SA200 Exciter coil testing

[@BowedUp]

Glad I found this video bud! Recently bought a 200 and couldn’t get it to hit a lick. Rheostat isn’t communicating, I assume it’s just the wiring. Shunt coils read 178-180 ohms.

[@waiakalulu3501]

Thanks for the video. I have welder that stops welding after warming up. It never stops grinding meaning the 115v aux power is always good, but about 1/2 hour in and then it stops welding. I was looking to find a video that would help me on my diagnostic journey. I'm sure glad I found what I was looking for. Just need to find a meter now. Again, many thanks for this video!

[@welderfixer]

If the failure happens every time you use the machine it's likely heat related. That means a coil, the main armature or a connection is faulty. The difficulty is finding the bad part. First the easier stuff. Look closely at all of the welding lead connections, any of them getting extra hot or show signs of being hot. Discoloration of the copper lugs, heavily rusted nut and bolt connections, melted wire coating are sure signs of heat and bad connections. Give the "range" switch a good look over. The old switched get really bad when burned up and the new plastic switches burn out, but you have look very close at them. If the armature or internal coils are bad that is a major job to repair and I don't recommend someone do it without help from someone who has done it CORRECTLY before. No sense in doing more damage to a machine that needds a little TLC. Check the above and read the comments below for more advice. Best of luck.

[@WITNESSx_xME6855]

Thanks for the vid. I'm having mad difficulties with my 4150 blue dial. It runs great no problem but No aux and no arc, just a fizzle against the ground clamp. I'm going to get the armature coil tested after seeing this.

[@welderfixer]

You're on the right path. No grinder or weld the exciter is the place to start. If the coil resistance checks out and the machine has been sitting for quite some time you may only need "flash" the coils with 12 volts DC. I advise you check the resistance before taking anything apart. Diagnosis saves a ton of time. All the best, Kevin

[@JasonGregory-w1y]

Hi Kevin can you tell me if 37 ohms coming from the blue and brown wire from top of the main generator is an acceptable reading.This 1968 sa200 is completely dismantled as I have the engine rebuilt and making my way forward. Thank you.

[@welderfixer]

You're okay with 37. 40 to 60 is common. Have fun yet be careful.

[@JasonGregory-w1y]

@@welderfixer ok great.you seem to really know what you’re talking about and I thank you for your reply.have a great weekend.

[@welderfixer]

@@JasonGregory-w1y You are welcome. I've been certified in welding equipment repair since 2005. Been welding since the late 70's. I don't know much but I am affordable. All the best to ya!

[@MachoManRanchySalad]

Hi, I got a 1965 Lincoln SA-200 red face f-162 about a month ago. I got it running and welding after replacing the exciter brushes and flashing it. Well I just replaced the carburetor because someone before me had it jerry-rigged, and now it's not welding or has any voltage to the outlet. I was checking the exciter coils and I don't know if it supposed to be M ohms or K ohms. But either one I tried I still got 0.00 I made sure to get the rheostat out of the circuit and still got the same reading. Any ideas?

[@welderfixer]

All resistance measurements on the coils in Lincoln "pipeliner" style machines is under 200 ohms. If your meter reads K ohms over 0.xxx the resistance is too high. The SA200 exciter coils should be between 120 and 180 ohms depending on who made them. You can slice into the flexible wire that connects the two coils and measure and compare each side to see which one is bad. Have fun, be careful and good luck.

[@bjen2005]

@Kevin Gardner --- Good video. I am in the process of restoring an '79 Blackface right now and this will come in useful. Just got it all stripped down and doing some painting on it now.

[@seanandersen2584]

Hey Kevin, just replaced my exciter coils on my 72 red face and when I fired it up it immediately started smoking from the generator, any ideas?

