Hey ROCK ??? help with a miller problem

[jniolon]

Rock,

the guys on the Products forum say "Ask Rock, he knows EVERYTHING" so here goes... hope you can help...

I just rolled a millermatic 200 off my buddies truck and into my garage... bought it used ( of course) for $200 bucks... it will weld with stick leads attached so I know that parts works..

the wire torch is broken and the switch is missing so I can't try that yet... I tried jumping out the trigger lead to see if the wire drive motor works and I hear the relay click in but there is no motor movement...

I removed the drive motor and pulled the gear reduction out... it moves freely but the drive shaft on the dc motor will not turn... so I'm assuming my problem is inside that black round case... before I start hammering on it... have you got any suggestions ?? (seriously...I wouldn't hammer on it) I see it's dc and I don't know jack about dc motors... is it fixable ??? or can you see it from there...

I'm not familiar with this welder at all and after I got the cover off I knew I'd better ask for help... I can screw up things at warp speed !!

can you give me some trouble shooting help, advice.. ideas ?? and also a good source for a gun and lead that's affordable..

thanks

john

[wlbrown]

millermatic

SIR,
i would check the simple things first.
has it had a lot of use, check the
brushes. look for obvious things. loose
wires.
wlbrown

[jniolon]

millermatic 200

Here's an update...

fixed the wire feed motor... it was just a set of bad bearings and gummy grease... dismantled, changed bearings and cleaned...works like a charm now..

spend the day replacing the power cable (with a new plug that fits my welder outlet)... cleaned it severely, painted the outside sheetmetal (as close to Miller blue as was available... Miller wanted 12 bucks a can for spray paint)

Got to order a new wire gun and I'll be in business... will post pic of the refurbished unit when I bring the camera home from work

hope to do some serious welding soon...

later

John

[cope]

Miller Blue

Ford engine blue should have been pretty close!

[Hobart Expert Rock]

JNIOLON.............AH I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING BUT I USALLY HAVE AN IDEA.............THAT DRIVE MOTOR IS A 24 VOLT DC MOTOR...........I THINK MOST (90%) WERE ANYWAY..... DO THIS USE A 12 VOLT CAR BATTERY TO DRIVE THE MOTOR IT SHOULD TURN AT 1/2 SPEED.............FORWARD IF YOU HAVE THE POLARITY RIGHT OR BACK WARDS IF YOU HAVE IT REVERSED.........AT LEAST YOU CAN TRY THE MOTOR PLEASE DO SO WHEN IT IS ISOLATED AND NOT HOOKED UP TO THE PC BOARD ALSO KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUT OF THE DRIVE ROLLS THEY WILL GET CHEWED UP SOME SO BE ADVISED HOW YOU HANDLE IT (THE DRIVE MOTOR)............... SUPPLY MYSELF OR THE FOLKS AT LIGHT INDUSTRIAL WITH THE SERIAL NUMBER AND THEY CAN ASSIST..........THEIR NUMBER IS 920-831-4860 AND MARIE, MIKE, YOUNG DOUG, OR KEVIN CAN HELP..........ALL ARE QUITE COMMETENT..............OR I CAN HELP ALSO GIVE ME A CALL 937-332-4468............................................WE CAN ALL GET YOU GOING....................NO PROBLEM........................ROCK
[email protected]

[cope]

Rock, I thought you were going to tell him the warranty was voided when he painted it a non-Miller blue.

[Hobart Expert Rock]

COPE.........AH I KNOW THE MM200'S HAVE A LITTLE AGE ON THEM NOW...............WASN'T A WARRANTY ISSUE.............GRIN...........
ROCK............................. ....[email protected]

[jniolon]

millermatic 200

Rock, Cope, et all

everything is working fine so far... motor turning as it should... I've cleaned, painted and petted it...

Cope, the color is so close that if you stand across the road just after dark and squint at it... you can't tell the difference, especially if it's foggy...

My Miller rep wanted $12 a can for spray paint in official Miller Blue... that must be really good paint !! Krylon served me well...

Now I'm looking for a gun... there was no gun with the welder and I'm checking prices.. I found a Binzel from HTP for $100

Miller rep wants $158 for his gun/hose... a little high I think, but I can't get him down...

If I can find a TWECO for $100 I'll buy it... is the Binzel a good gun for home occasional use ??? This ain't no production machine...

Rock,

I know the machine is probably 15 or more years old, this one had very few hours on it... should'nt it serve me well for a home unit ??? and especially for $200 bucks ???

thanks all

John

[Al T.]

Here's another link for good prices. Be sure to speak to tech support to get exactly what you need.

http://www.welding-direct.com

[Hobart Expert Rock]

HI JOHN...........YES I WOULD SAY THE MACHINE SHOULD SERVE YOU WELL FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.............AND THE PRICE WAS A GOOD PRICE...............ON THE GUNS ITW ALSO OWNS OXO GUNS PHONE IS 1-888-OXO-GUNS AND BERNARD MAKES A GUN ALSO OWNED BY ITW PHONE IS 1-800-946-2281. AND HEY AMERICAN TORCH AND TIP MAKES GUN NOT OWNED BY ITW AND THEIR NUMBER IS 1-800-342-8477...............OPTIONS DON'T YOU JUST LIKE THEM,.....................ENJOY NOW..............AND HAVE SOME FUN.............ROCK

[cope]

John, I am partial to Tweco simply for ease of locating consumables. These folks seem to have a good price on Tweco style guns and consumables:

http://www.weldingdepot.com/

Glad its working for you. Nice to pick up a good used machine and save money.

[Royal Fe]

John,
Hate to break it to you but I think that 200 is completely inadequate for your home use! Though, It may work for MY home use. I could make Hueytown tommorow and get that out of your way before lunch. Oh yeah, for what you have in it...including the paint!

Sounds like you got a good deal! Good luck with it, let us know how it turns out.

[jniolon]

suitable for home enjoyment

Duke,

nice try...but I'm afraid the 200 has found a permanent home
(at least until I find another something I want more)

here she is all prettied up... new dress and waiting for a new gun.. don't look like a bad deal for $200 (he said gloating )

later

john

[cope]

John, that's a real Miller! Looks like you got a new Tweco ground clamp to boot. Much better than the cheap ones that come with a new machine. What vintage is the welder?

[Scott V]

If I didn't know better it sure looks like ford just because of the color.Thats a pretty early version of the 200.My water cooler had those same stickers,and I think it was close to a 1984 or so.Also my s32s feeder looked the same. I think mine started with a Jd letter,But hard to remember.See I owned Miller stuff.