Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-09
S|MPL|F|ED LESSONS IN
PROPER CARE OF AUTOS
Ignition Troubles From Four Causes,
Among Them Lack Of Current,
Broken or Crossed Circuit.
BEST TO STUDY WIRING OF CAR
Important to Examine Ends Of Cir
cults, because 1t Is There That In
sulation Often Feels, Permitting
Contact and Crossing OF Wires.
LESSON NO. 0S.
Ignition TrOublc-DIstributor SyHteln.
Copyrighted. 1917, by Frederick e.


Copyrighted. 1917. by Frederick G.
Guerrlich.)
Trouble with the ignition system
may result because of one Of the fol-
lowing basic causes: lack of current
from the source, a broken circuit. Il
short circuit or failure OF the me-
chanical devices.
1t would he we'll to bear the above
in mind. should your spark fail
and this may happen when you are
miles away from Il garage or telc-
Dhone-you will have to check up the
ignition system for these one by one
and so. by process of elimination,
find which Of the four is at fault.
II would be we'll to study the wiring
Of your car, which can be done by
studying the wiring dia gram. which
will usually be found in the nstruc-
ton book. In doing this first deter
mine what the units In the primary or
low-voltage system are, and then those
in the secondary or high voltage sys-
tom, and their sequence. Thus. If tho
ear has the distributor system, II
would he found that the units in the
primary arc the battery. the switch
the induction coil and the intcrrupter;
while In the secondary there are the
coil, the distributor and the spark
plugs.
with the ignition system we would
have TO think of the four basic causes
OF trouble as given above. The first
Of these Is the battery.
II we have storage battery. which
also furnishes current for the lights.
we need only throw OH the headlight
switch to see If the battery is at fault.
as il the headlights are bright. then
we know that the battery is y. r., for
j. takes more current for them than
for the ignition. Thus the battery as
the cause OF the troubl. is instantly
eliminated and can be forgotten.
IT, however. the headlights fail to
light or are dim. then either the bat
terry or the main wires from the bat
terry 10 the ground Of "A grounded
SYSTEM or To the gang switch is at
fault The battery can be tested by
means Of hydrometer. which will
show If It is charged or discharged. or
by touching the wires OF the trouble
lamp to the positive and negative
terminals. II the trouble lamp lights.
the fault Is In the wires just men
toned. They may be poorly connected,
broken or short-circuttcd.
II theSoattery IS Of dry cells. II can
be tested by an ammcter. as such a
battery must give reading at least
ten amperes il II has enough life to
supply current for the ignition.
.
showing that the battery was -. X.
then II viii be necessary to trace the
wires. one by one. looking FOR either a
loose connection, a break, or for Il bar
or badly oii-soaked wire, as the latter
two would mean snort circuit. In
tracing wires for short circuit par
ticular care should be taken in eS-
aInininG the ends. or terminals, as a
portion OF the uncovered or noninsu-
lated ends may touch some metal part
OF the engine or access cries.
In tracing ii Is best 10 go about the
work systematically. Thus II the units
are battery. switch, coil. interrupted
and return. through the ground. first
the wire from battery TO switch should
he examined then from switch TO coil.
then coil TO intcrruptcr. then inter-
rupter To ground. and finally ground
TO battery.
The battery being o. X. and no wires
loose. broken or short circuited, then
we have left only n fault in the me-
chanical devices OF the system as a
possible cause of the trouble. Before
investigating these. II would be well
10 first examine tho secondary wires for
disconncct!on or short circuit
What mechanical devices are there
In tho distributor type of ignition sys-