UKC

My whisperlite has been playing up ever since I bought it on this site. I'm new to the multi-fuel pressure stove game and have not much idea what to do with it - I prime it normally but the main flame never moves beyond a massive yellow sooty thing! Any ideas?

In reply to Jim Houghton:

you sure you're priming it properly? it has to get quite hot before the fuel can vaporize properly.

clearing the jets with the little pricker might help as well.

In reply to Jim Houghton: You have to open just a little bit so you get fuel in the priming cup, then close it a fraction, so you stop excess fuel coming out. Light it, and wait for the 'torch' noise, wait for the flame to go down a bit and open it fully.
If you just get flares is because too much fuel is going out when being primed.

In reply to Jim Houghton:

Def sounds like a priming problem like the others said.
Might be worth giving it a good clean too though. Ours was shocking when we bought it - we thought we'd brought a right piece of kit. Went through the cleaning instructions and it was fantastic afterwards. Worth a try perhaps.

In reply to Jim Houghton: Sounds like it just needs a good clean.Get one of the service kits,follow the instructions and it should be good as new!They really are bombproof stoves but you must keep it clean especially if you are using unleaded petrol.

In reply to Jim Houghton: try running on a really clean fuel - mine runs really dirty on petrol and gets coated in soot. run it on something cleaner and it strips it off.

In reply to Jim Houghton:
Quoting (or paraphrasing) from the Whisperlite manual:

‘The Whisperlite has 2 interchangeable jets:
- a G jet for white gas and unleaded which is preinstalled when the stove is bought new.
- a K jet for kerosene and jet fuel which is included in the parts kit for the stove.’

Have you got the correct one fitted?

In reply to Jim Houghton:

I have experienced the frustration of petrol stoves too my friend lol I have a coleman 2 ring stove and an msr whisper lite internationl.

As others said make sure u prime it properly, let the flame start to die down then open up the gas, not priming enough will mean when u open valve it wont burn clean and just fire ball back into a big orange thing, and priming too much will give you a big sooty orange flame which will coat everything in soot and probably block the jet

If its not a priming issue then other suggestions are:

-take it all appart and give it a clean (boil it!) if its an international then ensure u dont lose shaker jet needle etc

-Strip pump down too, that has a filter in it which can block up, my stove would prime ok then as soon as you opened valve to cook it would stop working.

-Lastly I run mine with a bit of red X additive, works a treat, plus splash out on the expensive high octane petrol!

They are pretty indestructable (if a little tempormental) stoves, it is likely to be how ur using it you will get used to it, hope thats of help!

In reply to Jim Houghton: You haven't got diesel in there by mistake 'ave yer?

In reply to Jim Houghton: Thanks to all, a good night's work ahead of me!

In reply to Jim Houghton: Fiddling around with it will almost certainly sort it out. My Whisperlite Int. is 16 years old (!) and still runs fine with very minimal care and attention, so I'm sure you'll sort yours. They take a bit of getting used to particularly if you've been using idiot proof gas stoves before.