Hobart handler 180 mig welder losing gas

[mikegt4]

My 20 year old Hobart welder seems to have developed a thirst for welding gas.

Today I noticed that sometimes the gas valve doesn't shut off when I release the trigger. I am talking 30 seconds or more, maybe even minutes then I hear it click off all on it's own. The wire feed and arc both stop as soon as I release the trigger. I haven't had the time to dive into it yet but it shouldn't be too difficult to find the culprit. Just wondering if anyone else had the same problem at some point.

 

[The Cobbler]

maybe the solenoid is sticking... as you said, should be an easy test

 

[Zewnten]

Solenoid is probably sticking or return spring has gotten weak with age. Should be a pretty cheap part

 

[mikegt4]

I noticed today that on occasion I could faintly hear a solenoid click when I let go of the trigger followed by the hard snap of the valve closing immediately or at some delayed time (5-10 seconds). I'm going for a sticking valve first. Unfortunately I am doing a rush job with a hard deadline for my DIL's theater group so I can't do any diagnosis until the project is done.