possible to replace the gas engine on old welder?

The old welder/generator I picked up today doesn't look too bad if you sort of squint at it and ignore the gas engine, which is missing a lot of parts. I may get lucky and find a parts source, but right now I'm wondering if it might be possible to just go find another motor with similar specs and just patch it in.

Anyone done this?

Grant Erwin Kirkland, Washington

Reply to
Grant Erwin
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If it is direct connected the interface is not standardized. The only thing likely to fit would be another motor from the same model machine. The engine crankshaft is likely to have a taper fitting for the rotor. Don't overlook the need for a suitable governor.

Of course, all of that would be a plus factor for a machinist looking for a project. (BG)

Don Young

Reply to
Don Young

Parts for many of the old engines are fairly common if you can reuse old ones. Have you determined exactly what kind of engine it is (was)?

Don Young

Reply to
Don Young

Most of these units have only 3 bearings between the engine and the generator. Usually means that the main beaing on the engine is shared with the generator. The generator uses a tapered fitting to be perfectly centered on the crankshaft. The taper can be most anything, probably not standardized beyond the engine manufacturer. Net: either the taper or the bearing will get in the way of reuse.

If the eng> The old welder/generator I picked up today doesn't look too bad if you

Reply to
RoyJ

Pretty sure it's Briggs & Stratton so far, don't know which exact one yet.

Grant

Reply to
Grant Erwin

Reply to
RoyJ

Call these guys and ask if they can recommend a substitute

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Wayne

Reply to
wmbjkREMOVE

Make sure the generator is OK before putting a lot of effort into the motor.

Note what others have said about the usefulness of a non DC welder and especially one with limited duty cycle. IMHO this is/was a pretty marginal unit even when it was new. it is basically a small AC only buzz box with the added disadvantage of needing expensive gasoline and maintenance.

IMHO, Good tradesmen don't waste time on or with poor tools, they just make it harder to do a good job, and are much less pleasurable to use.

Good luck, YMMV

Reply to
Private

It may have been a marginal unit, but it is certainly an AC/DC welder. Lincoln did make AC only models, perhaps you are remembering one of those. There are some OK pics of a very very similar welder in much better shape than mine on a current ebay auction (150140941115), here are pics of the gas engine on it:

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South Seattle Community College has one of these welders, and Ernie says it has exceptionally smooth DC.

If I can get it running correctly and completely functional for under about $400 total, then I'm going to do it. If not, then I'm going to part it out and keep the leads. If it doesn't weld well then I will certainly let it go. I've been pricing gas-powered welders for awhile, seems like $800 and up is the going rate around my neck of the woods for clean functional units.

GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin

I stand corrected. I was relying on the specs (AC only 25% duty cycle) quoted by a poster in the previous thread, and my preference for DC stick welders is showing. I have not owned one of these and cannot remember what they weld like. I would rely on Ernie's judgment. I suspect that the duty cycle is much higher when using 1/8" or 3/32" rods which I suspect will be most of your usage but be careful when using 5/32". IIRC there is a formula for calculating reduced current duty cycle but I do not have it or a URL handy, try Google or perhaps someone here can help.

The earlier poster also mentioned an Onan engine which IMHE do have pricey parts. I cannot think of a more common small engine than the Briggs and suspect that it will be much easier to fix economically. I do suggest a careful inspection of the welder first and would try to Google a spec sheet (and users manual) just so you will know what you have and what to expect. IMHO Lincoln electrics are usually above average in quality and performance.

Good luck

Reply to
Private

Well, you've got a Briggs & Straton engine. Parts should be available for it. From the picture the air cleaner is still on it which probably means that the carb is still there and it probably needs cleaning and maybe a new float valve.

The exhaust is a piece of water pipe and will be noisy but you can always weld a muffler on that.

Unless there is something else missing that doesn't show in the picture I'd say you could get it running in a day or so.

Take the spark plug out and short the threads to the head and give the rope a pull. If you see a spark that part is working. If you have spark squirt a little gas in the plug hole, screw the plug back in and give her a pull. I'll bet she'll pop and it does that it'll run with a little more fooling with it.

I'd try to find a guy that repairs lawn mowers and have a chat with him. Most of these guys know something about B&S engines. If you can find one that is semi-retired and bring over a six pack I'll bet you can get it fixed.

Once you get the engine running check, and maybe replace the brushes in the generator, and if necessary bake the windings and repaint them and I'd reckon you'll have a pretty good little welder.

Lastly, if you are having trouble finding parts ping "Gunner" either here or on rec. metalworking. Apparently he has most of the parts in California stored in Bakersfield and knows where all the rest of the parts in California are hidden.

Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeatgmaildotcom)

Reply to
Bruce

Reply to
RoyJ

Mine is not the Weldanpower 225. It is the Weldanpower AC/DC, a different welder.

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GWE

RoyJ wrote:

Reply to
Grant Erwin

Yeh, I know Gunner! :-)

You have mistaken my post's meaning. The pictures I posted are from an ebay auction, *not* pictures of my machine. My motor is a POS compared to the one in the pictures.

GWE

Reply to
Grant Erwin

Snipped.....

I finally realized that about the time I pushed the send button =:-(

If your machine is the same as shown on

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is a pretty good welder. Probably worth fixing. The one cylinder engine is probably fixable, Certainly with the prices I see mentioned worth repairing if it isn't totally trashed.

A couple of things. If you get the engine running then have a look at the generator. Make sure that the brushes are nearly new and the commutator/slip rings are clean and smooth. By the way, brushes are pretty generic, you don;t have to order from Lincoln, probably any motor rebuild shop will have replacements. If it were mine I'd either pay to have the thing baked and re-varnished or do it myself as if the windings have absorbed any moisture over the years the arc probably won't be very stable.

Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeatgmaildotcom)

Reply to
Bruce

Based on the .pdf, that looks like a substantial machine, I think I'd try to bring it back.

John

Reply to
JohnM

I got word from Lincoln today with the exact model & type number of the Briggs & Stratton engine. With that, I was able to download the manual & exploded parts list from the B&S site. Now theoretically I can start compiling a list of parts I need and pricing them out. I called Briggs and they told me I can't simply order a replacement engine, so either I'll have to find one from a broken welder or I'll have to rebuild this one.

Grant

Reply to
Grant Erwin

I'll make a very strong bet that there is a B&S engine that is identical except for the crankshaft. If you call the B&S folk back, you might be able to worm it out of them what to look for. Then you have to pull cranks and swap the old crank into the new engine. If they use ball bearings like the equivilent Kohler, the cranks tend to be ok.

And I'd agree that this unit is much heavier duty than the Weldanpower 225

Grant Erw>

Reply to
RoyJ

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