davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03
Copyright, 1918, BY W. H. Stewart, j.
By WILLIAM H. STEWART, j

Motoring Department The Herald
My -- car was recently in a first
class repair shop. and as personally
watched the work 7 am positive that il
was thoroughly taken apart. and that
new parts were installed where neces-
Sary- Before the work was done the
motor had a knock. which I thought to
be bearing knock. In repairing the
motor all the bearings were properly
adjusted. and as the knock continues
know that it is not due to a loose
bearing Several mechanics have tried
10 locate this knock but have failed to
noise does not seem to be so loud as
when running idle. Is it possible that
one Of the gears is loose on the shafts2
We have tried setting the spark in
several positions, thinking that pos
slbly the knock may be due to this. So
FAR We have failed. What would you
suggest might be the troubles. T.
Motor knocks are hard to locate and
may arise from a number of causes.
rom what Won say il seems more
than likely that your trouble lies in
the half-time gears and shafts. A
SlShuE sprung cam shaft will cause
your trouble, or if one of the cams on
the shaft is loose it viii produce your
trouble Would suggest that you take
a piece OF steel IN your teeth and sound
over the various parts Of the motor in
order to locate the knock. A loose cam
smart bearing viii also cause the trOu-
bic, but II IS more than likely that a
cam shaft is slightly bent
Motorinf Department, The Herald
Ny car is equipped with one Of the
latest types fun floating axles. but 1t
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

1.-THE writer has recently concluded
a series of experiments for the
l. purpose of ascertaining the action
Of deDatlred alcohol in automobile en-
zine cylinders i'm which there were car
bon deposits. The following IS a prlet
outline of the experiments conoucleu
and the results obtained
Completely denatured alcohol con
sfsts of ethyl alcohol CO. H6 o. made
Undrinlable by the addition or otheI
ingredients according to an dppIO go
formula. tO-Wlt. 100 parts ethyl alcOnO4'
10 Darts wood alcohol and One-hdlL part
benziue The average chemical compo-
sftiou of denatured alcohol is as FOL
lows;
hydrogen -.--.-.-.....-. 1855 percent
Carbon ........... 47.OS percent
OXYGEN ..-.-.-.........-- 1924 percent
4 quantity Of denatured alcohol made
according to the United States INTERNAL
revenue regulations and Instructions
under the act of June Z. 1906, and the
amendatOry act of March >, 1917, was
obtained 1t was cOlOrless- HlOD-AS
fluid with a peculiar SplrltuOus Ouot
and sharp burning taste Tests Win
Iiruus showed il TO contain neither free
acid nor alkali- When burned IN an
open receptacle it produced Ilane
which was slightly orange IN color al
the tins OF the flame. The flame OF un-
denatured ethyl alcohol when burned
under the same conditions did not snow
the orange color at the tips; Dut the
characteristic light blue name winch
we associate with burning alcohol BOJh
denatured and undenatured ethyl alco-
hoL burned completely without smoke
and without leaving a deposit IN the
receptacle
Causes OF Carbon Deposits.
The subject of cylinder incrusJatlonS
or carbOnizatiOn is, Of course. closely
related TO the subjects Of fabrication
and carburetiOn and there seems to be
a divergence of opinion as TO whether
most of the carbon found in the com
bustiOn space of cylinders is due TO fuel
or the Iubricating oil. 1t is sometimes
concluded that because the deposits
found upOn piston heads are Of a very
solid nature and not fluffy like gasoline
SCOT the carbon composing these De
pOsits sometimes appear slightly Oily
and il must be remembered that gener-
ally the surfaces of the combustion
space are covered with an oily film
which forms an adhesive surface per
fectly adapted TO catch and hold what
ever gasoline SCOT or other solid mat
ter is brought into contact with them
II seems reasonable that a mass OF oily
carbon would be built up. If fresh oil
and fresh carbon were being constantly
supplied to these surfaces and that
the heat Of combustion would serve &c
consolidate these materials
The Conclusion.
Therefore. IL does not seem necessary
TO assume that the lubricaTing oil IS
decomposed. to account for the carbon
using an Overrich mixture 1t is, how
ever, probable that the oil is also be
ing decOmpOsed- when one considers
that generally in an engine which has
run for some time. the underside of the
piston head is coated with carbon de-
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

