Hello All! I have recently become the proud owner of a post 1972 Optimus 99. It’s had some use and love in its life, I’m sure, and seems to not be far off working order, however it is leaking around the stuffing box, I’m wanting to refurbish this classic and bring it back to its former glory. I’m also aware that the stuffing box has been cross threaded at some stage in its life and I’m hoping I can simply retap the threads on the burner side. Ive also inherited an Optimus Nova from around 2003, I have gotten some good use out of this stove but I’ve had to Jerry rig a bit of leather for the fuel pump assembly to act as the seal as I haven’t been able to locate a service kit for it. If anyone has any details or suggestions on where to find some Optimus service/repair kits for either stove or could share any knowledge about any potential DIY fixes, I would greatly appreciate it! Keen to get them both back to health and preserve this iconic piece of history! I am also based in Australia, would prefer to find something locally but would be prepared to ship if the price is right! Cheers, Flynn
@Flynn Gillingham If you are able to find rebuild kits, they won't include O-rings for the CEJN fitting on the pump. I have replaced them with blue ones from either an Optimus or Primus spindle, but they are probably too soft for long term use. Here is an "exploded view" by @presscall showing the inner workings. Good luck.
@HunterStovie Yeah okay, I haven’t had a problem with that fitting yet but that’s good to know! The nova works perfectly the only thing I really need is a new leather cup seal for the fuel pump itself as it had deteriorated over the years of sitting. Thankyou for the tip!
Welcome, @Flynn Gillingham Give TW Sands in Melbourne a call, and see if they can put together what you need. Let me know if you run into any difficulties. Also, I’ve serviced a few of the Optimus 99s but not a Nova. Cheers Tony
Thankyou, @Tony Press ! I’ll give them a call tomorrow and let you know how I go! I’ve managed to re tap the internal thread for the stuffing box on the 99 and get it to run with a good flame off the burner tonight! However, it is leaking around the stuffing box and creating a small flame, so I assume I will need to source some more graphite stuffing material, or something as an alternative, any thoughts? I’m also wondering how tight I need to make the stuffing box nut, I’m a bit apprehensive to crank on it, being brass? Cheers, Flynn
Can you see much graphite in the stuffing box? If there’s graphite there drop a couple of drops of penetrating oil or machine oil down there. With a small flame from the box, tighten the nut 1/4 turn and see if it disappears. Don’t tighten past the point where the control spindle is difficult to turn. You can buy graphite powder from a hardware store, just to top up packing that’s there, but I prefer graphite tape, which I buy on the interwebs. I have some if you can’t get you 99 going properly and you need a bit. Cheers Tony
