The fuel system bleeds itself with the switch in prime...the one you turn to start it, just leave it for a few minutes with the fuel pump clicking. You don't need to loosen the injector lines. To get voltage when you start it, hold the start switch on start for 10 seconds after the engine starts and the oil pressure builds you will see the voltage come up. The little knob is for fine tuning the voltage output. DO not turn the Output switch or phase lever while it's running, you will melt everything. There is an outlet breaker switch inside the drop panel. When you test for voltage go to neutral not ground. That fuel filter is the mother of all PITA....They are always stuck. The second genset you plugged in the stop solenoid with the wires reversed is why it is turning off instead of on. The black knob for frequency adjust changes the engine speed so you can set the HZ output.
I think my original comment got deleted due to including the tm numbers for reference, but please read back up on the tm as some of this information is incorrect. Such as Bleeding the fuel lines-use the engine manual. Theory of operation- based off rpm not oil pressure. Use the 24 level manual Measuring output lugs - neutral and ground are bonded The output breaker switch is a GFCI.
I used to run those when I was in the Marine Corps. The frequency adjuster can be fine tuned just by turning the handle or push the center button and pull for quick major adjustments. The 2 brass bullet looking things are for multiple ground rods. Copper threaded rods screw into them for a deeper ground rod.
@@45acp This is a relatively recent adjustment (at least for the navy) We fought like all heck to get rid of the lead acid variants because despite using optima's in some pieces they were still trying to keep lead acid variants for some pieces and even tried replacing optima batts with lead acid in the seabees, That thankfully got nipped in the bud. Finally went almost entirely gel batt (optimas) three and a half years ago. Only some of the heavy equipment pieces left to switch over, they just "need funding" :/
Hey, if you have not figured it out yet, the AC Interrupter Switch is why you got no voltage on the Line. The circuit is OPEN by default, meaning the connection between the stator and the Line Terminals is OPEN (no connection), bump it to CLOSED for a second and let go. you will then have voltage at the Line (think of it like a light switch). The MEP 802 and MEP 803 are good generators- but they are prone to "wet stacking", so keep your load at 70% or above. If you underrun it for a long time, just get a big ass electric heater, cut the plug off and connect it straight to the line terminal. Crank that baby to max and watch your load- run it at 110% for about 15 minutes and you will see a bunch of black smoke pour out as it burns off the gunk.
i love the fact that your probing the GND terminal which that terminal shouldn't have power on it, its what you call an earth connection you need to probe between L0, to L1 L2 and L3, L0 is neutral, L1 is live phase 1, phase 2, phase 3, sick video and amazing find, wish we had stuff like that in Ireland XD
I saw that he was also using the ground instead of the neutral and though that somebody else should have caught that as well. I assume the generator does NOT bond the ground to neutral and leaves that to the individual to bond to make sure it is bonded at one place only (usually at the panel). Remember this generators are used to tie into many different places/applications so bonding it (ground to neutral) should be left up to the engineer.
Oh man. I used to work on those while I was in the Marine Corps 😆 there are definitely old. Those models are being phased out when I was in but I definitely spent a couple days with my head inside those engine bays. 😂 they are hardy little generators though and will treat you well if you keep it clean and maintained. I have seen people getting the non-milspec versions of the gages to replace them. It will probably take some looking to find the right one. Or you can part out one of the other generators. I do want to let you know, if you haven't figured it out, in order to get power out on the load studs, you will need to hold the master switch in the "Start" position until the Guage reads voltage. Then you can let the switch return to the "prime run" position. After that you will need to switch the main disconnect switch to connect power to the load studs. The Dead crank switch will either put the generator into run mode "Normal" or it will just engage the stater without actually starting the generator "Dead Crank". The dead crank switch will not start the generator, it will just turn it over. The Dead crank does not send power to any of the fuel pumps. Also the Auxiliary fule pump is the same low pressure fuel pump as the one you swapped, so you can use that one. The Battle Short switch is an emergency bypass switch that bypass all the safeties. It will run until either the engine seizes or it runs completely out of fuel. Unfortunately, a lot of those generators I've fixed had issues with contaminated fuel with sand or water and it wrecks the fuel system. With as much wear, tear, and abuse those generators have probably seen I'm amazed to see that you've got them all running. Just remember you have to hold the master switch in the start position to start generating power and then the AC interrupt switch will connect the power to the load studs! Keep up the amazing work!!
As an "electric guy", just because a battery reads 12V on your multimeter does not mean it's a good battery. The load that a multimeter uses is very small, typically 1M ohms, so unless the battery is put under load your readings might not be as accurate as you think.
He clearly understood that when he mentioned "But who knows if it's gonna hold that" after charging those dead batteries. CCAs are a very basic and universal thing people across the automotive spectrum know of. This guy is definitely familiar with it.
A lead acid battery at 12.3 volts is technically dead. 12.3 volts means half the capacity is gone which is the max you should drain it. But starting batteries should never go below 70% charge. Deep cycle is 50%. Also on old batteries you can show well over 12 volts but not have any amps. Ask any mechanic.
Hey man you’ve got an awesome channel! Keep it up! You’re not afraid to just figure out how to do something and share the mistakes you make with us, and that’s what makes it so enjoyable to watch. Your humility doesn’t go unnoticed. Hope this encourages you. I pray God blesses you and your family!
Something about those type of generators that a lot of civilians don't know is that all the parts are interchangeable. The military contracts stipulate that you can rob parts from any other unit of a similar type to fix them. That means the pistons, rods, filters, ect. are usable on any of the other units. The only difference between the 4 cylinder and the 2 cylinder is the crank shaft and the block. So if you have one for parts rest assured that most if not all of them will work on any of the others regardless of the motor brand. When testing voltage with your multimeter you should be testing between L0 & the other lugs. The ground lug is to be connected to an earth rod, not the power system.
