Coleman 424 Stove - unleaded run time??

[SteveS]

Coleman fuel can sometimes be hard to find and then it is natural to switch to unleaded fuel. Has anyone got any idea of how many operational hours or litres of unleaded fuel they have put through their Coleman before getting problems with blocked generator pipe?

I'm trying to get an idea of whether I'll need to replace the generator and/or how many replacements I'll need to take on an 8 month tour where we'll use something like 25-30 litres of unleaded fuel

TIA

Steve

 

[Chris]

Some of that depends on how much cooking you are going to do. I took mine to Morocco for three weeks and don't think in all I did more than an hour cooking on it. Personally I don't think you will need a replacement generator in that time even if you used it all the time. You can take the pipe off and just clean it with wire wool. OK so buy a spare one, leave it in the box and if you are struggling, swap it. But most likely you'll be bringing it back in the box. You are using Coleman fuel? Sheesh, deep pockets. I have had years of good service out of one of these before I even thought to take it apart. It wasn't performing badly, I just figured I'd have a look. Part of this is about how you run it. Keep it pressurised, make sure it burns hard and clean and you will miminise fouling. If you cook all the time on a yellow poorly pressurised flame you will be causing more problems. It's not just the needle that fouls though. It's the inside of the control valve. Look for it dripping when turned off. That means the knob needs taking off and the valve cleaning.

 

[SteveS]

Thanks Chris - yes that Coleman fluid is expensive stuff - we buy it in bulk from Germany (ebay) which makes it slightly easier on the wallet. Think I'll try the unleaded, the replacement generators aren't that expensive anyway. Thanks for the tips on what to watch out for. Can't fault the stove.....it's had a hard life. We do burn it at full tilt most of the time....occasionally on a simmer. It has rusted badly (as per earlier post) but I'm going to attack it with some green Hammerite over the winter to make it all shiny and new looking.