The CPL member who kindly helped me get the Coleman 2242 working (and I’m sure that ColinG won’t mind me naming him here! If he hadn’t been coming this way the lamp would still be sitting on the shelf) thought we should try to remove the NRV. Even although we got the lamp working well enough I think it could still be improved upon. Does anyone have a spare tool for that or suggest something suitable? I intend getting another generator and cap gasket from Mike at Old Coleman Parts. Is there anything else I would be best getting now?
@Jean J I’ve only ever had to take one Coleman check valve (NRV) out of a lantern or lamp. I do have the tool, but it’s usually sufficient to treat the check valve in situ. If it’s sticking use either paint thinner, carburettor cleaner or acetone to free it up (soak overnight). Then some kerosene pumped through the pump tube reverse way. That usually does the trick as the check valve is a ball bearing that seals with back pressure. It has to be very badly rusted to not function properly. Cheers Tony
@Jean J If you’re not getting pressure loss or the pump blowing back the check valve is working. Cheers Tony
Does the 2242 with the pinned pump have the Coleman style or Primus style non-return valve? I suspect it is the latter.
The early 242 had a Cork NRV. if its the 242A, or B or C, ITS the ball type. the early will most always need a new pip. Danger.
@phaedrus42 Ah! Thanks for pointing out the possible problem with my advice. @Jean J and @ColinG : is it a Primus-type NRV or a Coleman check valve? If it’s the former then a standard NRV tool is the go. Tony
Looking down the pump tube it seemed to be a Primus type NRV and looked very similar to those you see in a Bialaddin with a slot to unscrew it for removal. After priming and giving the lantern a few pumps, the pump handle pushed itself out which I took to be a sign that the NRV was stuck in the open position. Although a leaky NRV is never a good thing, the 2242 is a paraffin/kerosene lamp so at least there's no chance of a petrol/gasoline 'flame-thrower' style accident occurring. I mentioned to Jean that some acetone might do the trick and free it up but the closest we could find was was some naptha. Might his work given time? And Jean, when you had it working for two hours, how was the pump handle... did it try to push it's way out or was it happy to stay pushed in?
@Jean J My apologies for leading you up the garden path! I’d completely overlooked the possibility of the Primus-type NRV (even though I have a UK-made Coleman stove with one). A good Primus-type NRV tool will get the job done. @loco7lamp made a beautiful one, so some member in your part of the world might be able to assist. Cheers Tony
Those NRVs can be seriously tight in the 30s 242s. It is all too easy to ruin the brass with the wrong sized screwdriver. I had to remove two of these from a pair of 242s a few weeks ago and one of them took two of us and some considerable force before it gave in. The tube dia is 20mm and the blade should be 2mm. Best to have a purpose made driver with a wide body to fit and centre in the pump tube and a full width blade about 3mm deep and 2mm across the flats. ::Neil::
A home-made NRV tool like the original Primus design. A true one-click tool that saves mores time and aggravation than Amazon one-click ever did, trust me!
Indeed, I tried to use an NRV extraction tool I bought cheaply and it was worse than useless so I made my own in the end. This was to remove the NRV on a Burmos stove but the principle is the same. Of course, the one I made is for an NRV with a protruding central 'nub' whereas the one in Jean's Coleman is a slot type otherwise I would send Jean mine. As Mackburner says, it's very easy to chew the brass slot up by trying to use the wrong sized screwdriver!
I wonder why Coleman used the Petromax style slot head NRV on the early 242 and the 2242 but the Primus style on the 241 series.
Thanks to all who have responded to this post, it’s amazing how much thought you give to every little problem. And yes, ColinG, the pump did stay in during its 2 hour run.
In which case, if you did manage to get some acetone (available from Semi-Chem and plenty of other cheap chemists!) you could do a bit more overnight soaking just to make sure it's completely un-gummed.
