Here is the latest in my overhaul tutorial series - Project 295. Just found it locally on Craigslist the other day. Since this is my first "Dual Fuel" model, I thought it would be interesting to share my learning experience. In the old days, they had "Sing along with Mitch". So, I'll nickname this installment, "Learn along with Bob"! Here is the lantern. It's already in very good condition and really just needs a clean-up.
Let's get started, first we'll remove the ventilator/bail, and the globe.
Next, take off the heat shield,
and loosen the frame nut.
Now, we remove the U-Clip washer,
and lift off the burner assembly.
Next, comes the frame bottom.
Now, I'm loosening the generator jamb nut,
and removing the generator.
We now remove the valve knob screw, and the knob.
OK, now we can finally lift the collar off.
Now, as Curly would say - "To the pump, to the pump..."
Straightforward stuff.
At this point, I would normally go through whatever hell and ministrations necessary to remove the valve from the fount. However, here is what the F/A tube and fount bottom looked like:
After seeing that (and testing to be sure that the Schrader valve had no leakage/shutoff problems), I'm sure you will all see why I chose not to disturb the valve in this case. By the way, the nice, smooth gray that you see on the fount's bottom is the anti-rust coating. It is gray, rather than reddish, because it is designed to be fuel-resistant to unleaded gasoline, as well as Coleman Fuel. It looked like it just came out of the box!
Here is the generator:
It is odd in a few ways compared to the standard Coleman Fuel generator. First, on the outside, we see a flat vane attached to the generator body, which Coleman refers to as the "fin". Also, although it's a bit difficult to discern this from the photos, there are no "internals", that is, there is no cardboard tube or spring coil inside. It has only the cleaning rod as well as a brass disk at the base which is staked in placed. This serves to retain and guide the cleaning rod. It also means that the rod is not removable to gain access for cleaning the inside of the generator.
Why is this such a different design? I have only a theory. I believe that the "fin" (whic
h, when mounted, sits directly between the mantles) serves to gather an increased amount of heat which might assist in keeping some of the additives in unleaded gasoline burned off, instead of them depositing on the inside of the generator. Also, the lack of internals give a much larger area for carbon and unburned deposits to gather before clogging the generator. In short, these changes make for a longer-lasting generator when used on unleaded gasoline. Again, this is just an educated guess on my part.
OK - the brass parts go into the drink for cleaning! I did remove the gas tip from the generator - at least I'm going to TRY to clean it as best I can.
The fuel cap on this really needed attention. It had been stored for so long screwed down VERY tightly, that it formed a deep ridge. It was to the point that I did not trust it to form a good seal. I want to keep the original cap, so I'll change the gasket. As you see here, I first made cuts with an X-Acto knife at approximately the 10 & 2 o'clock positions (for those that speak only digital, I don't know what to tell you).
Now, I go at it with a small screwdriver and pry the smallest section out of the cap.
Then I pry the remaining part out. Here it is completely removed.
Here's the new gasket.
Installed...
Here are all the burner parts after a good cleaning & polishing.
The fount after a good cleaning and a coat of wax. Also the pump has been re-installed. It just needed a wipe down and oiling of the cup (neoprene).
Re-installing the generator and finger tightening the jamb nut.
Next, the collar...
then the frame bottom.
OK, back to work. We now lower the burner assembly into place, being sure that the generator enters the hole in the air tube.
Put the U-Clip washer in place,
and tighten the frame nut.
Now we tighten down the generator nut. When fully tight, the generator fin must point directly toward the air tube.
Now we replace the heat shield,
and install the spring clip to retain it.
The primary assembly of the lantern is complete.
We tie on the mantles and burn them off...
re-install the globe & vent, and light her up!
Burns like a champ!
That's all for now!
BobA
