68 F-163 Redface dies in high idle

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Okay, so i have a 1968 Lincoln redface F163 and its struggling to maintain high idle when welding or shuts off when i plug in a grinder and use it. But when i turn on the machine in the morning, it maintains low idle with no issues....only when in high idle is when this machine wants to be a pain. Could...

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Battery dead?

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·I've had this red-face for a year now, and only used 6010 rods with it, and a couple times with the 7018...I have noticed the trouble with 7018 but I figured maybe I was running too cold.

·Thanks for the tip with the VOM, I don't have one but I will get one soon and see if it's backwards....

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Dragging in the flat Position with an angle.
(And to anyone who asks, yes I have welded 7018 before using shorthoods, millers and Lincoln's. Have welded on pipe on both 5G and 6G. Why this is happening with the red face is beyond me, maybe it doesn't like it's new owner 😂😂...

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I am going to order some Excalibur 7018, heard good things about it. Even the Hobart rods....

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I can see the puddle, but within seconds it starts to get overwhelmed with slag....

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Thanks for the info 👍👍...

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Hmmm....perhaps I should try 2nd Gear (130-80) Amps and 80 on the fine current for a lower amperage since third gear is too hot. But I just have a feeling that I don't have enough arc force to push back the slag. Should I just preheat the weld rods? (Even before when welding wet 7018 rods I never had...

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Even when I lower my fine current down to 35, it just looks like it runs cold, not much metal is being deposited. So I ran it in between 70 and 40 on the fine current and it just looks like there is not enough arc force to push that slag back....

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Not really, I only got what seemed like little sparks but no arc. I check the brushes and they seemed fine when I cleaned the large commutator with scotch Brite sander (will double check again).

I just tuned it up with the recommended specs and it sparks again, even in the lower ranges...

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Flat Position 1/8 7018 Rod...

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Yes, you read it right. I have a 1969 red-face that I recently tuned up thanks to a forum member.

So the issue I'm having is that when I'm welding 7018 in DCEP polarity, running in 3rd gear (190-120) and about 70 in the fine current, the molten slag tends to go to the front of the arc....

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Thanks for these PDF files!! 🙋...

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So I purchased a 1968 or 69 sa 200 F 163 Lincoln red-face Code: 6792 last year. Changed the oil, oil filter, fuel filter and changed the oil bath filter. Other than that, that's all that machine needed. I used this machine maybe 20 times (80hrs) last year for small jobs. Since business was slow, I ended...