When i turn the adjuster valve off i have a tiny flame at the jet. The needle looks good, no scratches or marks. How do i get to the seat? I can't see any scratches on the seat but it is to deep to be sure. Any ideas? What can i use to polish the seat?
Quite possibly is is simply fuel left in the jet area after you shut it off. And just blowing it out would be enough to solve the problem. Don't turn the valve too hard, that would only cause the problem you are thinking is the problem. Here is one 'tear-down' of the Firefly ... Link .. a result of a different leak than yours. I am sure there are other threads and a search of this site would show more on how to access the innards of your stove. Ken in NC
Snwcmpr, i don't think that' the problem. I should have said this in my first post. When i preheat i get bubbles from the jet with the valve turned off. I'm fairly certain it is a leak. I have left the pump valve open and closed the adjuster and the tiny flame will last until after i turn off the pump valve.
Ralph, You should always turn off a stove at the bottle first (i.e. at the pump) and then let any remaining fuel burn off. I'm not sure why your at-the-burner valve isn't fully sealing, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. If the valve at the pump fails, then there's a lot to worry about. HJ
Hi, Rdug113, One of the few problems with the FF, when they were first made, was that shavings could be sometimes trapped in the valve area, which caused the problems you describe. I have four FF stoves, and none of them had that problem. In fact, I've only talked to one or two people that had to deal with it, since I bought my first FF, brand new, back in the 1980's. But, it's quite possible that your stove is one of those that had the aluminum shavings trapped in the valve internals. I'd strip it all down, and make certain that the seating area is smooth, and free of any aluminum shavings and detritus. Then, reassemble and test. There is a good possibility that you will find shavings inside the valve, and once removed, your FF should work a treat! Keep us posted as to how it goes. Good luck, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
If i only shut the pump valve off, it runs full power until the pressure in the fuel line drops as normal . It's when i have the pump valve open and the adjuster closed that the adjuster valve leaks. Doc, I have torn it down completely and cleaned it with alcohol e.and carb cleaner. The spindle needle looks evenly pointed with no mars or scratches. It just won't close proerly. I will check it again. Thank you. I have never heard about alum chips in the firefly befor
Evening, Ralph, I'd disassemble the burner, remove the jet, and blow strong compressed air through the entire thing. Might soak it in something that won't damage the aluminum burner body, though, before blowing the air to dislodge any embedded aluminum manufacturing chips. Don't give up on your FF, and I'm pretty sure it can be saved, once you figure out the exact cause of your troubles, which I still believe has to do with manufacturing detritus. Good luck, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc P.S. I'd be very careful about using a scraper, or pricker, to try and clean your valve seating area. If you scratch it up too much, you will just exacerbate your problems.
So, is the 'proper' way to shut this stove down to use the pump valve? I would think so. It seems to me the burner valve is only an adjustment of the flame, not a shut off valve. That may explain everything. I do not see that there is anything wrong if that is the case here. Of course that means, I will have to go get my FF and fire it up. Ken in NC
Ken, I feel your pain having to go test your FireFly. But all in the pursuit of knowledge. Please share the results.
Doc, you nailed it. Took it apart(again) and with a mini led light and a lot of shifting to get the right angle, there were tiny glints of silver on the seat. Tried carb cleaner, no joy. I took a small piece of green scrubbie super glued to a toothpick and very gently worked that over the seat. Viola! No more silver specs. When i got it back together and fired it up-- a very nice meteor shower for about 2-3 min. It then roared with a very blue flame and when i shut the adjuster, a tiny blue flame that slowly shrank and went out. I am one Happy Camper!!!
Well, I for one learned something today. I would still shut it off at the pump to burn off any excess fuel before removing the stove from the pump/bottle. Thanks, Ken in NC (Now ... some pictures Ralph .... ok?)
I don't shut off the pump valve, i flip the bottle and wait for the flame to die then shut off the pump valve. (I know-not the recommended way) This gets all the fuel out of the line so i don't have that little bit of fuel run out of the line into the pans i pack my stove in. That is why it took me so long to notice the leak. I was making coffee on the porch and had to get something from the house. I don' t leave my stoves burning when i'm not there. I shut the adjuster and the little flame never went out.
The original MSR insructions stated to turn pump valve off and then, after flame is out, to release pressure by inverting the whole stove and opening the valve to release all the air. You can see that in the Model 9, G, & GK instructions in this forums library. The Firefly instructions, in the library here, appear to be incomplete, so I do not know if they said that also. Ken in NC
Morning, Ralph, and All, Outstanding news, and glad I could be of help in getting your fettle completed! I think you will find the FF to be an outstanding stove in all respects, now that it's running as it should! Powerful, it also simmers very well, indeed, and if you use tapering pots, like those from the Optimus 81 Trapper, and other such stoves, they fit the original windscreen perfectly, and make packing up the FF a breeze. 'Course, if memory serves, you cobbled up your own windscreen, which should work a treat for your FF! Well done, on all fronts, Ralph! Have fun, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc P.S. When I can dig up a full set of instructions for the MSR FF, I'll post them in the Reference Section, under "Instructions". Tried to find them yesterday, but they did not come to hand.....
