The Washington herald., 1911-10-02
LESSON In CARE
OF CARBURETERS
How to Cure Balkiness Is
Made Clear.

Whenever the engine has been misbe-
having for length of time and the owner
of the car has reached the conclusion
that it behooves him to do a little tinker
ing and thus cut down the repair bills,
he will almost invariably start to work
on the carbureter, no matter what the
previous symptoms may have been, says
writer in The Automobile.
In doing this he not only exercises a
commendable spirit of economy, but a
very unenviable lack of foresight Any
carbureter will baIk II 1t is clogged with
foreign matter or II 1t Is not regulated
so that the best carburetion may be had
at the greatest range of speeds; but when
an inexperienced motorist-or perhaps an
experienced motorist and an inexperienced
repairman-starts 10 work with a ham
mer and screw driver, the result is very
sure to be not only a balk, but a per-
manent disinclination on the part Of the
carbureter to work at all.
The symptoms of carbureter trouble are
sometimes rather elusive, II Is true but
they may be located by n careful process
OF elimination which will after a while
bring the searcher down to the heart of
the matter. If the trouble is finally To-
Gated in the Carbureter and the matter
is lack Of suitable adjustment and not
piece OF cotton waste in the needle
valve or other foreign matter the adjust
ment will have to be systematically taken
up and not done in an erratic fashion,
as this will only lead to greater trouble
and dismay on the part of the operator.
Almost any Carbureter on the market
will give very satisfactory service for
limited range OF action. but this range is
often found 10 be too small. and it is
81
ment. The action of the instrument may
be all right at low speeds and all wrong
at high, or the opposite may be the case.
according to the original factory adjust
ment.
In the case of a fOat-feed carbureter,
the gasoline level rises in the float cham
be- gradually, lifting the buoyant float
until the proper level is reached so that
the surface of the gasoline is about one
thirty second OF an inch below the nozzle
Of the jet and the current of air in pass
ing by the jet will suck the gasoline
through the orifice in the form OF a
spray. After having approximately regu-
lated the gasoline level so that the float
will close the needle valve at the proper
time, the next regulation will be in the
way of a proper adjustment for the
amount Of air permitted to be drawn
through the carbureter at medium
speeds.
After having the carbureter regulated
so that II will work satisfactorily at me-
dium speeds with the correct spark ad
vance. throttle the engine and retard the
spark: if heating results. close the needle
valve opening slightly and observe the
action. The needle valve should be closed
until the motor does not smoke and runs
satisfactorily then run the engine Oh
medium speed again and make any slight
adjustment necessary. The same process /
should be gone through repeatedly until
the motor will run well on both medium
and low speeds. The adjustment is then
made for high speeds in the same man.
ner. with due regard for the auxiliary air
regulation if there is any.
The difficulties of satisfactory carbure-
ton are. of course. much greater at low !
speeds than at high speeds, and there is |.
a great tendency to draw the liquid gaso- !
line through the manifolds In solid
globuIes instead OF the fine spray which !
is the ideal state in which to attain !
perfect vaporiZation. The gasoline II (
drawn through the inlet valve in the .
form Of a liquid will tend to form a car /
bon deposit in the cylinder.