MEP-802A Coolant Bottle and Intermittent Surging Issues

[Mainsail]

So with the last surging at around 1230 this afternoon, until now, it's been running trouble free for five hours.

Power just came back on so the generator has been running 11 hours today. I'll do the oil change this weekend.

I'm still leaning towards water in the fuel, even if the water separator wasn't showing any. The big tank is vented by a hose that hangs down from the top, with a fuel filter on the end of it to keep crawlers out, but maybe it lets in too much moisture. I'll probably cap it when the generator isn't running.

Thanks all for the supportive ears! It's extremely valuable to be able to stop by here and get advice from the experts as I'm very new to diesel generators.

 

[Jeepadict]

I'm going to politely disagree with the water in fuel diagnosis, tho anything is possible. I say this because you had no observable water when you sampled the separator and the behavior improved as time went on without mechanical intervention.

It's very common for these machines to find themselves bound up in the internal mechanisms from lack of use. @Ray70 said it best, have to excise the demons...and usually that comes from "exercising" the set, running them progressively harder until it can sustain a 125% load. Diesels don't like to idle, and as much as these sets dont like to sit they definitely don't like to be run with a light load...search the forum for load testing or load bank and wetstacking. You're likely to find with some patience and TLC the machine will work itself back into a frenzy in short order.

You may find an old electric range to be a very convenient means to put a good load on your machine...AKA, redneck load bank.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[Chainbreaker]

Also, don't overlook Comfort Zone type Garage Heaters as a portable load bank. Sometimes they go on sale around this time of year, Black Friday etc. and are relatively cheap. For an 802a you would only need a 5,000 Watt unit.

When not using for load testing, they can be used for other purposes... Garage Heater, Green House, back up indoor Room Heater, etc.

 

[2Pbfeet]

Also, don't overlook Comfort Zone type Garage Heaters as a portable load bank. Sometimes they go on sale around this time of year, Black Friday etc. and are relatively cheap. For an 802a you would only need a 5,000 Watt unit.

When not using for load testing, they can be used for other purposes... Garage Heater, Green House, back up indoor Room Heater, etc.

Great point. I picked up a 10kW Comfort Zone scratch and dent for $60, including shipping. It took me maybe ten minutes to pop the dents out and bend a louver back into shape. I then probably spent another $40 adding some switches and a relay, to rewire it to make a series of loads 1650W, 3300W, 4950W, 6600, and 10kW. I use the three smaller loads for loading up a 5kW genset.

If the unit I bought is anything to go by, I think it might be worth a peek inside to make sure that there aren't wires resting on sharp sheet metal edges. I used some high temperature fiberglass spark plug sleeves from an auto parts store.

All the best,

2Pbfeet

 

[Mainsail]

Back from the wrecking yard. $2 to walk the lot and find the one Samurai they have is stripped to the bones.

Saw a flask shaped bottle that has a mounting bracket in a Toyota that might work well, but since I paid the admission fee I was going to get my money's worth and walk the entire yard and look at ALL the overflow bottles. Take that Yank-a-Part.

Over in the Chevy area I saw a Tracker, which I think is the same as a Samurai. The bottle was there but the cap was missing. There were some newer Trackers nearby but those use a shaped bottle I don't think would work. As I was getting ready to go get my toolbag to remove the mounting bracket and get the flask shaped bottle, it occurred to me that perchance the cap from the newer Tracker might fit on the older Tracker's bottle, and sure enough, it fits.

$10 out the door (so $12 total).

Of course, if I couldn't find one I suppose it would be easy enough to add a couple fittings to a Nalgene bottle that would work just as well.

 

[Guyfang]

There is nothing like a stroll through a junk yard to make you feel better. If I lived in the States, I would take several strolls, and see if I could not find a few bottles. Sooner, rather than later, someone will need one, and if you charge 3-4 bucks more than it cost you, your still showing a profit.

 

[Ray70]

Glad you found one, guess I wasn't clear though.... they are available brand new on ebay for about $15-20.

 

[Mainsail]

The new radiator cap arrived finally (seriously, what's with USPS lately?) and it leak-checks good, so that problem is resolved. The fuel filter is "In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late" as is the adapter for the water separator.

This I have no idea about. Stuff it back in?

 

[Guyfang]

You are missing parts. Or they are mounted wrong.

