I just bought an Optimus 00, from what I can see on here it is circ 1930's at a car boot and it is in pretty good condition. Polished it up and got rid of any rust on the legs etc. Then fired it up, at low pressure it does fine but found when I pumped the flame would just extinguish, vapuorised parrafin was still flowing but the stove was making a chugging noise a bit like a 123 when not up to temp. I also noticed that there was a slight leak above the spirit cup, I have tightned this and the leak seems to have been rectified though I may need to replace the washers. The pump is fine, and I have replaced the tank lid washer. Tried it again and still no joy, it is fine on the lower settings and then as soon as you try to crank it up the flame blows out and it makes a strange pulsing noise from the tank. Anyone any ideas please as I am stumped. Many thanks
Hi Gary, If you've tried the usual stuff like a double prime to ensure the burner is really up to temp (although shouldn't really be necessary) and are confident the non-return valve (NRV) at the bottom of the pump tube is not leaking, then I would suggest the burner tubes are partially blocked. The fact you are seeing paraffin emerging from the nipple shows they are not totally blocked. However, if the burner is full of crud it may prevent it getting up to proper operating temperature and and vapourising the fuel beyond low pressure. You might like to try the "heat and quench" method of cleaning the burner as described here: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/6479 You will need to remove the burner from the stove (which will also encourage you to replace those washers) and remove the nipple before starting.
