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Here Are A few Recommended Tools to Help You Quickly Troubleshoot
and Repair Your SA200/SA250 Yourself!
These are the recommended tools you will need to troubleshoot, repair, and maintain your SA200
If you do your own maintenance, you need certain tools that you never think about until you are knoww deep in a project and
you have to stop because you need something. Everything you need is available on your Amazon site. Click BUY NOW to go to your Amazon page.
If you purchase using this link, I get a small commission; we all have to eat, and it costs you nothing!
The Tools You Need to Troubleshoot Your Engine and Welder
1. Test Light
I recommend an "old school" test light with an incandescent bulb. The human eye is very sensitive to light. In WW2, the Navy discovered that on a moonless night, the light of a burning cigarette could be seen for 50 miles!
This is a professional tool; it comes with a "wire piercing" tool.​ Do you have a bad connection or a dead wire? The tool is worth more than money, because you can pierce a wire before the connector and see if you have power or resistance. Time = Money, your money!
2. Test Leads
These leads are affordable, 1 meter long, and are easy to attach with gloved hands. They come in a pack of 5. Somehow, you never have enough when troubleshooting.
3. Somewhere in life, you will need a Volt? Ohm meter. There are cheap meters (give-away) and better cheap meters. This unit has the features you need: a backlit display (very important at night) and a rubber case. It's going to be dropped in the real world. They advertise a 3-year warranty, but I don't know how it works or if it works. It is cheap enough that losing or junking it is no great loss.
4. Corrison is the number one electrical problem with SA200 welders. It is almost impossible to stop, but you can keep it under control. The first step is to clean it off. I have found these special brushes to be the easiest to use. They are cheap and come 9 to a pack. You can give one to your buddy and
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5. The truth about wrenches and sockets is that if you can't find that socket, you don't have it.
You don't have time to look for every tool. This tool set is inexpensive and readily available on Amazon. What I like if the kit is the hard plastic case witha real hinge and metal clasps.
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6. The most frustrating situation in a welder's life is when he needs that socket, Phillips screwdriver (who did I loan it to?) It's at night, and everything is up to you! I am always working on something, and I carry this little tool kit everywhere. It's pricey, a good investment. I used to carry it in my back pocket until I found this pouch.
7. The Wera toolkit fits neatly in the pouch, with room for extras, and the "kangaroo" pouch accommodates a small multimeter.
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8. The secret of the SA200 is that it is designed to weld at 1500 RPMs. Your OCV (open-circuit voltage) depends primarily on the engine RPM under load. If the engine cannot meet the torque load, it will not weld correctly. It "won't stack", the arc is "too runny". All these symptoms can be caused by a weak engine, no matter how good it sounds! If you plan to have major engine work, schedule the machine to be down so you're not blindsided by a major repair.
The gold standard is consistent RPM under load. The RPM should stay around 1500 ± 3%.
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The unit suggested is inexpensive; it costs less than one hour of checkout time.
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9. An engine's vacuum at idle is a certain diagnosis, as is your blood pressure. The gauge gives you an average vacuum of all four cylinders as the engine is running. How good does it breathe? Nice smooth vacuum is what you need. It is easy and simple, it tells you a lot very quickly. I like the case, keeps all the goodies in one place. You don't need to carry it with you, leave in the garage until you need it.
10. The biggest headache in working on older equipment is broken studs. When you have a machine that is 50 years old and has 50+ years of corrosion, you're asking for trouble! If you have any doubt about getting a rusted nut off, stop right now. Use a nut splitter; it will normally pull off if you split one side. For large nuts, if you can cut them with an angle grinder, replacement nuts are cheap, broken studs can ruin an engine, especially if you crack the block-it happens
11. For the money, this little kit is the best deal going. You get a vacuum and pressure gauge in one unit, straight and bent tubes for handheld compression tests, and a flex tube for a plug hole that doesn't allow a good seal. If you have any doubts, you can always screw the hose in for exact pressure readings.
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The second item is a "go /no-go" ignition tester. It's a troubleshooting tool. Remove the spark plug wire and insert the probe into the ignition wire. The other end goes on the spark plug. A light indicates there is some spark to the plug. But it can throw you a curve. I had a customer drag his machine 300 miles to me because the tester said he had spark, but the engine would not run! Yes, he had a spark, a very hot spark, but somehow he has bought 4 new plugs that were defective! Four new plugs, problem solved. Welcome to real world of engine troubleshooting!
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There are more recommended items coming. Please check back. I would also like any feedback you want ot offer. Do you have a better tool or a suggestion? Shoot me an email.