Thanks for that. It is showing in stock at all the Advance and Carquest parts houses here.
-
Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!
My MEP-803A
- Thread starter csheath
- Start date
Thanks for that. It is showing in stock at all the Advance and Carquest parts houses here.
lonesouth
Active member
- 322
- 29
- 28
- Location
- Tallahassee, FL
leave bonding strap in place until you hook it to the house or to a panel that is bonded. If you like, I have a breaker box already wired with breakers and wire for load testing. Welcome to borrow it.
I will probably take you up on that for the first go. Thanks!
Repaired my fuel leaks, replaced radiator hoses, added antifreeze, and ran the unit for about 30 minutes. This is one sweet running engine and the generator is fairly quiet. Oil pressure remained just under 40 lbs and temperature settled in just under 180*.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkhgwLkzqxg&feature=youtu.be
Still no reading on volt or hertz meters. I exercised the heck out of the selector switches to no avail. It does have voltage present at the output lugs after toggling the AC interrupt switch closed. Voltage is easily adjusted using the pot on the instrument panel. My mission is going through the troubleshooting steps in the TM. Tried holding it in start for a few seconds after cranking and that didn't seem to change anything.
I also got my dryer elements in so I can start on building a load bank after solving the volt meter and hertz meter malfunctions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkhgwLkzqxg&feature=youtu.be
Still no reading on volt or hertz meters. I exercised the heck out of the selector switches to no avail. It does have voltage present at the output lugs after toggling the AC interrupt switch closed. Voltage is easily adjusted using the pot on the instrument panel. My mission is going through the troubleshooting steps in the TM. Tried holding it in start for a few seconds after cranking and that didn't seem to change anything.
I also got my dryer elements in so I can start on building a load bank after solving the volt meter and hertz meter malfunctions.
Last edited:
- 1,980
- 3,103
- 113
- Location
- Pepperell, Massachusetts
For the voltage meter issue exercise both the AM-VM switch AND the voltage reconnection switch inside the control box. Both control power sent to the voltmeter.
Yep tried moving both several times.
- 15,979
- 22,376
- 113
- Location
- Burgkunstadt, Germany
Go to the A1, and measure what you have on the AC input to the A1, and what you have for the DC output to the M2. The freq meter takes its reading from the L3 and LO on the S8 switch. If you are not getting AC voltage from S8, then the Freq meter will not work. If you have AC from the S8 to the A1, and DC from the M2, but no reading on the M2, The meter is bad.
When you measured the load terminals for output, did you measure LO to L1, L2 and L3?
When you measured the load terminals for output, did you measure LO to L1, L2 and L3?
- 178
- 4
- 18
- Location
- Brunswick, GA
If you do confirm bad meter / or other parts, there are a couple people on here and epay that are cannibalizing 803's and selling parts.
I measured voltage between L1 and L3. I don't think I will spend much time on these old meters. They all have signs of rust and corrosion inside from condensation.
I took the volt meter apart and cleaned it out with WD40 so it moves free. Put it back in and it works but won't adjust to read over 230 volts while my Fluke is reading 240.
I will want better accuracy especially on the hertz reading so planning to go digital.
I took the volt meter apart and cleaned it out with WD40 so it moves free. Put it back in and it works but won't adjust to read over 230 volts while my Fluke is reading 240.
I will want better accuracy especially on the hertz reading so planning to go digital.
- 178
- 4
- 18
- Location
- Brunswick, GA
Have been looking at the options for doing that myself - some are really reasonably priced. Haven't decided on which configuration I want yet - my wishlist is pretty extensive, and wavers from day to day, hence the procrastination!
Just did my first load test and looks like I have a functional machine.
I only connected one 5400W dryer element for a quick test. My Fluke multimeter will measure hertz so I checked that with no load and it was 59.8. With one dryer element connected the load meter on the machine read a little over 50% and hertz dropped to about 58. I adjusted the hertz back up to 60 at half load and set volts to 240. Didn't run it that long but very happy to see it output under a load. Will do a full load run after I have the load bank properly built.
I ordered some digital gauges off ebay last night. One reads volts, hertz, and hours all in one meter. I will probably use that one in place of the current volt meter since it has a round back and looks to be adaptable but a little smaller than the existing meter. I should be able to just connect the existing two wires from the existing meter and get all 3 readings.
I ordered two of these volt amp meters I will use to monitor L1 and L3. I will see how to mount after I get them.
Probably won't use it but I also ordered a stand alone frequency meter.
