I'm hoping someone can help me diagnose a problem. I was all ready to box my frame this weekend and I ran into welder trouble before I could get started. I have a used Lincoln Electric 135 that I am using as a mig and it has worked correctly in the past. When I hold the trigger while in the air, the wire comes out fine. When I try to use it on metal, the spool pulses rather than coming out smoothly. I changed the tip, the line, and tried adjusting pressure on the spool and rollers. Thank you for any ideas, they are greatly appreciated! Stay safe!!
be sure the wire currently in the liner doesn’t have any kinks by running it out fully. check for lube and tension on the wire spool holder. Run thru the basics on the liner, clean it blow it out, pull it looking for kinks. Check the wire feed gearbox for bushing wear on the shaft. it works well for a while but a crappy design with lots of strain on the bushes especially if you in the habit of a little extra roller pressure.
Sometimes the sleeve gets dirt and crap in it. Also try to keep your line as straight as possible. Bones
This could be your problem. Back off the drive pressure completely and if you can grab the drive wheel attached to the motor and wiggle it back and forth then you’ll have to replace the drive motor. My son bought a used Miller 175 cheap because it didn’t work so I replaced the drive motor and it works perfectly.
tip could need to be changed. the tension may have to be increased on the feed rollers. the spool may be hanging up on the reel. the liner may be worn
I have a Lincoln 180 Dual which may be different, but on mine the inner wire guide, the drive wheel and the contact tip must all be the correct size for the wire used, plus there are serrated drive wheels for flux core only. The drive tension is correct when you can slow but not stop the feed at the tip with a medium pinch between your bare thumb and forefinger.
I'm thinking wire feed is too slow... If your wire melts creating a "drop" like then melts,your wire feed is too slow.
if the wire on the roll is rusty it will cause problems also and would need to be scrapped. to keep liners clean, a small piece of scotch-brite wrapped on the wire and held with an old wooden clothespin, right before it enters the rollers, will wipe it clean
when you need to keep the hose strait as possible try a new liner. I've used several of those welders and the best working one I've used is one that had the factory hose/gun replaced.
Is the wire speed correct for the amperage and thickness of the metal you are welding on? I had something similar going on on my Lincoln 175 the other day and after looking at everything finally figured out that I had the wire speed all wrong. Make sure you have the correct size tip for the wire too. If you change wire size every once in a while you may have picked up a wrong size tip. The other thing I have had happen that acts similar is the wire got unrolled a bit on the spool and i had to roll it back up and when I did it overlapped and wanted to fight being pulled off the spool until I got past that point.
yeah most mig drive spools are set up for 2 sized could be on wrong size for wire or mixed ,,, fabricator john miss you dad
A lot of good points above. Also after removing your liner and blowing it out. Shoot some graphite into the liner before feeding wire into it.
Different brand but similar problem. The technician I rang told me that after a while the drive motor moves away from the tension wheel. I had to loosen the screws that mounts the drive wheel and with the tensioner released, push the drive shaft and wheel upwards. I did this, retightened the mounting screws and reset the tensioner. After weeks of shitty welds and four letter expletives the machine is working like a brand new one.
I have had similar problems over the years. The above are all good answers. One time when something like this happened to me none of those fixed it. I took all the covers off and worked the welder, not knowing what to look for, when I would strike an arc there was an arc in the machine. There was a loose connection inside. I went thru every connection in it. I got a bit if a turn on most of them. There are quite a few in there.
No helmet required, try the gun against some wood (2x4 whatever) to see if you're spinning your drive wheels.
This is a timely thread. Have been having similar issues lately. Thanks to all for the suggestions. Ray
The OP hasn't responded since his original question. The machine he is using says online that its 110 volt and it can do flux cored or gas. If he is using .023 wire with gas, he needs to insure that he is using an 023 liner and not an 030 liner. .023 wire is so flimsy that it will bend and nest inside the machine if an .030 liner is used. If he is using flux cored wire ...........expect problems.
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