Unless you are a wild eyed big trousered thrill seeker, in which case a short piece of match stick or satay stick and a blob of epoxy will also do the trick....kids dont try this at home....
Okay, here is what I got accomplished last night. For reference purposes, here is a link to the picture of the cap we're talking about (I couldn't get the picture to appear in my post): http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=4pb4efp I unscrewed the long stem from the cap. Inside was a spring and a small round piece of rubber, which I presume is a seal. I replaced the spring with a new spring. The new spring was longer and stiffer than the old spring. I put the spring, rubber seal and stem back on the cap, and did the dunk test again. After replacing the long spring, the stove still leaked very fast from the hole in the middle of the cap. So, obviously the spring I replaced wasn't the culprit. Is there another spring on this device? Some of you mentioned getting a new cap. I've seen a repair kit on A&H's web site. Would that kit contain a new cap? It doesn't list what is included in the repair kit. Thanks again for all your help. It is greatly appreciated!! So...is collecting old stoves really addicting? I must admit, firing up my almost 30 year old Coleman Peak 1 (400A) the other day was, in a sense, a thrill. Nice to see that stove, which has seen a lot of miles, work so nicely after so long .
Call Shirley at 714-258-2525 at 9:00 a.m. PDT and she will mail a new fuel cap to you. She is the BEST! Just a suggestion here: You might want to order a new top for the stove. The last time I spoke to her, they had cases for the 199 in stock. I would not fool with this stove until you order a new fuel cap. Thanks, Andrew Large P.S. Here is there web site: http://www.packstoves.com/
The Optimus model 199 case is made of two parts: an aluminum top that can be used for cooking and a bottom that holds the burner assy. The top can become dirty, not as shiny, not as pretty, after many meals. Since these parts are, in my opinion, hard to come by, it might be a good idea to go ahead and order an extra top case half. This way you have an everyday cooking top and a display pretty cooking top. I feel that if I am going to order something for a stove I might as well combine shipping. http://www. The top part of the case is seen in the picture above in the top right hand corner This is just my opinion. Thanks, Andrew
Got it! That's probably a good idea. Have any clue how much all this will cost? Appreciate the help very much.
I have no idea of the cost but if they still have a top, and you can afford a top, I would buy one. This is just my recommendation as Optimus is not making any more. Thanks, Andrew
Tell me who does not make mistakes, gents! Anyway, ms960, did youreplace the button rubber seal? The spring is probably okay, it takes a very little pressure to keep the air from escaping. The real point is the supple rubber. If the seal is hardened, it should be replaced. A strong spring makes pumping harder. I doubt that A & Hwould stock the extra fuel cap for the mini pump. They are usually sold as pairs. But they are the only commercial source of parts for the classic stoves in North America. Bob and Shirlene will set you on the right course.
Hi Bark2Much, I only saw one rubber seal. It sat on top of the spring which was located in the long stem underneath the cap. Are there more than one rubber seals? It looks like the little nipple on top of the cap (the outside part) screws off as well. Is there a seal or o-ring in there that I need to worry about as well?
All, If you go to this link: http://www.packstoves.com/optimus pages/optimus midi pump parts.htm Midi Fuel Cap w/o Pump Part # 54-2912 $ 16.95 USD This appears to me to be the replacent fuel tank cap with NO PUMP??? What do you think? I highly recommend after you get the new fuel tank cap you throw the broken one away. For the small price of a replacement "GOOD" fuel tank lid is it really worth it?? What is your health worth? I would hate to see a burn victum over a less than $20 part. Just my 2 cents, Andrew Large
DO NOT try and fix the cap Get a new one for goodness sake, its not worth the risk messing with something that can really blow back at you. I have a lot of stoves with similar caps, and I'll do everything to restore them BAR, mess with the pressure cap.
The spring and rubber seal you saw belong to the NRV. It is rather safe to try to fix this with a new rubber seal. The small nipple on top hides the safety valve. This valve is set to blow when the pressure gets to high. As Richard says, only the most stupid of us mess with it. The parts of the safety valve is shown on this picture. A spring, a brass cup and a tiny o-ring. If the o-ring has hardened the valve will leak. I have fixed two such valves (at least I hope they are fixed, stupid as i am...). The hard thing is to set the blow pressure correct. An exploding tank is no fun. The far safest is to get a new cap.