The existing meters can be taken apart for cleaning by tapping the threaded ring counterclockwise to unscrew it. If you have good working meters and just need to clean the glass I wouldn't take them all the way apart like I did but if they have corrosion and aren't working it won't hurt to clean them out with some WD40 and blow the excess out.
If those rectangular volt/amp meters will fit I may just remove the existing meters and glue the digital meters to the back of the glass and reinstall. If I could put the 3 function volt/hertz/hour meter in the existing hertz hole and the L1/L3 volt/amp meters in the current load and voltage holes it should provide a fairly clean look.
I only connected one 5400W dryer element for a quick test. My Fluke multimeter will measure hertz so I checked that with no load and it was 59.8. With one dryer element connected the load meter on the machine read a little over 50% and hertz dropped to about 58. I adjusted the hertz back up to 60 at half load and set volts to 240. Didn't run it that long but very happy to see it output under a load. Will do a full load run after I have the load bank properly built.
I ordered some digital gauges off ebay last night. One reads volts, hertz, and hours all in one meter. I will probably use that one in place of the current volt meter since it has a round back and looks to be adaptable but a little smaller than the existing meter. I should be able to just connect the existing two wires from the existing meter and get all 3 readings.
I ordered two of these volt amp meters I will use to monitor L1 and L3. I will see how to mount after I get them.
Probably won't use it but I also ordered a stand alone frequency meter.
The existing meters can be taken apart for cleaning by tapping the threaded ring counterclockwise to unscrew it. If you have good working meters and just need to clean the glass I wouldn't take them all the way apart like I did but if they have corrosion and aren't working it won't hurt to clean them out with some WD40 and blow the excess out.
If those rectangular volt/amp meters will fit I may just remove the existing meters and glue the digital meters to the back of the glass and reinstall. If I could put the 3 function volt/hertz/hour meter in the existing hertz hole and the L1/L3 volt/amp meters in the current load and voltage holes it should provide a fairly clean look.
Still waiting on my meters from china but finally finished my load bank and ran the unit under full load for an hour or so. Doesn't look like this one was wet stacked because it has very little smoking. The load percentage meter is reading high so it's about as good a indicator as the rest of these gauges which are useless. Found it was still leaking fuel from somewhere up top so I shut it down till I can pull the top cover off and figure that out. Not feeling secure with my fuel line choices anyway so I will get some real fuel hose to replace all that with. Here is my Load Bank Thread.
And the video of the run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11AIHi78y98
And the video of the run.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11AIHi78y98
Revisiting a few issues and trying to refine things a bit.
My fuel line replacement was short lived. The nylon hose I used on the small return lines loosened up and started leaking after it got warmed up. The tygon I replaced the 1/4" lines with was pretty limber feeling when it got warm so I decided to replace all the hoses again with some actual fuel rated hose. I called the local VW/Mercedes shop to see if they had any of the small return line and they were out. Searching a little more I discovered Gates makes fuel line as small as 1/8" and they had it in stock at O'Rilley Auto Parts. The 1/8" (3.2mm) is part number 27000 and the 1/4" is 27002. Both were $1.39 per foot. It was snug fit and seems like it should work as least as well as the original.
As covered in the battery thread I ended up swapping the group 24 batteries I bought for group 26. The group 26 batteries tuck in nicely and do not rest against any part of the engine block.
I'm about ready to move it under my shed and set up the 55 gallon drums I bought for auxiliary tanks. The aux pump was still running after I filled the tank. I reached in and moved the float to the top and it stopped. I pushed it down and it came back up on it's on but this will be a concern and worry if I want to hook the unit to one of the drums.
Still haven't received my meters from China.
My fuel line replacement was short lived. The nylon hose I used on the small return lines loosened up and started leaking after it got warmed up. The tygon I replaced the 1/4" lines with was pretty limber feeling when it got warm so I decided to replace all the hoses again with some actual fuel rated hose. I called the local VW/Mercedes shop to see if they had any of the small return line and they were out. Searching a little more I discovered Gates makes fuel line as small as 1/8" and they had it in stock at O'Rilley Auto Parts. The 1/8" (3.2mm) is part number 27000 and the 1/4" is 27002. Both were $1.39 per foot. It was snug fit and seems like it should work as least as well as the original.
As covered in the battery thread I ended up swapping the group 24 batteries I bought for group 26. The group 26 batteries tuck in nicely and do not rest against any part of the engine block.
I'm about ready to move it under my shed and set up the 55 gallon drums I bought for auxiliary tanks. The aux pump was still running after I filled the tank. I reached in and moved the float to the top and it stopped. I pushed it down and it came back up on it's on but this will be a concern and worry if I want to hook the unit to one of the drums.
