Theory of Operation: Modern Coleman Lantern Valves

[@Enjoymentboy]

Another great video that has helped me with a problem lantern. I have my 325A and it's one of my favourites. Your explanation of the valve pointed me into the direction I needed for a 288 I have that always pulses badly. It pulses about 2 times every 3 seconds and goes from quite low to very bright making it virtually unusable. I swapped out the generators from another 288 and a 286 and it made no difference. I swapped out the burner frame as well thinking it might be a mixture issue. No change. I NEVER thought about the fuel/air tube. Sure enough there was a small piece of crud in the pick-up tube hole. Picked it out and now the lantern works perfectly. Without this video I doubt I would have ever thought about looking at it and would have likely just replaced the hole vale assembly. Much appreciated.

[@barrowpeter604]

You do a great job. I could listen to you all day Bill.

[@kellycooleyCPS]

Another gem of a video - thanks, Bill!

[@newt66c33]

i just got a 286a 1991 and a 290a dual manual thanks for posting this as i did not know how they clean genterater i have 2 older styles too

[@bksaun]

Well done. Thanks.

[@tundramanq]

Scary operation for the non instruction readers who are used this or propane get near any original durable design Coleman. I don't let anyone operate my stuff after a camp mate kept tightening the valve on my stove and ruined it when the fire didn't immediately go out as he expected. Setting a precedent of cranking the valve open till it stops to light gives this one nightmares and probably explains a few forest fires.

[@mikemorgan5015]

Ah a kindred spirit! You get it. You do your homework. You get it right. Thanks for your great content. I can usually pick a how to __________a Coleman________ video to pieces for bungling the lighting procedure, putting out bogus information and mythical bullshit. "Don't use the cleaning needle to adjust output, it'll wear it out." "Gasoline will clog your generator and destroy your lantern fast." "You need to take your thumb off the hole on the back stroke when pumping." "You need to just crack the valve barely open to light these." and on and on and on. Few thing boil my blood more that an incompetent video producer giving bad advice and information to people who know even less than they do on how to use a gasoline powered lantern or stove that, improperly operated, can cause severe injury and property damage or even death. So, it's refreshing to see you doing it right. Always love your content. Great job.

[@nancykrueger9014]

I've taken my 288A apart twice now to correct a spewing air and gas when lighting. The generator is original but the tip is new. The cardboard tube and spring in generator have blackened but there is no build up that I can note. When lighting I get a great sputtering of air and then fuel starts to jet out and drip down and pool on the font. It's Winter in WI and I'm doing this outside but the lantern is at room temperature. The lantern barely shows a sign of trying to light. Thanks. New generator?

[@king.coleman]

I'm not clear on what's happening. When you open the valve liquid fuel is supposed to sputter out of the generator and if you don't light it immediately it will run everywhere as described. Are you saying that the volume of fuel coming out of the cold generator is greater than expected? If that's the case, you may have a cracked fuel and air tube. It's a fairly common failure on the plastic ones. Other than that, it just sounds like you need to apply your ignition source as soon as you open the valve.

[@nancykrueger9014]

@@king.coleman Thanks for the prompt reply! I do have the match lit and held near the mantles when I open the valve. It doesn't light and the spray drips down onto font. I did watch your video on generator cleaning. My take away was that if there's no carbon buildup , it should still be usable so I haven't considered the generator as the problem. I'll inspect the fuel air tube. I did blow air through it on my first disassemble to test the Schroeder valve and it seemed to be in intact. But I did not inspect for cracking. Thanks again.

[@king.coleman]

@@nancykrueger9014 Your generator is obviously passing fuel, so that's probably not the problem. It sounds like you've got something blocking the mixing chamber and/or burner tubes. The liquid fuel droplets should be mixing with air in the mixing chamber and flowing down to the mantles. If the mantles won't light, the fuel probably isn't getting to them.

[@nancykrueger9014]

Well, it's night time and my back patio has a 288A brightly burning! It took a couple of days, your educational videos and your replies to my queries to make it happen.. I learned so much in the process and increased my confidence in trouble shooting. Took a look at the Schroeder valve and reseated it ( just to know I could do it after watching your video), replaced a mantle and used two stick matches instead of one. Sounds ridiculous but I think the match heads (new box) are smaller (cheaper) than what I'm used to using over the years. I can't thank you enough. It really did flame for 10-15 seconds. I don't recall my 220 lanterns doing that much flaming? I recently lit one I was working on a few weeks ago but maybe it did! Thank you again.@@king.coleman

[@nickhedayat7505]

What is the most common issue on the US 288?

[@king.coleman]

I expect the same as most models: dry pump cups, failed fuel cap gaskets, and clogged generators. There's nothing unique about the 288.

[@nickhedayat7505]

@@king.coleman thanks for the quick response!

[@benkanobe7500]

It is very, very hard to hear you. Please turn up your microphone.