Millermatic 180 wire feed problem HELP !!!

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Hello, I have a Millermatic 180 with autoset, I have been using it for 6 months and since last week I have had some issues with the wire... the wire feeder seems to work ok, but sometimes the wire gets cut off, it seems that just after the wire feeder is pushing the wire thru the coil of the gun (inside the machine) it makes a short cut and the wire instantly cuts off... so I have to pull the wire thru the gun and 3 meters of wire are wasted and it is a pain in the butt to stop welding and rewire the gun!! I'm attaching some pictures of where the problem is originating... I weld with argon, I have never switched the cables for flux welding, the problem began a week ago... I'm the only one using the welding machine meaning I havent moved any thing!! Any suggestions!!!! Attached Images
Reply:Sounds like you kinked the liner & it binds which causes a break/short.  If you pull the wire back toward the spool, how much wire do you get before you reach the broken spot?  That will be where the kink is.To fix it, a new liner is in order.  If that's what the problem is.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:looks to me like the feed assembly might be grounding out arcing and burning up. i would look at the ground cable for breaks and damage.Dynasty 200DXPassport plus w/ spoolmate 100victor 315c oxy/(act and prop)Miller digital elitemilwaukee power tools
Reply:My passport did that and it was a jam in the liner. New liner fixed the problemEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:You must have a short. Is the wire in the picture the piece that you fished out of the liner, or off of the roll? Is there any sign of arcing along the wire? Perhaps do a continuity check, at the terminals above the roller drive. BTW, why are you welding with argon?
Reply:Tackit, I think it's the angle of the camera.  Notice the shadow below the brass nut where the liner sticks out.And if I remember correctly, the wire is supposed to be electrically charged.  Amps/voltage is transferred via the tip, but the liner completes the circuit.Now, it may have a short but that's going to be difficult to trace.  Pro-Fab is on track for suggesting a continuity check.  That doesn't cost anything & a great idea.I second the question about the Argon, most common gas is a 75%-25%.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Thanks everybody, I'm impressed how quickly I got so many replies.Answering some questions…I weld mostly with CO2, I also weld from time to time with mixture of Argon and CO2. I own an auto repair shop and I build tool cabinets, tool carts, service carts, benches, creepers and seats for the technicians. I use Argon-CO2 mixture when hobby build karts (for the chasis).About my problem, I have already looked at the ground cable it is intact, there is no brakes or cuts on the cable, no superficial damage, my machine is only 6 months old and I really take care of it, it even looks like new, I have looked all long the ground cable and inside the machine to see if maybe something was grounding the feeder, but have found nothing abnormal!I have noticed that the problem occurs while beginning to weld, just after pressing the trigger. If I align the welding cable in the feeder and pull the trigger the cable gets feed all the way thru the tip with no problem. Then while pulling the trigger to begin welding from time to time (2 to 5 times a day) the problem arouses… I pull the trigger the cable touches the metal and the short is kind of different, it is like brighter, louder, and at the exact instant that the wire touches the metal and the spark is seen the wire stops coming out because the wire at the feeder has been burned and “cut”. I pull the trigger, the short occurs and even though the ground clamp is correctly in place, all clean and perfect contact the short kind of sounds as if I had no correct ground clamp and then the wire is burned and “cut” at the feeder inside the machine… the short inside the machine (where the cable gets burned and cut) occus exactly at the coil of the gun line (red circle on photo)....Sorry guys for being so repetitive and for such a long story but my primary language is not English so I want to be sure I can explain my problem the best possible!!Thanks again and hope someone who had this problem can HELP ME!!
Reply:Hey jpsellon,I can tell you that ALL my Miller welders will do that if any part of the welder, or if on a cart, any part of it that comes in contact with the ground circuit. Isolate your welder power supply/cart from ALL contact with the grounding circuit & see if it still does it. If it does, the issue is with the gun cable liner.DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Originally Posted by yorkiepapHey jpsellon,I can tell you that ALL my Miller welders will do that if any part of the welder, or if on a cart, any part of it that comes in contact with the ground circuit. Isolate your welder power supply/cart from ALL contact with the grounding circuit & see if it still does it. If it does, the issue is with the gun cable liner.Denny
Reply:I had this same problem,http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=38252my liner part was not tight, the black flat knob on the right of your pic which tightens down the brass housing which the liner passes through. So occasionally it would arc off on the liner down there and cause the sticking down there.Make sure that brass housing is all the way in and properly tightened.Last edited by lennyk; 03-20-2011 at 09:03 PM.
Reply:we use the brass bullet looking thing where i work on both sides. don't know if you could fit one there but it looks like you could. that may stop that from happening in the future.
Reply:I had the same problem with my millermatic 140. I had been running .023 wire for some time now without problems. I emailed Miller and the reply will follow shortly. I did everything they suggested and decided to switch to .03 wire. After installing the thicker wire, I went to put my wirespeed on .03 and found that it was already there. Oops. I must have acidently turned the wrong knob when adjusting for thicker metal. I use the autoset settings and suggest you check those. Here was the reply by Miller.There are only  a few things that would cause the wire to do what you are describing. I would suggest starting out by pulling the mig gun out of the aluminum housing and cleaning the brass pin and the aluminum housing where it plugs in. The next thing you will want to check is to make sure the small stub of wire that sticks out from the wire spool (where they hook to start winding the spool) is not dragging on the case of the welder. If these are both ok then you will want to make sure the contact tip is the correct size for the wire you are using. And the last thing to check is the mig gun itself. You will  want to inspect the cable/hose crimps on both ends of the gun. If the crimp has failed or the cable has badly frayed it will cause what you are describing.
Reply:Is the tag end on the roll of wire draggng against the case??"The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt