Middletown transcript., 1920-04-17
HANDLING AUTO
IS QUITE EASY
Little knowledge Of Component
Parts Will Bring It Back
All Right.
IGNORANCE CAUSES TROUBLE
Gasoline Mixed With Air, Compression
and Ignition Are Three Essentials
in Starting 10
Important

Since the test OF success long mas
been not that fellow could start
something, but that he could finish 1t,
It well may be said that one is not an
accomplished motorcar driver until ne
can get back on his own power, re-
gardless Of what conditions he Is up
against. Anyone can be towed back
If he has the price. There Is little
fear of this for the driver Of an up
to-date car once he has learned the
simple things Of operation. It is fg.
norance which leads to tr0uble-out'
side of the movies.
It takes three things to start car,
gasoline mixed with air, compression
and ignition, and these must be con-
tinuous If the car is to keep running.
In addition there must be system OF
fabrication, a system Of cooling and
a free exhaust. Now, this looks like
a formidable list Of things to master;
really it can be done even by a child.
To begin with the first on the list,
for instance, it may be taken for
granted IL the engine Is started and
runs, that the carburetor is adjusted
properly and will stay so until human
fingers alter it.; therefore the only
trouble in the gasoline supply would
be a failure to keep supply In the
tank or the stoppage Of the pipe line
by dirt, the remedy being obvious.
To Determine Compression.
Compression may be determined by
cranking over the engine by hand and
noticing the resistance of each cylin-
der in turn. Lack Of compression may
come from leaky valves which need
grinding in, lack Of fabrication in the
cylinder, since oil forms a seal be.
tween piston and cylinder walls; that
the piston rings were gummed and not
functioning, or that there was leak
at plugs, petc0cks, or If the cylinder
head be removable in it's gasket. But
an engine will run with pretty poor
compression.
Ignition is much more likely to be
at fault than the other things men
toned. The modern car with starting
system is quite a complex thing SO
far as its electric plant is concerned,
for there is the starting motor and
the generator, the storage battery,
timing device, possibly a magnetic,
and an intricate system Of wiring,
with cutout and regulator, ammeter,
lights, horn and maybe other devices
to give trouble. Barring broken wires,
loose terminals and dirty contact
points the troubles should be few. The
car instruction book gives q chart OF
wiring.
fabrication 10 Important
fabrication is perhaps the most i'm
portant feature Of operation Of the
motor. Without it the motor would
be ruined in few minutes. Lubrica-
ton means the placing of q film OF
oil or grease between two moving
parts to reduce friction, and In the
cylinder it has the added Office Of
sealing for compression noted above.
The fabrication system may be force
feed, splash or circulating splash. The
latter is the one most used. The oil
Is carried in the bottom of the crank
case, called the stump, at level de-
termined by the manufacturer. It is
pumped up to a dial on the DASH
board where you may observe its flow,
and runs from there by gravity to the
oil troughs in the crank case, and
possibly to some other mechanism.
Narrow projections on the connecting
rods dip into the oil in the troughs
and splash it over the interior. Rapid
motion Of the parts produces sort
Of oil fog in the crank case, which
deposits film of oil upon parts where
the splash does not reach, lubricating
Ill moving parts sufficiently.