[@rockinbass01]

Working on an sa200 I just bought. I get right around 167ohm on mine but I don't have a local/remote switch that I've seen anywhere and turning the reohstat doesn't change the ohm reading. What should I be looking into? I get power at my plug but nothing at the weld lugs

[@welderfixer]

Take a close look at your rheostat winding. I would guess that it is burned out in one spot. If not, disconnect the blue wire from it and test the resistance between the blue wire and the black & Brown for about 50 ohms. If that is open/no connection/or a very high ohms your "shunt" coils inside of the main generator has burned out. Good luck.

[@codydedreux5368]

So did u find out why the rheostat wasn’t affecting your reading?

[@wesleyjensen318]

Great content!!! I have a sae 300 he. The other day my machine quit welding and I noticed some vibrations and noise coming from the con end of the machine. I took the con off and saw a lot of movement. I shit it off immediately. Is there a bearing up there somewhere that may be bad??

[@welderfixer]

Wesley, it's likely not the bearing. I have had many cases were the rotor (the spinning unit with four coils behind the nut on the end of the shaft) had developed shorted coils. If you start the engine and a couple seconds later a pounding - knocking noise starts, it is most likely a bad rotor.

[@robertknight4495]

I have a 1967 SA200 that will not kick up when I strike an arc but welds fine when I manually insert the pin to hold it at high idle.What can I do to fix this?

[@welderfixer]

Sense your machine still has the OEM R57 vacuum idler you will have the test the resistance of the coil in the R57 box. There's two yellow wires going to the box and they connect to the coil inside. If the coil is burned out it will not rev up when you strike an arc. I don't know the coil specs, but I'll look them up and let you know here.

[@brandonh2601]

I have a 1963 sa 200 and I have only 3.75 volts at the weld lugs but I have power at the outlet. The machine runs but will not weld what should i test?

[@welderfixer]

If the power at grinder receptacle is normal 115 volts DC that means the exciter is fine and you must test the shunt coil circuit in the machine which includes the panel rheostat and or ditch box, the local/remote switch, the wiring in general and the shunt coils themselves. To test the shunt coils inside of the weld generator you should insolate the brown and blue wires coming out of the top of the generator and test for about 50ohms of resistance. If your meter reads a very high resistance then it is likely that the shunt coils inside of the generator has failed in some way.

[@kadenarvello5648]

How far back does this go Sa-200 wise? Would they all look similar to this no matter how old they are?

[@welderfixer]

Works all SA-200 and a few others like them. There is a little difference depending on the number of turns of wire in the coils and if the coils are wound with aluminum from sometime in the seventies.

[@williamleavell9712]

The insulation on all my wires are so old and brittle. I had to replace the brushes in my machine and when I started moving the brush holder brackets the insulation really started coming off in chunks. Is there a way to replace those wires? Just say cut the wire back then add butt splices with new wire to go to brush assembly? Is that possible or do I need to buy the new coils with all new wires?

[@welderfixer]

I've seen many machines saved buy doing that. Just find as flexible wire as you can.

[@williamleavell9712]

Kevin Gardner thank you. I did that with my exciter brush wires and came out good. Then I started taking the electrical plug off to change it out and OMG those wires really started coming apart. So now I’m trying to find where they go to replace the whole wire. lol. That is if I can get to them without pulling the whole armature assembly off the machine and pulling it all apart.

[@ironsal261]

Any ideas why my sa 200 will run my dc powered grinder at a low rpm when the machine is on low idle but won’t make the machine high ideal unless I strike a arc or set the machine on high ideal ?

[@welderfixer]

The simple answer would be change to idle control circuit board, but there maybe a loose or corroded connection in the grinder power wires or the outlet is worn out. Since the welding arc is fine you don't have to worry about anything in the generator or brushes for this issue.

