Free is for me!

[normanaj]

MES30.

After the controller went dead and my friend replaced it still didn't work.He didn't feel like fixing it even after I directed him here and after I offered to help so he went and bought a new one and well here I am.It's in fine shape,hardly used.Got rained on more than once including last night.

I'm off to the local race track for the Whelen Modifieds so it'll get a thorough inspection tomorrow.It does have one removable plate on the lower center but none for the safety limit switch and another removable one on the bottom.I'll check out the wiring and I'll rewire and hook my Auber up to it and see if the element heats up if no love I'll probably be hitting up tallbm and chopsaw with a few questions!

 

[chopsaw]

Nice . First thing , check the connection at the element itself . Even if they look good , cut the shrink wrap off and make sure . replace them either way , but I like to know what the trouble is doing one thing at a time .

You know all that . Keep us posted , enjoy the race .

 

[normanaj]

First thing , check the connection at the element itself . Even if they look good , cut the shrink wrap off and make sure . replace them either way , but I like to know what the trouble is doing one thing at a time .

That panel is actually at the bottom center.Just checked that and the wiring it looks good but I'll give it the thorough tomorrow.

Still have about 1/2 hour before I leave so I'm going to take a look at the bottom now.

 

[chopsaw]

I’ve had the wires at the element look good on the terminals , but be burnt / broken under the wrap / insulation .
You could always make up a pig tail and run it with the auber just to see what it does .

 

[tallbm]

MES30.

After the controller went dead and my friend replaced it still didn't work.He didn't feel like fixing it even after I directed him here and after I offered to help so he went and bought a new one and well here I am.It's in fine shape,hardly used.Got rained on more than once including last night.

I'm off to the local race track for the Whelen Modifieds so it'll get a thorough inspection tomorrow.It does have one removable plate on the lower center but none for the safety limit switch and another removable one on the bottom.I'll check out the wiring and I'll rewire and hook my Auber up to it and see if the element heats up if no love I'll probably be hitting up tallbm and chopsaw with a few questions!

Nice score!!!

Sounds like you are on it checking the heating element already. I've had where the connectors were ok BUT corrosion built up between the wire and the connector itself at the heating element. That's a quick fix replacing the connector.

With no panel at the high temp safety limit switch you'll have to cut one. I never recommend taking the back off due to the 2 different kinds of backs that MES has made. The back with the "lip and groove" is a nightmare to try and get back in place and the version with the riveted back needs sheet metal screws to replace the rivets that get drilled out.

The simplest approach to cutting is a rotary tool/dremel with a metal cutting disk.
An alternative is to drill a hole just through the sheet metal. The hole should be big enough to fit some finer nose tin snips and you can then start cutting the sheet metal.
Duct tape or foil flue tape will seal it all back up nicely when done and keep it water tight.
Just be sure to get good ground to safety switch measurements from the inside so you know where to kind of start on the back side. Not too wild of a job but takes some doing.

I look forward to seeing how it all comes together man! Nothing like a free MES that get's a PID to make smoking live a breeze :D

 

[normanaj]

Ok so bare with me as I've been at the track all day and there's a fair amount of alcohol involved.

I have power to the controller and it allows me to set my temp/time but the readout for temp always shows 300℉ though on occasion it will flicker all kinds of different temps and the element will get power in those moments but for the most part it always reads 300℉. Getting back to the top of this post I will not be cutting anything to look at the safety switch until tomorrow...I kinda value my digits!

I know the rewire for the Auber is done from the bottom but I don't see any braided wires so I'm not sure which wires I need to splice together in this case compared to my other MES which had the wire harnesses.

Here are the pics from the back (element) and the bottom in that order:

 

[chopsaw]

Norm , not sure how your taking and saving your pics . They're so small it's hard to see anything .
Maybe it's just me .

 

[normanaj]

Norm , not sure how your taking and saving your pics . They're so small it's hard to see anything .
Maybe it's just me .

That's more than likely the alcohol thing,long day at track and now watching the Cup race. I'll take some real pics tomorrow.

 

[normanaj]

How about these:

 

[tallbm]

How about these:

The blue and red wires here appear to be braided and the ones that will connect to smooth black and smooth white. 1 braided to 1 smooth only.

Notice that the braided red runs all the way to the heating element.
The braided black will run to the high temp safety limit switch and THEN change colors to braided blue from the switch to the circuit board in the picture above. In short, braided blue and braided black are basically the same wire but change color before and after connecting to the safety switch :D

 

[texomakid]

Cool smoker but who won the modified race? Is Ryan Newman running that series?

 

[normanaj]

Wired up for the Auber but keep popping the GFI but when plugged into a non-GFI the element gets hot and continues to heat.

Next is to figure out why it's tripping the GFI.

 

[chopsaw]

Check the element with an ohm meter . Mes 30 should be around 18 .40 around 12 .

 

[normanaj]

Check the element with an ohm meter . Mes 30 should be around 18 .40 around 12 .

That's something I don't own so I'll have to borrow one but that won't be an issue.

In an aside after hitting 240 the increase in temp is pretty slow but still climbing but that might just be an Auber setting that would need to be tweaked.
Edit:it made it to the set temp of 270 just slower than my other 30.

 

[normanaj]

Cool smoker but who won the modified race? Is Ryan Newman running that series?

Matt Hirschman.Newman wasn't here for this one.

 

[hoity toit]

Ok so bare with me as I've been at the track all day and there's a fair amount of alcohol involved.

I have power to the controller and it allows me to set my temp/time but the readout for temp always shows 300℉ though on occasion it will flicker all kinds of different temps and the element will get power in those moments but for the most part it always reads 300℉. Getting back to the top of this post I will not be cutting anything to look at the safety switch until tomorrow...I kinda value my digits!

I know the rewire for the Auber is done from the bottom but I don't see any braided wires so I'm not sure which wires I need to splice together in this case compared to my other MES which had the wire harnesses.

Here are the pics from the back (element) and the bottom in that order:

Take that shrink wrap off the connection, that is where mine failed. Redo it with wire nuts. You can also apply 120 volts directly to the element to see if it is good.

 

[chopsaw]

Auber but keep popping the GFI but when plugged into a non-GFI the element gets hot and continues to heat.

When you use the GFCI , does it run a bit then trip , or trip right away ?
Mine would run for a few minutes , then trip the fault protector . When I checked the reading it was at 5 ohms . Rate of flow / return was to fast and the circuit saw it as a leak to ground .

 

[normanaj]

When you use the GFCI , does it run a bit then trip , or trip right away ?

Immediately...but no longer as I found a wire that was grounding out.

Scratch that it's now tripping the GFI after about 5 minutes of heating which at that point reaches between 180℉-190℉.

 

[tallbm]

Wired up for the Auber but keep popping the GFI but when plugged into a non-GFI the element gets hot and continues to heat.

Next is to figure out why it's tripping the GFI.

Mine does the same so I just use my non-GFCI outlet. I'm 99% sure the insulation of the element has insignificant cracks in it that don't affect the heating but freaks out the GFCI. I'm pretty sure this is my case but be sure to check any big serious culprits to rule them out.

 

[normanaj]

Mine does the same so I just use my non-GFCI outlet. I'm 99% sure the insulation of the element has insignificant cracks in it that don't affect the heating but freaks out the GFCI. I'm pretty sure this is my case but be sure to check any big serious culprits to rule them out.

I truly can't see anything wrong. There's no corrosion or burnt wiring anywhere that I can see.