Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Coleman dual fuel camp stove malfunction
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butthead |
halenajulie: "Once I also faced a fuel issue in my fire pit when I changed fuel to MSR isopro fuel. Joke, farce, or are you asking what fuel to use in a wood burner? butthead |
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butthead |
butthead |
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AnthonyH |
-gotwins- : How much would you be asking for your used Coleman 533? -butthead- Do you have any refurbished msr dragonflies ready to sell? Thanks again! |
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gotwins |
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butthead |
Either or but not both together. With out a full dis-assembly the results are a crap shoot, may work may not. A Dragonfly is a very good stove, easily taken apart and the parts easily sourced. It is also a more capable stove in every way, my opinion. I have purchased several used at $50 added needed parts and sold for under $100. I look for sub $50 Dragonfly's add a new pump $40 and a fuel bottle used $10. Have 2 currently full stoves new pumps and used bottles. Along the way accumulated a pile of extras from O rings check valves, windscreens, and extras to rebuild more, but I collect MSR stoves anyway. I may be jaded when it comes to MSR brand but have done a variety of other makes including Primus, Optimus, and Colemans. it's a long video but 5 running Colemans at one time. These were refreshed for another member. Cleaning an old Coleman tank is something I do not care to mess with. butthead |
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gotwins |
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AnthonyH |
I may be back with more questions once I get to dismantling. |
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gotwins |
If you do decide to go for a new stove, I'd recommend an MSR. Easy to fix when issues arise. Dragonfly is a great option. |
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bobbernumber3 |
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halenajulie |
I did a little bit of research and all I found was that some fuels are better for cold weather and some require less pressure to operate. I'm just perplexed as to why the stove is acting so different with this new fuel. |
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gotwins |
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AnthonyH |
The new generator stoped the leaking problem... but it did not solve the poor flame problem. It is apparent now that I had 2 problems, not just one. I turned the valve on and gave it some time to prime the fuel for a good and strong blue burning cook flame, but after 4 minutes the flame never recovered, it would never come down a proper cooking flame. It just pulsed a 8 inch tall, weak flame. The smell was pretty bad. I figured I'd get some smell from the fresh factory generator heating up, but it also smelled strongly of gas. Any idea of what I should check or try next? I watched the disassembly video, thanks for that. |
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butthead |
The mixing tube take both air and fuel from the pressurized tank to mix and feed the generator. A weak flame smelling of fuel indicates a rich condition, not enough air mixed in the tank. Probably a sediment clog. This is where dis-assembly gets iffy. If the parts come out cleanly (you didn't break any) a throughout tank cleaning is next. Familiar with carb cleaning or "boiling out"? Lots of descriptions online but chemical cleaners not needed. A mix of water and vinegar maybe lemon juice like cleaning a coffee pot out. Rinse several times and thorough drying should do. Re-assemble, try again. butthead |
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AnthonyH |
In the last year it has started to perform poorly. It does not seem to be able to get past the priming flame stage well. Sometimes it holds a big weak yellow flame for several minutes then goes down to a powerful blue flame, but sometimes it never fully gets there. It is especially bad when its cold. On my fall camping trips, where mornings were as low as 16F, I was forced to cook over the big weak flame because it would just never get to the proper powerful blue flame. Before this, cold weather was never a problem for this great stove. I've used it 5-35 days a year for the 20 years I've owned it. I've always used white gas camp fuel. I've replaced the pump twice in its life time, the most recent pump replacement was 3-4 years ago. What is wrong with it? What needs replacement/ repair? Could I do it myself? I lost trust in my trusty little stove. Thanks for your Help! Anthony |
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dentondoc |
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butthead |
That is something I hear regularly. Yes they get old and clog up. Problem with the Coleman single burners is servicing the fuel tank and internal valving. My advice more often than not is, shelve it as a memory. Buy a new stove. You will find something less expensive, more reliable, easier to use, and easier to maintain. Your description matches a burner running way to rich, not enough air. Coleman stoves generally mix air and fuel in the tank for starting up. Then need more air added to the tank as the burner runs (pressurizing the tank has a double purpose in the Coleman designs, fuel flow and air to mix with the fuel at the pickup). After 20 years there is bound to be some buildup in the tank that starts clogging the mix. Getting the parts out is the trouble, often they are frozen in place, in the tank. butthead |
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AnthonyH |
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jhb8426 |
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gotwins |
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KarlBAndersen1 |
My Coleman's have been some of my best companions for camping - until last year. Mine literally caught on fire while cooking on a trip. I almost set myself on fire. It was freaky. When I got home they went into PERMANENT storage. I have switched to a MSR Dragonfly. Many of the other people I have tripped with have used these stoves and I was always a little jealous. I found a fantastic deal on the Dragonfly and got one a few weeks ago. This will probably be the last stove I buy - maybe. |
