My random flare ups occurred as a result of clogging, which caused a weak initial flame followed by liquid fuel sputtering into the bowl. Sometimes the clogging occurred during cooking, the stove burned slow and cooled down, and then when I pumped up the pressure it squirted liquid fuel and flared up.
Yep, sounds like clogging all right. Interesting. I've never had those kinds of problems with a Whisperlite, and I've frequently used fuel that was multiple years old (Coleman brand).
I have some guesses as to what's going on, but you don't live nearby (and aren't all that interested in your Whisperlite!), so I guess it's not worth working on.
As for the Whisperlite Universal, at the very least it's a nice remote inverted canister gas stove that will operate in much colder temperatures than upright canister stoves -- and handle some pretty big pots. If someone were in the market for a stove with those attributes, then the W'lite Universal might be a good practical choice.
HJ