Also, 😂 battle short bypasses all the safeties. So itll run without oil, or if a sensor is bad, and you really need the generator; you can run it in battle short to just get the job done.
At that relay was the issue with the first one! I did 6 years in the Army and had these out at every field exercise we did. 5ks, 10ks, and some 30ks. Find you a distro box and some pigtails that plug into them they are universal to all the generators. They are bulletproof will run in any conditions. Keep diesel fuel in them is the hardest part.
@ easy maintenance, if you have a service manual for them you can read how to operate, and work on them as well as find part numbers for ordering the correct parts. Plus on my opinion they are built to last and take a beating. We took ours all over the world and beat them all up. Never skipped a beat. Just hard to keep fuel in them they suck down jp8 or diesel fuel quickly.
Those two copper sleeves you pulled out of that box are ground rod couplings. Their for extending ground rods by adding one on to the end of the first and so on. In sand you might need more than a 10 foot ground rod to get down into the wet for a good earth ground. Just make sure you connect that to your house with a transfer switch. You must disconnect the mains coming in from the utility before you connect that to your panel. Under normal conditions you’ll blow yourself up if the phasing is different between the utility and your generator. If the utility is out and you connect the generator it will back feed the grid and try to power up all your neighbours homes. The problem is if one of the utility guys is working on the grid, you’ll blow him up.
You need to check the frequency as well. It should be 60hz. Most multimeters have a hz test setting for that. That is what the frequency adjustment knob is for. Great video!
Yep onan diesel and gas generator systems usually incorporate some kind of low oil and low fuel shut off. In rvs and buses, it usually has to have 1/4 tank minimum to run. It was to prevent people from being stranded and harm to engine and pumps plus priming issues.
Be careful.....one guy I followed worked on these(much bigger power usually) and he found only what he called "sabotage", bare copper wiring tossed in the wiring panel (shorts and sparks) screws tossed in the intake, etc a few times. So he checked everything before trying to start and power it up.
@@indiesuarez5546 Use some iron wires to tie down the fuel rack and shutoff lever to 100% on position. If the genset is fired up by enemies, it'll rocket up to lightspeed and electrocute every single piece of appliance connected to it before going into a massive kaboom.
@@RollnRye74 I mean I guess it IS tactical quiet if your tactic is to draw the enemy away from your command post powered by battery and solar, and let the grunts in the FOB be a bullet sponge.
I had that same problem with the primary filter/separator. So tight it was insane! Horrible spot for an overtightened filter. The contactor toggle switch closes that contactor assembly beneath the control area roof. When you flip it to "close", it allows power to flow to the output terminals, and it will pretty much stay closed unless a fault happens or you shut it down. Great gensets! No need to bleed the injectors ( they had to make these G.I. proof) that's the beauty, and purpose, of the dead crank switch!
I recently found your channel. I’ve gone back through your play list and have watched all but a couple of them from start to finish. I appreciate your sense of humor, your work ethic and your love for God. You are a great example for others. You don’t have to cuss to make a great video and I really appreciate that. Keep up the good work. I’m looking forward to your channel blowing up and becoming huge.
I really enjoy your videos. I also enjoy it when vets and techs in the comments discuss the nuances and give random useful facts from their experiences. Great job with the content you're producing, the work you're doing and the community you've built so far. Best of Luck.
Your "random diesel oil" was actually just the right stuff. Rotella 15W40 is what I´d put in any older diesel. I think You made a good catch although the 4cyl sounds like one is missing. do all the headers warm up? And Dude: get Yourself a Fluke meter. They are expensive but You can still service it in 30ys, still. They are just reliable. Treat Yourself to a better meter. Uni-T is another good brand I know of. And get the Service Manuals for these. There´s all and more to know in these. Army used to be good at writing manuals. I think You was lucky: if anything unknown in the genny sections was to be wrong they could arc flash or grenade. I´d make shure that they don´t go up to full rpm´s when 1st trying. Kind Regards, Merry Christmas! Please stay alive, this was fun to watch
When I was in the army once a week i used to take a break from fixing helicopters to fix all the vehicles and generators. I hated those stupid things because they are a constant time toilet and I used to just write inop on the papers rather than trying to fix them.
In the storage box was a bare ground wire that would connect to a ground rod that has a little auger on the tip and a "T" handle to screw it in and out. Those two things are for coupling one section of 3/4 or 5/8 ground rod to another.
5:04 I'm pretty sure those are part of the grounding kit that are supposed to be used with the generator, it comes with several sections of copper rod and couplers to stick connect them into a longer piece that needs to be buried.
I've used those before. The frequency adjustment knob is used to adjust the frequency to either 50 or 60 hz to run various voltages and phases depending on configuration and requirements for what you are running off the generator
The wire and stuff in that storage area are for grounding and the fuel line is for the external top up fuel tank. L1, L2, and L3 can be swapped around when wired for 3 phase operation and be fine other then phase rotation. As long as you do not have any 3 phase motors it does not matter. If there are any 3 phase motors make sure they are turning the right way. If not then swap any two phases and that will change the rotational direction. If you have any questions I would recommend looking at the military Technical Orders (TOs) for that equipment. Technical orders are step by step instructions for working on equipment. They are usually TO followed by a space number letter dash number letter dash number letter. TO 00-5-1 is the AF Technical Order System Technical Manual explaining the system. I was in the Air Force for 4 years. The TOs are basically idiot proof or as idiot proof as they could make them. You just need to find the ones for the equipment you are working on.
