Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-02-02
s|MPL|F|ED LESSONS IN
CARE OF AUTOMOBILE
Expert Explains leaning OF "firin:
Order" and How 1; is
.lsccrtaincd.
Aow ENGINES wERE COMBINED
Interesting Scientific Explanation 81
Subject IN Language Readily IN.
dcrstood by Laymrn = Questions
and Answers ON Auto Subjects.


tcopyrish,. 1919, by Frederick G.
GuerrlichD
When the wires are taken off tho
spark plugs. they must be replaced on
were before. or the engine will not
un. In fact, one OF the best ways
TO prevent a car from being stolen Is
10 change these wires about.
When Il number Of wires have been
removed for some cause or other, and
there is a doubt as to where they be-
:ong. then the firing order Of the en-
zine" must be determined, also the
order in which the current comes 10
hc wires from tn" distributor, The
wires must then be connected to the
spark plug in the firing order.
MEANING or ",rIRING ORDER"
AND HON 10 DETERMINE IT
Let us see what is meant by ":he
iiinG order" and how Ia determine il.
Zach piston OF Il >. 4. 6. 3. u or the
single piston OF "A one-cNlinder engine.
mote difference between ""yci'' ana
cylinders To get the power from III"
fuei: il mus; suck in the mixture; II
must compress 1t: il must H. forced
md, finally. ii mus; push gu; or exhaust
;he burned gases. This thu four s;rolcs
of the cycle through whicil 1t must
!,ass are: suction. comnrcS Fiou. pos"
and exhaust The firing takes ,i"c"
n the beginning OF the power strohc.
a single cylinder engine was found
vibra,ed So badly as to make riding
n Il car equipped with one uncomfort-
able. The result; was that DESIGNERS
conceived the idea of having four en-
cr stroke while the iirat was ON sue
ton another while THO frs: vas on
compression, then ;hc first would give
rs power stroke ~" remaining enainc
S eShaus;in-. Thus YOU will note.
nat for cacli Of the four strokes ~
he cycle throu~h which ANY OF The
engines is passing. ono OF the other
Engines will II" giving power stroke;
,lso. that while ono engine is or sue
ion. another will Il" on COMPRESSION.
another on power and the other on
exhaust
HAVING CONCEIVED IDEA NEXT
WAS TO COMBINE ENGINES
Having conceived the ide:. OF having
she four engines. the designers had
next 20 md y way TO combine them.
This proved simple. as while each en-
zine must have it's own cylinders. p!s-
arm its own valves. valve lifters. (
etc. i; was cnS% 10 So; the i"n'
cylinders in 4 row IN common crank
Thus we have the four nrElr" engine.
or, as il is cail>d. four cylinder en-
sine.
cylinder engine and a iour-cycle en-
CINE. A four-cyc!. engine. may b" u
single cylinde., four. six, an eight
or a twelve cylinder engine. IL fact.
in the automobile al OF these engines
are four-cylindcv engines.
Having now four cylinders III a row.
each to give bower strol[c at diff
ferent time IN what order SHALL these
power strokes comes? Shall ii he in
the l-23-4 order calling the cylinder
on the front of the car No. u or other
wise? BY studying the drawing Of the
four tylnder crank shaft herewith.
YOU will see that the above order OF
the power strokes. or firing order. rs
it is termed. is impossible. The only
possible firing orders for a four
cylinder engine being l243 or
49,