Idealarc SP250 wire feed question

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i have an Idealarc SP250 here on my small farm.The machine is as nice as I might hope for in all aspects of welding here.Today I noticed when i first touch the trigger it feeds slow and then works fine,seems like the gears are maybe getting old.It still works above average welding.Looking at the manual they mention the wire drive assembly motor or the PC Board.They touch on a test with a meter but not enough information for me to try this.Getting older and I couldn't see J6 or pins to check.No doubt they are in front of me though.If you can be of any help I thank you in advance.Is it a trouble that is common? I never look forward to travel to the city so if I could order a part and repair that would be great.Thank you againAl
Reply:I have a wirematic 250, the next model newer and the wire is supposed to start slow until it creates an arc.  If you hold the trigger, it will start slow for a few seconds then speed up.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Thank you for reply.This is slow even after your arc.Sometimes I need to give a light tug on wire till running free.The liner is also just replaced.
Reply:The only other things are do the drive rolls slip?  Does your spool turn free?DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Spool seems free.The drive rolls i'll go up to the barn and look for sure.
Reply:Hello DavidThe drive rolls are slipping for sure and the spool is freeAl
Reply:GREAT!  now all you have to do is find out why.  Perhaps you could take the one out that has the groove and clean it up.  Put it back in, adjust the tension and see if that does the trick.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:You could have one of several things causing your problem. Now I'm not actually familiar with your specific machine, but they all operate about the same and eventually see the same problems. The first thing I would check have already been mentioned, the drive rollers on the wire feed motor. Make sure they have the right tension and that there is not too much drag on the spool of wire itself. In that same area, is a wire guiding tube that the wire feeds through and is then directed into the liner of the gun. Or maybe the only thing on your machine is the liner end, where the wire is fed through the rollers and directly into the gun liner. Depending on the setup you're working with, you should check to be sure that there is not a built up of fine metallic dust obstructing the path of the wire where it enters the liner. I used to have a Lincoln LN-7 and it was always getting clogged up with shavings off of the wire, fine rust particles and whatever other contaminants are dragged in with the wire. We used to have a wiper which was basically a clothes pin with a piece of rag clamped on the wire to wipe the crap off the wire before it entered the liner.Next thing to check, well, I should first ask if you have changed the wire spool recently or did the problem arise while you've been using the same spool of wire? The reason I ask is because of the possibility that you ran out of .045 wire and when you went to the welding supply store, they sold you .035 wire which would require changing the drive roller for one that is needed for the smaller diameter wire.Next, I would check the liner and the tip of the gun itself. You mentioned that it was recently replaced. Is it possible that it was kinked? The kink will usually occur where the gun's cable comes out of the machine and can bend when the machine is pushed against a wall or even run over when it drags on the ground and you run it over with one of the machine's casters. If the liner checks out OK, then try changing the tip or filing the one you're currently using if you don't have any extras. as it is possible for a dingle-ball to get stuck a bit down into the tip and the wire will be dragging across it making the drive motor have to work harder. This happens a lot when you experience the wire welding itself to the end of the tip because the wire speed is too slow for the heat range or dingle-balls are causing a short circuit between the gun's nozzle and tip. The nozzle is insulated to prevent this from happening, but when it gets filled with dingle balls it can cause problems. Next, make sure that the cable on the gun is not looped or twisted in some weird shape. The straighter the gun's cable and liner are kept, the better they work.Next, you can check all the plug in type of connectors between the wire drive motor and the power supply to be sure they are all tight and making good contact. Then it's time to venture into your electric panel and the plug on the machine's power cable to make sure that all the connections are tight. Same thing with the breakers in your sub panel. Make sure the screws are tight where the power wire(s) for the welding machine connect to the breaker. If these screws loosen up it can damage the breaker by heating up and even melting the breaker at these connection points. The connections at the sub panel are often the cause for the machine acting up or having intermittent problems and inconsistent welding current. You should also check the connections where the power cable is connected to the machine and any jumpers used for supply voltage selection as well. If all of these things check out, then post the results. I'll check back and if your still having trouble I may be able to help you troubleshoot some of the components in the drive motor controller circuitry.One last thing, make sure all AC power is off before you go poking around in electrical panels, don't be standing barefoot is puddles, you know, use a little common sense and don't get in a big hurry.While you have the machine side panels off I would recommend blowing the machine out with compressed air. When large amounts of dust accumulate on the transformer and electric components they start to retain heat. Since heat and moisture are the two biggest destroyers of electrical components, it good to take a minute and blow off the dust now and then.Good luckHere's an actual statement which was made by a nosy customer, right after I noticed him pick up a metal part, only to fling it into a wall at incredible speed: No, no,,,, it wasn't hot,,,, it just didn't take me long to look at it! You wouldn't happen to have any ice I can put on this blister would you?
Reply:I'll go down this list in the morning and let you all know how I made out.Thanks again
Reply:Well I cleaned the drive roll and took it into the city.also took the liner as well.I had I think the roll lined up to the smaller grove.I picked up a new liner as well.It seems better now except they mentioned checking the setting so it starts slow or faster.I know the chap I bought it from used the machine for aluminum and it would have been set on slow.The lad in the shop said it was printed on the cover but I couldnt see it.I said to shut off machine and adjust speed with trigger but I think that'll be later.Thanks again for all the helpAl
Reply:Are you using this machine for aluminum, or steel? What diameter wire are you running? How long is the gun lead? 15 feet, 25 feet? I adjust wire speed by listening to the sound it makes when laying a bead. One thing that all the guys I work with will do for each other when any of us hear that a machine isn't set quite right, is to walk over to the machine and adjust it while they're laying down a bead. Not so much because were all such nice guys, but because it will drive me nuts to hear someone as they continue to weld away and ignore the popping and spitting as they try to compensate for the mis adjustment by changing their style, distance and cup angle, rather than stop for ten seconds to adjust the damn machine.But it's got to have that crisp clear sound that comes with everything being set just right. This is one of the reasons I like welding with the cobramatic wire feed, because you can roll your thumb on the wire speed adjustment knob and set it just right while you're welding......Here's an actual statement which was made by a nosy customer, right after I noticed him pick up a metal part, only to fling it into a wall at incredible speed: No, no,,,, it wasn't hot,,,, it just didn't take me long to look at it! You wouldn't happen to have any ice I can put on this blister would you?
Reply:I use steel .035,gun is 15 ft. The previous owner was using for aluminum only after he bought a newer machine.I have used only stick welder for all repairs here on the farm.With a clean area the 250 is a great machine so far.Al