New here. I'm thinking on trying for one of these in an auction. I'm looking for a back up generator for our home. I have a better than average mechanical ability and have a small machine shop.
I know when buying surplus, you are taking a chance, but it seems there is a lot of tinkering involved in getting these right, by reading old posts. So my question is, are these reliable and sound for the long haul, assuming you get everything worked out once you get it?
Yes, these can be very reliable generators, they are based on the diesel version Onan J series engine which was in production for over 30 years. Remember the majority of people here that post messages about these generators are the ones having problem, also many of the problems regard things that are not necessary for operation like front panel gauges, etc. Having said that GL is always a dice roll, you may get a good running unit, or you may get one only good for parts. I have bought 3 generators from GL over the last few years, only 1 of the 3 was what I would call in running condition (needed new battery, oil, and fuel), it ran well for the last 2 years, but has now developed a problem with its voltage regulators (both main AVR (low output) and battery charging regulator (overcharging), about $200 spent at ebay should have it all fixed soon though), one of the other two needed a control circuit board and the injection pump rebuilt to get it to stop smoking, the 3rd had the exhaust manifold left open about of gallon of water made it to the oil pan and seized the engine (only lightly seized though, sowas able to get it running by soaking in ATF and Marvel Mystery Oil).
GL equipment is certainly a crap shoot. I got very lucky by being patient and waiting for a good week. In my case, I got a Depot rebuilt 002 that was sealed and stored for one year before going out to auction. Don't forget to add the auction fee, recovery costs and the cost of bringing the beast to life. Again, in my case, recovery costs were about $500 and I had to buy about $400 in material (fuel, oil, filters, Speddmon's adapter kit and batteries). At least you are close to some places that have the MEP's, so recovery costs should be less than mine.
John
The Following User Says Thank You to n1oty For This Useful Post:
DRMO and GL don't take good care of them, they could be sitting unused and dry for a year and this does the damage.
But if you keep them sheltered from rain and sun, run them to operating temperature once a month and disconnect the batteries, they should start easily. Weekly running is better. Keep the fuel tank full and the water+rust+slime in the fuel tank won't happen.
As Ike said, you will read alot of posts relating to problems with these units, but there are alot of success stories also. I have one of those success stories. When I won my 003A at GL, all I had to do was change the oil filter, blow out the air filter, clean the strainer, clean the fuel tank, and change the fuel filters. I put in new oil, fuel, and a new set of batteries. Fired her right up. Did a smoke check and everything was good.
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A Veteran - Whether Active Duty, Retired, National Guard or Reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including my life". That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand that."
I'd be careful about posting links to active/pending auctions because of the site rules that Steelsoldiers has. Instead, you may wish to PM some of the more knowledgeable folks in some of the generator threads and ask specific questions. You'll quickly learn, as did I, who are the knowledgeable MEP generator folks on this board.
In my case, I managed to acquire a rebuilt and sealed generator out of the Letterkenny Depot in Pennsylvania, but you must be careful of the junk as well. If you wish to PM me, I will be more than happy to tell you what visual clues I relied on before bidding on my generator. Some of those clues actually made the unit look "junkier" and less attractive, probably because many (most???) GL buyers misinterpreted those clues.
I agree looking carefully at the photos if you can't inspect in person can be a real life saver, particularly when it comes to spotting missing expensive parts. I just have to ask, what sort of clues make a generator look "junkier"?
I agree looking carefully at the photos if you can't inspect in person can be a real life saver, particularly when it comes to spotting missing expensive parts. I just have to ask, what sort of clues make a generator look "junkier"?
Ike
Disconnected Cannon plugs, especially the large ones on the control cubicle or output box. Missing sheet metal is usually a bad sign.
I agree looking carefully at the photos if you can't inspect in person can be a real life saver, particularly when it comes to spotting missing expensive parts. I just have to ask, what sort of clues make a generator look "junkier"?
Ike
Keith_J has just touched upon some of the junk clues for a generator that should be avoided. I relied on some visual clues that, on the surface, seemed to indicate an abused machine, but in reality indicated a rebuilt unit. I noticed what originally looked like badly weathered cardboard boxes strewn atop my generator. The beat up boxes gave an appearance of utter neglect. You can view the pics that I posted in my generator thread.
A closer examination of the boxes indicated that the contents were all of the associated equipment that is normally issued with the generator, such as the slide hammer, multiple sections of copper ground rod with attached bonding wire, etc. I had to look very closely in order to spot these items and I rightly concluded that the generator was not trashed, but that the Depot-issued equipment boxes were simply dilapidated from sitting on the GL lot for a couple of months. Being a veteran and having experience with the way the military operates, I presumed that the military would not include brand new accessories with an abused generator going out to auction. The military would certainly not take brand new items still in their cardboard boxes and place them on a generator just for laughs. Typically, accessories like this are issued still in the box after Depot level servicing. The boxes would have disappeared upon issue to the first unit.
Hollingsworth MEP 002A