For further information read the instructions that came with it. You're going to learn a lot. Also there's usually a plastic or similar wrench to tighten the nuts on the wire terminals for when you wire up your load(s)
I don't know if anyone has said it already but the operation and maintenance manual for all military equipment is public. Look on the black panel where it tells you the serial number for the model number, then Google that number followed by TM. It has everything, trouble shooting, maintenance, settings, you name it. It will also tell you the stock numbers for all the parts.
Those copper couplers you pulled out at the 5:00 mark are for a grounding rod. Comes in 3 or 4 pieces about 3' long and screws together. Pound it in the ground for your ground connection.
Hey from across the pond. I'm a noob to this channel (but, I'll be watching you now). You say your not electricaly minded, but boy, you can wrench. Love your way of figuring thigs out. I was a spanner jockey for 40 yeaer but had to give it up to ill heath. (got sick of the boss lol). All the best, and thanks for keeping us old spanner jockeys entertained.
The lugs behind the panel are for 3 phase and 240v power, with the switch set to 120v 1 ph it should only feed power to the 120v power outlets. it should also feed power to the lugs when you have it on 120/240v 1 phase. just a thought
The generator with no power, hold the switch in the start position. The fancy looking relay disconnects the starter above 900 rpms and enables you to use the field flash relay. You get this fault on these generators that are really easy to start and have sat for a while
I've had good luck with local community fb pages when needing help with stuff. If you live near a military base, you might be able to put a listing "help wanted, looking for someone who knows how to work on military generators, my generator runs but has no voltage. $20 per hour" and i can almost guarantee you'll get some old timer with an army hat to come work on your #2. Feed him some beers while he works and you'll get some good stories. Works really great when you need to find an experienced tree cutter, and you don't want to pay someone 500 bucks just to show up.
They typically drain all the fluids when they go to the can yard. Definitely check oils and stuff asap. Many times they will yank parts from a can vehicle/ part to fix other vehicles/ parts. I am glad you got it running. Not everyone in the military knows how to run what they are supposed to. BTW “can yard” is a way to say “complete but non- operable vehicle/ part yard.” As civilians would say salvage yard/ junk yard.
when checking voltage check from "N" (Neutral) to "L1" (Line 1). Not from ground to L1,L2,L3. That voltage switch is how your checking between phases L0-L1, L0 is neutral as well. Also make sure your HZ is at least 61 and your volts at 125, that's what the Frequency knob, and the voltage knob is for.
You don't have to crack off all injector lines in order to prime the injectors.....one or two are enough. Once the engine starts, it self primes the rest ✌️✌️🇰🇪🇰🇪
oh and about the round things you found in the compatrments - they are parts for the grounding of the of the generator. They connect the grounding ribbon to the top of the grounding rod if operate seperatly of the truck(on the ground for maintanance) while in service on a Lunching pad truck- the grounding ribbon is connecting directly to the truck and the truck itself connected to ground by another seperate ribbon thats why those parts made of copper and rarely are used.
Those brass tubes you pull it out of the storage box appear to be ground rod couplers. You use them to connect copper ground rods together as you drive them into the ground with a jackhammer
I just saw you fixing the three generators it was really interesting how you explain how things work thank you doing the explanation on how it works they should last forever because they are diesels
They should be wired that way so that ground fault circuits work correctly, but in terms of actual power, it doesn't matter with AC power anyway. Each side of the phase spends half the time being "hot". Happens 60 times per second. If the circuit is live, both sides can and will excite a tester pen like that one.
Good job bud. I had to work on these a few times in the Army. Be careful when buying these, some are very abused (mostly because officers cant go an hour without power). So many that i would work on were still on original oil and filter 2k hours in and the only time they would turn off is when running bone dry on fuel. BTW never use battle short unless 100% necessary. You've shown that a lot of the generators are there because of basic easily repaired issues.
When measuring those output terminals, measure between L1 to L2, L2 to L3, and L1 to L3. The ground terminal I believe would go to a grounding rod if one is used
There are a couple mods you should do to protect the machine. Good info at steelsoldiers on the issues. As others said hold the start switch at run for 10 seconds after it starts.
Looks like you just need a cutoff solenoid and a few minor bits and you'll have 3 operational gensets. You could make $4-5k profit while still keeping one for yourself!
Yea a lot of times military SOP mandate that we drain the full if we plan on transporting it. I can see someone transporting it and just not doing anything with it after the fact. So thats could be the reason the fluid was so low on the 2nd unit.
These seem like they're a lot better than a generac. Set one up in the backyard run some conduit/wiring up to a panel and you have a whole home backup generator for a few grand.
The copper cable is for the ground that must be connected and there should be a stud to connect the ground to that sticks in the ground and that must be done to run power from them or you can fry the generator
There’s a 3 pull contractor between the alternator and the output lugs. That’s probably not pulling in to close the contacts and is why there is power at the plug but not the lugs.
Gotta say, using vacuum lines for your injector return lines was some kind of thinkin' right there. Also, if your field windings utilize residual magnetism, you may have to flash the field winding.
I haven't messed around with generators but it might actually be putting out power at the lugs. When measuring ac voltage you want to measure the voltage between 2 phases or between 1 phase and neutral. In the video it seemed like you were measuring between a phase and ground. In a house this would be a good way to check the voltage as the neutral and ground are bonded together at the main electrical panel of the building. This generator on the other hand likely has the neutral and ground separated from each other as it should be only bonded together once at the main panel of what your powering. I haven't wired buildings but I have wired low voltage dc though high voltage 3phase ac electrical panels for industrial automation equipment so I could be wrong but hope this helps.
