New-York tribune., 1921-03-27
Regular System Wins
In Tracing Troubles
Begin at One End of Ignition
Outfit and Follow Through
Carefully to the Other
BY WILLIAM H. STEWART JR..
President Stewart Automobile School

HCn0Oi.
The best way to locate any electrical
trouble is to begin at one end of the
| lgnitlon system and make a series of
1ests IN regular order. Begin first with
,ne spark plug under suspicion.
porcelain will often cause the engine
to misfire. but this trouble on wet
day may be obviated by greasing the
porcelain with vaseline. Including
detective porcelain, other frequent
causes of spark plug trouble NAV he
traced to oil or particles of carbon col
lecting between the points, sootinc of
, the porcelain or points out of adjust
ment or burned away Ordinarily the
spark plug gap should be adjusted to
ABOUT the thickness of worn dime,
depending upon the ignition system
carburetor adjustment and the design
of the engine
When you have eliminated the spark
plugs examine all wiring and termina |
connections, making sure that all wires
are tight and that the insulation isn't
worn eff at any place, thus causing
snort circuits. Next open the dis
trlbutor case and sec if there is anv
dirt, carbon or dust. If the trouble is
mere 1t can be eliminated by wipinc
with clean rag. But if it is vet un-
discovered then perhaps the .misfirine
IS caused by the contact points being
pltted, These should be cleaned and
adjusted very accurately, according to
instructions of the manufacturer. Also
make sure that the tappet spring has
not weakened or been broken And
above all, remember that this spring is
under constant strain and it will bear
very close watching.
Moisture or grease on the surface of
the distributor housing will sometimes
cause serious missing, because the hirb
tension current skips across the sur
lace OF TINS foreign matter instead
OF going through its regular channels
The remedy is to wipe off the surface
Inc presence of moisture may be ex
planned by the fact that it is drawn in
with the air through the radiator or
may condense on the surface on a
damp day The grease often collects
engine. The ignition system is del;e
cate assemblage and it is one of tho
most important systems of an automo-
plie. 1T the owners and chaufeurs nav
little more attention to it thew viii
nave not alone smooth running en-
glhe but Will help materially in elimi-
mating expensive repairs.
a lew helpful hints for the amateur
are: '''@ 'e ~
Always remember that the settinp
OF the spark plug points is an impore
tant factor, usually overlooked by the
new owner, with the result that
other parts of the electrical system are
blamed when they are not at fault.
Above all, do not guess at the space
but form the splendid habit of using
a gauge.
Continual misfring in one cylinder
is usually traced to poor compression
or to bad spark plug, which should be
remeded at once
platinum points by all means should
be examined at regular intervals to
see that theys are clean and free from
oil. If you use too much oil in the dis
-ributor it will find its way to the
points and cause an occasional weak
spark or misfiring.'
Always make it point to make reg
llar inspections of the wiring for loose
and see that the insulation
s not worn at any place. If so. be sure
o tape the worn part, or still better
replace with new wire.