Tips for selecting an MEP-802A from a lot of 6. Plan to use it to back up a Solar/ Battery Tiny House on Wheels!

[Zero House Co]

I have been approved to purchase an MEP-802A from Government Surplus, there is a lot of 6 and I can go this week and pick one from the lot. I was going to arbitrarily select the one with the lowest hours/ best overall condition/ most recent manufacture date. I have been reading here about the fuse mod, fuel return lines, well nuts, water in exhaust, other issues. I need to get a concrete list together and plan of action to select the best unit and get it refreshed and reliable. If anyone has any tips on how to select the optimal unit, and what I should exactly do to get it up to speed would be appreciated!!


The purpose for this unit is to back up the solar/battery system in my Zero House. It has a 5 kw Inverter with a 14 KwH battery. I can set up the MEP-802A with auto start and run it to the tiny house, and supply power from the house for my burning man camp and other events. The generator can auto start and top off the house battery when needed. That way it is only operating intermittently at 90% load, and then turning off. Hopefully the solar can cover the majority of power generation!

Thanks for any help!

 

[Jeepadict]

Your question will give just as many opinions as you have imagination.

Genset condition/hours: some will propagate that a higher hour set shows good reliable past performance...in the same breath, some get minimal hour sets with critical internal failures that explain why they got benched. Many folks will prefer a clean and undamaged case, while some will see the damage and negotiate the price down knowing they can bang out a couple dents once it gets home. A recent manufacture date can have a similar value to a recent reset date...mods and repairs are anyone's guess, they're only as good as the hands that last assembled or maintained them.

Clean oil can be just as much a misnomer as dirty oil. Coolant color can be key if you happen to see some in the overflow. Fuse/MOV mod, well nuts, return lines, signs of wetstacking...are all remedies easily attainable and reasonably inexpensive.

Reliability is another misnomer...in the end, you just have to trust your gut for which set will be the best bang for the buck...it's always a gamble with imperfect machines built by imperfect humans. It's not "if" it's going to break, it's "when" and "how bad"...and how much it's going to cost to fix it. Some will Champion "two is one, one is none"...just need to decide where Lady Luck is sitting when it's your turn to roll the dice.

The MEPs are a cult following of sorts...we all have our reasons for choosing a MEP set over a dozen others that are more reliable/readily available parts/quieter/etc...you may find a commercial set from Iron Planet better fitting. Lord knows a high-hour construction light plant is much more economical than many realize.

If I had a batch to choose from, I would go with the best overall impression...does it make power...are the fluid levels proper, is the case complete with all the hardware...are the wire harnesses neat and secured...does the fuel smell rotten...what does the internal paint look like...are the battery terminals clean and undamaged...do all the gauges and lights function...etc. Walk in to the site location just as you would buying a late-90s used car...good luck!

 

[Ray70]

Choose based on condition, not solely on hours.
You often can't trust the hour meter anyway.
I personally think machines with 500-1000-1500 hours often run better than those with 2, 25, 50 hours.
They have been broken in and they were used a bit as opposed to those with no hours that either sat around because they have a problem, or sat around and have now developed a problem from lack of use!
Stuck metering pumps and fuel racks are probably the #1 "sitting" related problem.
Check the fuel pump, a round body E1074 pump is an update from the original square body Facet pump
Fuse Mod.
If you can't start them, make sure the exhaust flaps are closed. Grab the fan blade and see if you can rotate the motor by hand.
Fuel lines, well nut, those things are easy to fix and should be expected. Stuck motors are a bit harder ( but not impossible ) to deal with.
Look for a lot of missing body panel screws. If things are unbolted, someone has been in there troubleshooting and probably gave up and didn't bother putting things back together properly.

 

[Mullaney]

I have been approved to purchase an MEP-802A from Government Surplus, there is a lot of 6 and I can go this week and pick one from the lot. I was going to arbitrarily select the one with the lowest hours/ best overall condition/ most recent manufacture date. I have been reading here about the fuse mod, fuel return lines, well nuts, water in exhaust, other issues. I need to get a concrete list together and plan of action to select the best unit and get it refreshed and reliable. If anyone has any tips on how to select the optimal unit, and what I should exactly do to get it up to speed would be appreciated!!


The purpose for this unit is to back up the solar/battery system in my Zero House. It has a 5 kw Inverter with a 14 KwH battery. I can set up the MEP-802A with auto start and run it to the tiny house, and supply power from the house for my burning man camp and other events. The generator can auto start and top off the house battery when needed. That way it is only operating intermittently at 90% load, and then turning off. Hopefully the solar can cover the majority of power generation!

Thanks for any help!

.
Welcome to the Outfit!

Yessir, you are in for a fun time. It might be worth buying a multi-meter if you don't already own one. It will help you a lot to go fetch the TM's (Technical Manuals) for your new unit.

All the TM's needed for the MEP-802A 5KW Generator Set & Additional Information.

This should be the whole package of information needed to work on/repair the MEP-802 Generator set.

steelsoldiers.com

MEP-802A and MEP-803A Heater Technical Manuals.

Here are the Technical Bulletins for the Cold Weather Heaters for the MEP-802A and MEP-803A generator sets.

steelsoldiers.com

 

[spotrep]

welcome to the forum! You're in the right place! Id love to hear more about your system.

 

[Guyfang]

Open up the operators TM and read it. KNOW what the gauges and switches do. KNOW how to start one correctly. KNOW about what the meters should read when running. DO take a MM, (Multi-meter) with you and test the 120 volt outlet, AND the output load terminals. Shine a light in the fuel tank. Look for crap. LOOK for missing parts and screws. Is the box made up of different color parts, hanger queen? SMELL the set. Not a joke. Smells like its got something burnt in it? Smells like fuel in the engine compartment? Tank smell like fuel or crap? LOOK at all of the gen sets that way. Then take a step back and compare them. Last but often repeated, what is your gut feeling? Add all the comments from above posts to your list.

The military had a brilliant form. DA 2404. The form had many, many uses. But the most important was to list the results of an inspection. You always start from the same place to start inspecting, and end at the same place. List each Deficiency (Dead Line, show stopper, non op. item. Mark with a big fat X) and fault, (Short coming, problem, needs to be fixed. Mark with a slash/). When you are done, spread them out on the take and compare. If you can not start a set, try and beat them down on the price.

 

[TNriverjet]

Subscribed for future discussion. It’s been too long since I’ve been on SS, but I just picked up a couple of 802a’s on a trailer (10kw power plant) that are not running. I’m starting the process of getting them in running order and will post findings as I go. I’ve had several 8xx units previously, so this isn’t my first rodeo. However, I definitely rely on the seasoned genny guys here to stumble through troubleshooting and maintenance.

That said, where’s the best place to get the fuse mod? Anyone on here? Or, is it best to make up with auto parts store items? Neither of these has one.

 

[Jeepadict]

Subscribed for future discussion. It’s been too long since I’ve been on SS, but I just picked up a couple of 802a’s on a trailer (10kw power plant) that are not running. I’m starting the process of getting them in running order and will post findings as I go. I’ve had several 8xx units previously, so this isn’t my first rodeo. However, I definitely rely on the seasoned genny guys here to stumble through troubleshooting and maintenance.

That said, where’s the best place to get the fuse mod? Anyone on here? Or, is it best to make up with auto parts store items? Neither of these has one.

@kloppk has the fuse kit and MOV ready to go. @CallMeColt has brass return tees and lines cut to length, and bulkhead fittings for your fuel tanks. There are many others that have parts machines, just make a post on the "parts wanted" section of the forum.

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