i picked up 3 coleman lanterns for cheap at a yard sale. needless to say, no owner's manuals were included...as usual.

i installed new mantles, pump piston cups and filler caps/gaskets. the gas generator tubes all look to be in good shape.

the instructions on the lanterns say to pump them for 30-35 strokes with the thumb blocking the hole in the pump plunger. the gas valve is shut when i try to pump them up.

just trying this (with the tanks empty), when i depress the plunger the air pressure is so great that i can't get the plunger fully depressed even one time. all 3 lanterns seam to seal that tightly.

am i doing something wrong? do they have to be fueled up in order for the pump to work properly?

is there a stuck check valve in the bottom of these things?

thanks.

You need to turn the pump handle a little counter clockwise before pumping(until it "uncatches") and then turn it back till it catches before taking your thumb off that hole.

biggun speaks the truth. Unscrew the plunger a bit, pump it up, then screw the plunger back in before you take your thumb off the hole.

I no athority on these things but on my old lanterns you had to turn the pumping knob counter clock wise I thing and then pump. It will help to have fuel in as you won't have to pump as much....

I no authority on these things but on my old lanterns you had to turn the pumping knob counter clock wise I think and then pump. It will help to have fuel in as you won't have to pump as much....

he, he, he...

we will make a boy scout out of you yet.



ah yes the hiss of a Coleman lantern.
oh how i miss thee.

i did unscrew the pump plungers to retract them.

the problem is that the backpressure is so great that that i can only partially depress the plungers (with my thum over the plunger knob vent hole). the farther down i push the plungers, the more the air pressure builds up and just blows my thumb away from the plunger knob...releasing the built up pressure. no way can i get these plungers depressed more than about 1/2-2/3 of the way down.

seriously...you are supposed to screw the plunger in (to lock it) with each stroke? for 30-35 strokes?

i dunno...maybe it will work better with coleman fuel in the tanks? i'll try fiddling with them again tomorrow night.

Are they the 2 mantle kind or the old single mantle? I like the old single mantle ones as they burn twice as bright as the doubles! As in a 100 watt bulb! They are getting kinda scarce......saw one(silve plated) in a pawn shop the other day. They wanted way too much money for it. I got one in a garage sale several years ago for 15 bucks but have never used it!! haha What a deal huh?

Something else to check on an old garage sale item - If they're like the pumps on coleman stoves (and they are afaik) there's a check valve thingy (like a BB-sized ball under spring pressure) at the bottom of the hole the pump assembly goes into.  Spray some penetrating oil in there, wait 20 min, try again.  Whack it gently with a screwdriver/pointything once or twice if you must - try not to ding the surface, or you'll need a new check ball.

Edited to clarify that the object of the (gentle-ish) whacking should be the check ball itself.

Whach the movie Ernest Goes To Camp.He does a little instructional on how to light a latern.