KC8QVO

I've been using an MSR Simmerlite stove for about the past 10 years. I have a canister/butane stove also (backpacking/cycling size, anyway - Snowpeak Gigapower, have a lot of propane burners etc but not backpacking/cycling size). I've always gravitated to the white gas with the cheap fuel.

The cable in my fuel line is burned. For those not familiar, there is a braided cable that winds its way through the whole fuel line from the inlet at the valve/pump end of the hose all the way through the burner coil. The purpose of it is it is a removable piece used to clean out the fuel line and coil. Mine is crispy on the end that goes through the coil making it very difficult to remove and put back in. The last time I had the cable out it took a ton of work and force to get back in. The stove is still having trouble maintaining a flame. The fuel pressure has to be up quite high to get the fuel through the coil as it sputters to keep going. That doesn't lend itself to much low temps on which to simmer and re-heat coffee - the higher fuel flow means a lot more flame than I need.

One option is to rebuild the stove and replace the cable. However, this stove has been discontinued. Has anyone done anything more than the rebuild kit on these? Like maybe a soak in denatured alcohol or something to loosen up carbon buildup in the coil and on the bottom of the burner?

Having already made the point of using low heat frequently, are there any other white gas stoves you would recommend that would suit the purpose? I don't just boil water so high heat, to me, is more of a problem than the volume of stove use that I do.

Does anyone have any experience with the Multifuel version of the Whisperlite? Something tells me the Whisperlites don't go down low in flame very well like I am wanting.

Trevtassie

First thing I'd try is squirting some Gasket Remover down the hose and let it soak for a bit to remove the carbon with a new wire, if you can get one?
The Whisperlite doesn't do simmer very well on liquid fuel. You have to let pressure out of the bottle to get them to simmer. I reckon the Universal would simmer OK on gas. Of the other MSR liquid stoves only the Dragonfly does simmer. The XGK doesn't. Both the XGK and the Dragonfly sound like a jet taking off when going flat out, but chuck out a huge amount of heat when they do.
I used to be a big fan of liquid fuel until I switched to a Kovea Spider with an adapter to use the cheap butane cartridges, which you can get for a dollar or so in most parts of the world. The spider has a preheat tube so you can flip the cartridge and liquid feed the gas for better performance. I guess if I was going real remote, like Africa or the wilderness I'd take my Dragonfly. I used to take it everywhere, but white gas can be expensive and only available in bigger tins, and I've never liked to burn automotive fuel in it.Plus airlines can make a song and dance about empty fuel bottles.

kaos joe

The braided cable is stainless steel. I think it's normal for them to get blackened on the burner end over time. I'd be pretty surprised if it was possible in normal use to actually "burn" it. Have you tried cleaning it with an abrasive or steel wool to remove the carbon?

I'd do that and try to introduce a good solvent into generator(burner) coil. Trevtassie suggested Gasket Remover, which sounds like some pretty strong stuff. Use that and the braided cable to scrub the generator coil. If you knock loose carbon, you might have to un-clog the jet orifice in the burner with a very fine cleaning needle or wire.

MSR is not great at supporting out of production products. They won't supply replacement fuel lines for 30 year old stoves like mine. I sourced a piece of fuel line and hose clamps from McMaster/Carr when I started to worry about my fuel line getting brittle.

KC8QVO

I'll take a look at the stove again tomorrow. I took it apart last year to go through it and the end of the cable that goes up through the coil was extremely stiff and discolored.

I have cleaned the jet.

Tourist in MSN

I assume you are using white gas (or Coleman fuel) and not kerosene in your MSR. I mention this because I have never had white gas clog up the innards of any of my stoves. But when running kerosene in my Optimus Nova, I had soot accumulating in the stove innards. There are some grooves in the needle valve rod in my Optimus that I had to clean out with my knife blade, which was a hassle but I was a week away from civilization so had to do the only thing you can do.

