The Washington times., 1919-05-17
BY WARREN b. BULLOCK,
(FOFmeFIy Captain, Motor Transport
Corps, L. 8. Al

FOFmeFIy Captain, Motor Transport
Corps, L. s. Al
Nine men out OF ten who operate
automobiles have not the first idea
in the world as to what to do IL the
engine goes wrong. Half OF them
do not know whether the trouble is
in the motor or the transmission, and
the average man who drives his own
car does not particularly care to
know much about his machine. except
how to beat the speed COPS" IL he
gets on a good bit of road.
Some may say that this is exag-
gerated, and many will deny that any
one can operate a machine and not
care to know the inner workings II
its heart and lungs. But the fact
remains that the average driver of a
motor vehicle only wants his machine
20 be in shape to get him where he is
going.
This attitude. however, is impossi-
BILE in a motor transport organizatl ion,
for the driver has not only the driving
Of his car, but the maintenance and
care Of the vehicle to be responsible
for. Furthermore, he is expected TO
get where he is going. and without
calling on a garage for any little
difficulty that comes up when the
machine is on the road, and this need
for knowing his car is particularly
important if he operates on the open
country. highway, where there are
few repair men.
HuAt Trouble systematically.
When your engine begins to balk,
what do you do: Take a chance first
on the ignition, then look at the oil,
then try the gas?
II there is engine trouble, there is
just one way to. run it down. and
that is TO systematically hunt for it.
not hit or miss but by a process Of
elimination. as the doctor says when
he goes cunning for a balky appen-
dix.
One OF the army publications on
motors has this pat phrase on this
problem:
when an engine fails to start
readily, the cause may be found in
most cases If a regular method Of
search is followed, instead of the
hit or miss method OF looking first
one place and then another, and
tampering first with the carburetor.
| then the magnetic, then the wires,
and so on without any definite plan.
IF the engine is to run it must
/ take into its cylinders an explosive
mixture, the mixture must be ignited
by a good spark produced at the
right time, and the valves must so
| operate that the burned products are
| expelled from the cylinders properly
| to make room for new incoming mix
| ture"
If these functions are performed
properly. the engine will always run.
What To Do When Engine BaIks.
Here is a suggested system for
hunting engine trouble. to take the
place of the above recommended
method OF what not to do:
First-Make certain OF the com
preston, that ali cylinders are
operating properly. Do this by
cranking a few times. and rocking
the engine against each compression.
Second-PTime each cylinder not
with too much. but with enough gas
This is surer than by experimenting
with the carburetor. Be careful not
to use too much gas il the engine is
hot
Third-Try the spark. by discon-
Meeting a wire from a plug and
cranking the engine to test the
strength Of the spark.
FouTth-The mixture may be too
rich. It is easy to flood the engine,
and 10 avoid this open the priming
cups md test II the cylinder is too
hot, tie old may have burned away
from the piston rings. causing leak
OF compression A bit of oil may
remedy this
Fifth-Test the timing to make