Not the result I had been hoping for. After two primings, got a weak flame. Maybe it's significant that the valve had no noticeable effect on the flame until turned completely off? In other words, flame remained the same whether wide open or just short of completely closed. I'm confused.
Odds are the wick will need to be replaced due to charring or carbon build up . I will say, the example I used for years takes a minute or two to get enough thermal feed back to heat the tank to provide pressure . Having the stove in the aluminum case with a pot of water on it may help in that respect . The tank on mine when running gets pretty much too hot to hold . I am sure others will chime in to help get it sorted out .
After you reset the needle, the jet may be leaking now around its threads, more sleuthing needed. A few years back, I thought my 99 could do better and replaced the wick. So much better flame. Those also may need some finesse replacing. Duane
Replacing the wick does sound like the next step. I will have to find a new mop head next time I'm near a hardware store. I'll report back once I've tested the new wick. I'm glad I have other stoves for a trip that will be happening soon. But because I do, there's no time pressure, making it easy to look at this as an interesting learning exercise.
One more thing - this is the Optimus 8 design that require several minutes burning before the tank is hot enough to deliver full pressure. My Primus 71, Radius 42 and Radius 46 stoves just need a fraction of the time my Optimus 8 stoves need to reach full power - those 8's always feel weak forever before the roar appear.
I adjusted the needle to six clicks and re-fired, and also--as suggested by snwcmpr, above--played a torch flame over the tank for a few seconds to give a better idea of what the flame might look like with the stove fully assembled and with a pot over the burner, all of which would tend it to run hotter/at higher pressure. The tank was hot to the touch, but not too hot to touch. This looks more like the flame I would have expected. I begin to think that maybe the existing wick is okay after all. On additional issue is that with the needle now lowered to six clicks, a very small birthday-candle flame stays briefly at the jet once the burner is turned off. I doesn't linger there long--once the stove has cooled a little there's no evidence of incomplete shutoff. I can hold a match to the jet without it lighting at all, and there's no smell of fuel. Is this a sufficiently positive "off" seting, or should I go back to five clicks, where I didn't have the "birthday candle" effect? I didn't have as strong a flame when I tried that setting previously, but I'm beginning to think that maybe this stove's reluctance to burn properly was just the result of its needing some healthful exercise after a long hibernation. All of this messing around with various click settings, etc., may simply have provided that exercise. Does that make sense to anyone besides me?
You can feel the difference in the regulator handle if the needle rack reaches the bottom, or if the valve closes properly. If it feels like the needle rack reaches the bottom, it might be better to go one click back. Btw. my experience is, that the gaskets in the fuel cap are more often the problem, before searching elsewhere. Even if they pass the dunk test.
But some residues in the burner, blocking the jet are also very often. If that was the cause, it might be the better now, since you resetted the needle rack a few times. Sometimes, it is helpful to flush the burner tubes with a pipette through the opening, when the jet is removed.
