Welding help please. Can't get the machine to start up.

[chrisd]

I bought a Lincoln electric 140 Pro-Mig from Lowe's, followed the set up steps to the tee and I can't get it working. I've even touched the wire feed directly to the ground clamp and not even a spark. This is actually the second welder from Lowe's because I thought there had to be a problem with the first. What am I missing?

 

[1967coronet440]

Had a problem with my miller bobcat arc welder, wouldn’t arc on certain heat settings. Opened it up and found some of the contacts to be dirty & loose. Tightened it up and cleaned,worked fine after that.

 

[chrisd]

It's brand new but I'll recheck all the connections. Thanks

 

[1967coronet440]

Maybe take some pics and post if you can.

 

[BeeKool]

Is there an internal breaker or fuse?
Is the power turned on at the wall, (seriously)?
Is the chord tight in the back of welder?
Many variables but all are related to power source.

Had a problem with my miller bobcat arc welder, wouldn’t arc on certain heat settings. Opened it up and found some of the contacts to be dirty & loose. Tightened it up and cleaned,worked fine after that.

My Miller quite working after I welded with it out in the rain.
Probably just needs to dry out.
But it survived being dropped from a 100 ft grain sol. Lol

 

[69 GTX]

Check the ground cable.

 

[1967coronet440]

Is there an internal breaker or fuse?
Is the power turned on at the wall, (seriously)?
Is the chord tight in the back of welder?
Many variables but all are related to power source.


My Miller quite working after I welded with it out in the rain.
Probably just needs to dry out.
But it survived being dropped from a 100 ft grain sol. Lol

My bobcat has been quite reliable, my brother in law has it in the back of his pick up he uses it for work sometimes. Still fires right up every time

 

[WileE]

Is the wire feed not spooling, or is there no spark on contact ?

 

[chrisd]

No spark. Spool feeds just fine. I've cleaned each connection. Internal Fan turns on when on switch is in on position. I've tried each voltage option on the welder. Checked the outlet and I have 110 at the wall.

 

[WileE]

The fact you wire feeder works shows you got input power. Assuming t you got a clean clamp area, maybe it's a bum unit ? Other than using a welder, I don't know the internal " guts" of what may be faulty.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Is there any wiring where the wire feed is that isn't setup/not connected.

 

[hunt2elk]

Post a pic of the innards when you flip open the side cover. Some can have different wiring configurations for different applications.

 

[dual fours]

Do a continuity test on the cables, turn off the machine of coarse. Check the trigger/nozzel cable and ground cable for hooked up wire on inside of machine. Mine has a fuse but I do not know if it shuts down the whole machine or just the nozzle/ground arc.

 

[gkent]

Ok, so its spooling just not making the full short circuit.

You need to check the connections for both the ground and for the liner (which is the other conductor). These are sometimes left off because the machines can be set up for either positive or negative ground.

 

[chrisd]

I have continuity across the two circled posts and continuity from the ground clamp to the posts. Even if I'm not getting a good enough connection on the metal, shouldn't I have a spark with the ground clamp and the wire feed?

 

[slimt]

Is this a flux core set up? what wire are you using? is the spool aluminum or steel? Just curious.. the wire size flux core should be what? 030? usually with gas.. about 023.. steel wire..

 

[gkent]

It sounds like you have a tester (multimeter) so test continuity between the contactor tip at the end of your whip and the big brass connector where the wire feeds through. Take the end of the whip apart and make sure the liner protrudes enough to attach to the end fittings - the liner is the conductor.

 

[chrisd]

It's a wire feed set up. The wire is .035. it's the wire that comes with it an what they recommend. Continuity through the whip? You mean the wire feed? If so, I have continuity through it

 

[Dans 68]

I'm guessing you are trying to do solid wire mig, and not flux core. Make sure the anode is positive and not negative (which is the way to do flux core). Otherwise make sure you have a good ground connection, and that all connections are tight.

Dan

 

[chrisd]

I'm guessing you are trying to do solid wire mig, and not flux core. Make sure the anode is positive and not negative (which is the way to do flux core). Otherwise make sure you have a good ground connection, and that all connections are tight.

Dan

The ground clamp is the one on the right. It is labeled as positive. This is the way the manual said to set it up for wire feed. So is that correct?