This came my way yesterday: There is no date that I can make out on the base, does anybody have any idea when it might have been made? It fired up first try, but didn’t hold pressure. Some carb cleaner on the check valve and more in the fuel tank overnight helped. It’s still underperforming, once this tank of fuel is run through it I will give the generator a clean. -R
@IRM Take the clamp-on base off Ronan. The stove’s actual base will have the date stamp under that. The base is a Coleman accessory to protect lantern (primarily lantern I think) or stove’s base rim.
Aha… I was wondering what that was, but was waiting until the tank was empty before too much poking and prodding. September 1965. Thanks John! -R
The BTU output “ I believe” is about 3500 btu. It is an excellent little stove and is able to simmer really low. Also check and change your fuel cap gasket. It’s either dried up and hard or flattened. New cap gasket does wonders. Cheers
New gasket already on the way. Speaking of the fuel cap, what is the purpose of the screw through the centre? Some kind of sir screw? -R
The fuel cap has a fitting inside for the washer. It is held in place by the screw. If I’m replacing the washer, I usually tighten the fuel cap to the stove and then loosen the screw before removing the fuel cap so that all the components are separated. … and as a storage container for tools, mantles etc. But they aren’t waterproof. Cheers Tony
@IRM Here is a link for some excellent information about the Coleman 502 stove. The author is an ex Coleman repair technician. The Old Town Coleman Center Cheers
Great link, thank you. Am I right thinking that swapping the three piece fuel cap for a one piece cap does not affect the function / safety (assuming neither cap leaks) of the stove? -R
Changing the cap does not affect function but there is no reason to. The three-piece cap work just as well as the one piece. That accessory part, commonly called a "lantern safe" will collect moisture and hasten the rusting of the stove bottom. It serves no good purpose on a 502. IMHO they serve no good purpose on a lantern either.
@IRM, either cap will work just fine. I've got the three piece here, the screw holds on the chain so the cap doesn't get lost. Murph
The gentlemen are correct, the 3 piece fuel cap will work just as well as the single piece cap. It is much easier to change the the fuel cap gasket on the 3 piece. Remove the screw Remove the inner piece from the fuel cap Heat up the inner piece with a butane torch and peel or break the old gasket. Cool the removed inner piece and replace it with a new gasket. By doing so, you don’t over heat the fuel cap and remove the paint from fuel cap or cause it to become discolored. Cheers
The three piece cap was designed to tighten the gasket to the fount without the rubber gasket being degraded by any turning against its sealing surface. Thus increasing it's reliability and service life.
Thank you all. I fully intend to retain the original 3 piece cap, I was wondering more if there were any reasons not to run the stove with a 1 piece cap until then. The Old Town Coleman link above is pretty adamant in §1.15 that caps should be replaced, which had me wondering in the other direction about the wisdom of retaining the old cap. -R
Both the one piece and 3 piece serve the same purpose. Both do the job they were made for well. The 3 piece is original to that stove, so there are many who like to keep it that way. If you prefer the one piece, then that is more than fine. It is your stove and if you feel comfortable running it with a single piece fuel cap, then please do so. The later model stoves came out with the 1 piece. You will find that when you have a group of people who collect, there will always be preferences. Enjoy that stove sir! Cheers, David
A nice little addition - so well integrated I completely overlooked it Are there any tricks or tips that might help remove the inner burner bowl? I’m into my second day of penetrating oil, heat and cold spray but it won’t budge. Is it just a waiting game? -R
Maybe. It's been rusting together for 50 years after all. Some of the "rust buster" products are very good but they take a little while to do their magic, at least on hard cases. Allow one (1) day of soak time for every ten (10) years of rust accumulation
Go to your local auto parts store and buy one of these oil filter wrenches. It is the only tool I've found that will disassemble that burner without messing it up. Continue with the penetrating oil. You can also apply some heat to the burner plate with a propane torch, then use the filter wrench. I've gotten much rustier 502s apart with one.
Bill gave you excellent advice! Those filter wrenches help a lot. Be patient or you will damage that burner bowl. Cheers
