Hello again, I've used this forum in the past for help restoring my coleman 530 & 520 with wonderful results. I purchased a coleman 200a on flea-bay. I realize the 200a is a lantern and this is a stove site, but the exploded drawings indicate that the set up is pretty similar. I filled it up, strapped on a new mantle and tried to fire it up. The lantern pressurizes wonderfully, but seems to blow only air and no fuel. I've checked everything above the tank (fount) including valve, generator, cleaning pin, etc. I stripped it down to just the valve and generator...When the valve is open it blows air, I invert the tank and it shoots a wonderful stream of fuel, then when upright again it sputters fuel as it should until the generator runs dry. I think there is either a leak in the pickup or it's disconnected completely. The problem is that the two projects I avoid are removing the fount and removing the NRV, I've never tried either. I'm concerned about destroying the brass parts while trying to remove the fount. Am I right in thinking that my symptoms suggest a leaking or disconnected pickup? Is there anything else I should check or trouble shoot before disconnecting the fount? Any advice on getting this thing apart without tearing it up? Thanks in advance for all your help and expertise. -cale
First, is there fuel in the tank (basic question). If there is, then the fuel pick up tube that extends to almost the bottom of the tank is blocked hence only air comes out. Ron
I agree with Ron. It sounds like you're not getting fuel from the pick-up pipe at the bottom of the font. I've take fonts off and it's not to bad a job. A soft jawed vice would be a help. Ask the same question on Classic Pressure Lamps and you'll get additional answere. The 200A is an excellent lantern and when running you'll be very pleased. Paul
I'm pretty sure the pick up tube is not blocked, I can get it to work great, I just have to turn the lamp upside down. When I do I get a great stream of fuel. It sounds like either way I'll need to remove the fount and see if the pickup tube blocked or loose. The soft jawed vice is a great idea, also, I was unaware of the lantern website and will check/post there for answers. Thanks for the advice! -cale
Lefty: My theory as to why the fuel comes out when the stove is upside down is that the fuel is passing through the open AIR port at the top of the fuel pick up tube. When it is right side up, no fuel comes out, only air, indicating a blocked fuel pick up port on the bottom of the tube. Hope this helps. There are specialized tools you can find on e-bay for removing Coleman valves and other things. Go to the Classic Pressure Lamps reference section or Coleman.com or the Internation Coleman Collectors group and search for a diagram of the lantern. You'll have a better understanding of how the it works and how to fix the problem.
You're going to have to remove the pick-up tube. The problem is that the pick-up has two options for getting fuel out. When you open the valve 1/4 turn to light it is taking vapor off a high point in the pickup. When it is opened more, it is sucking liquid fuel off the bottom. Take a breath and relax. It should come off really easily, but make sure you take it off squarely. Remove the fuel, turn it upside down and put the valve assembly in a vise. ( use something to protect it from scratches ). Grasp the font with 2 hands and spin it off. Coleman used a thread sealer on there, but it will go. Once the font is off you'll be able to disassemble the pickup. You'll want to stretch the spring just slightly while your in there. They compress over time. Here is a link to full instructions ( with pictures ) that will help as well. Trust me. It is really easy once you have done it. Old Coleman Parts: Rebuilding a lantern
I have done this, its not a big job. I needed a strap wrench to turn the font, you could also use a belt and twist a stick into it. The Coleman pickup tube is in two parts, the inner tube that goes up to the valve and an outer sleeve that has a hole at the bottom for fuel and a hole at the top for air. There is also a control rod that goes down to the fuel hole at the bottom and partially restricts the flow when it is down and poking into the hole. The reason for this is the instant-lighting feature. For the first 1/4 turn of the valve, fuel only seeps in slowly into the outer sleeve through the fuel hole past the control rod end. This small flow of fuel get 'slurped' up the inner tube by air coming from the air hole at the top of the sleeve. Its like slurping up the last of the cola from a cup through a straw. This produces a spluttery spray coming out of the jet at the tip of the generator. This gets things going until the generator is hot enough to vaporize the fuel, then you open the valve the rest of the way. This pulls up the control rod and the full fuel flow comes into the outer sleeve and the slurping stops. In your case, the control rod is down, there is gunk completely blocking the fuel hole and the control rod probably isnt lifting up when it should either. Get the valve body and pickup tube out of the font, take it all apart, make sure the fuel hole flows with the control rod down as well as up, and make sure the control rod lifts up after 1/4 tun of the valve. It sounds complicated but its obvious when you have it all in your hands. Everything you need to know is here: http://www.oldtowncoleman.com/tech/re1lanta.htm
Thanks to all who helped me get through the removal of the pickup tube from the fount. I was sure I was applying enough twist to simply turn that brass screw into a wrapped up mess, but I was able to break it free from the fount without any damage at all. I'd like to apologize specifically to RonPH and Ulysses, they posted originally suggesting a blocked pickup tube and they turned out to be right. One of the replies I put up suggested that they were wrong and I didn't have a blockage because I was able to invert the lantern and get gas to flow...turns out that the two problems I had where 1) A blocked air/fuel pickup tube and 2) A fundamental misunderstanding of how the pickup tube works...oops. Thanks to all who helped me with instructions and education as I tackled this project, and thanks again to those who were willing to bear with me even when you were right and I thought you weren't. The 200a now works great. Much appreciated! -cale
No worries mate, we are here to help as we have had our share of problems with such stoves before and share our most probable cause and cure. Glad it now works fine. Ron
Glad to hear it is running! 8) I have one with a similar problem that I will be tackling soon. How was the tube blocked? Varnish buildup, or you found crud actually wedged up in it?
