Hello! I recently got a Coleman 226 from someone locally, as I have been looking for a single mantle lantern that would be less of a hassle to bring with on camping trips compared to my big-boys. I tested if it would hold pressure and assumed I was in the clear. However, I was wrong. After getting it home and testing it out, I noticed that no air pressure escaped the lantern when I turned the on/off knob. After some research I decided to tear it all apart and to try and unclog things, starting with a good poke at the fuel inlet and the top of the generator, still nothing. Then I gave things a boil in a water and citric acid solution and this at least gave way enough where i could hear air escaping the lantern once re-assembled, but there was still no fuel flowing. So currently air flows, but no fuel. I am going to give things another soak in citric acid, need to replace one of the o-rings, and will possibly get a new generator as that part still seems a little clogged up after everything. My questions to y'all are.... Can I toss the middle valve assembly in this citric acid solution too or will anything in there be harmed by it (I only put the fuel feed tube and generator in there so far)? I can't find the "Valve Less Generator #222A6565" part anywhere, is there another valve assembly that I could use instead, or is that a recipe for disaster? If I could I would just replace the whole fuel/valve/generator assembly, but it doesn't seem realistic sadly.
The orfice at the bottom of that F/A tube needs to be spotless. On those brass F/A tubes I'll soak then in yellow can oven cleaner or lye (take the needed precautions when using). After a rub down with 0000 steel wool I'll use compressed air to blow it dry. Then use a wooden tooth pick to clean the pickup orfice. You don't want to remove any material here, just clean the gunk. When filled with fuel, pumped up and valve open, you should here air passing first, sometimes for several seconds, then a sputtering of fuel. You'll get it! Happy fettling
Update: I've gotten a new generator, cleaned the heck out of the air and fuel tube, and even replaced all of the o-rings. Now that I've gotten it back together I had to take the generator off and put it back on a few times to get the seal right, and it took me a while to get it to even get enough gas flowing to light. I finally got it to light and run for a bit, but the mantles weren't glowing bright all-over like I'm used to with the double mantle lanterns. Is this normal for the smaller hiking lanterns?
Have you put the correct size mantle on, Coleman no 20 is the correct size as it's a little smaller than no 21.
The air tube seems to be clear and I am running the no 20 mantels. It oddly got slightly brighter as i ran it last night, but nowhere near as bright as what I believe it should be.
