Voltage regulator MEP002a alternative?

[Bill W]

If you haven't already
check volts going in and coming out of the fuse.
My fuse holder leads were not making conection to the fuse turned out the spring in the fuse holder was broken.

 

[RichardR]

If you haven't already
check volts going in and coming out of the fuse.
My fuse holder leads were not making conection to the fuse turned out the spring in the fuse holder was broken.

The same symptoms can be caused by the wrong type of fuse. There are at least two fuse types that differ in length but look identical at first glance. Using the short fuse in a long fuse holder won't make connection no matter how many times you check it to make sure the fuse is good. Don't ask me how I know.
Richard

 

[storeman]

Bill and Richard,
Thanks.
Jerry

 

[amolaver]

Have you run through the troubleshooting section of the TMs? First, check the fuse near the starter cut-out, above the oil filter.

There were a few spares floating around but they were going for a few hundred. I would swap in a 24 volt solar battery charging regulator, probably under $50 (10 amp model would be fine). But this is something you would have to design in, after verifying proper polarity of the leads.

can someone tell me where the troubleshooting section of the TMs is for the charging circuitry? it would seem my 003 is not charging

ahm

 

[derf]

There is always the practical/cheap alternative. Buy a 24V battery charger and plug it into the convenience outlet.
I have this one, but not just for my 003:

 

[Keith_J]

Page 4-28 through page 4-30 in the -12 TM. Stator resistance of 0.60 ohm plus no short to ground (1000 ohms+ to ground from either stator lead) is the first thing I would check. Then check continuity from the regulator/fuse to main harness.

In the -34, pages 7-8 and 7-9.

 

[Keith_J]

There is always the practical/cheap alternative. Buy a 24V battery charger and plug it into the convenience outlet.
I have this one, but not just for my 003:

If the stator is good, a 10 amp full bridge rectifier and a 24 volt solar battery charger regulator will also work. I have seen these chargers for under $40. The bridge rectifier is under $10.

If mine ever goes bad, that is what I will use.

 

[amolaver]

thanks much! i'd prefer to get the original stuff working, but it does seem like a common failure point so an outboard battery tender (Amazon.com: Battery Tender 022-0158-1 Waterproof 24 Volt Power Tender Plus Battery Charger: Automotive) may be the better long term option.

appreciate the idea for a cheaper solution, but not sure what a rectifier / 24v solar battery charger solution would look like (ie, how to make such a device / interface it with the gen) so would probably just go with the packaged offering (battery tender). thanks though!

ahm

 

[Bill W]

I believe you'd need a charger that puts out more in the neighborhood of 5-7 amps/hr in which to run the elec fuel pumps and still be able to charge the batts.

 

[storeman]

I just tested the stator leads...app. 43v ac. I hooked them back to the block and tested..got about 27.5v ac. Guess I wonder where 16v is going to right off the block.??

I tested for dc voltage at the top...I only get about 2.6v. I haven't soldered wires back to fuse yet.

More testing results to come...

Hedgehog,
Thanks, I missed your post.
Jerry

 

[storeman]

Page 4-28 through page 4-30 in the -12 TM. Stator resistance of 0.60 ohm plus no short to ground (1000 ohms+ to ground from either stator lead) is the first thing I would check. Then check continuity from the regulator/fuse to main harness.

In the -34, pages 7-8 and 7-9.

Thanks Keith,

I haven't gotten back to that unit yet but had a really odd occurrence today on another I got the other day. Switch to preheat or to start and the fuel return hose at the tank starts SMOKING, the crimp sleeve gets almost red hot. I figure there must be a short in the tank between the aux refill sensor and whatever extends down from the return line. Checked it out several times. Nothing obvious so this evening I changed fuel tanks since I had one handy. Am recharging batteries and will know more tomorrow.

Any thoughts?
Jerry

 

[storeman]

Update on the SMOKING fuel connection. Went out a few minutes ago, reconnected the charged batteries on the unit with "new" fuel tank and did the preheat. Return fuel connection still heating up but I cut it off before it got hotter than I could touch. With flashlight I saw a wisp of smoke come from juncture of fuel tank and the AC box. No apparent pinched wires for a short. I don't know how any of this could tie together.

BTW: This unit had oo3a VR board in it and all screws rusted enough that 1 broke removing it to replace with 002 board. This is the second time I've seen 003 in 002.

HELP PLEASE!
Jerry

 

[Keith_J]

Check the engine ground! Should be near the battery. The fuel hoses are metal braid strength member, it doesn't really conduct all that well and the Parker no-skive fittings don't always make a good electrical connection. But with the engine ground gone, all current from the glow plugs is going through the fuel line.

The engine to frame ground is a flat copper braid.

 

[storeman]

Thanks Keith. I should have thought of that. Will check it out this afternoon.

 

[storeman]

Keith,
You were right. No ground strap and this unit had been painted without one. I'm surprised they didn't have a fire as hot as the fuel line got. Maybe it was a desert unit in constant warm temps.
Now to find out why it ran raggedy yesterday morning and is getting clean fuel to the injectors but NOW, none past the injectors.
thanks,
Jerry

 

[derf]

Diesel is hard to ignite. Had it been gasoline you probably would have had a fire. Had a similar situation in a buddy's Blazer. While he was trying to crank I saw a flash. After close inspection the braided steel fuel lines were arcing to the chassis when the motor tried to start. Luckily we had done a Diesel swap or we probably would have had a fire on our hands.

 

[Keith_J]

Missing the ground strap will also cause problems with the charging system. Looks like yours found a way to ground but that isn't right.

Also check ground strap on the control cubicle. And the control panel SHOULD have a ground strap but it doesn't so don't trust the volt meter unless you have grounded it to the cubicle. Just a short length of wire so current doesn't have to flow through the Dzus fasteners or hinge.

 

[storeman]

I did. Thanks.

 

[hedgehog69]

Well...getting 44v ac out of stator leads...unhooked from block. I also removed connector block..and visually inspected it. Doesn't appear that much can go wrong with these things. Mine looked fine...I wire brushed it a bit to clean it up.
When I was soldering new wires to the fuse, I tucked the second wire out of the way...and got spark. I checked switch..it was in OFF position. Back to the manual...
regarding 44v ac, it looks like issue with stator. Will go back thru these posts...I know I have seen something about something low voltage at the stator

 

[Keith_J]

That spark is from the capacitor. They store a charge, in your case, that was 44 volts or so. When shorted, capacitors will dump all their charge in one fell swoop. I got my introduction to this power when repairing a camera flash unit. These use a 300+ volt capacitor with a very large charge capacity. Well, I was getting a good buzz from that capacitor so I thought of discharging it with a jeweler's screwdriver. It was like a gunshot and the screwdriver's tip was vaporized.

This is why computer power supplies can be dangerous. That capacitor on the charging system is good and fairly safe, being a maximum charging voltage of 44 volts. Caps over 100 volts get to be dangerous. 300 volts are scary. 600 volts are bombs.

Now, on your 44 volt problem. This AC may be high due to your meter. Most DVMs read correct AC voltage only with pure sine wave AC. The stator may be outputting something other than pure sine wave with some odd harmonics. Unless your DVM is a "true RMS" meter, voltage may be off.

Check the grounding strap on the engine and control cubicle. As Jerry found out, these are overlooked.