[@ranferimartinez4459]

My 200 doesn’t burn as hot as it should It burns 1/8” rods good but isn’t as hot with bigger rods what could cause this

[@welderfixer]

Sorry for the delay in answering you. If you haven't checked yet, pull the big band off of the generator and check to see if all of the brushes are free to move in the holders and that the armature is clean. Another good place to check is the range selector switch for burned out contacts. If the switch is good, but output doesn't change with the change of switch positions you likely have a failed set of "series coils". That would be a huge problem. Also, the simplest thing is welding cables and the connections. I've many guys bring in "broken" machines only to find bad cable connections. Good luck.

[@jonathanlopez4475]

If my reading jump from 0 to 85 145 165 190 ? What does that mean

[@georginabiehle8423]

@kevingardner…is it possible to check the exciter coils out of machine and if so what would ohms read? Thank you

[@welderfixer]

Just like any coil of wire it is easy to measure the resistance. Simply attach one meter probe to the flexible wire of one coil and the other probe to the the flexible wire on the other coil. The reading (depending on manufacturer) should be between 120 and 170 ohms. I often cut open the flexible wire connecting the coils together and measure each coil separately. If one side measures 60 - 90 ohms that side is good.

[@georginabiehle8423]

@@welderfixer cut both wires that connect the two coils together or just the flexible wire?

[@georginabiehle8423]

Wait I read wrong!!!🤦‍♀️ we skinned wire back(flexible wire) and got 60 on each…we have spark and plug works…but when we took off nose of the barrel the left side looking at machine no spark coming from brush

[@welderfixer]

@@georginabiehle8423 No need to cut any wires. Just skin off some of the insulation of the flexible connecting wire. So, you can get to the wire inside with the probe. Note: If you measure the stiff wire the measurement will be very low, like a dead short because the wire is thick.

[@welderfixer]

@@georginabiehle8423 60 each side. Coils are fine. Grinder runs fine - then nothing wrong with the exciter. No sparking on one brush, but grinder runs fine - nothing wrong with the exciter. If the grinder runs fine on any Lincoln pipeliner style machine the exciter is fine. Don't mess with it.

[@robmurphy806]

Looking forward to seeing more of these videos

[@stevenmchenry9276]

Yeah Kevin gives us some more videos. I found a guy with an old deseil Lincoln. He said it want start, the problem may be the fuel pump or injectors.

[@austinfleming3266]

When I put in local it says 38 ohms what does it mean sir

[@welderfixer]

When the local-remote switch is placed in "local" the circuit combines the exciter coils with the "shunt" coils within the main generator causing the lower resistance reading. What you are seeing is normal.

[@austinfleming3266]

@@welderfixer sir you are a saint a true treasure

[@jeffholliday4146]

Thank you for this video I have this some thing going on on my sa200 code-6793 s/n a-658851. So I checked the coils as per the video and I have 173.5 ohms but I don’t have a remote switch local only any idea where I need to go from here ? And again for the help

[@welderfixer]

Jeff, post your machine symptoms here and I'll offer a couple of suggestions.

[@jeffholliday4146]

Kevin Gardner Hey Kevin my sa200 will crank and run but is not making any power at the auxiliary outlet or at the welding leads

[@welderfixer]

@@jeffholliday4146 Sorry for not seeing your post earlier. Seems I am not getting notifications from KZbin very often. Since you have 173 ohms on the coils I would simply "flash" the coils to rebuild the magnetic field in the iron inside of the coils. These machines need that residual magnetism to get the power to build. Let me know if you need instructions on that procedure.

[@jeffholliday4146]

Kevin Gardner instructions would be a great help I really would hate to burn something up and again thanks for the help.

[@ianr4654]

@@jeffholliday4146 hello there, i am able to run a grinder but am only getting little sparkles from the rod. what should i do? thanks

[@721topdog]

Got an SA 200 that don't put out a constant arc whie welding?

[@welderfixer]

This ghost is a hard one to chase down. Start with hand sanding all of your welding cable connections clean and back to bare copper or brass. If no different, look closely at the "range switch" for burned connections. Then look at the exciter armature and brushes. Is the armature wobbling bad and the brushes making big sparks? If so that needs to be corrected. I can go on and on about trying to find the source of this problem, but one thing at a time must be eliminated to find it. Sometimes, it's just a bad batch of rod or the engine is changing speed and it is hard to hear that unless it is significant. Best of luck.

