Hi All I just bought a Coleman 214a700, which looks in great condition. After watching a few videos and reading lots, I felt confident enough to fire it up. Still fuel inside (probably many years old) but I lit it quite easily. The light doesn't seem very bright and fades once the priming alcohol has finished burning. Once cooled I removed the cap from the main fuel 'tank'. I covered the hole on the pump and tried pumping; there was lots of pressure. My question: With the cap removed from the fuel tank, should it be difficult (almost impossible actually) to pump the pressure? Any advice greatly received.
It is impossible to pressurise an "open" vessel. The valve at the bottom of the pump tube is closed off by a needle valve. You need to open it by unscrewing the pump knob a couple of turns before pumping, then close it once the fount is pressurised.
I've done that. Once the alcohol in the 'pre-burner' has nearly burned off completely, I open the 'tap' to the ON position. The mantle comes to life and burns brightly, but only for about 3 or 4 minutes before dimming. At this point I figure it needs more pressure so I open the pump knob and try pumping a few more times. This seems to have a positive effect but only a fee seconds later the light dims again and then goes out completely. I notice that when I try to close the pump know it doesn't seem to want to close completely. There seems to be too much pressure and when I remove my thumb from the hole, I hear what seems to be the pressure being released and then the lamp dies. I'm guessing that it's my pressuring the fountain that is the problem. Any further advice?
Ahh, it sounds like the check valve (non-return valve) is leaking. This could be because of varnish-like residue of old fuel or debris e.g. a small piece of leather broken off the pump cup, clogging the works. There are numerous videos on YouTube showing how to fix this problem, this one from Frank Bebb at OldTown Coleman is one of the better ones, especially for anyone new to Coleman lanterns. There's a bit of a distraction at the beginning but stick with it.
I’ve found bits of pump leather, mud and Rust at the base of the pump cylinder. Best i can tell you is to use chopsticks and canned air to dislodge the coarse debris. Take a razor blade and slice the chopstick to create a flat bamboo scraper to clean around the cylinder bottom. I use a dry cleaning method first, then i wet a rag with a little oil and swab the cylinder. If you have terrible corrosion in the cylinder use a 12 gauge shotgun bore brush and a little gun oil to smooth the cylinder bore. Then a patch to remove the grime. Use as little fluid as you can. Then remove and clean the check valve. Please buy the check valve tool!!! Will prevent you from ruining your fount
I think the 'problem' may have been a newbie-thing. I read that rotating the on/off knob cleans the tip. Having done this the lantern works perfectly, so thanks for the advice.