Also as a side note i would make triple sure that your multi meter and its test leads are rated to test those voltages. If your multi meter isn't up to the task it could at best destroy your meter and at worst cause an arc flash incident that could seriously injure or kill you. At my work we have a guy that had it happen to him and years later he still has large burn scars covering his arm.
I used to work on generators like these but for business use, it helps to run the generator for like 10-15 mins and shut it off and leave it for about 10 minutes before draining the oil. It helps to make the oil a bit hotter and thus more viscous. Also as an industrial electrician it did somewhat hurt to watch you work on the electrical part lol. But tbh you will figure it out, especially with the schematics. Good luck! Lmk if you need any help ;)
Awesome content here. I've been casually watching some of the MEP military generators being sold on govplanet, but seems like many of them sell for way too much, and others that seem to bring reasonable prices have missing parts or are sold "not running". Guess I'm gonna have to not be skeered and bite the bullet and hope it's just something simple. thanks!
Get a big ratchet strap with a hook type ending and connect it to your bent corner and then wrap it over the genset and connect the other end to the bottom on the other side and ratchet to pull up on the bent corner.
10:13 i don't know if you figured it out later in the video but the position you have the switch in right now is for using it with an auxilary fueltank. That's also what the additional fuel line is for that you found earlier.
Get yourself a six inch length of pipe with the correct threads and screw it on the drain pipe for the oil change. Keep the pipe inside the generator service door for future oil changes. You might find the manual on line for these units. Another TH-camr you might get in touch with is David Poz, he has done some videos on generators from the military and might be able to direct you where you might find the maintenance manuals for these units.
Glad to know our tax money is going to a military technician who can’t diagnose basic issues so then they just buy new equipment 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ Good job Braden.
I worked on one of these for la county before. The fuel tank was completely gunked up. Cleaned out all the fuel delivery parts added new diesel and swapped the filters and she purred.
Look like tqg's. I was a gen mech in military Common problem the fuel shutoff hit too hard and would toss the guide pins out the slot rail. Freq adjuster is just fancy name for throttle. Run in prime run. Aux is for outside fuel tank. If you got any questions message me.
Dead crank is not for starting just to turn the motor over after oil changes, the Technical manuals give you all the info needed to work on these units, Square Facet pumps are notorious for not working even though they sound like it. no need to crack the injectors just let it pump
you need to check the voltage between phases. Such as L1 to L2 and L1 to L3 and L2 to L3 Your voltage selector switch behind the panel will tell you which phases to check for 120 volts and 120/240 volts. Dont worry about the 3 phase settings at this time.
You gave us a peak at that airplane motor. I hope that's the next video.
He pinned it
Had 3 Optima batteries, every one of them died years before their time.
What airplane motor?
U mean GPU ?
The fuel system bleeds itself with the switch in prime...the one you turn to start it, just leave it for a few minutes with the fuel pump clicking. You don't need to loosen the injector lines. To get voltage when you start it, hold the start switch on start for 10 seconds after the engine starts and the oil pressure builds you will see the voltage come up. The little knob is for fine tuning the voltage output. DO not turn the Output switch or phase lever while it's running, you will melt everything. There is an outlet breaker switch inside the drop panel. When you test for voltage go to neutral not ground. That fuel filter is the mother of all PITA....They are always stuck. The second genset you plugged in the stop solenoid with the wires reversed is why it is turning off instead of on. The black knob for frequency adjust changes the engine speed so you can set the HZ output.
I think my original comment got deleted due to including the tm numbers for reference, but please read back up on the tm as some of this information is incorrect.
Such as
Bleeding the fuel lines-use the engine manual.
Theory of operation- based off rpm not oil pressure. Use the 24 level manual
Measuring output lugs - neutral and ground are bonded
The output breaker switch is a GFCI.
@@Alex-dz6ifpdf file available on net for these
I was saying the same thing, he had the wires on the solinoid reversed so it was shutting off.
@@kd5inm that’s not what happened. If I put the wires the way you wanted them to be the fuel pump wouldn’t run and solenoid started getting hot
@@BradenBuildz check my big paragraph comment,
The thing with military equipment, either it's lightly used or beat on like a rented mule. Just the nature of the beast.
Me: I really need to clean my apartment and package christmas gifts.
Also me: Ooh, 1h video on getting diesel generators to run? Don't mind if I do!
Same Here 👍
😂😅
so true im suppose to be sleeping
I used to run those when I was in the Marine Corps. The frequency adjuster can be fine tuned just by turning the handle or push the center button and pull for quick major adjustments. The 2 brass bullet looking things are for multiple ground rods. Copper threaded rods screw into them for a deeper ground rod.
Also, all military equipment use Optima batteries.
Good ol 1142, court house bay
@@45acp This is a relatively recent adjustment (at least for the navy) We fought like all heck to get rid of the lead acid variants because despite using optima's in some pieces they were still trying to keep lead acid variants for some pieces and even tried replacing optima batts with lead acid in the seabees, That thankfully got nipped in the bud. Finally went almost entirely gel batt (optimas) three and a half years ago. Only some of the heavy equipment pieces left to switch over, they just "need funding" :/
Hey, if you have not figured it out yet, the AC Interrupter Switch is why you got no voltage on the Line. The circuit is OPEN by default, meaning the connection between the stator and the Line Terminals is OPEN (no connection), bump it to CLOSED for a second and let go. you will then have voltage at the Line (think of it like a light switch). The MEP 802 and MEP 803 are good generators- but they are prone to "wet stacking", so keep your load at 70% or above. If you underrun it for a long time, just get a big ass electric heater, cut the plug off and connect it straight to the line terminal. Crank that baby to max and watch your load- run it at 110% for about 15 minutes and you will see a bunch of black smoke pour out as it burns off the gunk.
