Having trouble with miller welder need advice!

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Hello to all! I am having some trouble with my miller stick welder ( model- The legend AEAD-200LE with a onan 18ex gas engine... it is an older welder but I have welded with this machine for past years and I know how it normally welds . The problem that has occurred the last few times I have fired it up is that it does not want to keep an arc rolling after the initial strikes... like what I call cold starts. It reminds me of how some electric welds acts when the stiffness is to low... Once I fight it for a around five strikes then ill be able to get the rod burning fine.  To narrow down suggestions, I have tried all the normal procedures, adjusted both the big hand and small hand up and down to assure it isn't a dead spot on the dial, checked ground and stinger and lead, since it is gas I have made sure it is on high idle and not just a lag from auto idle. My background is that I'm a union ironworker and I weld daily. I don't have a lot of experience with the inner workings of the welder so would love to get advice and hopefully be able to fix it myself and save some money!!!
Reply:You could try cleaning the rotor slip rings with some 320 grit sandpaper or a commutator stone.  Could be the brushes are making enough contact to produce OCV but not enough for adequate output when attempting to strike an arc.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:Not too sure what the rotor slip rings are but I'm sure I can find a diagram somewhere. thank you
Reply:This is a Bobcat unit and your machine has 3 but these are typical rotor slip rings.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:When you take the cover off. You'll see 2 shiny(hopefully) rings on the end of the Rotor. What he is saying is that they maybe dull and dirty colored. You can clean them as Duane suggested. Brushes rub on those, after you clean them inspect the brushes for length and the spring tension that pushes them against the Rotor Slip Rings.
Reply:Originally Posted by drujininYou'll see 2 shiny(hopefully) rings on the end of the Rotor.
Reply:Thank you all for your helpful knowledge! Though I have not had the chance to check if the rotor slip rings need a cleaning and if the brushes are in good shape,( I will be doing it tomorrow)....collectively it sounds like I should clean them while I have the hood off regaurdless. I also started to look online for a new set of brushes just to be thorough... with it being a older miller welder I'm not able to come up with many leads. I was able to download a technician manual for a newer model of "the legend " but not exactly like on my specific model (for JH242114-1996 MODEL ). I tried entering my serial number (KA771484) and it had no results on miller's website or other websites. By doing research on Google all I have been able to discover is that it's a 1990 model indicated from the KA in the serial number. Any suggestions to where I could get the right manual for this serial number and where I could find parts. Thank you!Last edited by fklauer96; 12-16-2015 at 12:26 AM.
Reply:Your unit SN comes back as "The Legend AEAD-200LE" with this https://www.millerwelds.com/files/ow.../O428C_MIL.pdf as its Owners Manual.What parts are still available can usually be obtained here: http://www.miller4less.com/Check your PM Inbox.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!