First time posting here so this may be a dumb question. Anyways, I work for the park service and acquired a really rough Coleman 4130 (if memory serves) camping stove that has something funky going on with it. It was sending fuel out however there was a flame where the generator slides into the eye assembly (I already have read solutions on this and believe my damaged case is to blame). That isn't important at the moment. So, this stove builds pressure with the pump FAST. Directions say to pump over 20 times however after 3 pumps I just can't get the plunger down. When messing with the tank I heard all sorts of junk moving around inside so I emptied the fuel, filtered through coffee filters, and came out with all sorts of black colored powder. With no fuel in the tank this stuff sloshes around all over still. My question is if there's a way to clean this out. It feels like the tank has two chambers and this junk is in the smaller one that can't be accessed. I believe the correct fix is to just replace the whole generator/tank however the case to this stove is so bad that it has huge rust holes. If it's possible to salvage this I would like to, if not that is fine. I need the pump for a Coleman 237 anyways. Any help including "just toss the stove" would be appreciated. I put the old strained fuel in an optimus stove that seems to be upset with it but that's another story.
Welcome to the forum. I'm guessing you mean a 413G rather than a 4130. 413's are awesome, heavy duty stoves. In the company of collectors that enjoy bringing old stoves back to life, you're not likely to get anyone telling you to toss it. I'm going to guess that the stuff floating around is old gasoline that dried out, but could also be some rust particles. Using a flashlight, if the inside of the tank looks pretty good, flush it a few times to remove the debris. There won't be a second chamber, but these tanks are a pain to drain. Some folks have taken a stopper with a tube through it going down to the fuel, and would pump up the tank so the pressure would blow out the fuel and debris. For the pump, I would remove the pump, put some carb cleaner in the pump tube, put the pump back in and pump it slowly through the check valve to clean out the plumbing there. Repeat as necessary. On Coleman's, beyond the check valve, there's a snorkel that goes to the top of the tank so the air goes in from the top. That 'plumbing' could be plugged from old fuel. Before considering reusing that old fuel, get a whiff of it. If it's a sweet smell, it's likely naphtha (Coleman or Crown fuel). If it's rancid / has a bad odor, don't try to reuse it. You're in the US, so if you find your tank has any pinholes when under pressure, I would not consider trying to repair it, but go to OldColemanParts.com and look for a replacement. It's not worth the risk trying to repair a tank or fount with naphtha.
Good advice. I'm thinking though that if the tank is similar in condition to the case that a replacement might be in order. Other model tanks or other years of same model line might work. Duane
I appreciate your response. I will have to grab this thing from my folks and see what all I can do with it, but I have to say that this stove is in such bad shape that it looks like I found it in the bottom of a river. I'm glad that there isn't a second chamber and that there's a chance I can save it. Looks aren't important since it just has to work. The fuel (to me) just smelled like gasoline which likely is an issue. I should drain it from the other stove and start fresh there as well. I'm also trying to fix up a 237 Lantern so hopefully this stove can help with that. On the 237 I replaced the pump today but still need to find a vent, handle, and globe. Looks like the start of a beat up collection.
With the case being in such bad shape I will likely not buy a new tank and generator though. If it can live as is it'll be a fun little stove.
Being old gasoline, you will likely end up needing to remove the valve to clean the F/A (Fuel and air) tube, which mixes air with the fuel for the initial light-up. Definitely show some pics when you get your hands on it.
I am currently working on a rust bucket three burner Coleman that sounds like yours. Mine has just one corner rusted through which I intend to repair using boat building epoxy. I am stripping it from rust and paint in an electrolysis tank. I will prime and paint it after the rust is gone. All this is quite a bit of work but I like the challenge. I also removed the valve and fuel pickup. I used a rust remover inside the tank, followed by an alcohol rinse. I will also repaint the tank. I think to have any confidence in the stove you need to dismantle the valve and fuel pickup and clean the tank. Brad
@Parkguy It sounds to me like you may have a lot of rust in the tank. They are pretty solid and some folks have been know to put a great deal of work into loosing the rust, rinsing it out and saving the tank. I'm not sure I'd do that. As already noted, pouring the gas out is tedious so some kind of siphon or (safe) suction is helpful. Before you order a tank and generator you might consider trying to find a parts stove. Older Coleman stoves should not be rare in your area and I'd suggest checking around locally at garage sales or even craigslist (which always has stoves for sale in this area) if you are willing to do that. Often a decent complete stove can be had for less that what you may pay for individual parts. You do want to match the model number so knowing if it is the 413 G is important. The 423 G is a good stove but the 237 lantern may be your better find.
For a simple cleaning of old gasoline, lacquer thinner works great. A Nalgene syphon I have works great at sucking liquids out of places that won't pour.