posit 1t might be well to mention
here that a chemical analysis of so,
called carbon deposit from the cOmbus-
tiOn space o. an automobile engine.
especially if this deposit has been
formed during the summer months
when the roads are dusty, viii very
likely show a percentage OF silicates,
which have been introduced in the form
OF road dust, held in suspension by the
air passing through the carburetOr.
This dust upon coming in contact with
an oily surface of the combustion space
lodges there and combines with tbs
carbon deposited, whether from the de
composition of the lubrlcatlng oil or
the fuel, to form the demonstrations.
some engineers claim that with the
high test oils now In general use which
do not give Off COmbusCble vapOrS
below 400 degrees F., there seems very
little likelihood of any such action as
the cracking or direct carbOnizatiOn
OF oil upon the internal surface Of a
properly cooled motor The exhaust
valve and portions Of the piston head
may however be exceptions In the case
Of the engine which is given TO self
ignition, because in this case the oil
upon the hottest surfaces may carbon
ize-
An analysis Of cylinder deposits will
always reveal trace of iron which
undoubtedly comes from the rubbing
surfaces of the piston and cylinder.
Necessity for Removing Deposits.
The presence Of carbon deposits on
the surfaces Of the combustion space
of any type Of engine is to be avoided
because the radiation Of heat to the
outside surfaces of the cylinder is re-
tarded The presence Of these deposits
causes spontaneous ignition, which is
a common source Of rapid depreciation
OF the working parts Of one engine.
IN addition 10 affecting the ecOnOm-
zeal and quiet operation Of the engine.
Where the deposits are present in
sufficient quantity, depending upon
the design Of the engine and the SER
vice in which it is employed. the oper-
alton Of the engine may be entirely
prevented, due to spontaneous igni-
ton The phenomenon OF spontaneous
ignition sometimes called pre-fgni-
ton or Self-ignitiOn) is explained a.
follows; When the engine is in oper-
alton the temperature OF the gases in
the combustion space during the per-
iOd Of combustion, is sufficiently high
to raise the temperature Of the car
bon deposit to q red heat The re-
suit is that the deposit retains the
heat impaired to 1t during the power
stroke and serves to ignite the new
charge Of inflammable gas on the fol-
lowing compression stroke. The re-
suit IS that the ignition Of the gas
and consequent high explosive pres
sure occurs while the piston is on the
up stroke. the effect being that the
denly stop the engine and reverse its
direction or rotation Carbon depos-
its are frequently the source Of loss OF
compression because Of the flaky hard
nature Of these deposits, which will
present the proper closure Of the
valves If a small part of the deposit
I~o-+r-rrsI
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

SlSS$S <SSS~S~-. <-SS7S'SSr'> -
&. HELPFUL HINTS To .
= MOTOR CAR OWNERS .
80 90 oo@&o@3%<oS-@%
The usual method of starting the
motor when the crank is broken is to
get the machine rolling and then drop
IN the clutch with the gear in high If
no means OF acquiring the required mo-
mentum are at Rand. and the motor
cannot be started by printing and turn
ing on the spark, chOck one Of the rear
wheels 50 as to prevent the car rolling
jack up the other rear wheel and put
/ the gears in high BY turning the
wheel which is free from the ground
the motor can be started, but extreme
care should be exercised TO prey the
Jack from falling. This method should
never be tried unless a competent per-
son is in the drivers seat.
Although cracked cylinders usually
manifest themselves in an unmiStaG-
able manner. attended by absolute fal-
ure TO fire. crack near the lower end
close to the crankcase may be more di1-
fcuit to locate. though its presence
generally can be detected by an an
nOying knock which develops after the
engine has been run for snort time
The knock may not be percepuGle
when the engine is cold, due TO Inc
fact that the crack then is closed tight
heated the metal expands and opens
the crack. The knock generally is
caused by one of the piston rings catch
ing in the crack
The blades of some fans have an OBJ
jectionable habit Of working loose on
account of defective riveting at me
hubs and for this reason new ran
should be rather carefully watched
for q time A loose blade can do
good deal of damage and when one
blade goes the rest of the fan often 3
damaged. if running at very high speed.
because Of the lack Of balance
Excessive carDOnizatiOn in any one
single cylinder generally can be at
tributed To worn and consequently
leaky piston rings. which allow OF TOO
the crankcGse past the rings TO the
combustion chamber Obviously, the
remedy consists in fitting new rings
One good way to insert a refractory
valve spring is to compress II IN wise
and tie it with Irvine After ii Is IN
place and the cOtter key has been IN
serted, il is a simple matter TO snip the
spring
Where caps OF cast bronze are
screwed into the openings over valves
IL sometimes happens that the metal
viii be so thin in one place that II VIII
be fractured by the explosion pressure
This. Of course. is a somewhat rare Oc-
known. and in case of mysterious trou-
bic il is well to take glance at tne
caps.
Soldering solutions containing acid
are not suitable for use in making
electrical connections because the acid.
which is very difficult to remove en-
tirely. is likely to COrrOde the wires
in time and interrupt the circuit This
is especially true in the case OF fine
wiring. Acid also is destructive TO in
sulatiOn.
A mistake that not infreQuently is
made is the washing of tires with
mixture of kerosene and water en-
This is anything but right as oil is
plOyed for washing the body OF car
bad for rubber
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

