The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-11-02
DON'T LET YOUR
CAR SMOKET MUCH
Better for You to Stop 1t Be-
fore a Policeman
Does.
nv II. CLIFFORD BRoKAw.

nv II. CLIFFORD BRoKAw,
TsohntcaI Director West Side Y. N. @. A.
Automobile School
II will not be necessary to tell the
policeman to watch my smoke these
days. the chances are he 10 watching
the smoke with designs on your pocket
hook II the exhaust 10 n bit too blue
or black and will be calling out to
you: Hey Turn of that smoke !"
Now that attention is being paid
afresh by the police to smoking cars.
II is happening every day that some
drivers are caught In the meshes Of the
law when they arc not at fault True,
the let I'D of vigilance has made care
lass drivers more careless and they
ought to be fined. But there are some
cases where Il Is difficult to control the
issuance Of smoke and II 10 O shame
10 see a driver picked up under such
circumstances and held equally guilty
with the careless man.
Much of the smoke which we see
comes from too much lubricating oil
being supplied to the engine. This
may come from having the reservoir too
full. that is with oil above the level
indicated by the manufacturer. The
remedy would be to draw or the sur
plus But the fault may be in the
construction, with too much oil fed
TO the engine even when the reservoir
level is normal This means lowering
the level, by altering the splash troughs.
or narrowing the dippers SO there win
be less splash.
In some cases It may be found that
the cylinders have worn or that the
piston rings may be gummed with car
bon deposit mixed with oil, or they
may have lost their original spring.
All these things win permit q large
amount OF oil to work up into the COM
bustion chamber to burn and cause car
bon deposit and smoke. The remedy
is to have the cylinders rebored or
ground and new pistons fitted: or It
may be possible to correct the trouble
with special piston rings which take
UP the wear and keep the excess of oil
from the cylinders; for gummed rings
cleaning alone Is necessary.
Most Of the trouble with oil comes
when driving at low throttle opening
When touring there Is likely to be
very little smoke. as the engine Is run
with fairly wide throttle most Of the
time. When this same car enters the
city, where there must be much
throttling down, there may be trouble
with smoke The reason Is that with
closed throttle the gas drawn In
does not fill the vacuum In the COM
bustion chamber and this draws oil
past the pistons. The same thing comes
when the engine Is running idle at
the curb for some time. az the chauf-
feur puts 1t. pumping OIL
The trouble Is likely to occur more
In cool weather than when II Is warm
and vaporization Is perfect, for the
engine is more often kept running 80
1t will not cool too much or freeze.
Running idle also causes the carburetor
to load up, and dense black smoke Is
the result when the engine is started.
Smoke caused by excess Of gasolene
may be distinguished by It's being
black, while that from excess oil is
blue, and there Is always steam issuing
from the exhaust and as soon as IL
strikes cool air II Is white One of the
products of combustion In the cylinders
Is water. which Is vaporized and
passes out with the exhaust. becoming
steam.
As said. do not believe that every
driver whose car smokes should be
hauled and up and fined: at the same
time the man who habitually does per-
NIT II should be taught a lesson, and
II fined often enough to decide to rem
edy the cause 1t would be profitable for
him. since to make the smoke he Is
burning very expensive oil.
The chief objection to smoking cars Is
that II is disagreeable to others and ia
unhealthy. That being the case, tho
Cbnntd et,- Ia
ber OF cars which do not smoke so that
the eye detects It. but do give on ex-
cessive quantities OF offensive fumes, In
visible but more disagreeable and dead
y. One OF the products Of combustion ID
carbon monoxide. which Is deadly, and
there are other gases which are particu-
larly Objectionable, as every one knows
who has walked the city streets. II Is
easy TO detect the car which Is extra Of
fensive, for not all give on great VOL
umes OF fumes which choke and tickle
the throat and make one think harsh
things IL not actually say them. Not all
but much Of these excess fumes might
be prevented by a proper adjustment of
the carbureter and proper instruction in
driving.
Now It is not to be expected that the
cop will know all the ms and outs of
auto smoke and be able to distinguish
at a glance the driver who is a wilful
offender and the one who Is temporarily
in trouble, for the fact Is he cannot
turn off the smoke" at will. II takes
several blocks before the trouble Is OBJ
Waited. The policeman might give a card
TO be taken up several blocks away, how
ever, TO give the driver a chance to show
whether he Is at fault
1t might be suggested also. since there
are some offenders and the cops are ex-
pected to pick them up. that the police
ought to go to school to an expert in
gasolene combustion to learn the ways of
smoking cars and how to know the
chronic offender from the one who is
merely the victim Of cold weather and