anyone help with a lincoln power mig 216 ?

[sweetk30]

UPDATED POST#10 04/04/2026

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i have had this 216 from brand new in the box . 10+ years old and i have run maybe a dozen 44 lb rolls of wire in it . always blow it out now and then and keep it as clean as i can . Lincoln tips / parts / esab wire / so on and on good stuff .

most of the time its ok. but when doing bigger jobs it has a mind of its own and just shuts off . can weld all day no problem or 5 min in to a new day and bam off it goes . when off it goes = no more wire feed but the rest of the welder is all running .

current setup is 1/4" plate all new and prepped with mill scale off and .045 wire with machine set to chart E / 200 wire . she is burning in super nice and clean .

i take care of my gun and its lead and do not beat it all up / run it over or step on it . has had 1 new liner incase that was the problem .

also as its welding it almost seems like at times it stops the arc for a micro second and the wire pushes back and it then keeps welding .

i use nozzle dip and apply when warm and also do a sacrifice weld to get clean before going back to main welding job .

at my whits end and need some help thanks .

i just let it cool down running as i typed this all out . went back and not even 45 sec of weld time and **** cuts out again .

been off 1hr solid and just tried it again and got 20 sec of welding time . and it slowed down wire speed and weld as it stopped 100%

 

[welder4956]

It kind of sounds like the trigger switch on the gun is going bad. Maybe a loose connection or bad trigger switch. If not the trigger switch, I would look at the control relay.

 

[sweetk30]

out in the shop this morning and it would weld for around 20 sec and then the wire speed slowed down and stopped . when it would go again i held the trigger NOT welding and it run out about 1ft of wire and stopped again .

 

[danielbuck]

Maybe try contacting Lincoln support? I've never had to contact them for my machines (knock on wood!!) but I would hope with their big name and reputation they would have decent support.

 

[rooster59]

It kind of sounds like the trigger switch on the gun is going bad. Maybe a loose connection or bad trigger switch. If not the trigger switch, I would look at the control relay.

You could check the gun and inside the cabinet, clean up all the connections involving the gun. Power off, let it sit a while. Looks like it's plugs and jacks, disconnect and reconnect gets a clean wipe of metal to metal connections. Nice of welder4956 to post the schematic.

 

[sweetk30]

Maybe try contacting Lincoln support? I've never had to contact them for my machines (knock on wood!!) but I would hope with their big name and reputation they would have decent support.

talked with them and they said maybe the board and said check voltages at relays when acting up . that was the extent of there help .

 

[sweetk30]

took the main cover panel off the top and side . not to dirty at all inside but blew it all out anyway .

used the engine hoist to set it up on the bench and look stuff over dont see any burnt stuff and bad connections . said lets test it with covers off . i finished welding up my 3 of 4 big items and never skipped a beat . prob 10min of welding and no random stops .

and the main / only board is epoxy coated in clear and non serviceable or testable .

 

[sweetk30]

took off the main panel and hardly any dust / dirt / grime inside . blew it all out anyway with the blow gun . did not find any signs of a problem .

started to weld again with cover off still and i got around 1hr or so of un-interrupted weld time in before it started in again just after i put the cover back on it .

now if its the main board i will be PISSED OFF . i dont have a dozen rolls of wire in this from new purchase 2016 . . . prices online are 650-950 were you can find a board . anyone local has to test the machine after they ship it out of the area to there repair hub .

this point i might better strip it and sell the parts and buy a new one for not much more .

 

[sweetk30]

update . 3/13/2026

been welding good for a few weeks now and no problems . . now tonight dead cold to 5 min of welding time its back to the problems .

no power to tip / feed motor / gas flow .

unplugged the trigger wire at the machine and jumped the 2 wires to make the unit work and NOTHING until what ever it was cooled down / off and then back to normal . then 15-20 sec of welding and **** nothing again . jumped again and nothing till cooled off .

so i now have eliminated the gun and its trigger and wire . guess its time to call lincoln tech line up and see what they say .

 

[sweetk30]

Hope this fixes my current welding problem to finish my project until i can dig in to the original unit .

4hr round trip and tested good there and also once back at my shop . Few years older but same unit and great price point and can resell later and make money .

 

[sweetk30]

Happy to report she is welding GOOD .

Put on a new lincoln gun to update it from the old whooped one thats been on a long time . Now it also uses the same tips and outer shield as my other one . New roll of .045 lincoln wire 33lbs .

Did prob 30 min tonight no problems .