Is this a good proposition?

[Epicyclic]

Offer him the £70 to cover his cost for the last fix if its anything like tidy?

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Offer him the £70 to cover his cost for the last fix if its anything like tidy?

Well, for the 10 years in a grubby garage, its been looked after, theres mainly no scuffs, gashes, dents or bits missing (still has its original torch). If it saw more than 5 KG of wire per year it was lucky!

Apart from being dusty, and the rubber mat on top having a bit of sticky underseal dried onto it, its all ok.

Heres a not so good pic of when it was in action:

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Got a plug on the welder today, fired it up, fans comes on, power light comes come, squeeze trigger, all is heard is a tiny click of the gas solenoid activating. No wire motor sound. Some ones nabbed the contact tip and the gas diffuser ! doh!

I opened up the unit, its all dusty inside, the windings and transformers are full of magnetised iron/metal filings which just doesn't look like it be doing the welder any favors.

The wire speed motor control board looks rather newish, theres a few scatches on the surrounding inner mounting panel which suggests the board has been out/replaced previously. The transformers and rectifier wiring doesn't look charred and no signs of a burn out, so i think its just done the same has what it did last time, shorted its wire speed motor board with all the crap inside the welder.

I offered £80 quid and he wrinkled his nose. I offered £100 and he said 'We'll talk tommorow'. Oh we will.. I'm that type of person to not be brushed off.

 

[astro_al]

Can you give it a good blow out with an airline?

Stick to your guns. It's a broken welder, what else is he going to do?

Good luck, Al

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Can you give it a good blow out with an airline?

Stick to your guns. It's a broken welder, what else is he going to do?

Good luck, Al

I guess I can, and will go around the wires and transformers will a small paint rush and hoover to remove to magnetised bits. Its filthy! Here, take a look in it!


When I powered up the unit, and squeeze the trigger the gas solenoid clicks on and off, but the white contactor in the middle doesnt pull in and the wire motor doesn't activate. Same as last time it broke.

Found the gas diffusor nozzle and contact tip, so thats plus. I'll borrow a multi meter from work to determine how far the power is getting inside the unit.

 

[Wedg1e]

Its full of dust inside which may be another cause of problems, most likely grinding dust shorting the circuits? Theres not much inside it.

You'd think so, but I bought an Oxford that was so thick in dust that when I hoovered it out I found the owner's manual underneath it all :O - it was faulty but not due to the dust.

It's a 300A set, I like the sound of this 'pound an Amp'

Could be as daft as an arced relay. Some relays can be dismantled and the contacts cleaned up with a file, diamond spatula, wet'n'dry etc. to restore operation; often it's only a temporary fix until it happens again - which symptom this Lincoln is exhibiting. Would also explain why the invoice shows no parts - could have been literally a ten minute fix, billed as an hour (it's what we'd do).

Typical MIGs have a PCB-mounted relay that pulls-in the main contactor; the gas solenoid could be activated by a transistor.

I'd be in for £80 but wavering at £100; there's probably nothing wrong with the high-current side of things but you never know...

I've identified a particular Bosch item that has a specific failure mode; they're starting to pop up as 'spares or repair' on Ebay so am bagging them cheap to fix and sell on - none that I can't repair so far

 

[Shox Dr]

A place I used to visit had 3 of those sat in a corner. All been fixed> broke> fixed> broke and then given up on. So they all must have common problem with them, so unless it's an easy fix and cheap to fix l'd stay clear. And as other have said don't be so keen on offering so much, it's not like it's going anywhere



Edit just seen you offered him a ton. I'd goback to him and say you'd been talking to some tech and its blar blar blar so I'll give you 50quid for it take or leave it. Dont saying anything else and let him stew. If he's like you say he is that 50quid will soon weigh heavy, on his mind.

 

[SiPMerlin150]

A place I used to visit had 3 of those sat in a corner. All been fixed> broke> fixed> broke and then given up on. So they all must have common problem with them, so unless it's an easy fix and cheap to fix l'd stay clear. And as other have said don't be so keen on offering so much, it's not like it's going anywhere



Edit just seen you offered him a ton. I'd goback to him and say you'd been talking to some tech and its blar blar blar so I'll give you 50quid for it take or leave it. Dont saying anything else and let him stew. If he's like you say he is that 50quid will soon weigh heavy, on his mind.

I've asked about it 4 times and hes just brushed me off with 'talk to me later' or let me think about it'

To be honest, his lad has said that what will happen is it will be dumped in the corner for 3 years, then he'll end up giving it to the scrap man....he also said even if you just took it, he wouldn't even notice.... What,? was that a hint just to take it?

