Big thanks to Carl_in_NH and the tale of three Generators

[BrianAnthony]

First of all a sincere thank you to Carl_in_NH for all the assistance he has given me over the last couple of months with my generators (yes three of them). Last Fall I gave into temptation and won 3 sets over a 2 month period from GL.
The first set was a MEP-002a with 1037 hours.
Second was a MEP-003a with 77 hours.
Third was a MEP-016B with 1102 hours.
By the time I gathered them in mid February I left them on my trailer due to the snow and cold weather up here. I finally got around to looking at them in April with the following results after I went through the TM's and checking fluid levels Etc.
The 016B fired right up and ran like a top. I put fuel in the 002a which promptly went on the floor as the fuel tank drain plug was missing (duh). After replacing the plug I went through the startup procedures and nothing! Nada! I moved on to the 003a and that one also fired right up. The problem with this unit is that the throttle will not stay out. I push the button in the center and it will pull out okay but if I release it it goes right back in. Any ideas? Just recently I started looking at the 002a again. I have pm'd.e-mailed and phoned Carl several times. Let me tell you; he is the real deal. He has patiently talked me through different possible fixes and he would not give up on it. Last night he suggested I look really close at K1 and K3 in the control box. I looked in and notice the second wire on the left of K3 was not attatched and the nut and washer laying the bottom. I reattached the wire and Success; it fired right up. Again thanks Carl and all the others who contribute to this site; you guys are great. Just need to get my electricion to make up a feed to the house and I should be in business ( I hope ). Speaking of hope I hope my pictures load. Thanks all.

 

[Speddmon]

I've never met him yet, but I have e-mailed him and had dealings with him...and Carl is one of the good ones.

Congrats on the running gennys!!

 

[BrianAnthony]

Thanks Speddmon. Reading what you, Issac-1.doghead and others have posted have really help me to get started with these green machines. The last couple of years some parts of New Hampshire have lost power for over a week due to ice and snow and I wanted to get something that could keep us going up here in the hills. I have a 4K Generac that can be tempermental . Would you have any ideas on the throttle problem on the 003a? It will not throttle out, just free spins. Push the override button and pull it will come out but as soon as I release the button it snaps back down to idle. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Brian

 

[Carl_in_NH]

Thanks for the kind words; always happy to help if I can.

On the defective throttle, I suspect the cable is shot where the lock / screw adjustment piece is. For about two years, I've seen someone at some of the tractor and antique engine shows that had a few of these cables new in his flea-market collection. One day I asked him what he wanted, and the price was $10 each. I thought about it, but didn't but one. If I see him again I'll pick up an extra for you, Brian (and probably grab one to hang on my wall just-in-case); the engine shows are starting up again now as the Summer winds down.

 

[Speddmon]

From what you are describing it sounds like the "ball" inside of the cable is gone. If you take that vernier cable apart what you'll find is this. The outer housing that is attached to the bracket under your control panel has a very wide, rounded internal thread machined in it. The shaft that goes inside of that housing is attached to the actual cable going to your governor. That shaft contains a spring loaded plunger (the button you push on the knob) and a detent ball that comes out the side of the shaft. That ball rides in the internal thread of the housing and is what pulls or pushes the cable in or out when you turn the handle (essentially "screwing" the cable into or out of the housing ). When you push the button it allows the ball to retract into the shaft and then you can either pull or push the cable freely through the housing.

What you are describing sounds just like the ball is not in the shaft as is should be therefore you have no ability to adjust the cable. Vernier cables can be pricey, but should be pretty readily available from an industrial supplier somewhere nearby. You can also try Delks for a good used one, or see if you can repair the one you have. You should be able to separate the shaft from the actual cable via a ball socket in the end of the shaft and a ball on the end of the cable. Maybe you can buy just a new adjusting shaft???

 

[Polycop]

Speed Control Cable....

Ahhh, I've got this one figured out as my machine was doing the same thing, here's the fix.

I unscrewed the cable up near the front control panel (big nut) and wrapped some 1/8" or so rope (whatever I had laying around) around the cable and then tightened the nut back up. It's almost like repacking a valve stem and the nut / rope put a sufficient amount of friction on the cable to keep it in from moving by its self.

Once you figure out where your 60 hz is you won't need to touch it again anyhow. Remember it's real bad to idle them, shut them down and turn them off without touching the speed control.

Hope my description isn't too confusing, if so PM for more help.

Poly