Can these be rebuilt? i searched around and cant find anything. Mine holds pressure but would like to dismantle it so i can clean it. must be a trick to get air release screw out? it stops hard when i open it all the way. Also my pre heater pickup tube is shot! Thinking about cutting the threaded ends off and and adding a copper tube section to it or a a piece of small fuel resistant rubber/plastic tubing. can a good one be bought?
I believe the top of the threads where the pressure release screw goes is 'pushed in' (is this called swaged?) so it can't fall out and get lost. You probably can force it out, but in most cases there is no real point.
I would say also there is no real point...some of them have an indentation and a tiny ball bearing to retain the pressure release screw....this accountfor a sort of rocky feeling which may give the impression that some maintainance or replacement is needed when absolutely not...better to leave well alone.As for the pick up tube for the rapid ...replacements are cheap and easy to obtain,,,what do you mean by shot....blocked I can understand...the tube has very thick walls and a very small bore...the gauze is replaceable too....I feel very much that you need to visit some of the sites which specialise in petromax and her clones!...www.pelam.de is excellent...also www.petromax.nl....and stuga cabana and the vergaser lamp forum all have excellent levels of advice specific to petromaxes. I hooe this post is helpful!
thanks for replies. my gauge doesn't work but holds pressure. the pickup tube is cracked long ways. will check out those links, thanks.
Hi Jeff, been busy on car repairs and work. the pressure gauge started working after a few test runs and i got some parts from a link you supplied. lantern works but the preheater keeps plugging up. will take it apart again and clean the tank. Did that and thought i had it all clean, but cant be. used a handful of brass tacks to loosen up the scale then citric acid with boiling water. will repeat and replace the preheat jet with a new one as the old one is hopelessly blocked.
Good to hear the gauge is working now. The preheater jet is most likely blocked. But also check the air holes under the preheater jet. Air from the tank mixes with the fuel from the pickup tube. good luck Gotta love Petromax. Cheers, Jeff
