Hi all: Here is the easy, no tools way to repair the Coleman "ball" check valve. (all non NRV (no rubber "o" rings or rubber gaskets) Coleman check valves) I have fixed hundreds of Coleman check valves over the years and "never" had to remove one unless an unsuccessful repair was attempted by someone else first, resulting in a damaged check valve. With lamps and lanterns that have the combination fill cap check valve assembly such as in a Quick- Lite, unscrew it and soak for 24 hours in "lacquer" thinner or equivalent and blow out with compressed air and rinse in proper fuel. (Any product other than "lacquer" thinner is a waste of your time.) If the check valve is the type in the bottom of the twist lock style Coleman pump, unscrew pump cap or in later models remove retainer ring and remove cap. Then unscrew pump rod and remove. Next drain tank/fount and fill tank and pump tube with "lacquer" thinner. Let soak for 24 hours. Flush with Coleman fuel or equivalent, drain, then blast check valve with high pressure compressed air. Reinstall pump and light your lamp/lantern and enjoy. The reason Coleman ball style check valves fail is they become stuck in dried fuel of an improper type. If only Coleman fuel or equivalent is used the valves will not become stuck. They may look rusty due to dry rust colored water but the valve itself will not rust. "Lacquer" thinner works as is dissolves the gummed or dried fuel that traps the check valve ball. Please try this method first as valve removal is almost never necessary. Never try drilling out or removing ball from the backside,as this is very difficult to preform successfully and is completely unnecessary. NEVER use "lacquer" thinner on products that have NRV's with "O" rings or rubber gaskets as the "lacquer" thinner will ruin them. I and many other Coleman fanatics have used this simple non invasive method for many years with 100% results. If done right it will work unless someone has damaged the valve by attempting to remove it. If you have an uncontrollable urge to remove the check valve, get a proper tool and do so, but it is entirely unnecessary. Mike...
Hi all; I accidentally omitted this from the above post.(Coleman "below" pump check valves are installed with great pressure/torque. This makes check valve damage very likely even when using correct tools) Another reason not to attempt removal, which as I stated is almost always unnecessary. Removing pump and filling tube with "lacquer" thinner and soaking for 24 hours will greatly assist in valve removal. Which after this step is not necessary as your valve ball is now free. Mike...
Hi, Great post. I'm new at this; I just bought a used Coleman 222. But the check valve seems to leak some air (very slowly, but still...) I did a test: I took off the pump plunger and the stem, leaving just the check valve. When the lantern is pressurized and held upside down, I can see the fuel slowly dripping through the valve. Not enough to turn the lantern into a flame trower, but enough so I can hear a small "puff" when unscrewing the stem. Makes me kinda nervous. I'm glad I found your post before trying anything stupid. I'll try cleaning the ball valve first. You cautioned not to use lacquer thinner on a rubber valve. But the check valve appears to have some kind of rubber o-ring on the outside (see picture); would the thinner damage this gasket? thanks a lot!
Hi Jerome, Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you aboard. Reading your post, I'm thinking you may not have a problem. The steel ball in the check valve is not meant to be a positive shut off. It's just there to prevent air from coming back out of the valve while you are pumping it up. The action of you closing the air stem makes the positive shut off. With the tank under pressure and the air stem in the open position, I would expect perhaps a tiny bit of leakage. A decent test would be to open the valve and pump up the tank as normal, but instead of closing the air stem valve (as you would do when you finished pumping) leave it in the open position and see if the pump rod gets pushed back up (from a leaky valve). If it immediately pushes the pump rod up, the ball is either stuck or gummed up. If it does not move for a minute or so, it's probably OK. A bit of movement? I don't know. I just pump it up and shut off the valve. If the rod is not being pushed back while I'm pumping, I'm happy. The problem with a valve that needs fixing that Flivver writes about is one that is stuck open (or closed). You'll know this when it happens. Lacquer thinner is usually your friend, I use it for many lamp restoration functions. It dissolves kerosene gunk almost on contact and works OK for other gummed up parts. However, be VERY careful using it with painted lanterns like the 222. It will dissolve most lantern paint almost on contact, making a big mess. You can be very careful pouring it in, but I can assure you, that when you go to pour it out, you will get it on the paint unless you do a serious masking job or perhaps siphon it out. Also, my 222A has some sort or red paint on the inside bottom of the tank, possibly for rust prevention, whose resistance to lacquer thinner is unknown. The 222 is a neat lantern. I have a 222A, and with an old coarse weave 21A Silk-Lite, it's very bright. And contrary to popular belief, I can run it for a long time before needing to pump it back up; perhaps because I'm using the original "skinny" 222-2991 generator which has a smaller jet orifice than the newer dual fuel 226-2991. And we love pictures. Dan
Thanks Dan for the advice. The tank and the pump cylinder of the 222 (1979 and in very good condition) are now soaking in lacquer thinner. Didn't scrap the paint job so far, but I'll be very careful pouring it out. I'll use masking tape! I did the test you suggested. With the stem open, my finger covering the hole and the leather "engaged", the pump pushes back up very slowly. I tried carb cleaner for an hour or so, but it did'nt work. Glad I found this site; those lamps and stoves remind me lots of good memories. My friends prefer propane because of the smell of naphta, but propane just is'nt that fun. I guess it's too easy. My next project will be a coleman kerosene lantern. It's been sitting in the attic at my mother for a few decades!
After soaking for 24 hours in lacquer thinner, the check valve still leaking some air. Guest Dan is right; this tiny amount of air must be normal. Anyone experienced that? To pour the thinner out of the fount, I rigged a spout where the filler cap normally is, usiing tape. (see picture). 1347891382-100_0001.pdf I did the same thing with the pump cylinder. I didn't damage the paint! 1347891382-100_0001.pdf
I have used this methode to great sucsess. The nice thing about the coleman check valve is that it has a possitive shut off after it. So even if it leeks a little, thew air stem will close it off just fine. In other words yes some of my Coleman check vavles leek a little. I have found that a flush with fuel works as well. Poor fuel in the pump tube and push it through with the pump. Rick
I need the dimension of the fine thread of the Check Valve for the Coleman 252 MilitarySpec! Is the fine thread UNF 1/4" - 28 ?? Dieter
