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• FORD VAN POINTERS.

27th September 1921
Page 28
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Page 28, 27th September 1921 — • FORD VAN POINTERS.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

By R. T. Nicholson (Author of "The Book of the Ford").

IWANT to deal here with the double switch on the new model—the switch that controls, first, your ignition, and, secondly, your lighting. 393.—The Ford Dashboard Switch.

The switch is built into a plate, or panel, which also eirries the ammeter. The whole panel can be removed from the instrument board if'the four corner screws are first taken out. The panel can then he pulled forward, with the wires attached to it behind. I do not recommend you to do this, however, unless you suspect trouble with the switch.

A view of the back of the switch (the part that lies away from you when you are driving) is shown in my illustration. You will see seven copper terminal screws, six of which carry wires.

The terminal screws pass into holes in a disc of what looks like drab cardboard, but which is really a hard insulating material. The insulation is used to prevent electrical .communication through the terminals direct (i.e., independently of the internal switch bridges, of which more presently).

On each of the six terminal screws which carry wires, a word is stamped indicating the purpose of each terminal—Dirn, Tail, On, Bat., Coils, Mag. Under the terminal that does net carry any wire, the abbreviation, Gr'nd, is stamped. (You may ignore this Gend.terminal, which is only a survival from a time when a ground or " earth" wire was used.)

Caution.

It is of the.utmost importance that the bare-ends of the wires running to these terminals should not touch, that is to say, the. bare ends of wires running,to one terminal should not touch any other terminal. If they do, you get a short which will in any lease give trouble, and which will in some cases work had mischief. For instance, if the bare end of your Mag. terminal wire touched either .your Tail, Dim, or On .terminal, or the bare end of any wire running to these terminals, you would get a short from your 'magneto to your lamps whenever you switched your lights on. As your lamps on the new model are not built to carry magneto current, they would promptly burn out. (This, however, is not 'the only state 'of things which would cause your lamps to burn out promptly, but one trouble at a timg'is enough !)

Please note that the word, "On." stamped under one of the six wired terminals, is the terminal for c38 " Bright" lighting. The word stamped under each of the other five terminals makes it clear what the purpose is.

Opening Up the Switch.

I do not recommend your opening up the switch to look at the " innards," unless there is trouble which you cannot set right without doing so. If Lyon have to go deeper, here aria...yonr instructions : Behind the word "On," engraved in white letters on the front of the switch, you will find a roundheaded screw passing through a circular rim of grey metal into the body of the switch. This has to be taken right out. (Mind 3ou do not lose it !) When this is out, you can give a slight eclockwise .turn to the back of the switch. (It will be a clockwise turn when you have the panel, or plate, out, and have the back of the switch towards you.) The back of the switch will then "come off in your hand." It is fastened to the body With two bayonet catches.

You wilbnow see in the part of the switch that you have removed 14 brass-rimmed holes, seven of which are the screw-holes for the seven terminal screws (which should have been left in position with the wires attached thereto). The purpose of the other seven holes we shall see presently.

The Switch "Bridges."

Now look at the other main portion of the switch— that which remains attached to the panel. Inside it you will see three copper " bridges " fastened to insulation plates. The outer pair of bridges is attached to one insulation plate; the inner bridge is attached to the other. The outer pair of bridges concerns the lighting ; the inner one concerns the ign

The Ignition Bridge.

Let us look first at the ignition bridge, its action being simpler.

At each end of it there is a knob. The two knobs can be made to establish electrical connection either between Mag. and Coils or Bat. and Coils, but not between Mag. and Bat.--which would 'be fatal to the magneto.

It is not altogether easy to see how the connections are established by moving the inner switch (the Yale key) to the Mag. and Bat. positions. The holes into which the knobs fall are not immediately behind the terminal screws ; at least, onlk the Mag. knob falls behind the Mag. terminal screw when the Yale switch is set to Mag. position. There is, therefore, no obvious way from Mag. or Bat. to Coils. The connection is, in point of fact, established by a plate, or plates, behind the insulation disc to which the terminals are attached. This accounts for the use of the extra seven holes. The knobs, in the active positions of the switch, fall into some of these extra holes, which link up with the actual terminals. Thus, when one knob lies behind the Mag. terminal, there is no obvious connection between the hole into which the other knob falls and the Coils terminal ; but there is connection all the same—" underground," so to speak, from one of the extra holes to the Coils terminal.

The Lighting Bridges.

in the case of the lighting switch connected with the outer pair of bridges, there is much more of this "underground " connection.

The two lighting bridges move together, so that when the long lever is moved both bridges move. The action of the switch is most clearly seen when the lever is set at Dim. Then the bridge shown at bottom left in drawing directly connects up Bat. and Dim terminals. Even in this case, however, the connection established between Bat. and Tail is not clear —and you will remember that your tail-light comes on whenever the switch is set at Dim. The connection is "underground ." Still more perplexing is the On position of the lighting switch. One of the knobs falls. into the On terminal hole, but the other falls into one of the extra holes from which " underground " connections are established with Bat. and Tail.

N.B.—You cannot take the switch to pieces so as to trace these " underground " connections. They are covered by the insulation disc, which you cannot get off without altogether spoiling the switch, said disc being held in position by brass rivets round • the holes.

• Replacement.

In replacing the switch parts, you can make no mistake if you look to the following points : Set both levers to "off" position. Set the two parts of the switch approximately into such position that the screw-hole in one part corresponds with the screwhole in the other part--the screw-hole from which you removed the screw at the beginning of your investigations. Then insert and fasten the two bayonet catches ; then, with the two parts pinched tightly together by hand, insert the screw.

Odd Points.

See that all six terminals on the back of the switch are clean and tight. (There should be no difficulty in their remaining tight, because there ia a Spring washer to each.) Then replace panel.

If at any time you have to replace or substitute a wire on any of the terminals, see that the insulation extends as far as it possibly can towards the terminal without interfering with electrical connection there. The end must be stripped, of course, for proper connection, but do not have a lot of stripped wire extending away from the terminal and trying to make trouble.

Further, have the wire under the spring washer— between it and the switchback—not between the spring washer and the screw. (But just fancy having a switchback on a Ford !) The terminal will only remain tight — under guarantee if things are arranged as I have described.

I still recommend you not to tinker with the switch unless you have trouble with it. The main thing is to see that the terminals keep clean and tight, and that there is no connection between any two terminals behind the switch. There is real danger, in certain circumstances, if you have such a connection.

'Ware Lights

Do not bring any naked lights near a battery when it is gassing, that is, when electrolysis is going on; or when it has been recently going on. A fullycharged battery nearly always gases. The hydrogen thrown off in such circumstances is highly explosive when mixed with air, and may easily start a fire.

Tags

Organisations: Yale
People: R. T. Nicholson

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