seems impossible to eliminate the noise
/ in the two large bevel gears. We have
tried several adjustments of the gears.
that is. in adjusting the smaller pinion
gear, thinking that possibly the small
gear may be meshed too tightly with
the large gear The noise is not a
steady noise. but irregular, and no mat
ter what adjustment we tried we can
not eliminate the disaEreeabIe hum We
have even tried different grades OF
lubricant. thinking that possibly a
heavy grade would help kill the noise.
The axle and gears are not worn badly.
and we do not understand why this
trouble should result. Can you offer
any suggestion as to the cause and how
TO fix samee-PerpleXed MOtOrist
1t is evident that the large beveI gear
is not running true The differential
unit itself may be suspended properly
and in proper alignment, but It occa-
sionally happens that the large beveI
gear warps- This gear is usually bolted
or riveted to the differentiaI casting
and il the bevel gear was originally
slightly warped 1t would be impOsSib BILE
TO have 1t run true and thus cause the
trouble you have outlined It is not Q
difficult matter to remove the rear cap
Of the axle housing and with the beVei
gear turning determine whether same
Is running true or not. The fact that
the humming noise is irregular would
in itself indicate that either the large
bevel gear or the pinion gear and shaft
Is not running true
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

There's a difference between a
Chalmers ride and merely an
automobile ride.
Just as there a difference be-
tween train rides. You know that
the Limited Is more comfort
able, smoother riding than the
accommodation.
Just as there is a difference be
tween horses. You know that
a thoroughbred - mettlesome,
trained, perfectly-gaited - is
more pleasureable to ride than .,
poorly bred though mouth.
So is the self-cranking, light
footed, powerful, luxurious Chat
mers more pleasureabIe than 9th
er cars.
The powerful long stroke mo-
tor pulls smoothly on any road,
steadily up any hill. A walking
pace when you want to loaf; ex-
press train speed when you re-
qulre 1t.
The four-forward speed trans
mission gives the flexibility
which makes handling easy. You
creep through heavy traffic o.
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

An increase in the number Of cylin-
ders lessons the necessity for a large
IIyWheel because the tOrque increases
In smOOthness with the addition in
more cylinders. but even in the case OF
an eight cylinder engine. it would be
necessary to have some sort OF a TO
tatinE balancing member in order to
get smOOthness Of action.
The flyWheels Of multi-cylinder mo-
tors used in automobiles are made as
small as it is possible to make them
and still secure even running.
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

Motoring Department. The Herald
Ny six cylinder car seems 10 be feed
ing too much oil ! cannot keep the
spark plugs clean The trouble seems
to be in the No. cylinder more than
in any Of the others Oil oOzes out OF
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

Motoring Department. The Herald
Has flyWneel Of a six cylinder motor
less weight than a flyWheel used on q
four cylinder MOTOR Why is fly
wheel necessary on a gasoline motor?
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03


/ Motoring Department The Herald
: a. What are shims used for, and
/ B. Why does advancing the spark
3 quickly vreak crankshafts2
g VIII putting kerosene on brake
lining make the brakes hold better2
d. Please tell me the difference be
tween A. l. A. NJ standard and me
: tric2--J. X. Schaefer.
(a) Shims are used to hold the two
halves OF connecting rod bearing apart
sufficiently so that the nuts which hold
same together may be de to be per
fectly tight without causing the bear
ing to bind on the crank shaft
OBJ If a motor is run slowly with the
{ spark retarded there is a chance OF
8 brea king crank shaft, should the spark
. be advanced rapidly The reason Tor
this is that when an engine IS running
in the cylinders slowly. The result or
the sudden advance Of the spark would
be to cause the explosion to meet the
piston before reaching the top OF its
stroke. The lar produced by this would
tend to strain the crank smart. ana
should it have a flaw or weak point,
may cause a fracture.
Co In some cases an application OF
kerosene to the brake lining makes the
brakes more effective. due to the fact
that it tends to remove the grease
which collects on the brake lining OF
some cars This grease works out
through the axle housing from the diff
Cd standard A Z. A. " and metric
refer to the different threads used on
bolts and nuts in automobiles The
standard thread is most prominent, and
is commonly called machine thread. The
A l. a. II. thread is a thread used by
most manufacturers belonging TO the
American Licensed Automobile Manu-
facturers The metric thread is used
on many foreign cars
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

