Putting an MEP-006a through its paces

Enjoy your videos. I work for an Onan dealer. We work on many others too including these old military sets. Reworked a MEP 6 not long ago. Stripped out the original regulator and controls. Installed a Murphy engine control and a Basler regulator. Worked great.

@SeasideBJJ Indeed! This bad boy will power your shop, your house, your neighbor's house, and their neighbor's house. Its a great feeling to have full power available when nobody else has any!

great video! thanks for posting

I enjoy my MEP006A. Upgraded the fuel system so it's easier to service. Rebuilt the injection pump. Very low hours unit when I got it.  Keep your eyes peeled for a exciter winding if ya would. Someone poorly loaded my gen-set on loan and overloaded that winding (fried the diodes, then took out the winding). I have the manuals to hand-wind a replacement but I'm not looking forward to it. 

@urgentcareguy3 If the set is run for too long at too light a load, "wet stacking" occurs. This is where unburnt fuel and carbon build up in the combustion chamber, valves, turbo, and exhaust system. This causes extra wear and tear on engine components and reduced engine performance. Only way to prevent it is to put the generator under a heavy load

@ThirtyAcrePrep I have a few of those MEP004a 15kW machines in acoustic enclosures; they are awesome. I have one for backup power for my shop and house...rock solid reliable!

@urgentcareguy3 Not bad; they are pretty simple as far as generator design goes. Normal maintenance items (filters, belts, hoses, batteries, etc.) are over the counter at my local Napa. Engine parts are usually available from my local injection pump shop (I've had a few pumps rebuilt there). Generator parts are almost all repairable by a decent generator tech; for the parts that need to be replaced, it is easy to retrofit something in their place.

You mentioned " wet stacking". I've witnessed that in real life back in the 1970's . I was working with an equipment Company, when some of the mechanics brought in a Terex Loader , a 72-31 I think it was. Powered, of course with a GM Diesel 2 stroke engine. Well, it was the day before Christmas eve, and everybody was in a rush to close up for the 'holidays', which would have been 4 days in this case. Well, you probably can see this coming,...Yup they took the loader off the float, parked it outside the shop in the back, and went inside to warm up. They forgot about it, and we all went home to enjoy Christmas. Not such a nice scene when we came back an discovered the totalled engine in the Loader . Talk about a tee'd off Manager ! In the meantime, and back to this video,...it looks and sounds like there is nothing in the world a-miss with that Allis-Chalmers prime-mover. Good unit for somebody to buy here, for certain. Thanks for this one too.

This is a beast.

@urgentcareguy3 If a person wanted a "genuine" set and only wanted mil-spec parts in it, there are dozens of surplus yards online that carry OE spares for everything in the generator.

I live in NW oregon; not sure what is available closer to you...

@sewerzuk Darn.50-80% is a lot of chistmas lights lol. I could come up with something for a dummy load, like Government. Just curious. What happens if you don't have a constant load? No gas units?

@sewerzuk \ Thanks for the info. I see all kinds of generator on Government Liquidators. Any types that I should avoid?

@sewerzuk Thanks for the very thorough replies! I would like to get a 15kW I guess. Just not sure what to look for at these Auctions. Most say condition is unknown. Nevertheless, I want one of these beasts!

Wow! that is a beast! How hard is it to get parts for these units?

Hey I have an MEP-006a and I'm experiencing a problem receiving power on the control box

A must have in times of power outages or world collapse;)

@urgentcareguy3 I stay away from anything gas powered. Also, many of these sets are 400hz; almost useless for any civilian application (except as spare parts for a 60hz unit). Whatever set you choose should be loaded 50-80% at all times...so don't get a 60kW model just to provide backup power for a house!

Hello sir, What would be the most amps you could safely get from an MEP006 at 460 volts 3PH for extended times? And also, is it true that a 60KW military generator is equivalent to about a 85KW Sullivan generator? Thanks and kind regards.

An MEP-004a would probably work fine for you; it is a 4 cylinder 15kw machine. I use one for my own shop. I currently don't have any though...