Regarding stoves that have a good simmer, I think my Primus Omnifuel simmers nicely. Primus has re-designed that stove at least twice after I bought mine, so before buying one you might ask others what they think of the Omnifuel and how well it simmers. Or do some searches on this forum for Omnifuel. My Omnifuel works great on white gas, but I found it to work poorly with kerosene. When using kerosene (with the kerosene jet) I had the best luck with a mixture of one part white gas and three parts kerosene in both my Primus and Optimus stoves.

I have never owned an MSR, have not tried to work on them and have no suggestions.

Prowler 

I'll admit I don't know anything about this but I wonder: does that cable look anything like a shifter cable? If so visit your LBS and ask for the cut-off from a new cable (we always have several inches of cable to cut off when replacing a F derailleur cable). On new cables the end is welded so the strands do not ravel. Nice stainless steel and very flexible. Might that serve as a replacement for your carboned up cable? If so, go back and get a couple of spares.

This may be "way out in left field" though.

indyfabz

Want simmer? Pony up for a Draggonfly and be done with it.

seeker333

I have a MSR Whisperlite Internationale purchased ~1990. I used it with kerosene, white gas/Coleman fuel and unleaded gas, but mostly Coleman, for some conventional cooking but mostly boiling water/dehydrated meals. I do not recall much "low flame" use or associated problems, but it was a long time ago. As I used it primarily for backpacking, I was happy to set it aside around 1994 for the much smaller and lighter Snowpeak Gigapower. I've used the Gigapower a lot and it is pretty good IMO. More recently I have tried alcohol stoves, a homemade one and a Trangia. The Trangia is not bad with the right pot stand/windscreen. I found that seemingly minor changes in a homemade stand/screen had a major effect on boil time, so some experimentation and testing are needed for optimal results.

If I were starting the "stove journey" over today I might get a cheap Chinese clone compatible with popular brand fuel cartridges and be done with it.

Tourist in MSN

I mostly agree, but I would still want a liquid fuel stove with a pump for colder weather. And on the ones that use a canister, I have a higher level of trust in major brands that have been around a long time. I have a Snow Peak and a couple of Primus ones that work well on the threaded butane mix canisters. And a couple years ago I got lucky on Ebay and got a Superfly that works on both the threaded canisters and also the unthreaded canisters that are common in and near France.

grizzly59

My guess, your generator tube has crud in it like folks said above. Remove the cable, jet, and shaker needle. Carb cleaner, lacquer thinner, etc. nasty strong solvent illegal in California, soak a few hours, blow out with compressed air. Maybe repeat. A length of copper wire may go a ways down the tube and help clean it out. Stainless steel toothbrush will help clean the cable. Also check that the pump is actually putting pressure in the bottle. My MSR stove is an old model GK, a bit simpler from 1978.

simmerlite manual

KC8QVO

For reference - here are a couple pictures of the cable and my extraction process - required vice grips to get enough grip on it to pull it, and push it back in.

I am not sure if trying to shove a copper wire through there is going to work. I have some 12 gauge Romex laying around, but that seems too thick. Stranded wire wouldn't work - too soft. I will have to see if I have any smaller diameter solid wire to try. 16 gauge might be ideal, not sure if I have any though...

KC8QVO

I looked that one up. I like. 2 throttles - one at the tank and one at the stove. It does look like a noticeably larger stove, however it does run on all types of fuel also... Thats another big plus.

Patty Up North

I would like to point out the Optimus Optifuel Polaris, if it comes to a new stove.

We have it, using it on bicycle tours, camping, and even hauling it on hiking trips. I just can´t say enough good things about it. It burns everything you could imagine, need no jets replaced, nozzle clean is done with a magnetic tool (OK, MSR have the tool free shaker jet) and the overall build quality is on a much higher level than the MSR stoves ive seen other tourers running.
All steel (and other metals, aluminium, brass) construction, threaded fuel connection and a really good simmer control. Threaded connection between pump and fuel line. Super sturdy stove.

