Omaha daily bee., 1911-08-06
BREAKS AXE EASY TO REPAIR
Too Often the Auto Owner Looks in
the Wrong Place for Trouble.
IGNTTIoN IS A USUAL CAUSE
Imperfect Combustion is One of the
Most Frequent Causes-water In
the CarburetOr stops
the Engine.

"
the odds are very great that the fault
can be rectined in a few moments when
once IL has been found: but unless a sys-
tematic method OF seeking the lesion be
adopted half an hour may be speut In
diagnosis and half a minute in treatment
Unfortunately the tendency OF the human
mind is always, until initiated. to suspect
and search for the most unlikely and com
pick causes Of failure when the real cause
Is simple and obvious II II be only looked
for in a rational manner.
I have known the owner of a steam car,
in such an instance, to go most carefully
over the whole engine and mechanism
and then, falling TO find anything wrong.
TO telephone 10 the nearest agency, some
twenty miles away for mechanics to be
sent out Immediately. When they ar
rived he had the satisfaction Of paying
them so or SIS for the information that
his water tank was empty. q contingency
that had never occurred 20 him though
he had taken off his crank-case and all
but pulled his engine 10 pieces In search
ing for the inexplicable reason Of its stop
ping.
In a Fasoline-propelled car the most fire.
ouer,t causes of failure are TO be found
in the ignition circuit; this. therefore
should be the first object of overhauling
II manufactured the most frequent seat
Of failure will be found TO be the lead
wire from the magnetic which has De
come insulated at the binding screw De
cause of OIL which is non-eonductor'
penetrating the contact. In this case the
indications are complete failure 10 10
Unite in all the cylinders; the cure II OBJ
vfous.
Consider the Cost.
II the ignition be irregular and insuf-
ficient to drive the car, but capable OF
keeping the engine running more or less
ierlOily when free from load. the spark
should be advanced to the utmost length
of the quadrant: should this procure sat
isfactory ignition, the fault Is Win tne
(adiustment Of the coil vibrator which may
be easily remedied. though It may require
| 10 be dressed down with enery-cloth be-
A fore complete recovery IL obtained II the
failure be confined to one or two GYM
aers. the fault Il obviousfny not In the
1snarator but in the conducting me-
d,um. which, with a jump-Epark ignition
t,atallv means q short circuit IN inc
sparix-plug. In a make ana break isni-
t,on ON the other hand, snort CIRCUIT
viii atom ignition In the whole engine ana
n hroken spring may be suspected, wnacn
.uova the hammer to lie continuously IN
contact, cutting off al current rom tne
pshsr cylinders. A loose or defecnve wire
Svtu of course affect an the parts wnacn
n supplies with current; II. therefore, 1ne
vibrator buzses when the car u cranAeo'
but mo ignition occurs. the whole wiring
-, tba coil and the cylinders must
~ investigated with four-cyhnder cars
sauura IN one cylinder win not STOP
,,,o,,9h n will slow down the car; the
.as,,Iar rnfss-fire Is audible and followed
nv explosions in the muffler; 10 deter
\,,,,na which cylinder Is at fauN Is an
80 matter II the engine be cranked
slowly or run free
vv,tb total failure to ignite IN battery
tsnition. the lead wires, contacts ana lne
ellis themselves should be tested as tne
1auIt may be short circuit broken circuit
or polarized cells.
In double-ignition cars, failure 70 genef
ate current is easily proved or eiinlinA eeu
NV .uttehinE on the cells and magnetic al
s....alxy. AZ both fail 10 ignite q break
Sou-n IN the conducting apparatus "a almost
certain
Imperfect Combination.
Next in frequency to ignition troubles
Incomes imperfect combustion, the most
usual causes Of which are defective gas
mixture and defective compression The
causes Of the former are water in the car
buretor or flooding due to dirt in the needle
valve. clogging a feed pipe. or sticking OF
an air-valve Draining off the contents
Of the carburetor viii eliminate the erSt
two; failure Of 1t TO I'll again viii reveal
the third. while the last can be demon
strated by investigating the valve-it IL, OF
course. assumed that the gasoline tank has
been ascertained 20 r. full.
Defective compression IL not likely 70
arise suddenly in more than one cylinder;
e may, therefore. be disregarded when the
failure includes all four. When It does
..-Aecur Il IL easily located II the engine be
run free or cranked with the relief-cocks
In the cylinder heads open two at a time;
the difference IN the emanation from the
cocks OF the imperfect combustion and the
perfect sufficiently palpable 70 both
hand, ear and eye. Defective compression
may be caused by q leak around spark
pIug or relief cock or by the intervention
OF a foreign body between an inlet-valve
and its seat; in the first two cases
wrench. and IN the last a syringerul OF
gasoline win remove the trouble. Other
causes OF defective compression are a weak
or broken valve spring. pitted valve, PTS
ton-rings clogged or worked around so
that the breaks in them are in line
broken vaive-stem-
II the Driver knows.
When a valve or its spring are at fault
a new one may be substituted on the road
Il the driver be confident Of his ability TO
time Il correctly when inserted; piston
trouble will be best left alone TIL a gar
age can be reached. driving on three cylin-
ders being infinitely preferable 10 eN-
posing the interior OF the engine 70 the
dust OF the road.
II an engine runs stifely or be hard TO
crank. q defect in the oil supply is indi-
Gated; this may result nom an empty oil
tank. a cIogged tube. or failure Of the oil
pump which Is generally due TO clogging.
The remedy Is TO force gasoline through
,<the oinng system by means OF powerful
syringe. then 10 pour oil into the crank
case. start the engine and let II right
itself: all the OIL however. should be re-
moved at the next stopping place and
kerosene substituted for IL; after a Wig
orous eranking this should be drained off
ana the oil tank renlled-
In case Of break down on the road both
efvoa and labor Will be saved II the fol-