[@willseyler9248]

I have a sa200 that will spark but will not weld i have cleaned brushes and armature and nothing helps we have had this problem in the past and found a bad wire i checked that wire and it was good im lost

[@welderfixer]

If you have done the test as I have shown in the video and the coils are fine it is time to check the voltage while running. PLEASE BE CAREFUL AROUND THE SPINNING SHAFT. Set your meter for DC volts. If you find around 80 volts at idle and around 120 volts at high idle the exciter is fine. Check the outlet with your meter or plug in a DC grinder. If the grinder runs fine and the engine revs up - great. Next, does the machine have a local/remote switch? Is it working? Is the panel rheostat fine? Both good? Great - test the "shunt coils" inside if the main generator via the blue and brown wires coming out of the top of the main generator. One of the the two wires must be disconnected to get a proper reading. That reading should be around 50 ohms. If that is fine you may have a shorted main armature and that is sometimes indicated be major sparks coming from the main brushes. Hopefully, I can post the video soon. Best of luck, maybe you will find a simple bad connection as I often do.

[@atiliogutierrez6673]

Good morning sr. I have a questoon in spanish. Tengo estás bobinas separadas una la de cable más flexible se lee 165 ohm. Cómo UD dice. La otra indica casi 0 ohmios que significa esto . O cuántos ohms. Debe indicar está

[@welderfixer]

Your coils set is fine. No need to change them. 0 ohms is what the stiff wire should read.

[@antonioskipper3892]

Thanks for the video I'm having issues with my welder, my ohms reading are 123

[@joannarodriguez7473]

Can you do the test with coils out of the machine

[@welderfixer]

Set your multimeter to test resistance/ohms and firmly hold your test probes against the flexible wire coming out of each side coil. They are good if the reading 120-180 ohms. The heavy, stiff wires have almost zero ohms of resistance and I have never had a bad heavy wire coil. You can tell which fine wire coil is bad by cutting a bit of insulation off of the flexible wire that connects the two coils. All the best, Kevin

[@CJs_DIY]

Hey I have a sa200 I have power to the 115 plug but no power to the welder... 158 ohms when I test like you instructed... It has been sitting awhile

[@CJs_DIY]

I have no remote switch on this unit...

[@welderfixer]

@@CJs_DIY Please check the output at the welding leads. If it welds then you have a simple wiring issue to track down because the exciter is fine. If it doesn't weld then you should test the voltage at the exciter brushes. I am assuming that you cleaned the exciter armature with old style wood type sand paper or a "comm stone". I have seen many machines come in that been sitting for quite awhile and both armature communtators are covered with a thick black tarnish and goo.

[@CJs_DIY]

I’ve been watching quite a few videos and it could possibly be my main brushes are stuck I am going to take the cover off and check... the exciter Brushes and exciter commutator look to be fine and the guy I bought it off must have cleaned them recently because it was down to the brass. I hooked up my cables to machine started it and tried tapping a rod on grounded steel and there was nothing... no spark etc I will put a volt meter on the connections at the welder to see if it’s outputting anything.

[@CJs_DIY]

There is 2 switches on this unit. One shuts off the engine and the other? I am assuming it has to do with putting power to the main generator magnets to allow welding???? But really don’t know what the other switch is for. I will also check for voltage at the welding lugs with the switch off to see if the switch is upside down.

[@welderfixer]

@@CJs_DIY The other switch is likely on the left side of the panel - if it is that's the high & low idle switch. Since the machine doesn't weld or grind I'm going say that I would open the main brushes and check them - just because. They don't have any affect on the output of the exciter though. At least not on a SA-200. On a 300D and such they do. Okay, after checking the main brushes, I would take a voltage measurement at the exciter brushes. If there is no voltage then you should consider "flashing the fields".

