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MEP-803A: Rain water in engine compartment

G

gatorbob

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Should rain water ever get into the engine compartment?

I noticed some water on the floor of the engine compartment the other day. I wiped it up and it wasn't coolant, diesel, or oil. Pretty sure it was from rain.

I guess my door weatherstripping could use replacement. Although, I'm not entirely sure it's not coming from the top exhaust grate and making its way into the engine compartment.

Thanks
 
A

AfghanVeteran2010

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I would get garden hose and spay it down, to see where the leak is coming from. I don't think water should be inside unit, when I pressure washed my 831a there was very little water that made it inside. I was also spaying from various angles to remove old stickers and to clean out soot from exhaust deflector.

Hope this helps you out.
 
Light in the Dark

Light in the Dark

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Could be rain (if it was a real windy day), or could be condensation dripping down, if your humidity and dew points have been unseasonal lately. Why not take a garden hose and shower the thing as rain would for 10 minutes, and open it up... see what you find.
 
Guyfang

Guyfang

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Some people use RTV on the top panels before they screw them down. I never did, cause its a PITA when you are removing the top panels to fix something.

If the rain cap is on the exhaust hole, and the round hole is flared up, rain should not get in that way unless its windy or the set is running.

Unless its gallons of water, it should not pose a problem.

Are all the screw holes filled with screws?

Also, the radiator, could have some of the rubber gaskets that may be damaged or missing. See the TM 9-6115-643-24P, Page, (PDF reader) 61, item 39.radiator.
 
M

m32825

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I put silicone between mine and I can confirm it was a PITA to remove the panels. On the other hand there was no water intrusion. I'm thinking about trying some thin rubber tape, kind of like a flat gasket between the edges.

-- Carl
 
M

m32825

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I second the condensation theory. If you look at the underside of the top panels you can sometimes see what look like water spots, where drops have formed. We've had a lot of rain and heat lately.

-- Carl
 
Guyfang

Guyfang

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m32825 said:
I put silicone between mine and I can confirm it was a PITA to remove the panels. On the other hand there was no water intrusion. I'm thinking about trying some thin rubber tape, kind of like a flat gasket between the edges.

-- Carl
Click to expand...
When I first started working on the TQG's, there was a thin rubber gasket used on the top covers. Back in 2004? But for some reason, it went away.
 
B

Bmxenbrett

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NY
The whole top cover is not water proof. The rad intake has holes, the corners of the top are just bent over and of you get any sideways rain it will run down the wall until it finds a spot to get in.

The housing is aluminium so i wouldnt worry to much about it.
 
Z

zarathustra

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on each side of the generator there should be a ~1/4 inch weep hole just in front of the radiator about 4-5 inches up from the bottom of the unit. Those are there so that if it rains and water drips into the "grille" (coolant air system for radiator) it will drain the water out through a channel that goes laterally 'cross the unit. Many times they are clogged with all sorts of detritus including screws, dirt, rocks, used brass, and other stuff. If the weep holes are clogged the only place rain water can go is into the unit.

If they are clogged one might be able to blow compressed air into the holes to un-block them, but failing that, the top needs to come off and the channel/ weep holes need to be cleaned out. That'll be a good reason to clean out the radiator with a hose and get any old sand / dirt, etc off the rad fins.

I've found that almost all of the units that I fooled around with had clogged or semi clogged weep holes.

good luck

z
 
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M

m32825

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Guyfang said:
When I first started working on the TQG's, there was a thin rubber gasket used on the top covers. Back in 2004? But for some reason, it went away.
Click to expand...
I've been thinking about what, other than silicone, I could use to seal the gap.

Found some 1/16" thick by 1" wide neoprene tape. Right dimensions but not squishy enough. Seems like we need some soft rubber tape that has bubbles in it, like they use to seal the gaps around the radiator.

I got some 1/4" closed-cell foam backer rod for a garage project and decided to try some of that. It's a little on the thick side, but if you pull the free end a bit as you jam it under the lip with a putty knife it gets a little thinner and goes in pretty good.

I'll spray it with the hose next time I have the generator out and see how it does...

-- Carl
 

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m32825

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m32825

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devilphrog said:
It can be tenacious, but a plastic scraper gets the brunt of pretty quick, especially on the flat surfaces of a MEP
Click to expand...
I've never tried to disassemble anything sealed with butyl tape, so that's good to know.

I want a no mess, easy to disassemble solution. I used silicone caulk the first time around and it worked great, but it's glued together and requires quality time with a scraper to take it apart and clean it up. I want to be able to pull the panel and reassemble it without the hassle.

Got some single-sided neoprene foam tape on the way, 3mm by 15mm, looks promising. Stay tuned...

-- Carl
 
Light in the Dark

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OK folks... took care of the machine this morning. It's not assembly line perfect, but it doesn't have to be (being hidden UNDER sheet metal after all). Nice material, very pliable and stretchable. It would be nice to have both 1" and .5" widths here, but I can make do with the .5" roll just fine. Can't beat the price, and it does have a flammability rating. I think its going to work well. Also wrapped the (4) lift hooks to help this 5kw rattle can be a touch quieter.

For the operator cover, that flange was not a full 2", but more than 1.5"... so just picked up the front and rear lips, to make sure it seals into the machine, but is also visually appearing at the front edge. I am over thinking it... but I think it came out nice. Now scraping off all the clear caulking and rubber seals already on the sheet metal was not fun, but its at least done.

20180915_071644.jpg20180915_071739.jpg20180915_071729.jpg20180915_071719.jpg20180915_080213.jpg20180915_110655.jpg
 
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