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#189192 - 02/18/15 10:20 PM Presumably old whisperlite needs o-rings, which?
Jackamo Offline
member

Registered: 11/06/11
Posts: 50
Loc: Central Oregon
Hi folks,
In an effort to stay legal during summer fire season, and avoid cold weather complications, I bought a used MSR whisperlite on Craigslist to use in lieu of the alcohol stove. I knew when I bought it wasn't a shaker jet, and I've read on another forum that the yellow fabric-sheathed fuel line indicates its a first generation.
On the first attempt to light it, the fuel bottle gurgled from where the hose would connect as soon as it was pressurized, and it formed a small puddle of fuel beneath the connection with the hose connected.
I'm guessing the o-rings are dried up and need to be replaced, but from what've seen, the pump assembly is a little different on newer models than this one. I've found o-rings in the form of an annual maintenance kit online, but I wonder if these o-rings will work in my older pump.
If not, will a newer pump work in this old stove and fuel bottle combo?
Any help is greatly appreciated.



Edited by Jackamo (02/19/15 12:13 AM)
_________________________
He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.
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#189195 - 02/18/15 10:34 PM Re: Presumably old whisperlite needs o-rings, which? [Re: Jackamo]
Bill67 Offline
newbie

Registered: 02/13/15
Posts: 9
Loc: Arizona, USA
You can use the O rings that come in the annual maintenance kit, the diameter never changed between the first generation stoves and the latest generations.

What has changed though is the fuel line on the Whisperlite is now a braided metal which is more durable, less prone to leakage. The pump has also changed significantly and the older pumps have a tendency to break where the plunger goes in the pump body and where the check valve at the other end of the pump goes into the pump body.

You can't change the fuel line to the new style but you can change the entire pump to a new one, for a price.

Reality is get an new o ring and use the stove cautiously and hopefully get some value out of it. I have a first generation Whisperlite and it is only kept for collection sake and I won't use it because of the hazard of the fabric covered fuel line and the easy to beak pump retainers. Hope you get to use yours safely.

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#189196 - 02/18/15 10:55 PM Re: Presumably old whisperlite needs o-rings, which? [Re: Jackamo]
Glenn Roberts Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
Have you tried contacting MSR customer service directly? I've always had good luck with them ("always" is twice, both times to solve problems caused by operator error.)


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#189197 - 02/18/15 11:10 PM Re: Presumably old whisperlite needs o-rings, which? [Re: Jackamo]
hikerduane Offline
member

Registered: 02/23/03
Posts: 2124
Loc: Meadow Valley, CA
You can source O-rings in a old style auto parts stove, will cost though. Send MSR an email and ask if the newer kits will work. The old style fuel line may be an issue, I changed mine out years ago for the newer style fuel line. I have the original Int'l style from '89. Sounds more like an issue with the bigger O-ring at the top of the threads on the pump. If you look close, you should see cracks. The MSR stoves will work for years, easily maintained. The old black and grey pumps are fine. The collar that holds the pump plunger in, can unscrew a little, causing its halves to fall out and you into a near panic if in the dark or over an old fire pit if that happens. smile There is a small O-ring inside the bottom end of the pump, it could get hard and not allow the ball in there to not make a proper seal, allowing fuel to escape, not good on a gas stove. Once again, they are easy to work on, I have over 2 dozen old MSR stoves, going back to the original model 9. The worse MSR pump is the red/blue version that came with the early DragonFlies.
Duane

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#189247 - 02/19/15 10:40 PM Re: Presumably old whisperlite needs o-rings, which? [Re: hikerduane]
Jackamo Offline
member

Registered: 11/06/11
Posts: 50
Loc: Central Oregon
Thanks all for the advice and prompt responses, the o-ring that would tighten down against the bottle is in pretty rough shape, but they're all pretty dry and stiff, so I might as well replace all of them before I take it out into the field. There's a few outdoor gear stores in this town, and I've seen them online as well. I'll have to see if I can find a jet cleaning tool and drill a hole in the handle to tie it to something, I've already lost the one it came with...
_________________________
He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.
-Samuel Johnson

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