For Fred Mussler (and hopefully many others on the list), I am submitting
the entire text of a post by Scouter John LeBlance submitted on march
9,2000. All cedit for this "Coleman Wisdom" goes to John. Thanks John.
I typed this up for another list and thought that some on here might be able
to use the information. I am working on a similar one for lanterns and will
send it along when I get it done.
Enjoy,
John LeBlanc
Subj: Rebuilding Coleman Stoves
Coleman stoves are almost bomb proof. I have repaired many and have never
seen one that could not be fixed no matter what happened to it short of
being
run over by a truck.
The tank and valve mechanism of a stove is really rather simple. It
consists
of a tank, a place to fill it, a mechanism to pump pressure into the tank
and
a generator mechanism to discharge the liquid gasoline and turn it into gas
gasoline.
If the tank appears to have some rust in it, you can take some BB's and put
them in it and shake them around for quite some time knocking the rust
loose.
Usually it does not have this problem if you take care to use clean fuel and
store it with "dry" fuel in the tank or with no fuel in the tank.
Sometimes they get a little rust around the filler neck that can be removes
by twirling a plug of steel wool in it. The rim of the neck should be
clean,
smooth and free from rust.
Check the gasket on the filler cap. The oldest ones had a small, flat
replaceable gasket. The next models had a replaceable gasket/brass plug
attached by a screw. The current version has a single piece cap with gasket
built in that is not replaceable but the whole assembly can be purchased
when
the gasket starts to leak. A little soap suds around it when under pressure
tells the tale.
I wonder how many years will go by before they make them out of plastic?
Next is the pump. The pump consists of a check valve at the bottom of the
pump receiver tube and a square shaft that turns the positive closing valve
at the bottom of the tube and serves as a guide for the pump.
To see if the check valve is leaking, pump some pressure into the tank and
leave the pump knob turned open a couple of turns. If the handle slowly
comes out of the cylinder, it is leaking, I usually don't replace one unless
they leak a a lot because you negate the check valve when you screw in the
pump handle all the way to the right anyway.
The check valve is replaceable by taking the square rod out by unscrewing it
counterclockwise and taking a rather large screwdriver and unscrewing the
check valve assembly from the bottom of the pump cylinder. It has a slot in
it that can be seen when looking down the cylinder. These are finely made
of
brass and seldom need replacing.
They pumps used to have a leather pump washer. New ones have a neoprene
one.
I like the older leather ones and detest the neoprene ones. The older
leather washers are no longer available. You can make one out of the proper
thickness leather but that is a lot of tedious work. I have made several.
I
also am always on the lookout for them at older hardware stores on my
travels.
The old leathers can be reconditioned with neatsfoot oil if they are not in
too bad of shape. Be careful putting it back in to make sure it is not
twisted or folded over itself.
Sometimes you have to make a little gizmo like they use to compress piston
rings to get the leather back inside the tube. I have a small one of these
made out of shim stock in my repair kit that I take on my trips. Also I
carry a replacement pump assembly, a generator and a spare cap.
If the pump cylinder gets rusty, it can be honed out smooth with a common
brake cylinder hone on an electric drill. Make sure the tank is completely
degassed before doing this.
A drop of neatsfoot oil occasionally keeps the leather pliable and sealing
and helps seal the neoprene pump "leathers" so they pump air. Use common
motor oil on the neoprene ones/
So much for the pump, now to the brains of the stove.
The valve assembly consists of a tube that sticks into the bottom of the
tank. This tube has a little wire valve that in the down position closes a
vent hole that allows air from the top of the tank to mix with liquid
gasoline coming from the tank to aid in burning when it is first started.
When you rotate this lever it pushes a plunger through the bottom orifice of
the pickup tube that knocks loose any debris from the end of the tube that
would stop the liquid flow. Rotate this lever several times before starting
the stove. You can twirl it round and round without hurting anything.
Next is the valve itself. The valve stem has two seats on it. One near the
knob and one at the end of the generator. When you open this valve, it lets
the gas flow through the generator where it is changed from liquid to gas as
it comes into contact with the hot metal pipe of the generator. The
generator also contains a spring that causes the gasoline/gas to swirl
through the generator pipe thereby coming into contact with the more hot
metal than if it was just a simple tube. This rapid expansion of liquid
gasoline to vapor gasoline is what gives Coleman stoves and lantern their
distinctive hissing sound. It is the sound of rapidly expanding gas being
generated by the heat of the flame. I love that sound. I can't associate
anything but fun with it. Of course I have never been burned by one nor do
I
plan on being so either.
If the joint between the tank and the valve assembly is leaking it can be
unscrewed and cleaned up and then some hard setting pipe dope applied and
screwed back into place. It is very seldom that these start to leak.