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butthead |
Survival Monkey post on repairs. The wire in the generator is not a valve but an orifice cleaning wire that just pokes in and out of the generator orifice, this was attached to the "lift to light" lever on older stoves and currently on the fine threaded flame control valve attached by an eccentric that moves the cleaning wire in and out with each rotation, similar to the MSR shaker jet. The valving is in the tank and at the control valve. If you can dissemble the stove it can be repaired, just be ready for things that are frozen in place to break. Good luck. butthead |
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AnthonyH |
Any suggestion on a new model? My normal camping practices are: I usually back country camp solo or with 1-3 others for 2-9 days on the SHT, in BWCA, or car camp out west for a couple weeks. I noted the Snow Peak Lite Max in my research today. On problem I don't want to encounter is finding fuel tanks... That was a great thing about this coleman, you could always find fuel and there was no tank disposal. Thanks |
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plander |
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butthead |
A Coleman Sportster single burner can be found used $30 up to new in box $90. "Any suggestion on a new model?" That is a more complex question. Season used, the temp range is a point of consideration in choosing fuel type. How you cook, from boil and dump, to complicated simmer and full blast searing. Comfort level with use and maintenance. I own and use a wide variety, liquid fuel/canister gas/alcohol/wood. It's a hobby of it's own. My favorites are MSR liquid fuel (gasoline) stoves, because. 1. I like them. 2. All season use, liquid fuel works better in cold conditions. 3. Reliability and repair ease. 4. Easily sourced used yet in good condition. Yet have owned many different makes and models, many good, some not so much, a few I just never liked using (more a cooking packing style thing for me). butthead |
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gotwins |
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AnthonyH |
NO leak on the pump, gas tank cap, or any joints by the generator and on/off-flame control lever. BUT There was a hissing and bubbling sound coming from under the stovetop housing. I could not see well enough under there to spot the leak sight. After a while there was a strong gas smell and the hissing was quite loud and apparent. Any idea where that leak may be coming from? and Would it be fixable? Or is this just a damaged and dangerous stove I have? The story of the stove that caught fire sounds like a terrible thing to experience and it seems my stove may be a candidate for that. Thanks |
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butthead |
butthead |
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Jaywalker |
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24kGold |
Unfortunately, it's difficult to find parts anymore on the Coleman website. The valve costs around 9 dollars. Hope this helps. Terry |
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24kGold |
https://www.appliancefactoryparts.com/search/part/324173/131909/ Terry |
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Wolfee |
While you have the burner assy removed, use a dremel with a wire brush to clean up any rust or buildup. There are youtube videos out there that show how to take apart coleman backpack stoves for cleaning... |
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AnthonyH |
I was able to take the generator and stove top housing off. There was no leak coming from the bolt on the top of the tank. I put the generator back on and found that the leak was indeed coming right out of the end of the generator, blowing big bubbles after I applied the soap suds. I'll order a new one and see if that does the trick. Thanks |
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butthead |
All the external parts are serviceable and replaceable. My frustration is with the internal tank fittings freezing in place and breaking or stripping threads when trying to dis-assemble. butthead |
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quark2222 |
First, squirt some penetrating oil/fluid onto the frozen fitting(s), let it sit for a few hours, and put some more on. Then try to get it apart. If that fails, use a propane torch to heat up the frozen joint so it gets pretty hot. Try to get apart. If the above and the heat fail, I think you are screwed. Tomster |
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AnthonyH |
I was not able to free up the valve assembly. Try as I may, it would not budge. I read that an improper placement of the burner rings could make the flame not perform properly. So, since I did monkey with that, I took it off again and made some small adjustments to what looked like proper placement. I double checked for leaks on seems of the gas tank gasket, valve assembly and pump. No leaks. I added gas and pumped it up. It lit up much better this time and the flame came down to a blue flame for a little while then the little yellow flame appeared again after a 2-3 minutes and stayed around. It also didn't seem like the flame was very powerful. The valve control was poor and it wanted to peter-out if I lowered it to about medium flame. After running the burner about 10 min. I shut it off and it puffed some smoke for a while then did a lot of hissing. I think you're correct butthead with the ''The flame control valving and internal pickup/mixing tube'' Sadly I was not able to get it out. Would the tank cleaning do any good since I couldn't disassemble it? Would you ad baking soda as well to the vinegar and water. Is the final rinse done with water, alcohol, gas? I'm currently looking to get a new coleman 533, but it seems hard to find. The only place I see them is on ebay, with many interested parties making the prices go up. Coleman does a full repair/tune up and return ship for a flat of $55. Might go that route since its so hard to find one. That MSR dragonfly looks like a great option too, might have been smart to have just picked that up at the start of all this. Thanks a bunch for all the help. It's very appreciated. It's been great to learn |