SA200, no spark

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I have been playing with a recently aquired SA200, got it cleaned up and valves unstuck. put in and altenator and output studs. Runs great and welds great for about 20 minutes and then quits. When its running it is smooth on ldle and high speed, idler is working and machine sounds great for 41yrs old. Has American Bosch Mag. could inner coil be failing when hot and working after cooling. Could the condesor cause the same problems? After it quits and I crank it it has no spark on any of the plugs."Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400
Reply:Sounds like the magneto is going to ground when it warms up. I'd be looking at the kill wire connections.Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.                                         -Cree Indian ProverbSA 200 LincolnVictor Torches
Reply:kolot - yes the mag coil (armature) windings could be experiencing an open when hot and the condenser could be failing as well although when a condenser fails it's usually for good.  Nevertheless I have seen them suffer from intermittent failure.  The sign of an out of spec condenser is pitted points.For troubleshooting the entire mag, check here http://www.oldengine.org/members/die...s/MagData6.htm for your model (or similar) and read up.gizzardgutz beat me to the kill wire check.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Thanks, have disconnected the kill wire taking it out of the equation, went out this mourning and it kicked right over dead cold and ran until I shut it down, good 20-25 minutes. will continue to experiment. I intend to pull the mag to get a good point setting and check it over. I have two of the screws that hold the cap broken off in the housing, originally thought they were just missing but no such luck. any ideas how to get those out. I guess I will end up drilling them and re tapping. I hope they are brass. getting steel screws out of aluminum housings doesn't usually go so well, especially those little ones. anybody know the screw size and thread per inch.?"Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400
Reply:If you haven't already done this, you need to.First, if you're going to own an SA200 then go here : http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Cat...ualsearch.aspx and get the correct Operator's Manual based on your units Code#Then put http://billswelderrepair.com/home.html, http://www.weldmart.com/default.htm, http://www.stumpfweldingsupplies.com/index.html and  http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/board_show.pl?bid=44 in your favorites list for parts and valuable information. Kaye and Bill at Bill's Welder Repair are awesome for telephone technical support and I'm sure the others are as well.And go here: http://www.weldmart.com/SA200%20CATA...EST%20FORM.htm to request your free CD on the SA200 from Weldmart. No SA200 owner should be without one. The FREE CD has lots of info about part/maintenance and a magneto data base. My mag is Fairbanks-Morse so I'm not familiar with yours, but it will be included there. Can't promise screw or thread data though. I'm glad to hear the welder works. An SA 200 is the best welder for the money as far as I'm concerned, lots disagree with that, but for a DC only welder I've always found it so. There are many welders out  there that have more bells and whistles and are more versatile, but if you know the limitations of the SA 200 and use it accordingly it's hard to beat.Last edited by gizzardgutz; 11-04-2009 at 01:10 AM.Reason: spOnly when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.                                         -Cree Indian ProverbSA 200 LincolnVictor Torches
Reply:The screws are a 10-24 thread just like the other 2 that aren't broke.  Use a little heat and let it cool and then try with vise grips if any is sticking up yet.  Can cut a slot in it with a dremel cutoff blade to turn it out or last resort left hand drill.  OEM Bosch screws were steel.
Reply:Thanks, have done the above, no luck on the weldmart CD, I have heard it is great, my first one arrived blank, the second, cracked in half. I will have to try a third time.  figures the screws are steel, and they are burried. Think I will take the mag out and take my time to get them out, then new with never seize."Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400