If you crank down hard on the valve it scores the seat and it will not seal
properly ever again. Tighten it just enough to shut off the flow and no
more. The valve stem and needle at the end are very pointed and sharp so be
careful.
You can remove this stem by turning it counter clockwise all the way it will
go. Stop and take a small wrench and loosen the packing nut to complete the
disassembly.
There is a graphite packing glan inside the nut that is really difficult to
see. These are replaceable and available from Coleman. They come in two
sizes depending what stove model you have.
To get them out, take the knob off the stem and pull the stem through the
nut. You then take a pick and a punch and carefully pick and punch the
packing out. It comes out in pieces as it gets brittle with age. Clean it
out carefully to make sure no small pieces are left in the nut. Do not try
using a "O" ring or other gasket material. Buy new ones made for that
purpose from Coleman.
If this packing is leaking as it was in Ed's case, take a small wrench and
tighten it up a little at a time. Before tightening it, back off on the
flame control knob about = turn so you won't crush the valve into the seat
and scar it and ruin it. This is a tedious operation and should be taken in
small steps to prevent damage.
Periodically the nut needs a slight tightening such as maybe a 1/16 or 1/8
turn. Not much at all. Just enough to stop the leak and NO MORE.
The generator can be replaced if needed or cleaned with carburetor cleaner.
If you use clean, good quality fuel it usually lasts a long time. Dirty
fuel
will clog it in a heartbeat.
Be fastidiously faithful about filtering fuel going into the stove and it
will be a dependable piece of equipment.
I carry my fuel in 1 qt Nalgene fuel bottles and they are kept super clean.
I filter the fuel when it is going into these bottles through an old Coleman
filter that has a felt filter element. When filling the stoves, I filter it
again when filling them.
The fuel is already clean and I double filter it and never have any clogging
problems.
After all, what I want on a camping trip is a stove that works every time
and
not a repair job to do instead of fishing.
To change the generator just buy a new one and follow the instructions that
comes with it. It takes only a small wrench to do it. Be sure you back out
the valve stem first to avoid scoring the seat.
The burner assemblies const of a series of flat washers and rippled ones in
an alternating pattern. They are removable with a large screwdriver or coin
if the screw had been cleaned and some anti seize applied. If this burner
set gets water on it, it will not burn properly so you have to take it apart
and dry it off. It takes forever to dry out by the heat of the stove. You
would not think it would but it does. Be careful to keep them in the proper
order when taking them apart.
Last but also equally important is cleaning out the air intakes that are on
the underside of the burners. Sometimes dirt daubers plug these things up.
Just get after it and clean them out.
Well, that is about all there is to repairing a Coleman stove.
Let me give you a stove lighting tip. I detest pumping a stove any more
than
necessary.
When I am ready to light my Coleman stove, I take the tank off and pump it
up. First I fill it full with the tank sitting horizontal. Don't tip it
and
it will fill to exactly the optimum level. A full tank of fuel means less
pumping.
Next pump it up pretty tight. It is much easier to pump off the stove than
attached to it while burning.
OK, after you pump it up, hold the tip of the generator on the center of the
main burner. There is a little cup shaped thing there. Open the valve
slightly and squirt about = teaspoon of gasoline into this cup. Turn off
the
valve and install the tank/generator assembly in the proper place.
Immediately light the burner where you squirted the gas. As the flame
begins
to die down, slightly open the valve and let some gas through the generator.
That gas will burn and heat the generator more, open the valve, add more
gas,
heat the generator more, etc, etc. You have to add gas, turn the valve off,
add gas, turn the valve off several times. As it gets hotter and hotter it
will soon be burning with full force.
You can light the stove this way without turning the wire lever into the up
position which lets air out of the tank rapidly. This way you can light the
stove and burn it for over an hour with only the original pumping. That I
like.
Another tip it that when you turn the stove off, remove the tank/generator
immediately while it is still spewing vapor gas from the generator tip and
put it somewhere safe. When you are ready to light the stove again, go
through the above procedure. Doing this prevents the gas vapors from
condensing inside the burner tubes when you turn off the stove. When vapor
condenses there it takes a long time to burn out. This is the cause of the
long lasting orange flame you see on the next morning. Removing the tank
prevents this accumulation. Simple but effective.
You can store it in the inside of the stove and close it up for the night
for
safe keeping. Also the stove is dry the next morning. A wet stove is hell
to light, especially if it rains during the night.
I will be glad to answer any questions you may have concerning the operation
and repair of Coleman stoves. I regularly rebuild them and have quite a
collection. I have never seen a Coleman that could not be repaired and put
into first class burning shape in just a few hours.
Considering the cost of a new one, this is a real economical activity and it
is a lot of fun.
I know my Coleman's evoke a lot of memories and I am sure yours do to.
Ken Martin
Equipment Committee Chair
Troop 54 Woodbury,Ct
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Received on Tue Mar 25 09:30:54 2003
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