Just put a new Zippo flint in my lighter and the wheel jams up and won't turn. Very frustrating. Any suggestions? I've had this one for 35 years and this is the first time it's caused me problems.
Help! My Zippo Won't Spark.
- Thread starter edger
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Maybe try another flint?
The one you just put in may be an incompatible hardness for some reason. Or maybe it just needs to seat fully and the contour needs to wear to match the wheel a little bit. You never know what the real issue might be but that's where I'd start.
The one you just put in may be an incompatible hardness for some reason. Or maybe it just needs to seat fully and the contour needs to wear to match the wheel a little bit. You never know what the real issue might be but that's where I'd start.
did you get the remains of the old flint out?
Sometime if a tiny piece is left it gets between the wheel and new flint and jams it
Sometime if a tiny piece is left it gets between the wheel and new flint and jams it
Turn the wheel the other way a few times and you're good.
Good suggestions above. The same has happened to me on occasion. I can usually get it working by rotating the wheel backwards and then forward, but it could also be flint related as mentioned...
I've always had problems with those pipe inserts. I think the wheels on them are of a lesser quality or something, because I have to sometimes clean them with a solvent, like alcohol or acetone with an old electric toothbrush to get them to spark again, and sometimes nothing I've tried works. I've never had this problem with the original inserts. And, some pipe inserts don't have this problem. 
It's a phenomena.
It's a phenomena.
Yes the few times that happened to me, I had to turn the wheel the other way a few times.
and in the absolute worst case scenario, contact Zippo. Their lifetime repair statement is no joke and they stand behind it.
Roll the wheel forward then back. I've had a few where I had to break the flint in half, then it worked fine. I stopped buying flints a while back and started salvaging them from dead bics. Exactly the same, and I usually get 3 zippo sized replacements out of a single used bic flint.
It’s ridiculous how big the flint is in a Bic
when I was a kid on vacation in Florida I found an empty spuds Mackenzie bic on the beach. I kept it for years just sparking the wheel. As far as I know the flint never ran out and I can only assume my mom threw it away.
so I guess I was kind of a pre-Beavis
I remember finding lighters when I was a child. It felt like a gift from god to my little kid mind.
Roll the wheel backward for awhile. It will wear out the flint just a bit and will let you use it as before.
On a dupont clone I had a small piece of flint that was almost out kind of turn sideways and jam just before touching the striker wheel so it just spun freely. Finally I got it out and a new flint in and worked fine. So it’s quite possible that the same thing happened here. Are you using a Zippo or Ronson flint?
And if you cant turn the wheel backwards also, take the new flint out, turn the wheel backwards & forwards. tap lighter in your hand till little piece of old flint falls out. Put the new one in and spark away.
Sometimes the new flints are too coarse and there is too much friction to turn the wheel. When this happens to me, I roll the wheel on something very grippy, like a flat rug, and force the wheel to turn, smoothing out the top of the flint.
edger...Well...ahem, HELLO!....Did anything help?...(Killin me Bro)...
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