Firing up an old stove

[Ashman]

Well I burned off all the old gas (poured it in an old pot burned it off) so it sounds like I did that a bit prematurely. The good news it, I think I have figured out what kind I have. I think it is a Whisperlite. I found thier website took a look at the specs. The fuel pump assembly looks a bit different than the current model. Am I hearing you correctly that I can break down the stove parts and wash them in the dishwasher? I have no idea where the tool is that camp with the stove. There does not appear to be any gumming on the interior parts. The ball and screen are clear. If I am understanding take a knee I need to do a big time maintence on the stove. The thing that is mind blowing is I can see myself spending enough to to get this one up a running to buy a new stove altogether. ARRRRR the old fix vs replace debate.

[take-a-knee]

Ashman, you can buy a new pump cause that is where most problems occur, then you can rebuild the one you have. You'll be set then, the whisperlite is a good stove as long as you don't need it to simmer.

[Ashman]

No I don't need to simmer. I think I am going to be a water guy (oatmeal for breakfast/ freeze dried and dehydrayted for dinner) Thanks for the tip on the pump! I didn't know I could get a new pump, I didn't know/think you could get a new pump to work with an old stove.

[take-a-knee]

No I don't need to simmer. I think I am going to be a water guy (oatmeal for breakfast/ freeze dried and dehydrayted for dinner) Thanks for the tip on the pump! I didn't know I could get a new pump, I didn't know/think you could get a new pump to work with an old stove.

REI sells the pumps, I think they are $30. I believe all the MSR stoves use the same pump, I know the whisperlite and the simmerlite use the same one.

[Tipi Walter]

REI sells the pumps, I think they are $30. I believe all the MSR stoves use the same pump, I know the whisperlite and the simmerlite use the same one.

They both use the same pump and they both use the old pump and the new one.

[hair]

as far as lubing orings with vasoline, that should be okay. White gas is a byproduct of refining crude oil. So mixing a petroleum based product with another, shouldn't be bad. However, I don't have any experience with it.

[_terrapin_]

You understand that white gas stoves need to be primed, right? After you pump a few times and open the fuel valve, you'll get liquid fuel coming out of the jet. Let a bit of that fuel (like, half a teaspoon) dribble down into the priming cup. Close the valve. Light the fuel in the priming cup and let it burn off completely. (That should take maybe 30-60 seconds.)

Then, open the valve again, a little bit. You should hear a hiss, and you should not see liquid fuel. If you hear the hiss, hold a match or lighter near the burner head and you should be good-to-go. [Your head and face should be as far away as possible when you do this!!!] If you see liquid fuel or you don't hear the hiss, you need to re-prime the stove.

MSR stoves last forever with decent care. My Whisperlite is about 18 years old, still going strong. I've never rebuilt the pump, but I have disassembled and reassembled the burner unit a few times. Prolly the first thing to check on the pump is that the "leather thingy" isn't dried out. If it is, try wetting it with oil or vaseline until it's supple.

[weary]

....MSR stoves last forever with decent care. My Whisperlite is about 18 years old, still going strong. I've never rebuilt the pump, but I have disassembled and reassembled the burner unit a few times. Prolly the first thing to check on the pump is that the "leather thingy" isn't dried out. If it is, try wetting it with oil or vaseline until it's supple.

The leather thingy is the most likely problem. However, the older Whisperlights -- like mine -- used to clog at the end of the flexible hose connecting the tank to the burning part. There's a flexible "cable" inside that has to be removed and cleaned from built up carbon or something.

It won't cost more to repair this stove than to buy a new one. It possibly won't cost anything. See if the Whisperlight website has a downloadable manual. Most do these days. I downloaded a manual for my chain saw yesterday -- all 138 pages. Half of which were in spanish.

Weary

[veteran]

MSR Whisperlight website has a downloadable manual.

http://www.msrcorp.com/support/pdfs/WL-StoveInst_EN.pdf

[bigcranky]

For the price of a rebuild kit, you can buy a new pump. This is probably a good idea. Or, for about the same price you could buy a canister stove (MSR Pocket Rocket.) Easier to use, much much lighter to carry, but long-term fuel expenses are higher.

[oldfivetango]

pardon me for saying so but this thread has reminded me why i
switched over to alcohol,but i do miss all the excitement i used to
have with my SVEA 123R
Oldfivetango

[Ashman]

I took the stove into REI today. I was really impressed with the guys who helped me out. The guy showed me how to break down the stove. (I didn't know how) and showed me how to clean it. We were able to clean out the valve and it is looking pretty good. I still need to clean it a bit more, lube the flap and what not but long story short, I think I got my stove up and running. Thanks for the tips and advice. I did wind buying a maintence kit (I needed the tool to break down the unit). Good to know I was able to use the advice here to get that stove up and running again.