Motoring Department The Herald
Is any advantage obtained by placing
the cylinders of a twin motorcycle at
90 deErees2-J. 3. +.
An advantage is obtained in that
greater torque is given to the crank
shaft with cylinders set at 90 degrees
power strokes is less and the conse-
Quent pull to the shaft more cOntinu-
Gus. Greater fleSibiity is also ob-
tanned
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

all the connections and out OF the
/ valves of this cylinder but the other
! cylinders do not seem to be affected.
( The OilinE sytem is OF the latest type
Can YOU explain what the trouble
might be- T. N. Hubbard.
If the oil does not affect the other
] cylinders it is reasonable to believe
that the oil level is not too high. The
writer has known cases where de-
( fective spark plug has caused Just such
I trouble. If the No , cylinder does
not fire the oil working into this cylin-
der is not burned. and. Of course, is
forced out through the valves and
other places. Would suggest that you
: use new spark plugs or change them
around in order to prove whether this
is the real trouble or not 1t is pos
I sible that the rings are not properly
fitted in this cylinder and permit too
3 much oil to pass Would suggest. how
ever. that you try perfecting the igni-
ton first.
Motoring Department. The Herald
: the past month it have given US no end
Of trouble. our driver starts it up and
cannot run half a mile until il gets so
not one cannot touch the engine with
the hand The water seems to circu-
late. All hose connections have been
removed The radiator has been flushed
out several times and yet 1t gets hot
tt pulls good until it gets hot. The
motor starts easy and runs we'll Could
the trouble be in the gears of the
tooth or be worn so that the valves are
late2-The r. ". Company
The cylinders Of your motor are
probably carbonized to such an extent
that the motor OverheatS. A thick
coating OF carbon will prevent the
proper cooling and cause the trOu BILE
YOU mention There is no possibility
OF the timing gears getting out of
time. and could not wear sufficiently
to cause the trouble you speak of. It
may be possible. however. that the
coupling Of the magnetic shaft has
shifted, permitting a retarded spark
This. viii also cause your motor to
overhead
Motoring Department. The Herald
After a slight accident 7 had the other
day 7 measured up the front axle of
my car to see If anything was bent or
had suffered from the collision. / found
that the fronts OF the wheels were
correct that they should be sO2-JOhn
n SparJOn-
It is correct that the rims of the
front wheels should be about 4 TO IS
than in the rear. That practice is en-
ployed by most car makers and is
called fOTeEatherS. the idea being to
have the wheels parallel when the car
the car is being driven forward there
viii be enough give in the tie rod
and steering knuckles to allow the
wheels to sag back a little. 1t Is also
noticeable that in most cars the front
and sometimes the rear wheels are un-
dergathered. meaning that the rims OF
the wheels chat rest on the ground are
slightly nearer together than the upper
part That tends 10 relieve the strain
on the steering knuckles and axle.
make easy steering, and counterfeit the
dish in the wheels
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

Motoring Department. The Herald
Csc storage battery and wire it to
start the motor. blow the horn, and
light three lamps2
Also since Overhauling the engine
the motor shows a tendency to knock
when acceleratOr is used. so I have to
use throttle with spark retarded to get
up speed. Is this due to carburetor ad-
justment2 Thanking you for this in
formauon.-J. II. Goodwin.
(a) 1t is practical TO use SlI-Volt
storage battery for ignition, horn, and
lights, and same viii prove more eco
nOmical in the end than dry cells.
OBJ It is unlikely that the adjust
meut of the carburetor causes the
suggests that You make sure Of the
timing Of your ignition system. It j.
also possible that the connecting rod
bearings OF wrist pins OF your engine
nay be loose.
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

