whats wrong with my welder

i am a very amateur welder. i have a hobart 135. i just got it yesterday. bought it used for $200.
i can't get the wire to feed. when the trigger is pressed i can hear it "click" inside the machine but the feed wheel does not turn. is this a simple problem or is something not working properly? thanks

 

had the same problem. I wiggled the speed nob back and forth, and it started.

 

Check the feed wheel tension... if they aren't 'squeezing' the wire a little, it ain't gonna move.

 

even with no wire in it the feed wheel should turn right?

 

Don't hesitate to call Hobart/Miller, they have great tech support!

 

The click should be the solenoid for the gas, you should hear the gas.
It should also start the wire feed, if you can test to see if you are getting power to the drive motor.
If you not sure how to do the checking, take it to a weld shop for repair.
touch the wrong thing and the capacitor can knock you for a loop

 

If you did not get the "Instruction Manual" with the used machine, go on the manufacturers website and download the manual. Then Read it.

Good luck.

Lost_N_Austin

 

it's set up for flux core right now. i got the manual, but shouldn't the drive wheel turn when the trigger is pressed??

 

Mike, the click you here is the gas valve opening. You need to look at the wire drive wheels when you pull the trigger,they should rotate. If the wheels do turn ,then adjust the roller tension on the wire. At this point you should be able to push wire through the stinger,if not check for a kinked or broken liner in the stinger.

Good luck with your new welder, .................Jack

 

I have an old Hobart that my boys use. I have had this happen twice and both times it was the main board inside that contrals the wire speed. I called Miller and talked to the tech's and did some test then paid about $160.00 for a new board and it was fixed. They are a good welder and worth fixing.

 

something doesnt seem right i had a old welder that was fluxcore and it would make the click sound but it wasnt set up for gas use.

try to turn the wheel where the wire goes on see if it will turn also it could be to tight and wont let it turn at all. if you cant get it to work take it by a shop and let them have a look at it. hope this helps.

 

is the wire speed set on purge? if it is the wire does not feed when the trigger is pressed

 

i will call hobart tomorrow. the seller said he will give me my money back if it didn't work, i already told him the problem. if hobart sez its the board inside i will get my money back from the seller instead of paying $$$ for the part.

 

You may have a bad trigger in your torch (thing that makes bright light, hot metal) probably not a bad liner. I work on welders at my job. Actually replaced a torch for some Joe on the line today that stopped working (bad trigger) So I am going with a bad connection in your trigger if the wheels aren't turning. A bad or broken liner will not cause this, it will cause wire not to feed properly or not at all but the drive rollers will spin like nobodys business and you will end up with a "birds nest". Or your motor for your drive rollers is bad. One set should turn if you have wire in it or not. Or you could have something bad in the encoder or circuit board or any other myriad of problems. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

 

i don't work on welders for a living so it was not obvious to me. but it makes a click inside the machine when i press the trigger. can the bad trigger be repaired? or replaced? thanks

 

just curious, did you test it before you bought it ? If you did and it worked then check the settings like others have said or undo the things that you might have changed since getting it. Good luck and have fun with your purchase if you get it to work.

 

The way that home welder stuff goes, they will probably try to stick you for a whole torch. With out actually seeing or hearing whats going on, it is kind of hard to diagnose.

 

Hobart (Miller) I think it's Hobartwelds.com has great forum and tech support.....I have a 220v hobart mig....it quite feeding wire. Turns out it was a ic board and the fan. Apparently, the cooling fan caused the board to torch......both items had to be replaced......some guy in tech support walked me through the troubleshooting process....in the end they sent me the parts, no charge......since your welder is used they probably won't do it for you, but it don't hurt to try

when I bought a plasma machine guess which brand I chose? That's how you do business.

 

You have a short inside the machine somewhere. I had the same welder and had the same problem. Clicking but no wire feed and the wheel didn't spin. Took it to an electric repair place and they fixed it up as good as new. It was a short somewhere. If you have a place near you that deals in electrical repairs I would suggest taking it in.