FORD VAN POINTERS.
Page 28
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By R. T. Nicholson (Author of "The Book of the Ford").
AHULL reader sends me the following" easy " one :— " I have a Ford Van, year 1911, with Kingston Carb. fitted, I have everything in every way in perfect order except the Caxb. which gives trouble by way of flooding. Have tried all I know to reiddy this' but have failed. The Van runs splendidly and the fault in question is only when engine is stood."
"Have thought of fitting an up-to-date Ford Carb. do you think this proposition would see me out of the trouble if carried out? "
.371—,A "Carb." Question.
As there are a good many early Fords still doing useful work on the roads, I have thought it well to give my reply here.
The Kingston carburetter was at one time fitted pretty regularly to the Ford. Its lines were generally similar to those of the Holley. (See sketch.) .13.ndonbtedlY, substitution of a modern carburetter would step the flooding. -A 1911 Kingston carbu
retter has seen a good deal of service by this time, and, though there is very little wear and tear on a carburetter, there is some and 10 years' service will tell. Nevertheless, that old Kingston could, with, a little trouble, be tuned to concert pitch--always providing that no castings are cracked. I think it likely that the whole trouble is due to the fact that benzole has been used in that carburetter on some occasion. The floats of that early date (indeed, any floats earlier than 1915) would not stand benzole. It washed the varnish off the cork, and so the float got spirit-logged. Modern floats are treated with a special varnish which resists the action of benzoic,.
If the old float were thoroughly dried out with gentle heat (say, in an airing cupboard), and then given two coats of acelluloid' varnish, first being allowed to dry before application of the second, the float should be as goad as ever. (I assume that it is not badly cracked.) Said varnish can be made by ditsolving celluloid in acetone: old, stripped photographic films will do for the celluloid, and the chemist sells acetone. Or the varnish can be bought ready made in the shape of a cement sold for repairing accumulators, or by photographers for protecting negatives. Another source of trouble may lie in the bad fit of the petrol inlet valve in its seating. These can be ground to a perfect fit. Or the spirit level in the carburettor may be set too high. (Within reason, however, this would not cause flooding, though it would cause excessive petrol. consumption)
The reason why the carburetter does not flood with the -engine running is that the engine licks up the excess spirit as fast as it trickles through into the carburetter. With the engine at rest, they excess accumulates till it overflows.
But, while the old carburetter could almost certainly be doctored till it worked perfectly, there is a good deal of " finicking " about the work, and most !F-eople *mild wish they had 'never started on the job. It is 'simplex to get an up-to-date carburetter. Care should •bo taken that .the carbaretter chosen fits the old inlet pipe, or. there may be trouble there. Floodingof the 'kind described is not only wasteful when the-engine is at rest.. It means that the carburetter paSses excess spirit all the time, so that the mixture tends to become. too rich. That is all to the good of theepetrol magnates, but they are doing well enough already!
372—A Perplexing Trouble.
Of all electrical Worries, commend me to the case of the bad ". earth " connection. This is what once happened to • " .
-The ammeter was jumpy in its readings, and sometimes gave a. proper record (in view of my road speed) and .SonietimeS, gave liege at all, • being "all
over the place-7.:niemtiine:: • . • I could sometimes get light-from rayelarnps,. sometimes the light flickered, sometimes I could not :get a glimmer.
• The starting motor would usually act, butnot always. All the circuits seemed to me in order. I looked in .vain for shorts and breakages of wire, but could find none.
Throughoat, took that battery " earth " connection for granted. That connection is so simple and -straightforward that I never suspected it. The fact was that the frame connection had worked loose., and, having got loose,had collected a lot of filth under it. The vibration of running sometimes made and sometimes broke the connection. When it was made, everything was perfect in its action ; when it was broken, everything went wrong.
When you get the symptoms described, look to that fiame connection—otherwise: known as the negative "earth" Do not take it for granted. Keep it clean and tight.
I do not say that the symptoms in -question can arise only from a bad "earth" connection: there are other possible causes—such as a had positive connection at the battery ; but you would be pretty sure to check up the positive connection when you found trouble, and only the Sherlock Holmes kind of chap, nill think of his "earth." "Ha! ha!" he would. chuckle, "run to earth! The mystery, my dear Watson, is -clear to the meanest capaeity—ineluding your's. "
373—Light Trouble.
Do not overlook the fact that your " Dim " headlight bulbs are of the same power and pattern as your tail light bulb. All three are 6-8 volts 2 candlepower. If, therefore, when night has fallen, your tail lamp burns out, and you have no spare, rob one of your Dim" bulbs. So shall you escape the heavy hand of Robert, who lieth in w:dt for him whose tail standeth not up, to haul him before the magistrates_ who know a way of getting gold even out of the stony.