The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-30
KEEP SYSTEM TUNED TIP

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 tenn is causing it.
 KEEP SYSTEM TUNED UP
 The importance of keeping the starting
 and lighting system tuned up' cannot
 be overstated. Switches give much trou-
 be when they are allowed to get dirty or out of correct adjustment, and :n
 looking for the cause of a failure. the
 switches should always be suspiciously
 exa mined.
 In cases where uneven, illumination by
 the two bulbs is noticed, one of the
 bulbs flickering, the fault will probably be due to loose connections, either at
 the bulb or somewhere along the line.
 As the car vibrates, this condition causes
 intermittent contact to be made. which
 gives flickering light. It is well also to fit both lamps with the same type and size of bulbs, because these little devices
 sometimes differ in resistance, with con- sequent difference in the amount of light delivered. Furthermore, the car owner
 should be careful to know just what size bulb his system demands, as fitting the
 wrong size will cause lighting troubles
 TRYING THE GENERATOR When the lights persist in burning dim ly. the cause may be weakened battery and this may be accepted as true, if weak starting trouble also develops How ever. the lights may register partial fail- ure for other reasons. The general faiI- ure of the starting and lighting system together may be caused by a weakened battery and yet the basic cause may be in the generator or in the current con- trol. The generator may be tested by a voltmeter while it is in action. If the voltmeter indicates no output, the gen orator is certainly guilty and the only l thing for the average owner to do is to betake himself to the service station. However, the car owner can at least ] have a look at the brushes to see that l they are not dirty and gummy, or have not been worn out of shape so that they I do not make correct contact with the commutator, and finally that the wires l from the brushes must be firmly in place. | If the brushes have been worn out of shape, bit of fine sandpaper held be- tween them and the commutator while I they are in motion soon restores them l to the necessary shape.
 CALL FOR HELP
 If the voltmeter shows that the genera | tor Is functioning properly, the next 1 place to suspect is the current control. l which is different on almost every car, | so that the manufacturers manual must be consulted in this instance. In the
 vibrating type of regulator. it is essen- tial that the points be kept clean and l even. The average owner when he dis covers that his trouble lies in the regu- | lator will probably call upon the service
 station for help, and in truth this is the safer plan.
 In modern starting and lighting systems | there is included between the generator circuit and the battery a cutout This device is designed automatically to cut off the battery from the generator at low car speeds As a general thing it func- tions when the speed of the car drops 10 something like 10 miles per hour. The commonest form of cutout is an electro magnetic device and 1t is very import ant to keep the magnetic points clean. If the terminals of tine cutout are allowed to become dirty or to be loosened. serious trouble may result. The cutout by op- erating at the wrong time may cause un- dercharging of the battery with all its
 attendant troubles
 THE STARTING MOTOR l It seldom happens that the starting | motor of a two-unit system gives se- | rious trouble. The switch may stick,
 or trouble may develop in the mechani-
 cal connection. Obviously. the start ing motor needs some slight attention | to keep it up to snuff. All its con | nections must be kept bright and clean | and the insulation of the wiring to tie battery and switch must be maintained | intact. Finally. the connections at 1 the battery end must be kept clean and | frightened as need arises. The starting and lighting system of l today is remarkably efficient withal ! but the unit is not self-sustaining It needs a little not very onerous at- tention from time to time to keep it up to its work. as any mechanical and electrical combination obviously must. I would advise every owner of car having this equipment, to give it little study so as to be able to bestow upon it the attention it needs and to locate and remedy the simplest trou- bles that arise. Until he has the knowledge of the unit necessary for this, the owner will be well advised to seek the assistance of the service station when trouble arises. screw driver in unskilled hands can do con ! siderable damage when it Is inserted into the "inwards" of the generator or starting motor--take it from one who tried the experiment many years ago