Have an old Miller Passport...maintenance thoughts?

[inline five]

Hi guys,

I have a Miller Passport I bought sometime around 2010. It was bought used for $700 back then. I proceeded to use it to make/repair stuff around the house and it's been sitting for a few years.

I would like to start welding/fabricating some light stuff but I'm worried about the longevity of this machine. I'm starting to worry about internal components like capacitors, power supplies etc.

The machine itself had light farm use mostly used to repair metal fences and I used it pretty lightly too around the house.

I bought a new gun for it off Cyberweld, and a couple more CO2 bottles. Have about $150 into that right now.

Wondering if I'm on really borrowed time with this thing, as I don't want to see it go to a paperweight, when I could potentially sell it now and buy a new unit for a little bit more money (although not nearly as portable / usable). I really love the thing, and don't want to see it die, honestly.

I guess what I'm wondering is, should I be looking to replace any of the internal components due to age (esp the caps if I can figure that out)?

If I sell and replace, I'd probably pick up the Eastwood 180, seems it would be a pretty even exchange $$ wise.

 

[rmack898]

The passport is a great little machine and was built to take a beating.
We had one in a shop I worked at and it was handy as hell being able to run 110 or 220. While we didn't use the small on board C02 tanks that often, they were great for when you had a quick little job in the field.

I wouldn't even consider getting rid of a Passport if I had one and certainly not replacing it with something from Eastwood.

 

[tester19]

Miller is an industrial brand and a top of the line welder. I would not worry about it and I doubt you will have any problems. My old Snap-On Mig welder was made by Century is pushing 30 years now and still works fine. That brand is no where near as good as Miller.
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[tyyost]

13 years on a Miller isn’t going to be an issue, they are quality pieces. if you are not underestimating the use/wear on the machine or left it under a tarp at the marina you should expect another decade or so of quality welding.