Hello... New here. Found this page by search on repairing an old Optimus 324. But the old thread was so good I did not need to join here for that. I have yet to get going on that project. I'm an outdoorsman (upper Midwest, USA) from decades back, sort of returning after years (decades really) away from the woods. So I've got a lot of old stuff and would rather use it when I can, while adapting to newer gear only if it's clearly superior. I like white gas and have little interest in canisters of butane or propane and such. My thing is chasing wild trout, camping via backpack, canoe, or truck as necessary. So I have this little-used 1988 Coleman Peak 1 400A in very good shape. Because I'm a gear-head I have several other stoves I've used after this (Peak 1 550B, MSR WhisperLite International, Sigg Fire Jet) so this one has had little use. But I think I like this and the 550B best and will be using these going forward. I lubed the plunger and the stove seems to work o.k. The decals are peeling away in places. I'd like to preserve them and get them to stay down along all the edges, somehow, before venturing up north in a couple weeks. I was tempted to just cover them with clear packing tape, but that might not hold well if exposed to drips of fuel, and I figure it might ruin the decals if applied with bubbles and such. So hoping for tips on how to solve this. Another issue is how to fully drain the tank? When fuel is fully poured out from the filling hole there is still fuel left sloshing around. Apologies for the very basic questions. What's a newbie to do. I've uploaded four photos but unsure if they'll show in the post. Thanks Dan
I have a Nalgene container that has a 'nozzle' on the side. I attached a hose and it sucks out the fuel. Link here ..... Vampires?
If you stick to Naptha - Coleman Fuel, it is extremely long lived. It doesn’t sour or gum up or turn to varnish the way automotive gasoline will. Coleman recommended swishing out the tank with fresh fuel every few months. Fresh, clean filtered Coleman fuel is bestest. Many people find stoves and lanterns with Coleman Fuel in the tank put away decades ago and work perfectly. This is why they can be used for emergency or standby use. I wouldn’t worry about trying to drain the tank. Use it!
Yes I've been using white gas since the early '80s, just not much in recent decades. Quite attached, which is why I am predisposed to avoiding the propane/butane canister trendiness. But not much camping in a couple decades. I have a gallon can of Coleman Fuel from the early 1990s, about 1/3 full, that seems just fine. I did use a little back in 2023 in my 550B and it worked great. That 550B is 1994, has never had an iota of maintenance, has sat around 10+ years at a time, and seems to work perfectly every time.
I wanted to empty the tank to install new gaskets and such. Stove works o.k but seemed to require too much pumping to get it properly pressurized.
What new gaskets do you want to install? Almost all maintenance on the 400A can be safely done with fuel in the tank. You should do a pressure test to see where the leak is. Look up "dunk test" on this site to see how. If it needs a lot of pumping, that sounds like a problem with the pump cup. It may just need lubricating with some silica gel. If the rubber pump cup is damaged, that part can be replaced. ....Arch
Ik had a decal on a lantern tank that was peeling off. I used a Pritt glue stick to repair it some years ago an it still holds up...
@Tarcticus Yes, as @ajvuik has confirmed, a Pritt stick is the way to go…used this myself and works well. Pharael.
