New to Me AN/MJQ-18 PP (2) MEP-003a

[chb32nj]

I just picked up a AN/MJQ-18 Power Plant with (2) MEP-003a from GovPlanet. For some reason this unit sat at Rock Island Arsenal unused. Actually there were 2 of these units unused. The site contact person for GP said all the plywood sheathing from original shipping was still on it when he went to take pictures of it for the auction. One 003a has 3.4hrs and the 2nd 003a has 4.6hrs on it. All the manuals were in the tool box wrapped in plastic, a little crunchy from condensation but in very good cond. The entire ground rod kit was also in the tool box with all the misc extras. I just thought I would share this with everyone here. Honestly I can't believe I found 2 basically new 003a's and was the successful bidder on it. I am going to start reading the manuals (so happy to have paper over computer screen) and begin going through both gens slowly and carefully to get them running now that the holidays are over. I am posting some pictures of it and I will give a follow up post when I get it running. Happy New Year to everyone on SS!

 

[Guyfang]

Rare Bear!

 

[Ray70]

Nice score Chris! looks great. After we talked during our "simultaneous generator recovery trips" I knew you had the top bows, but I see you have what appears to be a brand new canvass as well, definitely a nice addition.
Once prepped and running they should make a couple real nice units, 003's are virtually indestructible.

 

[reset2]

Great find and purchase. I see you are from NJ what base did GP sell it. Could you also share the auction listing I like going back and seeing what you saw to bid. I have bought a trailer 802 from Letterkenny running and a 804 that need some attention. At first it was a curiosity but now I think I have the Green Disease.

 

[chb32nj]

Great find and purchase. I see you are from NJ what base did GP sell it. Could you also share the auction listing I like going back and seeing what you saw to bid. I have bought a trailer 802 from Letterkenny running and a 804 that need some attention. At first it was a curiosity but now I think I have the Green Disease.

Thanks, It was at Rock Island Arsenal, IL. The auction was Dec 16, item #4330210. The sister unit that I mentioned sold in the Dec 2 sale.

 

[Chainbreaker]

Wow, nice score! Totally virgin unit...rare indeed! BTW, just the rubberized cover is worth about $500 - $750 shipped if you can find one!

 

[reset2]

Thanks for the update. You did get a low hour set. As you can tell even if they take up a lot of space I just love gens on trailers. So much better to move around. The winters were hard on them but if you ask around on SS there is a wealth of information here. Most will say read the TM, and you know what it is very good advise. I even started reading.

 

[SCSG-G4]

And as I write, Chris is headed back to NJ with a MEP-003 engine, two MEP-002 Generator heads, and a complete MEP-002 generator set. He promised to post pictures when he gets home (and after he gets some sleep), so probably in the morning.

 

[chb32nj]

And as I write, Chris is headed back to NJ with a MEP-003 engine, two MEP-002 Generator heads, and a complete MEP-002 generator set. He promised to post pictures when he gets home (and after he gets some sleep), so probably in the morning.

Thanks Mike, just walked in the door. I wish I could have stayed longer to see your entire collection! Next time! I am happy we got everything out of your shed and loaded without incident. Thanks again.

 

[Recovry4x4]

Hey, I know that guy. Gotta love it when a fellow shows up packing his own backhoe with him.

 

[SCSG-G4]

Kenny, actually he rented it from a local Home Depot. Cheaper than the fuel for dragging it 1400 miles round trip. Chris is a very highly skilled heavy machinery operator! That MEP-002A is 32.5 inches wide and the door opening is 34.5 inches wide. He made it look easy! I'm very happy for him! But now he needs to stay in bed till Thursday morning to catch up on sleep.

 

[chb32nj]

I thought I would give everyone an update on the 003a's that I picked up from the GovPlanet Rock Island Arsenal auction. I went through both units, flushed the fuel system, flushed and cleaned the IP without removing it. A special thanks to Ray70 for the guidance he gave me!! I converted the fuel filters to spin on which was time consuming and a slight PIA! Ray70 came up with a direct replacement for the canister fuel filters. I highly recommend going that route compared to what I did. If someone wants more details on my opinion about the wix spin on fuel filter base just send me a PM. I also converted the oil filter to spin on which was very easy and definitely worth it, thanks Speddmon. 2 new batteries and they were good to go.
They both started up relatively easy and ran great. I put a 65% load on each using 2 - 4800watt heaters. No problems at all. I need 1 more heater or something comparable to get to full load capacity but this is good for now. I put 6 hrs on one 003a and 10hrs on the other. Both run great! I took a video this morning starting it, 31 degrees and it kicked right off. The video is to large to upload so I will post a couple of pics.

 

[Guyfang]

Thank you! That was good info!!