By George I think I got with the SA200!

I think I have this SA200 figured out finally. I went to a big tractor wrecking yard and got a sediment bowl off a MF 760 diesel combine of all things. It has a deeper bowl and also a screen about 2 inches long that goes into the tank. I also bought a new screen and gasket for the bowl. I put a new fuel line on and went as straight down as possible to the carb.
When I first turned the gas on, I thought I'd have to crank it a while to get any air out but it started in about 3 revolutions of the engine. I was amazed! Later on it took longer to start but was still about twice as fast as before. I did notice fuel dripping from the carb when turning it over. The carb has a special feature to drain excess gas so it doesn't get pulled into the cylinders. After a few trial and error attempts, I think I have it figured out.
When the engine is shut off, there is still some gas sucked into the carb but not enough to get to the cylinders, so it stays in the carb throat. If there's too much, some will drain out the bottom vent but not all of it. When I go to start it the next day, it takes longer to crank because the little bit of fuel in the throat is slightly flooding the engine with full choke. I found it starts better if I turn the engine over without the choke for a few seconds before pulling the choke. I think this allows the fuel in the throat to be sucked up without flooding the engine. I will test this theory again and see if I get the same result. The mechanic that installed the carb said as long as there isn't a pool of gas sitting under the carb, it is normal for the vent to be wet from gas. It is dry when the engine is running. Does my theory make sense? Dave

The carb also drains excess gas so the air cleaner doesn't fill up. Dave

I lost track Dave, does your machine have a Marvel or Zenith carb on it?
I went to start my '74' this morning, after it cranked several times I remembered I forgot to turn the valve on at the sediment bowl! :roll:
When I eliminated the inline fuel filter a few days ago I eliminated the fuel shutoff valve in the face panel. Once I turned the valve on it started right up! :wink:

It has a new Zenith. If you leave your machines sitting with the fuel on, is the vent on the bottom of the carb wet from fuel? Not dripping but just wet if you run your finger on the bottom. Dave

All my other machines I keep the valve closed at the sediment bowl. The '74' had a valve just under the face panel. I'm a creature of habit, I've never shut off the valve at the sediment bowl before on the '74'. That's why I forgot to open it! I went out and opened the valve at the sediment bowl on the '74', in the morning I'll check for moisture under the carb, then start it, and report back. :wink:

So now, inquiring minds want to know, (or at least I do) how does the old girl weld?

I guy came out with a 200D on his truck and also has a 58 he won't sell. He said my machine welds like his 58 and better than his 2006 when he tried it. He let me borrow a stinger and gave me some rods. It has no problem burning a nice 3/16" 7018. It idles up fairly fast but takes a little getting used to. It load tested at 310 amps which I think is the normal range. Dave

You may not believe this next statement, and I’m sure I’ll get flamed for saying it! But I truly believe my SA-200’s weld better with the SMAW process than my Dynasty 300.


OK ladies take your best shot.

Guys please don't take this the wrong way, but I am really curious as to why you think that a SA-200 is such a great machine? I junked one of the dam things 20 years ago because I felt it was outdated technology. DC only aux power. hard on fuel and just wouldn't do my work. I bought a Miller Big 40 to replace it. Still have it, but too heavy to haul around ,too hard on fuel. Bought a Miller Legend. Nothing but Trouble, stayed in the shop all the time.Bought a Miller Bobcat 225 OK but still not big enough.Also had a Hobart of some sort in there somewhere ,more junk .Then I bought a new Lincoln Ranger 250 Chopper machine. I would not trade it for all the rest of them put together. Starts easy,easy on fuel,it is very light to haul around and I run MIG, Tig and Stick on the same machine, Use it to carbon arc with ,it has 8000 watts of aux power and it has never missed a beat.

Quality of the arc! 8)

I've run countless Miller Big 40's, lets just let it go at that!

A good friend of mine has a Ranger 250 or GXT I can't remember. It has the Chopper Technology which I like better than the Dig on my Dynasty 300. I really like the arc on his machine!

Post back in 35 to 40-years and let me know if that Kohler or Robin / Subaru is still running. :wink:

The koehler probably won't be running in 35 or 40 years but that's why I junked the SA-200 The Cont. used more oil than gas and it cost more to rebuild it than to buy two koehlers, plus the armture had already been rewound once. Sorry to disagree but I will keep what I have.I need dependability,I make my living with them.

I've heard of the Continentals going 20,000 hours! They could use a little oil going that long. One of these new electronic machines craps out in the field and you're hooped. I needed a fairly inexpensive portable welder and as a welder, an SA 200 is hard to beat. I have a small generator if I need it. Guys selling Ranger 305's with 500 to 2500 hours wanted almost new price for them. My friend has one and says it costs him about $300 a year in extra repairs every year and wouldn't buy another one. You need dependability and make your living with your welder. That's funny. More people have made more money with an SA 200 than any other portable on the planet! I wouldn't be surprised if there were more SA 200's on trucks than all the others combined. A big 40 uses the same engine but it's turning at 1800 rpms, not 1550. Dave

I've heard that before, that the Dynasty is an excellent TIG welder but not so good as a stick welder. If I'm not mistaken it has lower open circuit volts because you don't need as many for TIG. That might be why the SA welds nicer? It's been a while since I did much welding but I really liked the arc with an XMT 304 burning 7018. It seemed like if you got the rod anywhere near the joint, you'd already have the arc started. I liked a Dimension 452 much better for MIG roots though. I'll have to start using this SA 200 more to compare it. Dave

Ranger 305! that is what my buddy has. Very nice machine, excellent arc. I've been trying to talk him into buying an LN-25, I gave him an LN-22, but that is so limited. I'd like to get him into the world of Mig and dual shield welding.

The Dynasty is an fantastic Tig machine, but just a so so SMAW machine! It is amazing what that machine can do on the AC side. I love the AC frequency control, majority of the time I leave it at 250, but it is nice to be able to go as low as 20 for thin material. The OCV has two settings, I leave it set on the high setting, helps with not sticking when welding SMAW, I can't see where it hurts when Tig welding.

Welding man everybody is entitled to their opinion! :wink:
You are correct these old SA-200's are outdated, and limited to one thing, but they do that one thing very well, if not the best! In mainline construction, (pipeline) it is the most sought after arc. Probably the number one reason Lincoln came out with the “Classic” machine, trying their best to duplicate the arc of the SA-200. If I had to make a living again welding, I'd look at the Vantage 500 first! 8)

Dave I checked my ’74’ this morning after leaving the valve on the sediment bowl open all night, yes there was moisture on the bottom of the carb. She started right up! 8)

I'm with you on this one. I've never run an SA-200, but I have no use for the DC aux. power. I have a Miller 251d that I thought would be the cat's meow. If you like loud and heavy, it is. I would gladly give it up for a portable with the chopper technology. I've read all about how bad Lincoln is all over the internet. Seems to me the people who don't like the Lincolns don't understand the features and adjustments and are more comfortable with Miller's limitations in those areas. Anybody who thinks the machine makes the weldor, ought to stick with the blue paint. Only thing I've seen the chopper technology fail to do was run resistance heat blankets that plug into the welding lead. Had to go get the old Miller to run that. That will make the little Deutz bark.

The Vantages are pretty quiet too but I've heard that if something goes wrong, you have to go an authorized repair shop to get it fixed. Thanks for checking your carb. Dave