Thunderbolt doesn't work

admin

I just got an older Miller thunderbolt.  I opened it up, blew out the dust and greased where the manual said too.  I also had to reattach the plastic fan as it had broken off in the center.I plugged it in and flipped the switch....Nothing...I tried to weld with it ...Nothing...No fan, no noise..I will check power in and out of the switch after the kids are in bed.  Then what?
Reply:I opened the welder and found only one leg had power.  Checked the welders plug and some one had replaced the end and wired white, black and green.  The red was not connected at the plug.  The white is not connected at the welder.It works now.  I was worried there for a minute.
Reply:i wish all my problems were that easy to fix. congrats225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:FWIW, the first thing I did on my 2 Thunderbolts (I used those for years, sold the first one to my buddy who had to have it, bought another one later to replace it) was to remove the power cord it came with and replace it with much longer SO cable with a proper strain relief. Much nicer.After that I'd scrounge 25' pieces of no. 2 welding cable and replace the leads with longer ones. Again, much nicer.Also built a welder cage with proper casters around the second one. Easy to pick the thing up, rolled just fine, can grab it with an overhead hook if necessary. Much, much nicer.metalmagpie
Reply:Metalmagpie, Any chance you could post a couple of pics of your welding cage for your Thunderbolt? I just bought a used one and it's got a totally crap-o handle/lead rack lashup on it. And wheels from a Matchbox car. So I'm looking to throw all that away and do something better.Thanks,John
Reply:I built a angle iron square base for it to sit in clamped it down with ready rof added a handle to the back with hooks for the leads and 2 10" solid wheels. I've got 30' of #2 lead and ground and it rolls anywhereI can also wrap 50' of 6/3 extension cord on it though unwrapping the leads sucks if I doMillermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:Originally Posted by SchneiderI just got an older Miller thunderbolt.  I opened it up, blew out the dust and greased where the manual said too.  I also had to reattach the plastic fan as it had broken off in the center.I plugged it in and flipped the switch....Nothing...I tried to weld with it ...Nothing...No fan, no noise..I will check power in and out of the switch after the kids are in bed.  Then what?