The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-07-15
Expert Advice For the
Owner
Queries and Replies Covering Matters Of
Importance to the Man Who Runs a Car

IN q SdaoItne eH9ine, ~ any "o'e
power obtained from the explosion by
having tho spark plug directly in front
Of the piston rather than at one side
in a boss or recess?
There are two theories relative to the
location Of the spark plug In a recess
within the cylinder. One is that by
having the spark plug In such q recess
O squirt Of flame enters the combustion
space from the recess and as q result
quickly ignites the charge. Another
theory Is that by having the spark plug
directly I'm the center Of the combus-
ton. or, that Is, so that the spark plug
points project outward into the com
bustion space itself, the gas Is quick
ly exploded because it gives the flame
a chance to propagate itself in all di-
rections. Practice favors a plug which
merely has its points projecting into
the combustion space
Why do have difficulty in starting
on my magnetic in damp weather.?
The difficulty you have In starting In
wet weather is probably due to mois-
ture short circuiting some Of the wires.
Inspect the wires carefully for any
points that might be affected by mOis-
ture and see that all the insulation Is
In good condition.
How will burn the carbon out Of
tho cylinders Of my engine with oxygen
acetylene flames?
An oxygen-acetylene flame Is never
used for burning carbon out OF cylin-
ders. Acetylene Is Of no use for this
purpose, but by employing oxygen
alone a very satisfactory job can be
done. The oxygen Is used because 1T
supports combustion FIVE times as read
lily as air does, and therefore, once the
carbon Is ignited. it will burn rapidly,
although 1t will not burn at all In air.
In cleaning carbon from the cylinders
In this manner the first thing to do is
to remove the valve caps; then the cyl
inder is filled with oxygen. A small
piece Of burning waste Is then dropped
into the cylinder. and combustion i'm
mediately begins In a very vigorous
manner. In fact, sometimes the car
bon Is consumed so rapidly that sparks
will fly out Of the valve openings, and
for this reason 1t may be advisable to
cover the front part Of the car with
damp cloths to catch these sparks.
From this 1t must not be thought that
there Is any danger Of setting the car
afire, because the continued use Of OK
ygen has demonstrated that there Is no
possibility Of this occurring. If damp
cloths are not used the most that will
happen Is a slight marring Of the var
nish by the sparks. The oxygen is sup
piled from a tank in which it IS stored
under very high pressure, and, as the
pressure at the delivery nozzle Of the
outfit must be small, a reducing valve
must be used to bring the pressure
down to a reasonable amount. There.
fore between the tank and the tube
that carries the gas to the cylinders
there Is a reducing valve that auto
matically lowers the pressure. A gauge
is generally fitted to the tank to indi
cate how much gas there Is In 1t, be
cause as the quantity becomes smaller
the pressure drops.
have q leather faced cone clutch
and wish to put on q new one. ! wan'
to know the best kind Of leather ! car
get for the purpose; also how to put i
on. Would asbestos be better thar
leather7
Either leather or an asbestos fabric
may be used with satisfaction. II you
use leather you should obtain friction
leather, which Is made for this pur
pose.
In ordering the facing, the diameters
Of the two edges Of the o and the
width Of the cone should be given. II
an asbestos fabric Is used, care should
be taken to obtain a piece that Is
made for the size Of cone you have
Unlike leather, strips Of this material
to fit cannot be cut from a large piece
Of fabric. The thickness of the facing
is important because too thick a facing
will prevent the cone from properly
entering the flywheel. One-Quartel
inch Is an average value.
II you desire to buy a piece Of leath
er and cut your wi facing you should
remove the old clutch leather and ust
it for a pattern. Before applying thu
leather It Is well to soak 1t in a meats
foot oil to soften 1t. Care should BIZ
taken to cut the leather to the correct
length. The best way Is to first rive'
one end and then wrap the leather
around the cone in such a manner thaI
1t slips down over the smaller end Of
the cone. Then pull 1t tight and rive
the other end. Now push the leather
up in place all around and 1t should b.
tight and unwrinkled.
The same advice applies to putting
on an asbestos fabric, but there Is less
danger Of the facing wrinkling.
Will you explain fully the method o
fitting and tapping in new piston rings
Place the cylinders on the bench ant
apply some ground glass and oil to thu
interior. The ground glass should b.
very fine. Then place the piston II
the cylinder and work It In and out un
til the rings are well polished and d
tightly. Tapping II an operation which