I'm helping a friend who's having problems with his Miller MIG, a 172,
IIRC. A 220 wirefeed running .035 wire and CO2. The machine will click,
but not push out wire. You have to click it several times to get wire to
advance, then the arc is sometimes sputtering like the wirespeed is
varying. At other times, there is no click, and no wire advance. The
outcoming wire has indentations from the drive rollers, and I even backed
down on the tension thinking it may be causing burrs that are dragging on
the liner. When I clicked it on, I was pulling the wire with some pliers
thinking I'd see if it was dragging in the liner, but it was stuck tight
and not coming off the reel at all. I did not check to see if the wire
was energized on the times it would only click, or not click. Anyone have
this problem with this machine? Help, advice, solutions, opinions
welcome.

Steve

Brushes burned out on the wire feed motor?

I'm helping a friend who's having problems with his Miller MIG, a 172, IIRC.
A 220 wirefeed running .035 wire and CO2. The machine will click, but not
push out wire. You have to click it several times to get wire to advance,
then the arc is sometimes sputtering like the wirespeed is varying. At
other times, there is no click, and no wire advance. The outcoming wire has
indentations from the drive rollers, and I even backed down on the tension
thinking it may be causing burrs that are dragging on the liner. When I
clicked it on, I was pulling the wire with some pliers thinking I'd see if
it was dragging in the liner, but it was stuck tight and not coming off the
reel at all. I did not check to see if the wire was energized on the times
it would only click, or not click. Anyone have this problem with this
machine? Help, advice, solutions, opinions welcome.

Steve

"Potblak" <Inva...@Invalid.net> wrote in message

news:480038b0$0$14221$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...

Brushes burned out on the wire feed motor?

I suspect from the way it was running when we shut it off that it will go to
a service center soon, and I will report the findings.  Right now, I'm just
trying to get ideas to take back Monday to make suggestions on what he might
try or check just in case we've missed something simple or obvious.  The
boss is retired ex military who used to build and run radar systems for the
AF, so some DIY electricital repairs are not out of the question.

In the meantime, I'll take my Lincoln 175 Plus over there to finish the job.
This Miller has been used a lot to make ornamental metal, and is probably
just in need of a full service call.  Too bad they don't last forever.  I
did have a MillerMatic that was shop used for eight years, and I never even
had to change the contactor points.  Some are just built better than others,
and some have more frequent service intervals.

Steve

"stagesmith" <ernie@stagesmith.com> wrote in message
news:cf4ef32b-1e7f-42f7-aa62-3cf9d5b254a6@p25g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
On Apr 11, 11:47 pm, "SteveB" <pittmanpir...@henderson.com> wrote:
"Potblak" <Inva...@Invalid.net> wrote in message

news:480038b0$0$14221$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...

Brushes burned out on the wire feed motor?

I suspect from the way it was running when we shut it off that it will go
to
a service center soon, and I will report the findings. Right now, I'm
just
trying to get ideas to take back Monday to make suggestions on what he
might
try or check just in case we've missed something simple or obvious. The
boss is retired ex military who used to build and run radar systems for
the
AF, so some DIY electricital repairs are not out of the question.

In the meantime, I'll take my Lincoln 175 Plus over there to finish the
job.
This Miller has been used a lot to make ornamental metal, and is probably
just in need of a full service call. Too bad they don't last forever. I
did have a MillerMatic that was shop used for eight years, and I never
even
had to change the contactor points. Some are just built better than
others,
and some have more frequent service intervals.

Steve

Try swapping out the gun liner.
They cost about $10 and all your problems sound like classic dirty
liner syndrome.

The liner is a steel spring inside the gun feeder that guides the
steel wire to the gun.
As you weld, small flakes of copper plating and bits of steel wear off
of the wire, and eventually clog the liner, causing feed problems.

I tend NOT to think it's the liner because:

at times, it does not click when the trigger is pulled.
at those times, the tip is not energized.
at that time, one cannot pull out wire with pliers.
when I get a click, and am pulling on the wire at the same time, it will
not come out, and it it was bound, I'd be able to bring even a little out
by the pulling.
when it does weld, sometimes it runs just great, and if it had a sticky
liner, it would run slow all the time.
when it does run, the speed seems intermittent because the behavior of the
transfer process changes from hissssssssss to splut, splut, splut.

Anyway, as I say, the Lincoln goes to the rescue tomorrow, and the Miller
will probably go to the shop soon. The guy is leaving for Cal from Utah
in a week or so, so may take it there with him, or to the shop in Vegas
where all St. George work is sent anyway.

Steve

"Potblak" <Inva...@Invalid.net> wrote in message

news:480038b0$0$14221$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au...

Brushes burned out on the wire feed motor?

I suspect from the way it was running when we shut it off that it will go
to
a service center soon, and I will report the findings. Right now, I'm just
trying to get ideas to take back Monday to make suggestions on what he
might
try or check just in case we've missed something simple or obvious. The
boss is retired ex military who used to build and run radar systems for
the
AF, so some DIY electricital repairs are not out of the question.

In the meantime, I'll take my Lincoln 175 Plus over there to finish the
job.
This Miller has been used a lot to make ornamental metal, and is probably
just in need of a full service call. Too bad they don't last forever. I
did have a MillerMatic that was shop used for eight years, and I never
even
had to change the contactor points. Some are just built better than
others,
and some have more frequent service intervals.

Steve