As someone who has an 803a and has worked on it inside and out, its hilarious watching someone who has never seen one before poke around with them.
i love the fact that your probing the GND terminal which that terminal shouldn't have power on it, its what you call an earth connection you need to probe between L0, to L1 L2 and L3, L0 is neutral, L1 is live phase 1, phase 2, phase 3, sick video and amazing find, wish we had stuff like that in Ireland XD
I saw that he was also using the ground instead of the neutral and though that somebody else should have caught that as well. I assume the generator does NOT bond the ground to neutral and leaves that to the individual to bond to make sure it is bonded at one place only (usually at the panel). Remember this generators are used to tie into many different places/applications so bonding it (ground to neutral) should be left up to the engineer.
Oh man. I used to work on those while I was in the Marine Corps 😆 there are definitely old. Those models are being phased out when I was in but I definitely spent a couple days with my head inside those engine bays. 😂 they are hardy little generators though and will treat you well if you keep it clean and maintained. I have seen people getting the non-milspec versions of the gages to replace them. It will probably take some looking to find the right one. Or you can part out one of the other generators.
I do want to let you know, if you haven't figured it out, in order to get power out on the load studs, you will need to hold the master switch in the "Start" position until the Guage reads voltage. Then you can let the switch return to the "prime run" position. After that you will need to switch the main disconnect switch to connect power to the load studs.
The Dead crank switch will either put the generator into run mode "Normal" or it will just engage the stater without actually starting the generator "Dead Crank". The dead crank switch will not start the generator, it will just turn it over. The Dead crank does not send power to any of the fuel pumps.
Also the Auxiliary fule pump is the same low pressure fuel pump as the one you swapped, so you can use that one.
The Battle Short switch is an emergency bypass switch that bypass all the safeties. It will run until either the engine seizes or it runs completely out of fuel.
Unfortunately, a lot of those generators I've fixed had issues with contaminated fuel with sand or water and it wrecks the fuel system.
With as much wear, tear, and abuse those generators have probably seen I'm amazed to see that you've got them all running.
Just remember you have to hold the master switch in the start position to start generating power and then the AC interrupt switch will connect the power to the load studs!
Keep up the amazing work!!
Thank you for your service man and great information for others in the future
Hold for the holdin contacts to make?
As an "electric guy", just because a battery reads 12V on your multimeter does not mean it's a good battery. The load that a multimeter uses is very small, typically 1M ohms, so unless the battery is put under load your readings might not be as accurate as you think.
Facts it’s all about the CCA
Fully charged 12v battery should read 13 or 14 volts with a meter. Whatever float voltage is from manufacturer
Exactly 💯 right !
He clearly understood that when he mentioned "But who knows if it's gonna hold that" after charging those dead batteries. CCAs are a very basic and universal thing people across the automotive spectrum know of. This guy is definitely familiar with it.
A lead acid battery at 12.3 volts is technically dead. 12.3 volts means half the capacity is gone which is the max you should drain it. But starting batteries should never go below 70% charge. Deep cycle is 50%. Also on old batteries you can show well over 12 volts but not have any amps. Ask any mechanic.
Hey man you’ve got an awesome channel! Keep it up! You’re not afraid to just figure out how to do something and share the mistakes you make with us, and that’s what makes it so enjoyable to watch. Your humility doesn’t go unnoticed. Hope this encourages you. I pray God blesses you and your family!
Idiot that Men is 😂
Something about those type of generators that a lot of civilians don't know is that all the parts are interchangeable. The military contracts stipulate that you can rob parts from any other unit of a similar type to fix them. That means the pistons, rods, filters, ect. are usable on any of the other units. The only difference between the 4 cylinder and the 2 cylinder is the crank shaft and the block. So if you have one for parts rest assured that most if not all of them will work on any of the others regardless of the motor brand. When testing voltage with your multimeter you should be testing between L0 & the other lugs. The ground lug is to be connected to an earth rod, not the power system.
US Army 52D here. Check the K13 Relay. 90% of all issues on the electrical side are the K13.
Also, 😂 battle short bypasses all the safeties. So itll run without oil, or if a sensor is bad, and you really need the generator; you can run it in battle short to just get the job done.
This is what I came for
At that relay was the issue with the first one! I did 6 years in the Army and had these out at every field exercise we did. 5ks, 10ks, and some 30ks. Find you a distro box and some pigtails that plug into them they are universal to all the generators. They are bulletproof will run in any conditions. Keep diesel fuel in them is the hardest part.
Do these generators have any big advantage over a regular store bought gas or diesel 5K & 10K generator?
@ easy maintenance, if you have a service manual for them you can read how to operate, and work on them as well as find part numbers for ordering the correct parts. Plus on my opinion they are built to last and take a beating. We took ours all over the world and beat them all up. Never skipped a beat. Just hard to keep fuel in them they suck down jp8 or diesel fuel quickly.
@@joelmead4299 Thanks for the reply 👍...I never heard of jp8 fuel ⛽ until now... So I just read up on it.
@@joelmead4299rather use jp8
Nice 👍👍
Those two copper sleeves you pulled out of that box are ground rod couplings. Their for extending ground rods by adding one on to the end of the first and so on. In sand you might need more than a 10 foot ground rod to get down into the wet for a good earth ground.
Just make sure you connect that to your house with a transfer switch. You must disconnect the mains coming in from the utility before you connect that to your panel. Under normal conditions you’ll blow yourself up if the phasing is different between the utility and your generator. If the utility is out and you connect the generator it will back feed the grid and try to power up all your neighbours homes. The problem is if one of the utility guys is working on the grid, you’ll blow him up.
