirmation that they aren't anything special or exotic.

I am probably going to buy a shed-in-a-box to keep the snow away from the unit. I like the idea of putting a block heater in, however realistically I will likely not be in a position to get out to start it for an hour or two after the power goes out. I would guess that everything would be pretty well chilled by that time in the dead of winter. I think I'm going to go back and forth on this one for a while though until I get to know the machine a lot better.

Amolaver mentioned having an exercise regimen - I was planning on running it something like 30-45 minutes a month to make sure everything works. Unfortunately my whole house probably is not going to put very much of a load on this unit, and I see that can be a serious concern.

My top priorities at this point are:
1) Have to troubleshoot the fuel gauge as it appears to read full all the time.
2) Get me some nailed down on fuel additives so the onset of winter doesn't leave me with an engine that won't start.
3) Increase my knowledge of load banks. I suspect that if the house isn't enough of a load, then I would need a load bank. As I got this unit from salvage, I would have to research how to go about getting one, and what that would entail, cost and shipping wise. Or perhaps I can fabricate a load bank myself. I do not know, but don't mind learning at all.

I would love to hear any other tips you guys have on maintaining and/or proper operation of this mep.

Thanks again!

 

[PeterD]

...
3) Increase my knowledge of load banks. I suspect that if the house isn't enough of a load, then I would need a load bank.

Around here, I'd go to the local recycling center (town) and there are usually a few old electric ranges sitting in the scrap metal pile. Grab the oven elements (usually these are 5 KW) and when you have three of them, you have the load resistors. At that stage all you have to do is figure a mounting system, and wire them up (use wire rated for 100+ degrees C) and you are set. Cost is minimal, cost of the wire and the mounting method. You could use a few old water heaters, but that's more complicated. Some day I'm going to take three water heater elements and see how long they last with air cooling--when I do I'll post the results.

 

[Meinlein]

That is such a simple solution - thank you!

 

[amolaver]

depending on how you heat/cool your house, produce hot water, dry clothes, and heat your oven, its not that hard to intentionally work out an 004 my house is all electric, so maxing out my 003 essentially boils down to, a) AC running, b) well pump and water heater (turn on a shower or dishwasher), c) fridge/lights/misc. hot water alone is a 4-5K watt draw, and the AC is another 4-5K - not a lot of spare capacity after those two adding the dryer and the oven, would be more than the rated capacity of the 004. never mind a burner or four on the range

personally, i'd shoot for at least an hour a month, and probably every 6 months, run it for a whole day. doing so may uncover some unexpected things (like how much fuel you decide to keep on hand, and in what container / do you need/want a pump or set up the aux fuel draw).

ahm

 

[Triple Jim]

Some day I'm going to take three water heater elements and see how long they last with air cooling--when I do I'll post the results.

I can tell you from experience that they will burn out in less than a minute if not immersed in water. They'll put out a lot of orange light just before they make a loud popping sound and blow.

 

[PeterD]

I can tell you from experience that they will burn out in less than a minute if not immersed in water. They'll put out a lot of orange light just before they make a loud popping sound and blow.

Well, guess I don't need to do that experiment! I'm going to dig up a few oven elements then...

 

[Triple Jim]

Either that or install the water heater elements in a small tank of some sort. It's OK if they boil the water, as long as there is some.

 

[juddspaintballs]

You could pull electric heating coils out of HVAC units to do the tests. They usually come in 5k, 7.5k, and 10k banks at 240v so it would be easy to work a MEP-003a and MEP-004a with a couple of elements. My backup to the backup heat in the house is a 10k bank of electric heating coils, so running that alone would max out the rated capacity of a MEP-003a.