I'll leave it for now, I know its deffo not going anywhere thats for sure. So far I'm not offering any more than £90 and thats final.

His problem is he hordes crap. Cars sit in corners for years, untouched, old engine stands that are broken sit around etc. He never seems to want to throw stuff out..

 

[Shox Dr]

If that's the case it's more likely he doesn't want you to have it, just because you might fix it, and sell it on for a profit. I have the same problem with a guy I know:he'd rather let it rot than someone fix something and make him look a prat.

 

[SiPMerlin150]

If that's the case it's more likely he doesn't want you to have it, just because you might fix it, and sell it on for a profit. I have the same problem with a guy I know:he'd rather let it rot than someone fix something and make him look a prat.

Yeah, its a shame, its a good welder (was) and the fix was the small wire speed control motor board (he doesn't know that, I told him the board and transformer has fried one another due to all the dust inside).

Some people are just like that. Though, he's been willing to let me have an '85 BMW 3 series that has been in his family all its life thats now been off road for 5 years for £250.. its only got 58,000 miles on it, dry stored.

 

[Epicyclic]

Snip His problem is he hordes crap. Cars sit in corners for years, untouched... Snip

Sounds like me, I didn't know I had any relations up north

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Sounds like me, I didn't know I had any relations up north

haha! We have 3 dead cars... One has part of an engine left in it, all the inside gutted out.. been there dead for 4 years, an 06 focus TDI that needs it oil pump looking at.. at idle its oil light comes on, revved up it goes out, oil pressure all present, pressure switch is fine etc. Ex taxi thing. P reg Beamer, sat since 2008, crushed front nose...owner parked it there, wanting work done to it, he left us the key, and hasn't been in touch since we've tried contacting him but no avail... Taking up valuable room.

 

[cecotto479]

..........Some people are just like that. Though, he's been willing to let me have an '85 BMW 3 series that has been in his family all its life thats now been off road for 5 years for £250.. its only got 58,000 miles on it, dry stored.

Tell me more. Early E30s are just what we want. Where do I send the £250?

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Tell me more. Early E30s are just what we want. Where do I send the £250?

Yeah exactly! Won't let go of a dirty old MIG but would be happy to let me drive away in a vehicle with sentimental value? The guy is a little crackers to say the least..

 

[SiPMerlin150]

*Update*

Had a little chance to blow out all or most of the dust from inside the welder, it was a black sooty, sticky dust coating on all the electrics, wires and transformers. Its all clean now.

I fired up the welder, the fan comes on, squeeze the gun trigger and the gas relay is heard to click, that is all. When I push the contacter unit in with a screwdriver, the wire feed motor kicks in and runs, changes speed in reaction to the wire speed knob position on the front of the welder.

I think the problem is related to the contactor unit, or whatever energises it to switch over the current.

I really need a good amount of time to check it thoroughly

 

[brightspark]

Had a little chance to blow out all or most of the dust from inside the welder, it was a black sooty, sticky dust coating on all the electrics, wires and transformers. Its all clean now.

I fired up the welder, the fan comes on, squeeze the gun trigger and the gas relay is heard to click, that is all. When I push the contacter unit in with a screwdriver, the wire feed motor kicks in and runs, changes speed in reaction to the wire speed knob position on the front of the welder.

I think the problem is related to the contactor unit, or whatever energises it to switch over the current.

I really need a good amount of time to check it thoroughly

get the drawing for it and get a test meter .check out the voltage of the low voltage circuit feeding the contactor coil and work your way back testing as u go looking where it is supplied from

 

[zx9]

Sounds like you are getting close to fixing it, best not let the boss know.

 

[KemppiFrog]

Sounds like you are getting close to fixing it, best not let the boss know.

+1
Sounds like a relay on the board. I have a zillion duff gate motor boards in a box. All with 4/6 relays on them. Useful source for the odd repair.

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Hi fella's, sorry didn't reply sooner, been out karting with a lad from work, and our wives. What fun! (no really it was fun! hehe) Won't be letting the boss know, as far as he knows the main transformer is shorted.... I need to poke around further and see where and where not the power is going.

 

[Wedg1e]

+1
Sounds like a relay on the board. I have a zillion duff gate motor boards in a box. All with 4/6 relays on them. Useful source for the odd repair.

Not by our Italian mates CAME are they? We've had a few fail after a job we inherited for the MOD used them: CAME did a redesign of this particular board but they're still not 100% reliable...