scharpestguy
New member
- 16
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- Location
- Huntsville, TX
Hello All,
Glad to finally have something I can post about here and hopefully help others out in the future. I picked up a MEP-804A trailer mounted from an estate auction out of Oklahoma a few months ago and finally started working on her this weekend. I got her running after some work and this morning I started her up as the kids were departing for school and plugged in a shop light and it was beautiful, gauges were good, the engine was purring and it was generating power. Right after the family left the engine started to sputter and surge and white smoke started pouring out of the Generator Head behind the L4 Lug. Hopefully someone can help me with this?
For Documentation Purposes what I have done so far:
1. Started with some batteries to see if she will turn over. Check, she turns over.
2. Check oil, very low might as well drain and back fill it with Rotella T 15w-40 and replace oil filter (NAPA 1330).
3. Check the fuel (Diesel) and it had a bunch of water in the tank, pumped it dry and replaced both fuel filters (WIX 10063 and NAPA 3472). Note that the upper fuel filter had a bunch of gunk, crud, rust, etc... in it. Cleaned really well with some steel wool, filled with fresh diesel and re-secured.
4. Check the air filters, outside filter looked ok but the inner filter inside the outer filter was dirty, replaced both filters (NAPA 2489 and NAPA 6517).
5. Turns over nicely and sometimes puts out a little bit of smoke from the exhaust but not quite trying to start. Verify engine will start with some diesel starting fluid to diagnose that we are indeed having a fuel issue (pretty sure I am) and it starts. Ok then it's fuel.
6. Remove fuel hose from tank up to self priming pump and low and behold the bottom of the hose is all cracked and sucking air. Headed to O'Reilly for new hose but they didn't have the right connectors in stock but NAPA did so now a new hose and I put that in.
7. Try to start her again and it turns over nicely and occasionally will sound like she is trying and/or put out a little smoke but no dice.
8. Still have a fuel issue, remove the fuel rail (all the metal fuel lines to the injectors) and clean / blow out each one (check for blockages). Try again and no change.
9. Go further and remove the fuel rail as above and now each injector one by one and clean each one and blow them out. All of them looked pretty good. Try again and no change.
10. Crack the fuel lines above the fuel pump one by one and turn over the engine at the control panel to see if fuel comes out. Comes outs of the first two (Closest to the control panel) but no fuel from the rear two furthest from the generator head.
11. Ok now I am getting somewhere and when I turned over the engine with what I will call 3 and 4 loose the engine actually tried to fire / start off the first two.
12. Removed the two metal tubes (name?) coming out of these two and cleaned/blew them out with the air compressor. Reinstalled and now I have fuel from 1, 2, and 3! but not 4.
13. Remove number 4 again and clean / blow it out, reinstall, still no fuel but I'm getting close.
14. Remove number 4 again and leave it off and turn the engine over again from the control panel and after a few cranks fuel starts coming out of #4. Clean/blow this out and reinstall the metal tube that goes to the metal fuel line.
15. Try to start and she starts right up!!!! YAY.
Overvoltage
1. She starts but the Overvoltage light is on, oil pressure is good, the HERTZ is at approx 48.
2. Shut off the machine and drop the front panel and change the frequency switch from 50HZ to 60HZ.
3. Start it backup and we are now running at 58HZ, adjust the frequency and now at 60HZ.
4. Bed Time.
White Smoke from Generator Head behind the L4 lug where the engine mates to the Gen Head.
1. Started Generator this morning to test as the kids were leaving for school. Started quickly, sounded great.
2. Quick plug in something as the kids are sitting in the van, grab a shop light plug it in and show the kids as they are pulling out! WINNING!!
3. Minute or two later the engine comes off it's smooth idle and stumbles/surges and the shop light goes dark and white smoke starts pouring out. I immediately shut the engine off and the smoke continued pouring out for two minutes or so.
Manuals for the MEP-804A, thank you to Guyfang.