Motoring Department The Herald
When / throw in my clutch the car
jumps forward with a bound upon
starting. Can you tell me what might
be the cause of this and how the trou-
Bile can be eiiminated2-Aa Hirsh-
field.
Your clutch is too harsh. When
starting from a standstin you should
let the clutch in slowly. II you have
metal-to-metal clutch treat with a mix
ture of graphite and oil If il is
leather faced clutch then treat the
leather with castor oil or neatsfOOt oil
In the latter case the oil should be
soaked into the leather for few hours
at least
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

scOot over the hills without CON
slant gear shifting.
The large wheels and tires.
long wheel base, long flexible
springs eliminate the jolts. You
sit back in the Turkish cushions
and 11-inch upholstery of the
rOOmy seats as comfortably as in
your chair on the Limited. "
When you drive a Chalmers,
the mechanism is forgotten, ex-
cept as you sense its power and
resiliency. You have only to
steer-and enjoy.
That's a Chalmers ride-en-
joyment. Enjoyment from the
time you take your seat even to
the end of a long days touring.
No hand-cranking, no mechanical
annoyanceS, no pumping Of tires,
no fatigue-iust light-hearted
satisfaction. You haven't known
the full pleasures Of motoring
unless you've had a Chalmers
ride.
May we show you the comforts
and cOnveniences of driving and
riding in a Chalmers car? No
matter what car has been your
choice heretofore, the Chalmers
will be a revelation to you.
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

Continued on page 8. this seetiOn)
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

Motoring Department, The Herald
/ We are experiencing some trouble
caused by the motor Of our motor truck
missing fire. 1t runs all right with q
retarded spark. but as soon as il IS
advanced the motor will start TO skip
fire and back fire through the muffler-
! There also seems to be a loss Of power.
j. 2. AltOr x Co.
There are three possible conditions
which will cause your engine to run
well with retarded spark and poorly
with advanced Spark-namely- the ar
mature shaft may be too far advanced,
the wire leading from the coil box to
I the interruptOr may have a frayed end
which comes into contact with the
metal of the magnetic upon advancing
the spark, or the interrupter points are
wrongly ADJUSTED IN Order 10 see
whether the armature is timed correct
" simply retard the spark lever and
get the piston of No. I cylinder on the
I firing point Now look at the inter
ruDter points. If they are already sepa-
rated the spark is too far advanced,
( but If i IS necessary 10 turn the en-
gine slightly In order to make them
separate il is timed correctly. The in
terrupter points Of the magnetic used
on your car should separate one SD Of
an inch on advance and retard setting.
They can be adjusted by turning the
screw on the insulated side Of the in
terrupter.
Motoring Department. The Herald
have gage for testing compression.
but do not know how many pounds per
ders. What should this average pres
sure bee. II. A.
The average is about 60 pounds.
Motoring Department, The Herald
While adjusting one Of the bearings in
my rear wheels 7 had the occasion TO
ia Ike a bearing out. and in doing so.
lost one OF the balls. VIII il injure the
bearing TO run without the lost ball2-
Subscriber.
You should replace the lost ball with
a new one, taking particular care to
obtain the exact size. so that all the
balls OF the bearing viii be of the same
size. II you do not replace the lost
ball the additional strain put upon the
others, due to the lost one, may cause
the cutting Of the ball race. When this
starts the life of the whole bearing is
very short.
=
Motoring Department The Herald
At what part Of the stroke does the
piston travel the fastest?-Amateur
At 90 degrees from dead center.
Motoring Department, The Herald
have always been puzzled as to
whether the gas in the cylinder of an
automobile eXplOdes or burns rapidly
Please advise met. c. Stafford
Gasoline burns very rapidly. Al
though it is hard to distinguish be
tween an explosion and an exceedingly
rapid combustion, should say that the
mixture in the cylinders OF a motor goes
through the latter process.
Motoring Department, The Herald
7 notice that the : A. e hOrseDOVer
rating Of many cars is the same as the
makers. while in most cases unanufac-
turerS claim more horsepower for their
car Ny car has four cylinders with a
bore OF 4 IL inches and stroke of > 10
inches. The s. ~ E rating is 80 horse
horsepower Can you explain the dir
ference Owner.
The $ A = rating Of the car YOU
speak OF IS very low The motor should /
easily develop 20 HORSEPOWER on the !
block It must be remembered that tie /
stroke factor is not directly considered |
El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-03

.1 The 5. A. Z. rating. whereas in actual
block test it is a decided factor.