Bought my 8R in 1968 and took it backcountry throughout the Sierras and Rockies. Parked it when I moved to Vermont in 1979 and just pulled it out. Flipped the fuel tank gasket and did a bit of cleaning....and my old friend fired right up and is ready to hit the road! Thank you for the great repair guide!
“Removing the burner assembly from the tank.” I cannot seem to get the nut undone. I have had it soaking in Plus Gas for a couple of days and it still doesn’t want to undo. A 10mm spanner won’t fit and an 11mm feels fractionally too large. I’m figuring the 11 will still be better than an adjustable? What is the next stage of trying to get it undone please? Any tips will be gratefully received.
Ah-haaaaa! Got the sod. Just kept up the pressure left and right with the spanner. I shimmed it out with a piece of folded Guinness tin. I have also got the old wick out. I don’t think this looked too terrible. A few strands came away but the rest looks ok. It’ll be replaced anyway as I have a new one as part of a Fettlebox service kit. The next problem has now reared its head. When I turn the key, the cleaning needle doesn’t appear. I have very carefully undone the jet; I found an old BA spanner that fitted and I can see the needle is there. Worryingly, I can see no hole in the jet either. I’m wondering if it has rusted off in the hole? It can’t have broken as I have have never dismantled this before. I am planning a few cycle tours and thought maybe this stove could be used so I would love to get my old Scout stove working again.
Have you got your stove going Manatee? I am coming back to the forum after a long lay off. My 8R fired up straight away with the fuel that had been sitting in it for years! I use 100% naptha that I get from the local car body repairer, 5 litres at a time. It is what Coleman sell as their 'white gas' but 1/4 the price. The stove burned with a bright, blue flame and the spreader glowed cherry red. I was well chuffed - but, my burner seems to be working back to front. Anticlockwise to shut down, clockwise to turn up. It is a key version not a red knob version. I replaced the wick about 10 years ago, I can't remember putting it back together, but have I put something back in arse-about-face?
@King Rat It might shut off fully, anti-clockwise, but that would be the pricker needle and rack shutting off the flow of vapour, rather than the spindle cutting the flow through the burner. Does it shut off fully to the right? If not you’ll need to do a bit of service. Cheers Tony
BLIMEY! That was a fast reply, thank you. I think I might have been blocking the hole with the needle... I will have a look now in daylight and get back. I don't think it needs fettling, but the user might have been suffering from muppetry.
I recently acquired an Optimus 8 with a nickel plated tank in fairly rough shape. I replaced tank seal and SRV pip, replaced missing burner plate and cleaned the jet and it would still not run. Only a tiny amount of vapour coming out of the jet so I decided to replace the wick. I didn’t have a mop handy but fortunately the alternative cost me chicken feed…… literally as I used the cotton string they sew my feed sacks closed with and it seems to work! I did put a flame to it to check it didn’t melt first. The only difference I could see to the 8r pictures was that the wick also had fine brass mesh wrapped around it. It’s burnt a little green and then yelllow but finally cleared up after the kettle overboiled and doused it. Ran powerfully once it warmed up.