When cleaning the inside of a font or stove tank i usually put some liquid of a nature which will dissolve the varnish and a few small nuts and bolts then seal it up and give a good shake several times over a period of two or three days. I then remove all attachments and pour out the liquid and fish out the nuts and bolts with a small magnet with a telescoping shaft. After they are removed i rinse the tank several times to ensure I've gotten all the crud out. in the mean time I've also cleaned and refurbished as necessary the bits and pieces and then reassemble the tank. Yes it's a lot of work but worth it for a long lasting refurbish of the . lance
I appreciate all the responses (I'm getting a bit behind here). Looks like for sure I will have to keep cleaning the tank. I did clean it today with alcohol and I got some big nasty black chunks out of it. I can no longer get it to send out any fuel though before it was not sending out vapor like my Coleman 425, but intermittent squirts of fuel. Speaking of the Coleman 425, I bought that today for $10 at a local junk shop. It fired right up. Due to that it gives me a better idea about how these stoves are supposed to behave which is nice. These stoves used to be something I saw everywhere but no one had ever used theirs. Now It's hard to find them locally.
Coleman's are quite common, and the 413 especially so. Unless you have a particular attachment to this stove, I'd just replace it before putting hours of work into cleaning up what's there.
Understandable. Right now I'm mostly curious how these stoves work and how to fix them just for fun. I have cleaned the tank for this one, removed the pump, etc. Seems that it's clogged up so I guess I have to start removing hardware on it. I'll have to look that up and see the right way to do it. Interesting thing but the pump had a rubber seal instead of leather, or at least it was interesting to me. My 1968 237 had leather.
>>Interesting thing but the pump had a rubber seal instead of leather, or at least it was interesting to me. Many people change these neoprene cups to the leather ones. The neoprene cups work, until they suddenly stop working. They're also not very good in really cold weather.
Well, I already created a fireball using Coleman fuel and not preheating long enough. some reddit users said Coleman fuel is fine just preheat it, and I sure did. I lit the spirit cup after following the directions, let it burn almost out, then opened the valve. It made a fireball and destroyed the mantle. Second time I did this it did lite but wasn’t happy at all with being lit. not sure why they said Coleman fuel was okay but yeah, it really wasn’t. But at least I can conform the lantern does something. Currently it has no globe or vent (how I found it).
The internals of the kerosene/paraffin vs gasoline/Coleman Fuel lamps are similar enough that it is no more unsafe to run a Coleman kerosene lantern on gasoline than it is to run an standard gasoline lantern on gasoline. but The key difference is that the kerosene lanterns do not have a vapour feed to the generator. So if running gasoline, there needs to be a very measured feeding of fuel through the pre-heated generator. Very different to the modern duel fuel systems where "full bore" is the starting position. The other difference is potentially in the size of the jetting, but this shouldn't result in the lack of burning at the mantle. My recent lantern buy was a smaller (249) kerosene lantern. There were major issues with the fuel not burning at the mantle (and you know you can test with no mantle in place? Just burns like a stove at the mantle attachment point). In the case of my lantern, it was 2 wasps nests - one in each air channel - that blocked air entry and meant there was only fuel vapour (without oxygen) through the mixing chamber. Burning occurred outside the mantle region. Or would have if I was testing with a mantle.
Forgive my ignorance but where are these air channels? I will be sure to clean them out. I did notice how it burned like a stove...after I destroyed the mantle. Though it burned in a more chaotic way than a stove. I also had a problem where fire was coming out of the generator end I believe. Either way it was unsettling enough for me to dump a bottle of water on it in a parking lot. Luckily it seems to not have minded the sudden shower.
Coleman lanterns have three channels rising to hold the top of the lantern. Centrally there is the mantle attachment (not a support), then to one side there is the generator, and finally there are 2 air channels- one each side- looking like pillars supporting the roof. These open at the bottom under the support for the glass. These need to be cleaned internally. A generator for a 237 can be dismantled and cleaned. The mixing chamber above the mantle attachment can also be cleaned. Check out the Coleman lamp cleaning and 'fettling' information online. You will need to partially disassemble the lantern. There is a sister site to this - Classic Pressure Lamps- that has useful info, and a Coleman specific fan site that is detailed. PS- read up, move cautiously, ask questions. The second time you will have more confidence, but the first fettle is full of uncertainty.
First, as an FYI, Coleman kerosene lanterns (excluding the Col-Max) run just fine on naphtha (Crown or Coleman fuel). Because Coleman's have a positive shutoff, it's perfectly safe to do so. The kerosene generators normally have a tip size that's .001" smaller in diameter than the Coleman fuel generators, but from my experience, they run just as well on naphtha as they do on kerosene. If running naphtha in a Coleman kerosene lantern, you will still need to preheat, but just nowhere near as long. With the flaming you're getting, it's probably a safe bet that one or both air tubes are at least partially blocked. If it's mud in there, then it's from a dirt dauber, and hydrogen peroxide (store bought stuff) will dissolve the 'glue' holding it together. Even spider webs will wreak this kind of havoc, but know that spider webs are stronger than your compressor blowing air through there. Regardless, you'll want to get out what you can with a wire, tie wrap, or something fairly stiff. I do not have a 237, but looking at the tip charts, the tip orifice of a 237A generator is .008" and is marked with a "V" and the 237B generator tip orifice is .0085" and is marked with an "I". If the tip in yours is from a naphtha generator like the 236, the tip orifice size will be .0095" and marked with a triangle. I mention this because if you're burning kero with a naphtha generator, expect a sooty fireball. However, if the air tubes are clean, you have the right generator tip, and are still getting flame, then likely your generator tip is loose. Of course, this assumes you went through the complete pre-heating.
