Rebuilding Coleman Stoves
(Suitcase Camp Stove models ONLY)
Provided by John LeBlanc,
<philmontjohn@yahoo.com> [address updated 2may07]
Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 08:12:05 -0500 (EST)
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
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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.
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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 ½ 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.
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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 ½ 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.
This information was provided by John LeBlanc. Please contact him directly if you have
questions.
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