Water cooled torch getting hot?

I recently bought a 255 EXT..Works Great.
The only problem i'm having is that the torch is getting really hot?
Last night i was welding for about a half hour ( not continuous,couple minute breaks between welds))at 125 amps and my water cooled torch that comes with the machine was getting really hot.
I checked the cooler and it was pumping just fine.
checked to make sure the lines weren't kinked
I hate to see what it does at higher amps.
Is anyone else having this problem, or is there something restricting the flow through the torch?

Slide the torch handle back to see if a line is kinked or damaged. You could also turn the pump on for a second with the return line disconnected to be sure you have flow.

Yea, something's wrong... I'll weld for 1/2hr @250A and never feel any real heat in the torch (other than the cup). I can make 3 - 4 tungsten changes without concern for it. Mine is an old Miller cooler with a clear flow indicator on the return so flow's really evident. When I went from the torch that came with my 256 to a CK I was worried that the flow was so much less than it was but, after talking to them, I measured what came out of the return line into a lg soda cup (I forget the oz/min but it wasn't as much as I thought it would be). Do that for yours and see what you get as zoama suggested.

Thanks for the help
I went out this morning and took the cover off the cooler and could see that the coolant wasn't circulating through the lines.
the pump was air locked, so i pulled the little blue line out of the tank and sucked through it while it was running and primed the pump. it's working good now.
Yeah i got a mouth full of coolant...:D
i know now to take the cap off and make sure it's pumping before welding...I should have known better

Well, I got to try my torch today. I must have overheated it because it's leaking. Can i just replace the torch or do i have to buy all new hoses?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by 2horses

Well, I got to try my torch today. I must have overheated it because it's leaking. Can i just replace the torch or do i have to buy all new hoses?

---

Usually it's not the torch, but the power line that fails first. If you're lucky you can just replace that. However, if it got real hot, it might have melted holes in the other two lines. All the parts are available separately, so you can replace what you need.

BTW: CK makes a fuse block connector that will save your torch and lines if you lose water flow for any reason.

Thanks,I'll have to investigate to see where the coolant is leaking.
I am going to buy a CK Flexloc torch, but would like to fix this one.
I'll look into that fuse block.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMEXEzyCdWc

Your lines may be connected wrong if you have coolant coming out where the gas should.

Thanks for the video.
Definitely going to buy one of them Fuse Blocks.
I don't know what caused my cooler to air lock, but don't want to loose another power cable if it ever happens again.

was it vapor locked day one or did it happen later? And another tip is fill coolant with torch and line on ground or lower than cooler, that way all the air rises as it fills. I do this and even top it off while running just to make sure its all full of coolant.

Barry