MEP-002A acquisition

[n1oty]

John, be careful of using full synthetic on an engine that is already broken in, the seals and such will actually shrink after switching from regular to synthetic. I found out after running full sythetic in my truck. It took a while to figure out why I had all the leaks suddenly, after switching to a blend, the seals swelled up to there old size again, and leaks went away. I do run full synthetic in my jeep, but I rebuilt the engine on that, and it has always had it from hour 1 after the rebuild... Just my

You bring up a good point. I tried to switch my wife's car over to full synthetic, but the oil consumption sky-rocketed, no doubt due to the many miles already on the engine. In this case, I plan to try full synthetic, but watch oil consumption/leakage very carefully. Much of the engine and hoses on this gen set are brand new from the rebuild in 2009. So much so that I may get lucky and it will thrive on the full synthetic. We'll see. Stay tuned.

John

 

[n1oty]

I've run into one last hurdle. I am missing the retainer and spring from inside the oil canister (part numbers 8 and 9 of Figure 4-30 on page 4-36 of the -12 TM. I cannot believe I missed this earlier. Does anyone have any suggestions as to a replacement spring and retainer??? Everything else is now in. The fuel strainer is all set. The new fuel filters are installed. I've removed all the external seals that were applied upon refurbishment at ASLAC. New batteries are in place.

Thanks,
John

 

[Speddmon]

I should say, "just buy one of my oil filter adapter kits"...but I won't LOL

I have the can and filter bolt with the springs and everything from when I swapped my oil filters out...send me a PM

 

[n1oty]

I should say, "just buy one of my oil filter adapter kits"...but I won't LOL

I have the can and filter bolt with the springs and everything from when I swapped my oil filters out...send me a PM

PM sent.

John

 

[derf]

I'll say it:
Buy one of his oil filter adapter kits.

If I didn't have a lathe I probably would, too.

 

[joesco]

Buy one of Tom's adapter kits. Excellent craftsmanship.

 

[n1oty]

Buy one of Tom's adapter kits. Excellent craftsmanship.

I'm already on top of that. I sent him a PM last night asking for the details for purchasing his adapter kit. Based on the video, that kit looks like an ideal modification for this gen set. Meanwhile, I'd like to find out the dimensions of the spring and retainer so that I can continue the prep work on the gen set. I am still pleasantly surprised at just how many new components the military put on this beast before placing it in storage.

Thanks,
John

 

[n1oty]

This is my Friday evening update:

I know a lot of you are following this generator thread and I appreciate all the input thus far. As everyone knows, the missing retainer and spring for inside the oil canister is all that keeps me from test firing this bad boy. Tom PM'd me this morning, I sent a paypal payment this morning and he has already shipped the adapter kit to me. I have the email confirmation from the Post Office. I didn't expect Tom to drop everything just to get a kit out to me, but that's what he did. I should have further updates next week, once the new oil filter kit is in place. Wish me luck.

John

 

[Speddmon]

John,

It was not a problem getting one out to you right away, I can see by your thread how anxious you are to get that bad boy running. I was the same way when I got mine.

I don't think for a second that people will read anything into the previous posts, but just for the record, there was no pressure at all for John to buy one of the adapter kits. I offered to send him the OEM parts he needed free of charge, instead he chose to buy a kit. Like I said, I don't think anybody would have read anything into the posts, but I don't want someone in the future reading this and thinking that John was pressured because he needed the parts.

 

[n1oty]

John,

It was not a problem getting one out to you right away, I can see by your thread how anxious you are to get that bad boy running. I was the same way when I got mine.

I don't think for a second that people will read anything into the previous posts, but just for the record, there was no pressure at all for John to buy one of the adapter kits. I offered to send him the OEM parts he needed free of charge, instead he chose to buy a kit. Like I said, I don't think anybody would have read anything into the posts, but I don't want someone in the future reading this and thinking that John was pressured because he needed the parts.

I second that. If anyone thinks I was pressured, they are wrong. In case anyone is interested in my reasoning, I was initially planning to get the gen up and running fully stock, then switch to Tom's spin-on oil filter adapter. It seemed more logical at the time, but the lack of the spring and retainer simply pushed up my plans. I'm very confident that this gen will fire up OK.

John

 

[n1oty]

Update:

Tom's adapter kit arrived today. Wow, I'm surprised at the efficiency of the USPS in this case!! I thought only bills and junk mail arrived this quickly. Anyway, the threaded rod is in place and I am letting the Loctite set up overnight. The Loctite specs indicated 6+ hours for full set up, so I won't push it. I'm letting it set overnight.

I added about 3 gallons of fresh diesel to the day tank and connected the batteries. I have primed the fuel system and know for a fact that the fuel pumps work and I have fuel up to the check valve. For now, I assume the IP is good because it is obviously brand new.

I hope to get home early enough tomorrow to wrap up Tom's adapter conversion, add oil and test fire. Wish me luck.

John

 

[Speddmon]

Good luck, let us know how it goes

 

[n1oty]

Wrapped up a bit early today and came home to wrap up this project. I completed the oil adapter changeover and re-checked the fuel system. The generator started up within 15 seconds. I think it took that long for the injector pump and the lines to the injectors to prime. Subsequent starts were MUCH faster. The diesel seems to run exceptionally smooth. Voltage and frequency are rock stable, but I've only tested with a 1500 watt load. There are no leaks in the fuel or oil system. Tom's adapter works like a charm.

Refurbished Military Generator | Taunton, MA | By n1oty

This link SHOULD allow anyone to view a little video of this generator. Thanks to everyone for the guidance. Although I did run into a couple of minor issues, I consider myself very fortunate to get a generator that was rebuilt at the depot in 2009 and then just stored. I'm hoping that more of these depot rebuilds show up at Letterkenny soon. I just may grab a spare!!

John

 

[storeman]

Well done! Congrats.
Jerry

 

[ETN550]

Nice find, thanks for sharing the vid. Love hearing these things start!