You need to check the frequency as well. It should be 60hz. Most multimeters have a hz test setting for that. That is what the frequency adjustment knob is for. Great video!
There's a meter on the panel for that
Yep onan diesel and gas generator systems usually incorporate some kind of low oil and low fuel shut off. In rvs and buses, it usually has to have 1/4 tank minimum to run. It was to prevent people from being stranded and harm to engine and pumps plus priming issues.
Be careful.....one guy I followed worked on these(much bigger power usually) and he found only what he called "sabotage", bare copper wiring tossed in the wiring panel (shorts and sparks) screws tossed in the intake, etc a few times. So he checked everything before trying to start and power it up.
Wouldn’t have thought of that
probably done if the soldiers think they generators will fall into enemy hands
That's cause they let morons work on them
@@indiesuarez5546 Use some iron wires to tie down the fuel rack and shutoff lever to 100% on position. If the genset is fired up by enemies, it'll rocket up to lightspeed and electrocute every single piece of appliance connected to it before going into a massive kaboom.
As a Generator mechanic I liked this video
Army guy 1: This new generator is Tactical quiet.
Army guy 2: *WHAT!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!*
Army guy 1: *I SAID! IT'S TACTICAL QUIET!*
ikr? can another muffler be added to these? these running tells everyone within a 1/2 mile you have power.
@@RollnRye74 I mean I guess it IS tactical quiet if your tactic is to draw the enemy away from your command post powered by battery and solar, and let the grunts in the FOB be a bullet sponge.
I had that same problem with the primary filter/separator. So tight it was insane! Horrible spot for an overtightened filter. The contactor toggle switch closes that contactor assembly beneath the control area roof. When you flip it to "close", it allows power to flow to the output terminals, and it will pretty much stay closed unless a fault happens or you shut it down. Great gensets! No need to bleed the injectors ( they had to make these G.I. proof) that's the beauty, and purpose, of the dead crank switch!
I recently found your channel. I’ve gone back through your play list and have watched all but a couple of them from start to finish. I appreciate your sense of humor, your work ethic and your love for God. You are a great example for others. You don’t have to cuss to make a great video and I really appreciate that. Keep up the good work. I’m looking forward to your channel blowing up and becoming huge.
Same here!
Fr w channel
Those are auxiliary fuel pumps you heard running. The hose you found earlier is to run on a huge auxiliary fuel tank.
I really enjoy your videos. I also enjoy it when vets and techs in the comments discuss the nuances and give random useful facts from their experiences.
Great job with the content you're producing, the work you're doing and the community you've built so far.
Best of Luck.
To enable the main power output terminals, the "circuit interrupter" switch should be flipped to "closed" for a second.
Your "random diesel oil" was actually just the right stuff. Rotella 15W40 is what I´d put in any older diesel. I think You made a good catch although the 4cyl sounds like one is missing.
do all the headers warm up? And Dude: get Yourself a Fluke meter. They are expensive but You can still service it in 30ys, still. They are just reliable. Treat Yourself to a better meter.
Uni-T is another good brand I know of. And get the Service Manuals for these. There´s all and more to know in these. Army used to be good at writing manuals.
I think You was lucky: if anything unknown in the genny sections was to be wrong they could arc flash or grenade. I´d make shure that they don´t go up to full rpm´s when 1st trying.
Kind Regards, Merry Christmas! Please stay alive, this was fun to watch
When I was in the army once a week i used to take a break from fixing helicopters to fix all the vehicles and generators. I hated those stupid things because they are a constant time toilet and I used to just write inop on the papers rather than trying to fix them.
In the storage box was a bare ground wire that would connect to a ground rod that has a little auger on the tip and a "T" handle to screw it in and out. Those two things are for coupling one section of 3/4 or 5/8 ground rod to another.
I've worked on those generators for years. Their simplicity is refreshing.
5:04 I'm pretty sure those are part of the grounding kit that are supposed to be used with the generator, it comes with several sections of copper rod and couplers to stick connect them into a longer piece that needs to be buried.
The injector shut off solenoid has ground, pull and hold. The pull function usually runs off the starter solenoid and holds with the other wire.
Check your voltage to neutral, not ground !
@@blablablaqwdhe doesn’t. He’ll make his money back from views alone I’m sure. I’m betting that’s why he bought em
@@blablablaqwdIt's almost like there was a warning at the start of the video or something
@@joshuagalvan681 you are severely inflating what TH-cam pays people lmao. Don’t be so cynical
@@blablablaqwdyou are free to buy ohne yourself! 😂
@@drummerdude476 already made my money back and video has been up a day.
You’d be surprised what some people make on here.
2500 for all? What site?
Glad someone posting new material on these. I have 2
Curious myself
i would guess govtribe
sorry govplanet, other one is a work thing lol
I've used those before. The frequency adjustment knob is used to adjust the frequency to either 50 or 60 hz to run various voltages and phases depending on configuration and requirements for what you are running off the generator
16:16 that's because all the oil is in the radiator lol
The wire and stuff in that storage area are for grounding and the fuel line is for the external top up fuel tank. L1, L2, and L3 can be swapped around when wired for 3 phase operation and be fine other then phase rotation. As long as you do not have any 3 phase motors it does not matter. If there are any 3 phase motors make sure they are turning the right way. If not then swap any two phases and that will change the rotational direction. If you have any questions I would recommend looking at the military Technical Orders (TOs) for that equipment. Technical orders are step by step instructions for working on equipment. They are usually TO followed by a space number letter dash number letter dash number letter. TO 00-5-1 is the AF Technical Order System Technical Manual explaining the system. I was in the Air Force for 4 years. The TOs are basically idiot proof or as idiot proof as they could make them. You just need to find the ones for the equipment you are working on.