[@Jacob-vu2ti]

Can you explain where all the small wires connect too on the machine. Left side and right side brush rig wiring and how the coils are wired together with the shunt coils

[@welderfixer]

Watch this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6mkh354ot97jrs

[@LuisHernandez-jj8hz]

What if I’m getting 124 ohm

[@LuisHernandez-jj8hz]

No welding output everything else works fine

[@welderfixer]

@@LuisHernandez-jj8hz That means you have lost connection to the "shunt" coils inside of the main generator or they have burned out. Find the blue and brown wires that come out of the top of the generator and test the resistance across those two wires. Good coils are about 50 ohms. If that's good check the rest of the circuit those two wire are connected to. Best of luck.

[@dieselprojects8706]

Thanks for the video !

[@zacharytruex1702]

You should make a video replacing a magneto AND a distributor on a SA200

[@welderfixer]

Thanks for the request. They are both a fairly simply job that is often made difficult by not following the basic steps each time. That is if someone hasn't changed the camshaft gear or has the governor installed incorrectly. I'll go over the factory steps and most of issues I have found when I make that video. Thanks again.

[@ssampson572]

More video .. I'm trying to get an sa 200 going.... it will turn a grinder but no welding..

[@welderfixer]

That's good news. When grinder runs that means the exciter is fine. Now you have to test the feed to the weld generator shunt coils. Test your output with the remote switch in local if you have one. If you have weld power the problem is in the remote circuit. If still no weld isolate the blue and Brown wires going into the top of the generator and test those for 40 to 50 ohms. A high ohms reading means bad shunt coil circuit. Could as simple as a broken, corroded or chewed thru wire. At worst you have burned out coils.

[@ssampson572]

@@welderfixer thank you brother.

[@homerceballos4030]

Hi my welding machine just started but it dont weld, power works and grinders when I drag my rod across the pipe small sparkles are seen but no arc

[@vstrom9586]

Thanks a bunch

[@isidrohernandez7645]

My sa200 is not welding was working Good but the ocho board burm

[@isidrohernandez7645]

Pc board

[@drunkswithguns4124]

Thanks for the video, getting me in the right direction. Im getting a 40 ohm reading with the rheostat at 55-100, and a 100 ohm reading with the rheostat turned all the way down. 1963 SA-200 F162 motor, no local/remote switch. Wouldn't strike an arc this morning and im only getting 3 volts at the plug. Think it could be the rheostat? I know this is an old video but if i do figure it out ill post back on here

[@melvintomas4654]

Gracias Kevin q el señor me lo acompañe buenas noches

[@rjmolina5617]

I know this is an old video but I just went out and tested my machine and I was getting a 135 reading

[@welderfixer]

That's fine. Some aftermarket coils measure 125 ohms.

[@rjmolina5617]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry I didn't see the notification.

[@crisis-cast]

cool thanks

[@melvintomas4654]

Quiero información sobre máquina de soldar Lincoln sae 300 trifásica 220 o440 voltios con generador

[@welderfixer]

Your local Lincoln Electric dealer can easily help you.

[@melvintomas4654]

Estoy reparando una q al soldar pierde el arco por periodo de tiempo

[@welderfixer]

@@melvintomas4654 ¿Cuál es el número de "código" en la máquina? Lo primero que comprobaría son los pinceles.

[@melvintomas4654]

@@welderfixer código 7997

[@welderfixer]

@@melvintomas4654 Veo que este es un soldador accionado por motor. Compruebe la dirección de rotación. Verifique el voltaje de los cepillos excitadores. Si tiene voltaje allí, debe tener salida de soldadura. Si no hay salida de soldadura, compruebe el reóstato. Si el reóstato está bien, verifique las bobinas de derivación del generador de soldadura de 40 a 50 ohmios. Las bobinas de derivación tienen un cable marrón y otro azul. Mucha suerte.