could a scorched wick cause a SVEA 123R not to fire? I got some cash for a recent birthday, added a few quid myself and bought a SVEA 123R from eBay. Try as I might I can't get it to fire. A tiny flame is the best that I have got out of it so far.
Hi Andy Stove works by self-pressurising from the priming charge (meths) and the slightest air leak (fuel filler cap seal most likely culprit) will prevent the pressure building up and a feeble flame, if there's any flame at all, results. Check and change the seal if needed. A hardened seal won't seal effectively and typically produces that symptom. Or, as you've suggested, it could be a badly charred wick. Or, in spite of it being a 123R with an inbuilt pricker arrangement there could be something dodgy about rack/pricker needle and there's a blockage in there. Unscrew the jet and check the rise and fall action of the pricker rack and needle. If the pricker rack is in there but the needle's broken off, the jet might simply be blocked, in which case take the needle rack out and run the stove as a 123 (with no in-built pricker), using an external jet pricker to clean the jet. Few thoughts there. Good luck. John
Thanks John I suspect the tank seal. In the early tests there was definitely fuel venting from there - an exciting moment! I will turn the seal around and fart about with the wick. The pricker is fine. Thanks again. Andy
Hi Andy, If the tank seal is leaking turning it over might work but it's likely to have hardened and if you get it out in one piece, it will seal just as badly. If it has hardened then the pip in the safety release valve is also likely to need replacing. regards John
I took the fuel tank cap off the 8R and put it on the 123R, but there was still a leak at the tank cap, unsurprising as the washer on that one is pretty ropey too. I made a replacement washer out of some inner tube for the original 123R cap, but to no avail, so I put the original 123R washer back into the 123R cap, but turned around the other way. I also took the pricker mechanism out, but it looked perfect. I tried to fire up the stove again, and whilst the flame was higher, it was certainly nothing to write home about. I tried to see if I could ignite any vapour at the fuel cap, but there appeared to be no leakage from around the threads. I have completed the order form for Base Camp for a couple of washers, a wick and a tank cap. I will see if this cures the problem, then move on from there. Thanks a lot for the assistance so far. Andy Shetland
Empty the fuel out. Close the control spindle. Fit tank cap. Immerse stove in hot water. Air in the tank will expand and any bubbles will show if you have any leaks. Terry
OK. The wick was the start of my spares box as I think that I should get away with the wick as is. I have pulled the scorched parts off.
Back again. Even with a new cap and washer the SVEA still wouldn't spark up properly. I have found that there is still air leaking out of the cap between the threads. The next move is to apply PTFE tape, picked up from the handyman shop today.
Check the mating surface on the tank. Maybe a little sandpaper on your thumb worked around the fill neck top.
If polishing the neck a bit does not fix it, could the fill neck or joint have hairline cracks? Never seen that in a 123, but it is odd that it would still be leaking there.
Any sign of bright spots / high spots on the neck? Does the cap screw on easily or are there tight spots? Could it have been dropped - any visible damage to neck and joint to tank?
You said it is coming from the threads. Can you be more specific? Is the leak possibly coming out of the SRV? (The 5 sided hole in the middle/top of the cap)
Hi folks Sorry that I haven't responded earlier. The stove had to move down the priorities list. I haven't got back to it, but the leak is from between the large threads inside the cap and the cap. I will take the magnifying glass to the stove to see if I can spot anything obvious. Thanks a lot for the input. Andy Shetland
I reckon the answer lies here as the emery paper made no difference, but I can't feel or see anything so I am going to have to get my calipers on the case and see if that shows up a difference. This is beyond frustrating! I should have bought a new one!
These are basically simple stoves. Is there any service in UK you could freight it to - and let them worry about it? Norm