For further information read the instructions that came with it. You're going to learn a lot. Also there's usually a plastic or similar wrench to tighten the nuts on the wire terminals for when you wire up your load(s)
I don't know if anyone has said it already but the operation and maintenance manual for all military equipment is public. Look on the black panel where it tells you the serial number for the model number, then Google that number followed by TM. It has everything, trouble shooting, maintenance, settings, you name it. It will also tell you the stock numbers for all the parts.
Those copper couplers you pulled out at the 5:00 mark are for a grounding rod. Comes in 3 or 4 pieces about 3' long and screws together. Pound it in the ground for your ground connection.
Hey from across the pond. I'm a noob to this channel (but, I'll be watching you now). You say your not electricaly minded, but boy, you can wrench. Love your way of figuring thigs out. I was a spanner jockey for 40 yeaer but had to give it up to ill heath. (got sick of the boss lol). All the best, and thanks for keeping us old spanner jockeys entertained.
The AC interruptor is the one button that lets you receive power from those lugs, switch it to closed and you should have power.
The lugs behind the panel are for 3 phase and 240v power, with the switch set to 120v 1 ph it should only feed power to the 120v power outlets.
it should also feed power to the lugs when you have it on 120/240v 1 phase.
just a thought
The generator with no power, hold the switch in the start position. The fancy looking relay disconnects the starter above 900 rpms and enables you to use the field flash relay.
You get this fault on these generators that are really easy to start and have sat for a while
The knowledge in the comments is golden. I love it.
Brings back memories. I am a retired 31C.
You should measure output voltage across L1/2/3 and L0/N terminals. The GND terminal is for connecting ground to the generator.
I've had good luck with local community fb pages when needing help with stuff. If you live near a military base, you might be able to put a listing "help wanted, looking for someone who knows how to work on military generators, my generator runs but has no voltage. $20 per hour" and i can almost guarantee you'll get some old timer with an army hat to come work on your #2. Feed him some beers while he works and you'll get some good stories.
Works really great when you need to find an experienced tree cutter, and you don't want to pay someone 500 bucks just to show up.
They typically drain all the fluids when they go to the can yard. Definitely check oils and stuff asap. Many times they will yank parts from a can vehicle/ part to fix other vehicles/ parts. I am glad you got it running. Not everyone in the military knows how to run what they are supposed to. BTW “can yard” is a way to say “complete but non- operable vehicle/ part yard.” As civilians would say salvage yard/ junk yard.
Thank you for keeping me entertained during my 2 Hour Dr. in traffic much appreciated
when checking voltage check from "N" (Neutral) to "L1" (Line 1). Not from ground to L1,L2,L3. That voltage switch is how your checking between phases L0-L1, L0 is neutral as well. Also make sure your HZ is at least 61 and your volts at 125, that's what the Frequency knob, and the voltage knob is for.
Alright, how many of yall yelled 10mm when he found that old socket? 😁👍
You don't have to crack off all injector lines in order to prime the injectors.....one or two are enough. Once the engine starts, it self primes the rest ✌️✌️🇰🇪🇰🇪
He completely disconected them though. We were taught to be very careful with those Injector lines as they are under high pressure.
oh and about the round things you found in the compatrments - they are parts for the grounding of the of the generator.
They connect the grounding ribbon to the top of the grounding rod if operate seperatly of the truck(on the ground for maintanance)
while in service on a Lunching pad truck- the grounding ribbon is connecting directly to the truck and the truck itself connected to ground by another seperate ribbon thats why those parts made of copper and rarely are used.
Those brass tubes you pull it out of the storage box appear to be ground rod couplers. You use them to connect copper ground rods together as you drive them into the ground with a jackhammer
I just saw you fixing the three generators it was really interesting how you explain how things work thank you doing the explanation on how it works they should last forever because they are diesels
Just a tip, the convenience receptacles live wire is the small/short prong. The big/long prong is the neutral.
Checked both incase someone flipped them.
@BradenBuildz ahh, okay.
They should be wired that way so that ground fault circuits work correctly, but in terms of actual power, it doesn't matter with AC power anyway. Each side of the phase spends half the time being "hot". Happens 60 times per second. If the circuit is live, both sides can and will excite a tester pen like that one.
Those long nuts are for connecting grounding rods together .
35:36 “i know what’s wrong with it, it ain’t got no gas init’ lol
Can’t wait to see you dig in to fixing the other ones too!
ground is for Earth. L0 is blue for Negative. and L1 L2AndL3 are all live Brown for positive, depending on which voltage you are running them on
Newsflash, there is no negative or positive here. Very dangerous someone like yourself handing out uneducated advice.
Good job bud. I had to work on these a few times in the Army. Be careful when buying these, some are very abused (mostly because officers cant go an hour without power). So many that i would work on were still on original oil and filter 2k hours in and the only time they would turn off is when running bone dry on fuel. BTW never use battle short unless 100% necessary.
You've shown that a lot of the generators are there because of basic easily repaired issues.
When measuring those output terminals, measure between L1 to L2, L2 to L3, and L1 to L3.
The ground terminal I believe would go to a grounding rod if one is used
Hope the mrs enjoyed her fancy dinner. You hit the jackpot with these id say.
On the one with the bent frame, try to get a small jack in that space and use a jack to push the frame up.
this video is so therapeutic to watch!! i love machines and you just made me fall in love with military generators!
