mig welder very little amps

admin

I have a two Linde 160 mig welders just taken out of storage.  Rated output of 40Vdc 160amps.  Both share the same problem of having very little heat when trying to strike an arc.  There is just enough to make the wire glow but that's it.  I have 40Vdc at the tip of the gun and continuity checks out through out.  Any device or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Reply:check your wiring diagram and see if these use a relay to energize the wire when you pull the trigger - most machnes of this size do. if the contacts are burnt or corroded on these relays, you may be able to get voltage at no load but under welding current load, the contacts will not be able to pass enough current to make the arc. check the voltage under welding load and see if it drops drastically, that's a telltale to a current problem on contacts or a bad joint some where in the high-current side. not hard to fix but sometimes not easy to find although if you are fairly adept with a voltmeter you can run it down quickly.good luck.
Reply:They are 230 volt machines right?? If they were both working when they went into storage and neither works coming out of storage AND they both have the identical symptoms while plugged into the same location, I would look more at my feed in first. All of the above may or may not be exactly correct for this situation but I have this habit of always checking the source when there is a problem with the output."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
Reply:I would try them at a different power outlet too. Sounds like the electrical source has some undersized wire or faulty connections.
Reply:Thanks for the insight!  On looking more into a possible bad connection fault I found both units had bad cables on the gun side right where it goes into the unit.  Respliced both and both are working great.  Thanks again.
Reply:so, now that you have them fixed and are ready to sell one - you will give me a really big discount - right?