Millermatic 135 Feed problems

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I'm having problems with the wire breaking between the drive roll and the inlet for the gun.  I've replace the tip, adjusted wire pressure up and down.  When I test the gun, no problems.  As soon as I start trying to well, everything starts going to H***.  The wire appears to kink at the entry to the gun.  Any ideas?
Reply:Too much drive roll pressure. Stick the wire to the tip with too much pressure and voila, bird nest.Tim Beeker.
Reply:I don't think that was the problem.  I adjusted from loose to tight and didn't make a difference.  After a while, it just started working.  I'm wondering if there could have been a burr in the wire tube.  It just started working all of a sudden.
Reply:Your gas defuser might not be seated tight to the liner. If there is a gap it can cause that.
Reply:Sometimes it is caused by the liner not centered at the tip. If you take the tip off and look at the liner and if it is laying over to one side (sometimes because it is cut off to short) then the wire must make a sharp bend to enter the hole of the tip. This is more of a problem with .024 size then larger wire. If the the liner is old it may have grime build up in it. If you are using the small spools you may have a telephone cord (spiral) type memory to the wire and as it moves through the liner it is being restricted. Another issue is if you accidently kinked the liner this will be a factor as well. So it may be multiple problems or one. I have more problems with the liner being off center or a kink in liner than anything else.Last edited by wielro; 03-22-2010 at 04:37 PM.Reason: grammer and spelling sorry
Reply:Thanks for the ideas guys.  I will take a look at it again this weekend, but am afraid to mess with any thing now that its working.  Wondering if grime might be built up inside it?  Can I use brake cleaner or something similar to clean it out?  Is there a lubricant I cam use on it?
Reply:Originally Posted by hp246Thanks for the ideas guys.  I will take a look at it again this weekend, but am afraid to mess with any thing now that its working.  Wondering if grime might be built up inside it?  Can I use brake cleaner or something similar to clean it out?  Is there a lubricant I cam use on it?
Reply:I had this happen with the same machine and it was an improperly wound spool. You can soak the liner in paint thinner and blow it out with air. I loved that machine.200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:check the liner
Reply:What kind of wire you using?Bad feed quality can be caused by using a poor wire quality that is often hard to determine cause, and your drive roll should be a smooth vee with minimal drive roll pressure checking out these things and a fairly new machine, start checking your source of contact tips, keep a small fishing box of different sizes.The higher your current the greater your recess and with a 135 your tips should be flush with nozzle.Change technique maybe pull back a but farther."A contact tip needs to be approx. 0.007 to 0.010 larger than the MAX wire diam. Keep in mind the wire will expand slightly during welding. When you purchase smaller tips than those recommended , remember that with today's inconsistent weld wire quality the weld wire OD is frequently on the plus side."
Reply:Originally Posted by hp246Thanks for the ideas guys.  I will take a look at it again this weekend, but am afraid to mess with any thing now that its working.  Wondering if grime might be built up inside it?  Can I use brake cleaner or something similar to clean it out?  Is there a lubricant I cam use on it?
Reply:I also use the hanging sponge with lubricant/cleaner, never had a problem yet (so far 6 full spools of wire) I ran two whole spools of HF flux core (some Bozo dropped them, cracked the spool) and I got them both for 20 bucks. Welded decent, little more splatter, but penetration was as needed. I dont think the wire is an issue with your problem, as stated earlier, check alignment with the defuser. Also I use a torch cleaner file to remove any burs in my tips , but use the correct size, reaming that baby out will cause  you more headaches, in this case bigger is not better..