The Washington herald., 1920-11-28

Inc average mOlOF CAT ONntr
will be startled to be informed that
out of all the power that 10 gem
Grated by the explosion in the COM
bustion chamber less than one
eighth is delivered in actual driving
force at the rear wheels. Astonish-
ing as IL seems this is actually true.
II, then. seven-eighths OF the original
power Ia lost on the way to the
driving wheels, how vitality i'm
portant is IL for the car owner to
see that no further and unnecessary
losses occur during the journey.
Taking the power generated in
the combustion chamber as 100 per
cent. we find that the first loss
amounts to IS per cent, which is
dissipated in the cooling water. An
other IS per cent is lost through
direct radiation and in the exhaust
gases. The exhaust pipe and
muffier accounts for a further per
cent and friction in the motor for
nearly 6 per cent. Wind resistance
uses up per cent of what is left,
and there is a loss through the tires
OF nearly 4 per cent. The transmits
sion accounts for further subtrac-
ton of practically 3 per cent.
AS long as these power losses are
kept at their normal proportion
there is no cause for worry.s but let
the car owner get careless IN main
tanning the vehicle and the losses
Immediately mount upward in
geometrical ratio. Fortunately by
taking heed it is not hard to keep
the power dissipation under control,
as we shall show.
Loss Through Heat.
The first item on our list, power
lost through dissipation in the
cooling water. can scarcely be con-
trolled by the ordinary car owner.
Within the past year or two be-
ginners have taken up seriously the
problem OF reducing this item Of
waste. BY means OF thermostatic
control It is now possible to keep
the temperature of the engine at or
near its point of maximum efficiency.
Heat IL simply a form of power.
But unfortunately the nature of the
internal combustion engine prevents
more than a certain degree OF tenn
perature being utilized, because be-
yond that point the oil film, the
protecting lubricant, would be
broken down and the engine would
be quickly ruined. However. by the
use of thermostatic devices, de-
signers have been able to reduce
the amount of heat. which means
power. wasted in the cooling water.
What he can do, however, is to
see that there is no leakage from
the engine. This includes gas leak
age. oil leakage. etc. The gasket-
ing of the cylinder head. IL there
Is such, must be good all the time,
and there must be no leaks at the
plugs or petcocks. In gasketing the
head be sure TO see that the gasket
itself is perfectly clean and is
mounted on clean surfaces. There
must be no hicks or dents in metal
or gasket The head must be tight
ened carefully to avoid springing. II
is admirable to give the threads OF
the spark plugs. valve plugs and
any other threaded device in the
engine a thin coating OF stove
backing. which prevents or stops
leakage and also makes removal OF
the parts easy any future time.
II must not be forgotten that the
various accessories and devices To-
Gated on and driven by the engine
consume power; in some cases as
much as per cent Of the total.
Add to this the inevitable friction
generated by the various moving
parts of the engine and we get a
tidy total The car owner cannot
cut down the consumption OF power
here, but he can keep IL at its nor
NAL point by seeing that all these
parts and accessories have a liberal
quantity OF lubricant Of the proper
grade and quality. The careful
study of and attention to the direc-
ton on the fabrication chart are the
safeguard here.
Again, carbon deposits in the COM
bination chamber are excessive