That’s crazy. Same name, and a pfp dog that looks the same. Along with same interests, (taking things apart, trying to fix them sometimes breaks them.
There are a couple mods you should do to protect the machine. Good info at steelsoldiers on the issues. As others said hold the start switch at run for 10 seconds after it starts.
Cool bit of info: you can buy sheets of gasket material and cut it to fit if you need a gasket and can’t buy one easily.
Looks like you just need a cutoff solenoid and a few minor bits and you'll have 3 operational gensets. You could make $4-5k profit while still keeping one for yourself!
Yea a lot of times military SOP mandate that we drain the full if we plan on transporting it. I can see someone transporting it and just not doing anything with it after the fact. So thats could be the reason the fluid was so low on the 2nd unit.
These seem like they're a lot better than a generac. Set one up in the backyard run some conduit/wiring up to a panel and you have a whole home backup generator for a few grand.
The copper cable is for the ground that must be connected and there should be a stud to connect the ground to that sticks in the ground and that must be done to run power from them or you can fry the generator
There’s a 3 pull contractor between the alternator and the output lugs. That’s probably not pulling in to close the contacts and is why there is power at the plug but not the lugs.
Loved these videos! I would love to see the other generators getting fixed in your next vid
Gotta say, using vacuum lines for your injector return lines was some kind of thinkin' right there.
Also, if your field windings utilize residual magnetism, you may have to flash the field winding.
just had an idea, you could use a small car jack in between the metal to get that corner bent back in place
I haven't messed around with generators but it might actually be putting out power at the lugs. When measuring ac voltage you want to measure the voltage between 2 phases or between 1 phase and neutral. In the video it seemed like you were measuring between a phase and ground. In a house this would be a good way to check the voltage as the neutral and ground are bonded together at the main electrical panel of the building. This generator on the other hand likely has the neutral and ground separated from each other as it should be only bonded together once at the main panel of what your powering. I haven't wired buildings but I have wired low voltage dc though high voltage 3phase ac electrical panels for industrial automation equipment so I could be wrong but hope this helps.
Also as a side note i would make triple sure that your multi meter and its test leads are rated to test those voltages. If your multi meter isn't up to the task it could at best destroy your meter and at worst cause an arc flash incident that could seriously injure or kill you. At my work we have a guy that had it happen to him and years later he still has large burn scars covering his arm.
I used to work on generators like these but for business use, it helps to run the generator for like 10-15 mins and shut it off and leave it for about 10 minutes before draining the oil. It helps to make the oil a bit hotter and thus more viscous. Also as an industrial electrician it did somewhat hurt to watch you work on the electrical part lol. But tbh you will figure it out, especially with the schematics. Good luck! Lmk if you need any help ;)
Which part
Some of the best well keeped Documentation I've ever seen 2:43
Awesome content here. I've been casually watching some of the MEP military generators being sold on govplanet, but seems like many of them sell for way too much, and others that seem to bring reasonable prices have missing parts or are sold "not running". Guess I'm gonna have to not be skeered and bite the bullet and hope it's just something simple. thanks!
BTW ,battle run switch bypasses all shutdown safeties, engine will run till fuel or oil runs out or something major fails.
Get a big ratchet strap with a hook type ending and connect it to your bent corner and then wrap it over the genset and connect the other end to the bottom on the other side and ratchet to pull up on the bent corner.
in order to measure current you need to measure between 0 and L1,L2 or L3, not between ground and a L1,L2 or L3. But you have made a good deal😊
I kept yelling at him but he just wouldn't listen😁
shut the output breaker!
10:13 i don't know if you figured it out later in the video but the position you have the switch in right now is for using it with an auxilary fueltank. That's also what the additional fuel line is for that you found earlier.
Get yourself a six inch length of pipe with the correct threads and screw it on the drain pipe for the oil change. Keep the pipe inside the generator service door for future oil changes. You might find the manual on line for these units. Another TH-camr you might get in touch with is David Poz, he has done some videos on generators from the military and might be able to direct you where you might find the maintenance manuals for these units.
Glad to know our tax money is going to a military technician who can’t diagnose basic issues so then they just buy new equipment 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Good job Braden.
I worked on one of these for la county before. The fuel tank was completely gunked up. Cleaned out all the fuel delivery parts added new diesel and swapped the filters and she purred.
Thanks!
Thank you 🙏
I used to maintain and service those when I worked for the government. So far it looks like you should get someone who knows something about them.
Need to put oil in the new filter before installing or add extra oil after cranking to fill that empty filter.
When are you fixing the M6? I’m waiting for that video but keep doing your thing, bro. I know your family proud of you.🎉🎉
Owner not cooperating with me on title transfer so still not sure on m6
First thing you do with any new to you equipment. Change all fluids and tune up so you know what you have.
Look like tqg's. I was a gen mech in military Common problem the fuel shutoff hit too hard and would toss the guide pins out the slot rail. Freq adjuster is just fancy name for throttle. Run in prime run. Aux is for outside fuel tank. If you got any questions message me.
The brass pieces are for connecting grounding rods together
I love ur socket that u used to loosen the injectors
Dead crank is not for starting just to turn the motor over after oil changes, the Technical manuals give you all the info needed to work on these units, Square Facet pumps are notorious for not working even though they sound like it. no need to crack the injectors just let it pump
Always remember on army equipment they always drain all fluids. Always , but I automatically check all fluids before trying to start anything
you need to check the voltage between phases. Such as L1 to L2 and L1 to L3 and L2 to L3 Your voltage selector switch behind the panel will tell you which phases to check for 120 volts and 120/240 volts. Dont worry about the 3 phase settings at this time.
hello from Canada. i love your videos and enjoy your work. thank you