Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-10
Barney 0ld6f led says:
Copyright, 1922. By King Feature Service
TROUBLES IN THE
IGNITION SYSTEM

80 @~f
TROUBLES IN THE
There are two systems of ignition
in ordinary use, one employing d mag
neto,. with perhaps q battery for start
ing and the other with q battery n
timer distributor. The latter system
is in more general use at the present
time for passenger vehicles, because of
the fact that the battery is already
installed for usa in conjunction with
the starter.
No matter what type of system is
used, satisfactory ignition depends on
the unhampered generation of current,
the correct Interpretation of t.~ 2rl-
mary circuit, the free flow Of current
to the spark plugs and on these latter
being properly adjusted to produce a
good spark to insure good ignition.
In the case of the battery system it
ia vitality important to keep the bat
terry properly charged and duly filled
with water. All connections must be
kept tight and clean. If the connec-
tons become loose there is great dam
ger of misfiring. Corroded connec
tons will produce misfiring or even
failure Of the ignition altogether, and
QBTQ SldEll1S Will ltnLAIS pS SAPeAt
enced. The wires from the battery to
the ignition device must be perfectly
insulated all the time. A broken lnsu-
1ation will permit the wire to come in
contact with metal at intervals, caus-
ing misfiring.
Other Points TO Watch
The interruption or breaker points
are another location of possible trou-
BILE. and these parts should be separa-
ted bv about .O15 of an inch when they
are wide open. Also the points must
be kept clean and bright. Should the
points become dirty, gummy, uneven or
worn misfiring will be fairly sure to
result. The distributor arm which
turns around and passes the spark TO
the segments, whence it IS carried by
wires to the spark plug, must be clean
at the end and the segments also
must be clean.
1t is important also that the high
tension wires to the spark plugs make
good contacts at both distributor and
spark plug ends. The cables must De
kept perfectly insulated.
The plugs also are a source of pos
sible trouble. They must not be dirty
at the points, nor must the insulators
he cracked. It is important also to
watch the distance of separation in the
Mug points. A worn dime usually
serves as a good gauge to determine
if the sparkling points are correctly
separated. !.
It is characteristic of ignition
trouble that it usually sticks to a
single cylinder. This is not always
the case, as missing sometimes runs
UP and down the line. When you
have occasion to suspect ignition
trouble, begin working at the spark
plug, after you have located the
cylinder that is at fault. Take the
plug out and lay it on top OF the
cylinder. Crank the engine by hand
with the switch turned to battery
If the plug fires it is not to blame.
If the spark is weak, however, II
NAV be that it is not strong
enough to fire under compression
If there is doubt as to just wherf
the trouble lies, this operation shoulc
be carried out on each plug until the
guilty one is found
Plugs and Cylinders
To determine which plug is al
fault, there is no better method than
the old fashioned one Of the hammer
or screw driver. While the engine
is running. short circuit the plug By
holding the metal of the hammer or
screw driver against the top of the
plug and also against the cylinder
If there is no change in the firing
of the engine. as told by the sound,
YOU have found the faulty cylinder,
In the case of engines having sep
arate exhaust passages for each
cylinder, it is an easy matter to flnd
one that is not firing by dropping
a little water on each IN turn
Naturally the exhaust of the cylinder
that is not firing will be cool, while
the others will be hot.
After a cylinder has been detected
as not firing the first step TO take
is to examine the spark plug. l.
the plug prove up, trace the wlrlnf
back TO The ignition unit Gum OF
dirt on the interrupter points shoult
be cleaned off with a few drops @
kerosene. If these points are uneven
they may be touched up with a mag
neto Or jewelers. file. # they arr
too far apart or too near together
BY all means adjust them.
In the four unit coil system uset
only on Fords, any maladjustment O.
the coil interrupters will cause mis-
In the case Of magnetic ignition
the same general principles holt
good as in the battery and instruc
lions for detecting misfiring ant
remedying it are practically identical
In the magnetic, however, weakening
of the magnetos must be guarded
against. This will cause misfiring a
low speeds, though at high speed thu
trouble may vanish Coil connec
lions should be watched, the com
monest troubles in the magnetic sys
tem resulting from loose or dirty
connections.