1. https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/all-the-tms-you-need-to-work-on-the-mep-804a.148936/
Glad to finally have something I can post about here and hopefully help others out in the future. I picked up a MEP-804A trailer mounted from an estate auction out of Oklahoma a few months ago and finally started working on her this weekend. I got her running after some work and this morning I started her up as the kids were departing for school and plugged in a shop light and it was beautiful, gauges were good, the engine was purring and it was generating power. Right after the family left the engine started to sputter and surge and white smoke started pouring out of the Generator Head behind the L4 Lug. Hopefully someone can help me with this?
For Documentation Purposes what I have done so far:
1. Started with some batteries to see if she will turn over. Check, she turns over.
2. Check oil, very low might as well drain and back fill it with Rotella T 15w-40 and replace oil filter (NAPA 1330).
3. Check the fuel (Diesel) and it had a bunch of water in the tank, pumped it dry and replaced both fuel filters (WIX 10063 and NAPA 3472). Note that the upper fuel filter had a bunch of gunk, crud, rust, etc... in it. Cleaned really well with some steel wool, filled with fresh diesel and re-secured.
4. Check the air filters, outside filter looked ok but the inner filter inside the outer filter was dirty, replaced both filters (NAPA 2489 and NAPA 6517).
5. Turns over nicely and sometimes puts out a little bit of smoke from the exhaust but not quite trying to start. Verify engine will start with some diesel starting fluid to diagnose that we are indeed having a fuel issue (pretty sure I am) and it starts. Ok then it's fuel.
6. Remove fuel hose from tank up to self priming pump and low and behold the bottom of the hose is all cracked and sucking air. Headed to O'Reilly for new hose but they didn't have the right connectors in stock but NAPA did so now a new hose and I put that in.
7. Try to start her again and it turns over nicely and occasionally will sound like she is trying and/or put out a little smoke but no dice.
8. Still have a fuel issue, remove the fuel rail (all the metal fuel lines to the injectors) and clean / blow out each one (check for blockages). Try again and no change.
9. Go further and remove the fuel rail as above and now each injector one by one and clean each one and blow them out. All of them looked pretty good. Try again and no change.
10. Crack the fuel lines above the fuel pump one by one and turn over the engine at the control panel to see if fuel comes out. Comes outs of the first two (Closest to the control panel) but no fuel from the rear two furthest from the generator head.
11. Ok now I am getting somewhere and when I turned over the engine with what I will call 3 and 4 loose the engine actually tried to fire / start off the first two.
12. Removed the two metal tubes (name?) coming out of these two and cleaned/blew them out with the air compressor. Reinstalled and now I have fuel from 1, 2, and 3! but not 4.
13. Remove number 4 again and clean / blow it out, reinstall, still no fuel but I'm getting close.
14. Remove number 4 again and leave it off and turn the engine over again from the control panel and after a few cranks fuel starts coming out of #4. Clean/blow this out and reinstall the metal tube that goes to the metal fuel line.
15. Try to start and she starts right up!!!! YAY.
Overvoltage
1. She starts but the Overvoltage light is on, oil pressure is good, the HERTZ is at approx 48.
2. Shut off the machine and drop the front panel and change the frequency switch from 50HZ to 60HZ.
3. Start it backup and we are now running at 58HZ, adjust the frequency and now at 60HZ.
4. Bed Time.
White Smoke from Generator Head behind the L4 lug where the engine mates to the Gen Head.
1. Started Generator this morning to test as the kids were leaving for school. Started quickly, sounded great.
2. Quick plug in something as the kids are sitting in the van, grab a shop light plug it in and show the kids as they are pulling out! WINNING!!
3. Minute or two later the engine comes off it's smooth idle and stumbles/surges and the shop light goes dark and white smoke starts pouring out. I immediately shut the engine off and the smoke continued pouring out for two minutes or so.
Manuals for the MEP-804A, thank you to Guyfang.
1. https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/all-the-tms-you-need-to-work-on-the-mep-804a.148936/
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