I got an old 228E lantern last week and decided to get it running this weekend. I pumped air into it, but only heard a low hiss when I opened the fuel valve. Figured it was the generator clogged up, so I took it out, removed the guts and cleaned it up. Put the generator back in and... I still don't hear that healthy hiss. Something else is blocking the flow. The cleaning rod goes in and out of the tiny hole - the hiss stops and then starts up again when I cycle it. But there isn't enough going on to light up, it seems. Any ideas what else might be going on here? There don't appear to be leaks anywhere else, there's very little corrosion going on, but I suppose it might have caught up some crap from the fount. I had to replace the fill cap seal, which was as hard as a rock after sixty years, and the leather pump cup is not springing back to life as I hoped it would, so this little one has other issues as well. The check valve appears to be working well.
You may not be building enough pressure. How many strokes of the pump? Did it feel like it was pushing air or did it feel weak? You say the pump leather is not springing out so you may not be building enough pressure to operate. Take the generator off and see if it is passing fuel through the valve.
Only hiss and no fuel? Check the fuel/air pickup tube. https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/coleman-220e-228e-instructions-2.14667/
Well, I got a new generator, solid investment, but checked to see if fuel was being sent to it with the valve open and the fount fueled and pressurized. NOpe. So it looks like I will have to remove the fittings to get at the fuel/air pickup assembly. Thank you, Brenneman, for the link. I will be back soon with a report.
You don't necessarily have to pull the valve. Get some 3/8" inch fuel line and clamp it to the valve where the generator mounts with a hose clamp. Fill it with carb cleaner and open the valve up. Apply suction to the fuel filler or pressurize the fuel line. I used about 20psi with my air compressor and one of the blow guns with a rubber tip on it. Once you get flow going backwards fill the fount with carb cleaner or acetone and pump it up. Use the fuel line to direct the carb cleaner to a container to catch it and keep it off your paint.
Ah, so I'm having the devil's own time getting the assembly to unscrew from the main valve. You're saying that basically, backflushing the system with carb cleaner should do it? I have a small air compressor and I can get hose clamps and hose... and I have carb cleaner. I will try it out this Saturday. Thank you!
Yes I started with back flushing and once I ran several ounces of carb cleaner through it backwards I filled the fount and ran it the other way. This was on a nice red and black Sears that I didn't want to risk marring with tool marks or scratching the fount paint with the collar.
If you try to take the valve out of the fount, be sure you leave the tip cleaner lever in place. If you don't you are just about guaranteed to deform the valve where it is threaded for the tip cleaner. At that point the valve is toast. Easiest way is to clamp the valve in the padded jaws of a bench vise and turn the fount off. If it's really hard to turn you can use a strap wrench. Place it on the rim of the fount. If it's really, really stuck heat the valve with a propane torch until the red sealant between the valve and the fount bubbles then clamp in the vise and proceed as above. The valves aren't that hard to remove and it is the easiest way to clean the fuel/air assembly. When you get the valve out, unscrew the FA tube from the bottom of the valve. Pay attention to how the spring is installed on the rod. Remove the rod and clean with some fne (0000) steel wool. Check that the orifice at the bottom of the tube is clear and the hole near the top of the tube. The tube may seem slightly loose on the nut at the top and may even rotate. That is normal, some are crimped into the nut harder than others. YOu should be able to blow through the hole in the bottom and have air come out the top. If you stop the hole on top with your finger the air should come out the hole near the top on the side. If it does all that put it back together using some Permatex 2A non-hardening sealant on the treads of the valve. Before you put the whole lantern back together leak test the valve to fount joint.
Well, after sitting a week with carb cleaner in it, and then blowing a lot of carb cleaner through it, my little 228 now runs like a charm! Thank you ALL for the good advice and lending me your years of experience. I will be back soon.
I lit it up again tonight. No issues - the mantles caught right away and in 30 seconds were putting out bright light. I find I prefer the Petromax thorium mantles due to their brighter wavelength. Immediate ignition, and after rotating the cleaner rod, I noticed the light got brighter. Ran it for about 30 minutes while reading my book. Too cold outside for me to smoke my cigar longer, so I retired to a warm house. 30 seconds after shutting the valve, the light died completely out. Looks like a successful overhaul!