 

[Light in the Dark]

Yes there is a plate and gasket that goes on top of that spring. Check in the engine bay, and on top of the muffler... Sometimes they are misassembled, other times they are gone. Its for supporting the roof where that exhaust hole is.

 

[Mainsail]

Well, the plan was to change the oil, change all the filters, and replace the coolant overflow bottle but...

I ordered the fuel filter (a 2-pack) on 21 Nov from Green Mountain, and they shipped promptly on the 21st. I'm still waiting for them...

I suppose USPS felt they hadn't demonstrated their ineptitude as frequently and as boldly as normal, so it's been in-transit ever since.

 

[Ray70]

Ah, they're just getting started, 5 days is nothing!
This time last year I had a package sit in the local terminal for over 21 days.
When I talked to my local branch about it the woman said " it's only been 3 weeks, I've seen packages take much longer than that! "

 

[Light in the Dark]

I am more surprised that GMG shipped from inventory (versus a drop ship) than I am that its late

 

[CallMeColt]

Well, the plan was to change the oil, change all the filters, and replace the coolant overflow bottle but...

I ordered the fuel filter (a 2-pack) on 21 Nov from Green Mountain, and they shipped promptly on the 21st. I'm still waiting for them...

I suppose USPS felt they hadn't demonstrated their ineptitude as frequently and as boldly as normal, so it's been in-transit ever since.

Not a good place to get anything, to say to least. Buy from places & people that help you.

 

[CallMeColt]

I have had that chugging intermittently happen for 3 reasons in this order from simplest to worst;

-fuel/water separator saturated and/or fuel filter clogged at the top. It will not just separate water, it will absorb it if there is a LOT of it & it will stop the flow of fuel. This mixed with a lot a crap shaken free if you have not actually load banked it for 6+ hours straight before. Same goes with the fuel filter itself. It will get plugged with rust that makes it by the fuel/water separator or parts of the fuel bowl gasket that start to break apart.

-old fuel gumming up the electric pump. It will work, but it will slowly not provide fuel at a deficit to what the injection pumps need at a high load. Then when it stumbles, that little bit of low demand lets it catch up. This problem can somewhat solve itself by the stuff working it's way out, but will then lead to the above.

-weak piston rings. I had a set that would stumble at times. When it was stumbling, it would spew oil due to blowby, then stop & run fine. It was like the rings would stop sealing for a bit.

Could be many other things. Just my input

Once you do the repairs you've identified, do a nice, long, load test. 6 hours. Then what happens when it's good? You never loose power & don't need it.

 

[Mainsail]

Not a good place to get anything, to say to least. Buy from places & people that help you.

Day 20 and the tracking still shows the USPS really doesn't know where it is.

 

[2Pbfeet]

Day 20 and the tracking still shows the USPS really doesn't know where it is.

Sorry to hear. I think three weeks has to pass before the USPS will issue a tracking request that will send someone out in the warehouse to try and find it, but you have to ask them to do so.

All the best,

2Pbfeet

 

[Mainsail]

Sorry to hear. I think three weeks has to pass before the USPS will issue a tracking request that will send someone out in the warehouse to try and find it, but you have to ask them to do so.

All the best,

2Pbfeet

My local postmaster let me in on how their process works a few years ago when something went missing.

When you drop off the package it's scanned "in" to the post office. The PO then scans it "in" to a container, and that container number is now associated with your package, and vise-versa. So all the intermediate stops you see in the tracking are NOT your package getting scanned again, it's the container that is getting scanned only.

The problem comes in when the container is emptied somewhere - all the associated package tracking numbers should get released from the container number. Now, if your package is small, it might still be in the container when it's refilled with other packages, and goes on a wild ride around the country to wherever that container is headed. That's why the tracking goes silent for a spell, then suddenly your package pops up out of the blue in some random location.

That's why they don't want to hear your b1tchin' for three weeks. They haven't lost it, they just don't know where it is... temporarily. It IS somewhere, and it'll pop back up as soon as some post office or distro center scans it in and says, "What's this doing here?" then tosses it in the outbound container.

 

[Light in the Dark]

 

[Mullaney]

View attachment 937130

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I know it isn't really funny . . .
But I just had to.

Hopefully they get better before they go out of business.

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