2/81 Coleman 502, my first, and a boil test!

Discussion in 'Stove Forum' started by Johnathan, Aug 13, 2019.

  1. Johnathan Canada

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    So I picked up a nice 2/81 Coleman 502 for a good price. Here are the pics! I put some fuel in it from one of my other stoves and it lit up right away. Took and decided to do a boil test. After 17 minutes and with 1 litre of water, I couldn't get it to a roaring boil. Maybe I was doing something wrong? I did this out on my deck, not much wind, outside temp was around 14c. I took a couple video's of it as well and I'll try to get them posted!

    LINK to 2 video's. Listening to flame, it seems to fluctuate a little bit while running.

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  2. Marc

    Marc Subscriber

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    Looks good!

    Your flame looks to be barely at a simmer, it should boil a liter of water in a few minutes.

    I had the same issue with my 502 when I first got it. Made sure it was sparkly clean inside, didn't help. Pulled generator, plenty of fuel coming out of the generator connection but not out of the generator. Eventually a new generator fixed it right up.
     
  3. Johnathan Canada

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    I had both valves fully opened up. I just got it and wanted to see how it would do before I started pulling it apart. That is my next step, pulling it apart and giving it a good clean, checking the generator, etc. And when it was running, I pumped in a bit more air, just to make sure it had good pressure.
     
  4. Johnathan Canada

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    Well, I ended up taking the thing apart! Amazingly the burner base came out fairly easily. I thought I was going to have a lot of problems with it, but nope. But under that the screw head were quite rusty as well as the plate the screws were holding. The burner rings were a bit stuck together. The inside of the generator looked clean when I shone a flashlight into it as did the feed tube that goes into the tank. Once I removed the collar from the tank, some of the paint was flaking, which is too bad. I am going to leave the tank alone, just wipe it down gently to make it shine again.

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  5. cottage hill bill

    cottage hill bill SotM Winner Subscriber

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    I noticed you said you had "both valves open". There is only one valve on a 502. The lever with the red knob on it controls the pricker to clean the jet. Make sure it is in the correct position or it will throttle the fuel flow.
     
  6. Haggis

    Haggis Subscriber

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    I’ve given away a bunch of 502’s as gifts, still have five 502’s on the shelf,,, even have a 501 out there. Do really like 502’s, but I’ve never had the nerve to take one apart...
     
  7. Majicwrench

    Majicwrench Subscriber

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    What CH Bill said.

    And.....you can add a lot of pressure, keep pumping. If font half full, give it 30 pumps to start, then after warm, another 20 or so.

    And.....wind will really affect a 502.
     
  8. Johnathan Canada

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    Well, I got the rust removed from some parts and have started priming and painting with some VHT flame proof paint. Should look good when it is fully dried. Still have more to do, but it's a start!

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  9. Harder D. Soerensen

    Harder D. Soerensen United States Subscriber

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    Looks good!

    (I wouldnt paint the flame rings as the paint would minimize the fuelled air flow in between them)
     
  10. Johnathan Canada

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    And it is complete! It looks so good now. Just wish the paint on the font wasn't flaking. I still have to light it, which I will do tomorrow after giving the paint some time to dry fully. The burner rings were rubbed with some #0000 steel wool, but not painted. I did replace three screws as the original were quite rusty. I was going to replace the ones for the burner, but couldn't find any at my local Home Depot.

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  11. Harder D. Soerensen

    Harder D. Soerensen United States Subscriber

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    Wow - it looks good - well done!
     
  12. Doc Mark

    Doc Mark SotM Winner Subscriber

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    @Johnathan ,

    Excellent job in cleaning up that 502! Did you check he pump bucket to make sure it's not cracked, and did you oil it up so that the leather was soaked completely? Also, what fuel did you drain from your other stoves, and add to the 502? Hopefully, it was Coleman Fuel, or another equivalent. Last, you do know that, when you unscrew your pump rod, that you have to put your thumb, or finger over the hole in your pump knob, right? So, many little things can derail an otherwise excellent fettle. Just covering a few of the bases, that are oft times easily over-looked. Keep at it, and you'll have this lovely 502 running right, in no time!!!! Thanks for sharing your find with us!! Take care, and God Bless!

    Every Good Wish,
    Doc
     
  13. JP2

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    Nice, can you show us the VHT flame proof paint cans you did used? please.
    It is for reference because I am interested to buy my first Coleman stove which will be a 502 and your results is stunning.
    Same time if the paint hold the heat, it could be a good paint for the tank of a Phoebus 625.
    Thank
     
  14. Johnathan Canada

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    This is the paint I am using. I am hoping it will work as I didn't put the parts into my oven to cure them....

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  15. JP2

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    Thank you Johnathan. Wich it work too.
     
  16. Marc

    Marc Subscriber

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    Great work, beautiful stove. Nicely done!
     
  17. Johnathan Canada

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    Well, I took and lit it this morning. The first try, it flooded for some reason and had to let it burn off the excess fuel. Once that was all burnt off I took and it lit just fine. Did a boil test again, but after 9 minutes and no boil, I turned it off. How long does it normally take the 502 stove to boil 1 litre of water? I had it all apart and everything is clean, so I am not sure what is wrong. The boil didn't glow red hot, but you could see a couple of the burner rings sure were. I did the test on my deck, there is very little wind today, so it should of done a strong showing....

    The paint looks to be holding up except for on the top of burner, but that is okay, it still looks 100x better than it did!

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  18. David B.

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    That's still just a simmer-level flame you have there. If that's as much flame as you can get, something's still wrong.
     
  19. Johnathan Canada

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    I had the red lever point away from the stove for max flame and I had the valve open all the way. I made sure when I had it apart that the valve stem was clean and the generator was clean as well. What should I look at next?
     
  20. David B.

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    Clogged intake? Perhaps from a chunk of rust, or varnish from old gas? Or maybe a faulty valve? Does the red lever affect flame level at all?