MEP-018A: ol' reliable dying, advice sought.

[cranetruck]

I'm getting rid of what's left of my MEP018, since a new generator head is hard to find at the right price, see my PM to you from a week ago or so. The 4A084 starts and runs good...



The sequence of the images may be reversed here, but the genset is removed from the truck (don't have the old HIAB to help lift things any longer).

 

[liftman]

See a post titled 4A084 Engine Help. It describes the procedure for installing the magneto correctly.

 

[miltrux]

Thanx, Liftman. The thread on the 4A084 Engine Help doesn't really help, unless I'm still not getting something from that or the manual. The manual sez to wind the mag CW until it snaps, then wind it CCW until the timing mark on the mag hear will line up with the timing mark on the cam gear. This would mean to me that the timing mark on the cam gear would be left of the location that it should be to line up with the mark on the cam gear when it snaps. When I wind my mag up until it snaps, the mag gear timing mark is right at the location that it lines up with the cam gear mark without turning it CCW as suggested. I took the dist cap off to set the points and, not realizing there was a gear set-up inside the cap (gear on the mag shaft turns the gear on the rotor itself w/a 2:1 reduction), didn't pay attention to it's location so I could put it back together correctly lined-up. I tried it first by lining up the rotor w/#1 in the cap and got a nice spark when it snaps at #1. Static timing got a spark at #1 when it hit the timing mark, but that didn't seem to work. Have now tried setting up the mag by having the 'R' stamped on the rotor gear completely at 90 degrees to the right of the inside the cap. Bench-testing, I get a spark when it snaps for #1, and a spark for each successive position (4, 2, 3) with no stray spark at the other points. Will try to fire it that way tomorrow. My quest is to find SOME kind of info on lining up the gears inside the cap. Neither the thread nor the manual seems to tell me that. It is a Slick mag, btw.

 

[liftman]

I'm not familiar with the Slick mag since mine is a Fairbanks Morse, but they must work the same way. I don't remember having to turn the impulse coupling CCW after coming up to #1 on the mag.

I was having the same type of issue as you when I decided to remove the front cover to verify all the marks. I found that someone had added a mark on the cam which was incorrect. After lining up the marks, I wound up the impulse coupling and installed it with the mark on the mag gear pointing to the mark on the cam. When the mag was turned in the housing the impulse snapped and made a spark right TDC. I cranked it with the cover off and i started right up.

The impulse coupling has to be wound up so you will get a spark at TDC with the engine turning slowly. By truning the mag CCW, you are making the timing late.

 

[miltrux]

FINALLY got it to fire up yesterday, though it took quite a bit of cranking to get it to catch. Guess I got the plastic gears inside the mag cap lined up right as I can now get the timing marks lined up correctly. So now I'm back to the original problem. I ran it under load for about 30 minutes when it quit again (just shut down, like hitting the shut-down switch. I immediately checked and found no spark. I tried disconnecting the kill switch wiring at the mag so I could take the low-oil switch and any other fail-safe system out of the picture and still no spark. Tried again after about 30 minutes and had the spark back. So, it's the problem must be in the mag (though not the self-created problem I'd been dealing with). So first I'm gonna try a condenser. Hopefully, someone can help me with one, or give me info on what I need to get for a replacement or direct me to where I might get a replacement. If that doesn't cure it then I'll have to replace the mag, though I can't imagine a mag failing due to heat.

 

[1800 Diesel]

FINALLY got it to fire up yesterday, though it took quite a bit of cranking to get it to catch. Guess I got the plastic gears inside the mag cap lined up right as I can now get the timing marks lined up correctly. So now I'm back to the original problem. I ran it under load for about 30 minutes when it quit again (just shut down, like hitting the shut-down switch. I immediately checked and found no spark. I tried disconnecting the kill switch wiring at the mag so I could take the low-oil switch and any other fail-safe system out of the picture and still no spark. Tried again after about 30 minutes and had the spark back. So, it's the problem must be in the mag (though not the self-created problem I'd been dealing with). So first I'm gonna try a condenser. Hopefully, someone can help me with one, or give me info on what I need to get for a replacement or direct me to where I might get a replacement. If that doesn't cure it then I'll have to replace the mag, though I can't imagine a mag failing due to heat.

It's been awhile since I worked on gas engines, but you might be on the right track with changing out the condenser. They have been known to fail with heat buildup breaking down insulation between the aluminum strips and then shorting out, thus acting like an ignition switch turning off...if that doesn't fix it then you may have the same problem with the magneto coil...

 

[liftman]

The condenser is a good place to start. Either Saturn or Delk's should have the parts.

 

[cranetruck]

Keep sliding the ol' 4A084 around, which is now on a pallet. As long as I keep it high above ground no crane is needed.

 

[miltrux]

I'm trying to get my engine back and running, properly, right now. I found replacement condensers ($!@@ plus shipping!) but then found a NEW mag, $112 shipped. Figure I probably can't go wrong w/a new mag, which will have the internal gears timed right AND a new condenser. Hopefully that solves the dilemma. If not, or if something ELSE comes up, I'll get back w/you, Bjorn. Thanx to all so far!

 

[steelypip]

If the new mag does the trick, then you have a model to time the old mag with. A working spare is always a good thing.

 

[miltrux]

Here's the follow-up and hopefully the end to this thread/PITA. Got the nice new mag (I thought a sweet price for $112 delivered), set my timing marks and installed it. Bang! Fired up quite nicely. So the problem that I created while trying to solve the problem that started this whole tale was solved. Threw the switch and let it run under load. Nice: 20 minutes...30 minutes...40 minutes, looks like I'm gonna make it then, off it shuts. So I'm back where I started from. I have the low-oil switch outa the loop so THAT's not it. Checked for spark and still got it (would be more than a little upset if the new mag had a bad condenser too). Checked compression, a nice 90#. So, it ain't spark or compression, GOT to be fuel. Thinking that MAYBE the LP regulator, me having mounted it to the frame of the rig, was getting too hot, I relocated that 3 feet away. After it cooled down, tried again, and again it died after 30 minutes. Last ditch effort, maybe heat is an issue, I roll (yeah, I got it on 6" casters) it away from the house 2 feet and after it cools, again, fire it and whatya know: ran it for 90 minutes under load with NO issues. So, there's gotta be an overheat shut-down somewhere in the system but I can't find ANY mention of it ANYwhere in either the gen manual or the engine manual. So now, if I need the thing, I gotta roll if out from under it's nice canopy and run it exposed to the elements. yeah, I know it was meant to be used that way but I wuz bein' nice to it. That'll learn ya, ay? Anyone ever heard of any overheat shutdown on these things?