I bought a lighter i knew didn’t work at an antiques shop today. it is a Brother-Lite Automatic Super lighter. I first noticed that there was gunk where the flint was supposed to go, so i took it apart and cleaned that out, no problem…now i put it back together ( which is a pain) and now the wheel will not turn. i don’t think it turned when i bought it either…do i need a new wheel? where would i get one if i need one? Also there was some sort of spacer thing in there when i took it apart, and it just kind of fell out…i am not sure where it goes…any help would be cool…i wish i could post some picks but i do not have the neccesary tools. sorry.
Does the wheel turn when the flint and its spring are not in the lighter? If not, then you’ll need to fix it. It might just need some penetrating oil. (Although I’m not sure how this would affect its friction on the flint once it’s loose.) If it does turn when the flint is out, but not when it’s in, then it may be hanging up on the flint.
the wheel does not turn either way, the cogs that turn the wheel are missing the wheel completely. there seems to be some spacing issue…i will try tightening the screws on the side to see if that helps
no!!! they are as tight as they can go. cogs still missing…wheel…does not …work. blast, well maybe i just need something new.
if this helps any, the lighter is one of those flat lighters from the 50’s…the ones that are really skinny and long, with a flip top snuffer…that’s all
I wasn’t sure from your OP, but did you put in a new flint? That little slug on the end of the spring is metal, and it will jam the spark wheel.
yes i did put in a new flint, but the spark wheel will not turn whether it is in or out. it won’t turn when the spring flint pusher thing is in or out. here is a pic of kind of what it looks like.pic
the problem is around the screw near the front.
Perhaps the flint is too long?
Oh, I’m sorry - missed your last. That’s the only advice I have, sorry. 
Not really related, but how much did you pay for that. My dad has about a dozen of them somewhere. I think they all say Phillips 66 (or some other gas station logo) on it. They’re all in perfect condition wrapped in tissue each in their own little box (I think). I’ve always wondered how much they’re worth. Obviosly they won’t be worth the exact same as what you paid, but I’ve always been curious to find out if they’re worth $100 or $2 a piece.
i bought mine for about ten dollars, it is shorter than the one in the pic, and where the logo for a company would be, it is wrapped in black leather. it is a sleek little thing…quite attractive…if i could only get it to work, all would be well.
Perhaps this will help. The design puzzle in these is converting the up-and-down of the thumb key to rotation of the spark wheel and the flame snuffer (which are usually on the same axis.) It’s often done with a spring steel pawl that pushes on a little ratchet washer, which mates with the spark wheel. I’m guessing the spacer you said fell out was the ratchet wheel. If you can locate the driving pawl, then the ratchet goes where it can mate with the pawl. In a full-size ratchet, the pawl rides on the rim, but on these tiny ones, it slides along the side.