I have 6 mini pumps and 1 midi. I have never seen a fuel cap for the pump come with an O-ring, as aktopp posted. It would be interesting to see how every part fits to complete one. As far as I can tell, the fuel cap that mates with the mini or midi pump comes only with one button seal: NRV. There is no pressure release feature on these. IN fact, if pressure release were incorporated in the design, it would be impossible to put air into the fuel tank. Both NRV and Pressure release work only one way. NRV, into the tank, Pressure Release, out of the tank. It is not physically possible to pump in the air, if pressure release valve is incorporated. The fuel cap for the mini or midi pump has no pressure release feature, therefore, regardless of its age or condition, if you use the fuel cap, you are at risk of having elevated internal pressure of the fuel tank. The regular fuel cap designed to be used with 123, 99, 8R, 80, 71, etc, has the pressure release feature. For these, if you can afford, you can buy new ones at A & H. Last time I paid $12 for each. Also It turns out that they sell the fuel caps separate from the pump, according to a posting. That is very good. You should buy it, if you feel thus; but I would not throw away the old cap. I look at safety with a little different philosophy. Every one is entitled to one's own degree of comfort in safety. It is all about the risk factor. To me, replacing the rubber seal makes good sense--it is expedient, and I am aware of the degree of risk involved in tinkering with the safety feature. If you want to be absolutely safe, on what ground will you trust that brand-new fuel cap for your 8R is absolutely fail-safe? I do not know about you, but I do not. Nevertheless, I use both old and new ones. For example, the only condition that a fuel tank of 8R would explode is that the internal pressure fails to unseat the button seal. To be honest, I cannot imagine that an 8R would be left unattended for so long (max burntime 45 min. at full blast), that it would reach the disintegration stage. I really doubt that a regular use would create a condition that would rip the brass material into pieces, unless you put a fire under it. 8R's fuel tank does not blow, because the spring pressure was too great; but because the button seal is fused with the brass material and does not yield. This fusing condition actually happens, after 20 or 30years of disuse. I have seen caps that had the button seal stuck fast to the brass. I had to push a thin screw driver through the hole, in order unseat it. The force great enough to blow up the brass tank is far greater than the strength of the spring that keeps the button seal down. Some are not comfortable with less than 100% of the "perceived" safety. I would say that using the stove that uses flammable liquid or gas is inherently dangerous--there is no 100% safety, period. We all take a risk that is manageable. Some would use only kero, because they are not comfortable with more volatile white gas. I am comfortable with the degree of perceived safety that I maintain. But I never trust any equipment as 100% fail-safe. Any thing will fail, given the time and wear. I hope your precautions keep you safe.
Them caps that take the mini pump it works both ways lets you pump air in and also a safety valve them 8r don't need to be pump up only in real cold weather just get a reg cap
What exactly is a "midi" pump? Halfway between a mini and a mid-sized pump? I called A&H today and ordered a fuel cap for the 199. Not sure if I ordered a midi cap or something else, but she told me it would fit, so I'm crossing my fingers. It was $17, so obviously inflation is working in the stove spare-parts industry. I will definitely report back when I receive the new fuel cap to let you all know if it was $17 well spent. I really didn't know what I was getting into when I pulled that stove out of a box in the basement. Little did I know that the classic stove industry was going strong and had so many enthusiasts. Great to see. Thanks all for your help so far...hopefully the new cap will solve my problem and I can quit bugging you guys .
It sounds like you're getting hooked on this. In that case, your problems are just beginning. ....Arch
MS960 you are not "bugging" any one here, we are all starkravingmadpyromaniactalnuttrs who are deeply in lust for more and more stoves (except for those who claim to have quit, until we have sated our appitite, which will hopefully not be until we are in the grave. lance
Hi, The mini pump came first, small, straight, worked fine, EXCEPT when using while the stove is running. Toasted pinkies ! The Midi soon followed, slightly longer, with a bend. It allowed more distance from the flame !. All sold now (new) are of the midi style. Most of the time, they are not needed, just warm the tank with your hands... If you camp in cold weather however, they are very useful. ! Oh, and you also need a special cap to use the pump. http://www.packstoves.com/optimus pages/optimus midi pump parts.htm HTH,
So, if I ordered the midi fuel cap without the pump, but have the mini (small, straight pump), will I have a problem? The pump I have is the mini (using these definitions). Does the same fuel cap work with both pumps?? Wondering if I ordered the wrong thing now.