Still haven't received my meters from China.
- 15,979
- 22,376
- 113
- Location
- Burgkunstadt, Germany
Adjust the float, to cut off the aux pump right.
Performed a proper test of the auxiliary fuel system today. Siphoned a few gallons out and connected the auxiliary pump to a can and ran it till it shut off. Fuel level was just below the bottom of the filler hole when the pump shut off.
Here are my 55 gallon cans I set up for auxiliary tanks. I will use out of them on my tractor and backhoe to keep the fuel rotated and fresh.
Set the unit in it's final resting place and ran it under load for a couple of hours. Engine temp stayed just under 180* and oil pressure was around 22 psig according to the gauges on the machine. Oil pressure started out around 50 psig and slowly digressed to 22. Remained steady at 22 psig for over an hour so I think it is good to go. I can just barely hear it running in the house. I need to pick up a bag of mothballs to put in and under it.
Here are my 55 gallon cans I set up for auxiliary tanks. I will use out of them on my tractor and backhoe to keep the fuel rotated and fresh.
Set the unit in it's final resting place and ran it under load for a couple of hours. Engine temp stayed just under 180* and oil pressure was around 22 psig according to the gauges on the machine. Oil pressure started out around 50 psig and slowly digressed to 22. Remained steady at 22 psig for over an hour so I think it is good to go. I can just barely hear it running in the house. I need to pick up a bag of mothballs to put in and under it.
Last edited:
The digital meters finally arrived from China. I did a quick adapter plate for the main volt/hertz meter and mounted it (crooked). Before investing the time in making the other mount I decided to hook the volt/amp meters to L1 and L3 to test and make sure they worked.
They all work reasonably well but the main volt/hertz meter seems to read a little low on the voltage compared to my Fluke. The hertz reading is dead on with the Fluke. The volt readings on the volt/amp meters seem to be right on and the amps read somewhere between the Centec and a Fluke so they are accurate enough.
Apparently the voltage drop I am seeing when I load it is just on L1. L3 seems to hold steady. I guess I need to research what may be causing that before I try it on the house.
They all work reasonably well but the main volt/hertz meter seems to read a little low on the voltage compared to my Fluke. The hertz reading is dead on with the Fluke. The volt readings on the volt/amp meters seem to be right on and the amps read somewhere between the Centec and a Fluke so they are accurate enough.
Apparently the voltage drop I am seeing when I load it is just on L1. L3 seems to hold steady. I guess I need to research what may be causing that before I try it on the house.
Haoleb
Member
- 197
- 7
- 18
- Location
- Raymond, Maine
Nice setup. And nice touch painting those barrels tan to match! Wish I had that much fuel storage but I would be afraid it would not rotate often enough. Even with my CUCV that only gets 10MPG. I should probably try out my "super siphon" I got for Christmas and suck a few gallons out of the day tank to test the aux fuel system like you did since I have not yet done that.. except manually.
I haven't filled the barrels yet. I bought some Stanadyne Lubricity additive and some Killem Biocide to add when I do.
I got the volt/amp meters in tonight and started on another adapter for the volt/hertz meter. Hoping to get it mounted straight this time.
My biggest concern with this unit right now is the voltage drop on L1 when the unit is loaded. I've exercised the crap out of the selector switches so I guess I need to start looking for a loose connection somewhere. I knew it had a drop but hooking up individual volt/amp meters led me to the revelation it was only on one leg. It'll be my luck that will be the leg my TV and computer run on. Not sure if it's dropping enough to hurt anything but it went down to 113V with 38 amps on it. It drops incrementally from 124V as I load it and I expect intervals of higher loads.
I got the volt/amp meters in tonight and started on another adapter for the volt/hertz meter. Hoping to get it mounted straight this time.
My biggest concern with this unit right now is the voltage drop on L1 when the unit is loaded. I've exercised the crap out of the selector switches so I guess I need to start looking for a loose connection somewhere. I knew it had a drop but hooking up individual volt/amp meters led me to the revelation it was only on one leg. It'll be my luck that will be the leg my TV and computer run on. Not sure if it's dropping enough to hurt anything but it went down to 113V with 38 amps on it. It drops incrementally from 124V as I load it and I expect intervals of higher loads.
Firebrand
Member
- 70
- 18
- 8
- Location
- Charlestown, NH
Nice job on the barrels and meters. Are you stuck with the crooked placement or can you slide it about to make it level?