L19MUD Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 The wire feed in my trusty MIG welder has died, it moves so is getting power but only moves very slowly. Are they universal or do i need to buy the specific one for my welder? Welder in question is a Cemont cemig 170 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 If the motor is spinning too slowly it could be a motor fault or the drive / control circuit... could even be a simple as the wire speed knob has gone dodgy. The feed mech itself is probably specific to your welder although there's a lot of re-badged welders out there often using the same parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L19MUD Posted March 17, 2021 Author Share Posted March 17, 2021 Diagnosing it without knowing the paramenters is going to be tricky. I guess the control knob and circuit just varies the voltage to the motor. Question is what range should it operate at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 21 hours ago, L19MUD said: Diagnosing it without knowing the paramenters is going to be tricky. Basic diagnostics should be simple enough - loose wires, burnt components, cracked or bad solder joints, smooth change in resistance from the speed pot, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L19MUD Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 Well now I feel like a right tool! Pull the side off and tested the voltage at the wires to the motor, varies smoothly between 12 and 25v so all good. Then realised the rollers are slipping...the liner is knackered. I can barely pull the wire through. I though it had a new liner but I think that must be the teflon one I use for Ali welding. Just shows basics first!! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 .........cheap fix then , my 185a single phase showed the same symptoms a few months ago and after getting the board repaired - 4 transistors - it still wouldn't run so is on the naughty step with a cover over it and the 285a 3ph is now the lead welding plant Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 51 minutes ago, L19MUD said: Well now I feel like a right tool! Pull the side off and tested the voltage at the wires to the motor, varies smoothly between 12 and 25v so all good. Then realised the rollers are slipping...the liner is knackered. I can barely pull the wire through. I though it had a new liner but I think that must be the teflon one I use for Ali welding. Just shows basics first!! We've all been there, plenty more muppet moments for all of us however a fix is a fix, good on you for telling it may jog a memory for someone in the future regards Stephen 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoSS Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 I had a fault once on my MIG, had not used it for some months. It would feed for a few seconds then jam, then feed again then jam. Put a new liner in, checked the rollers, still not fixed. Turns out the reel had surface rust just on the bottom half. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L19MUD Posted March 26, 2021 Author Share Posted March 26, 2021 New liner fitted and back up and running! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 You're doing better than me then - I had a knackered liner in my Clarke MIG so thought rather than faff around I'd convert it over to a Euro style torch and make spares more readily available. Eventually got around to fitting the torch bit and got everything up and running and then realised I'd forgotten to order a seperate gas solenoid. That was 6 months ago... Been doing a heck of a lot of welding recently but after a little lesson by a mate who used to be a pipeline welder I now pick up the stick more often than not. Even managed to do some 0.9mm sheet with it half decently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 3 hours ago, Ed Poore said: You're doing better than me then - I had a knackered liner in my Clarke MIG so thought rather than faff around I'd convert it over to a Euro style torch and make spares more readily available. Eventually got around to fitting the torch bit and got everything up and running and then realised I'd forgotten to order a seperate gas solenoid. That was 6 months ago... Been doing a heck of a lot of welding recently but after a little lesson by a mate who used to be a pipeline welder I now pick up the stick more often than not. Even managed to do some 0.9mm sheet with it half decently You arent the only one. I have a nice MIG but get better welds from ARC. I am using a 2phase arc now and that is smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted April 3, 2021 Share Posted April 3, 2021 Not sure I get better welds but my average thickness of what I'm welding has gone from 2mm to 20mm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L19MUD Posted April 3, 2021 Author Share Posted April 3, 2021 I still prefer the ARC if I am honest. The MIG comes out if it has to 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted April 3, 2021 Share Posted April 3, 2021 (edited) 15 hours ago, Ed Poore said: Not sure I get better welds but my average thickness of what I'm welding has gone from 2mm to 20mm I'd wager that no Clarke branded MIG is going to give good welds on 20mm anything. Like L19, I'd rather reach for the arc if i can. A 20m lead for the old Oxford unit makes that doable for most of my shed. Edited April 3, 2021 by reb78 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 Mig is very convenient, easy enough and good enough for most Landrover work, however arc in general I find more versatile than mig as it's only a stick and current change for different metal types, way easier than changing bottles and reels, but it depends on what you play with, if it is only mild steel then mig is the way to go for most people Having said that I use mig most of the time but I do have a selection of rods to cover, mild steel, stainless, cast iron etc For thick material I think you can burn the weld in better and stronger with arc but that's just my opinion also I suppose the biggest issue with arc is it's not as plug and play as mig is, it is considerably more difficult to weld vertical and overhead with arc but very easy with mig but you use what you prefer regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 Forgot to add the other good thing about arc is no gas to bloody blow away regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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