Someone gave me this practically new Coleman single-mantle lantern made back in 1983. The lantern is in perfect condition, I placed a new mantle in it and it lit flawlessly after about 30 plunger pumps, which is what you need to do to increase pressure in the tank.

What kind of maintenance does this kind of product require? Is it a good idea to remove the remaining fuel from the tank once i'm done using the lantern (I would think so)? What about the pump, does it require some special care?

Thanks!

your set for life--a drop of oil in the "oil" hole by the
pump...a few extra mantles kept on hand and a can or two
of Coleman fuel and you have a good strong white light anytime
you need it..fuel out of the can is already filtered but if you
find a Coleman filter funnel it's a good idea to have one..
you can keep fuel in the lamp tank and it will stay just as
good as if it was in the can--hint--don't screw down too
tight on that nut on top of the shade..the heat will crack
the paint when the metal expands..i have both single and
double mantle lamps and the single will make more that enought light to work by..i have a frosted globe on my two
mantle to cut the glare..a couple good add-on gizmos are
a "safe" that clamps on under the tank to hold spare mantles
but these are hard to find and demand a good price on Ebay..
reflectors are found there also and the price is not so bad..we use a reflector in camp ground to avoid bothering other
campers with the glare of the lamp..



USE CAUTION-these lamps have been know to take on a life
of there own !!!

Bee:

I have never stored fuel in my lantern, I do know it has been done. I just prefer not to do it. The model I have is a 242 Jr. and about two years ago I restored it. If you contact Coleman (www.coleman.com) they will have replacement parts for your lantern should you need them. They provided me a new generator, tank cap, instruction booklet and some mantels. I should mention the lantern I have was originally made in 1949 and purchased new by Grandma. If you take care of the lantern it will last a very long time.

Canoedogs: Nice picture of your lantern

Take care,
Stargazer

I just put a bit of oil down the pump shaft - to lubricate the leather plunger - and mine has worked for many years - probably since the mid 80'.

About every 15 years or so I buy one of those sparking lantern starters and try to install it on my Coleman fuel lantern ... and it doesn't fit. I've done that twice now. Maybe I've learned my lesson on that one.

Enjoy your fine lantern!

i use my lamps several times during the summer on camping
trip so i leave the fuel in year round..in a sitution where
i lost power at home and had to light the lamp i would not
want to have to find the gas can..pour in the fuel..and
light it all by flashlight..having it ready to go is part
of its usefulness---
i have many gas lamps..i got that one cheap when someone
turned it into a work of art by adding the face to it..i
was going to take all that off but my wife thought it was
cute so as you see it's been left like that...

Mine is around 22 years old, and it needs some work. Until the mantles get hot, it flames up badly, don't know if it needs a good cleaning or new parts, but once it's warm, it works like a champ.

SODAK.. an old one like that could use a shot of carb
or injector cleaner in the fuel..just a spoon full will
do for starts..once it warms up and is running good i
give that needle cleaning wire a few spins around and
that seems to help..a new generator is cheap and easy
to replace if the easy fixs don't work..
like most survival gear it's not a bad idea to strip
it down just to see what it takes to fix it before you
need to do it for real..like a rifle or a battery change
in a light ot radio..

DELETED (double post)

Mine is going on 40 years old and works like a champ (given to me by an uncle when I was a teenager). I keep fuel in it all the time. It gets changed when it's empty...if you know what I mean. Like others said, a drop or two of oil for the plunger and a new generator and plunger every 20 years and it should outlive you.