If you are used to multifuel stoves, you already know the startup hassle, wich the Optifuel also needs. Fuelbottle 0.6L fits in a standard bottle cage. It is a bit noisy, we have the Bernie Dawg silencer cap, that make it sound like an ideling cannister stove. Worth it - wich makes the total bundle a bit pricy.

I am sure the MSR stoves have given a bunch of solid cooking for a lot of people, but I just can´t help thinking the plastic pump looks like a toy...

Also, cast a glance on the Primus stoves.

KC8QVO

This one?

https://www.moosejaw.com/product/opt...stove_10311559

Patty Up North

Can't open the link...

This one
https://www.amazon.com/Optimus-Polar.../dp/B00TQKACS0

indyfabz

Doos not burn butane. Only liquid fuels. I make relatively elaborate meals if a lot of people on this forum are any indication. (Never eaten Ramen on tour even one day.) I have been using a Dragonfly for 20 years. If you're a "boiled water cooker," you don't need one.

Tourist in MSN

That Polaris Optifuel looks like an Optimus Nova with the ability to use a butane mix canister besides the liquid fuels.
https://www.optimusstoves.com/us/us/...laris-optifuel

But to get the stove to work on all fuels with one jet, they might use a different jet than the Nova. My Primus Omnifuel uses a kerosene jet, a white gas (or I call it Coleman fuel) jet and a butane jet. The Omnifuel uses different jets for different fuels because each fuel has a different air to fuel ratio for optimum burning, I am not sure how Optimus can get by with one jet, but they appear to have figured that out.

i commented above in post five that I had some clogging problems with my Nova and had to clean out soot from the stove innards after using kerosene. But on Coleman fuel the Nova has been a pretty good stove. I brought a Nova on my Iceland trip.

Stove worked great on my Iceland trip, but that is the last time I will ever clean a stove to TSA requirements for air travel. From now on only using butane mix canister stoves when I fly somewhere.

Optimus Nova in action in the photo in Iceland, Shifted the two pots back and forth ever minute or two to keep both warm on one burner. (On a different thread recently I showed a photo of the same type of pasta meal but on a butane mix stove.)

Bearonabike

Go retro. I have one of these, it's awesome. Find them on E Bay. Not cheap though and not quite as hot as a more modern stove, but indestructible.


Optimus 8R

KC8QVO

Thanks for the suggestion.

When I was at my cabins last summer I was digging around in the attic of one of our buildings. We've all put stuff up there over the generations. Some of my great grandfathers lanterns ended up in there. And... I found a like-new, lightly used white gas Coleman stove with the oldschool burners similar to this one. I am not sure what vintage it is. It is a dual burner suitcase stove, so not something for biking or backpacking, but it is a gem of a find, to me anyway. I have it back here at home. I have not looked at it real close or tried to light it yet. I have not had the occasion. When I have cooked or brewed coffee on my travels (road, in the truck) I have been using propane stoves with the 1lb bottles (I use the refillable ones from Flameking).

Maybe this spring or summer I can make a weekend project out of going over the stove and see about lighting it.

The one thing I did notice about it is there is a primary burner and a secondary burner. The primary is the one that you prime. The secondary you do not. So this makes it impossible to balance use between burners so you aren't running the same one all the time when you just need 1 burner.

Wiggle

We have the Whisperlite International. It has been good to us and reliable. It can simmer but it's a bit touchy at the bottom end.

Tourist in MSN

Inspect the fuel tank first to make sure it is not rusted out before you pressurize it by pumping it up. Those Coleman stoves worked quite well, but primed better in warm weather. There is a small lever that you turn one way to light and the other way to burn after it has primed. Spare parts used to be readily available. I have one in the garage that I should pass on to a younger family member, I only use my small backpacking size stoves now when car camping.

Trevtassie

Wonder what these are like? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3280...archweb201603_ Almost tempted to try one for a laugh!

Tourist in MSN

That looks similar in some ways to an old Primus stove made maybe two decades ago?

I have a Primus stove that has a generator tube that runs over the top where the flame heats it up. It flares up a bit when priming when the liquid fuel in that tube starts to change to vapor phase rather quickly.