FORD VAN POINTERS
Page 28
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By R. T. Nicholson (Author of "The Book of the Ford ").
IFANCIED last week that I saw the old-timer's superior smile stealing over his honest face as he read my little talk to the beginner as to the first principles of carburation. And yet, not every old-timer knows how to restart a Ford engine when hot--particularly when the stop has been more or less sudden. To show what I mean, let me tell you a little bit of my personal experience.
428.—The Old Hand's Superior Smile.
I was walking through "our town" a few days ago,
when I noticed a perspiring driver trying to start an old-style (non-starter) van. I say, ' perspiring," because, though the day was well on the chilly side, the driver in question had been working SO hard at the handle that there was quite a touch of warmth in the air in his immediate neighbourhood.
I said : 1` Hullo, young'man," (he was somewhere about forty, but he appreciated the compliment I)— " I see you have to work for your living.' That last remark was unfortunate. He evidently thought I was "pulling his leg," for he went on grind
ing in silence with a blighting sidelong glance at me. "Won't she start?" 1 asked.
That was a silly question, I admit; but I still don't think it was received as kindly as it was meant. He stopped grinding, and opened up the vials of his wrath (of which there were quite a number—all large-sized). He ga,ve me, and a crowd of small boys, his candid opinion of engines that wouldn't go, and of people who stopped to see them do it. (I sympathized a good deal with his views on this subject, because I hate such public appearances myself.) I caused him, however, to think somewhat better of me when I said :
" Let,me have a. try." He smiled pityingly as he stood aside. "Know anything about Fords ? " he asked. Just enough to make me want to know more," I answered.
I firsti nosed around to see that the ignition and other little matters were as they should be, and noticed that petrol was dripping freely from the carburetter. Otherwise, everything seemed to be in order. I then. gave a lazy turn or two to the starting handle. No signs of life.
The driver smiled again. (He was not like the old king of England who never did!)
I went to the carburetter, and screwed the spray needle down gently as far as it would go. Then back so the starting handle. As I was going, the driver 1$30
said: "You've cut off the petrol." I said, " Quite so," and added that air was free, and that Fords had been known to run on their reputation only.
The old-timer's bands itched to turn that sprayneedle back, and he was just about to do so -when, as the result of a few more lazy turns, the engine began to fire : then I went and turned the sprayneedle slowly upwards, to keep the motor running. Once more that "hi!' old" trick had saved the situation.
The driver first gasped—then purred. Ire thanked me. He then explained that that particular Ford was always a bad starter from hot—that he had wasted many good half-hours in weary handle-grinding—that he had had about enough of it. He still didn't see, however, how the engine started without petrol.
I said: " It didn't start without petrol. There was a whole lot of petrol in the cylinders—s2 much of it that it was a case of almost all petrol and little or no air. (There should be only one part petrol to sixteen parts of air in an explosive mixture, you know.) When I cut off the petrol supply, by closing down the spray needle, and turned the handle, I put that right. Little by little, I drove the petrol out (through the exhaust valves), and sucked air in (via the inlet valves), till the proportions became 'about right,' and then the motor fired. If I had gone on turning, without adjusting the-spray-needle upwards, I should have got too much air and too little petrol."
429.—That "Rich" Mixture.
There is a good deal of misunderstanding about as to the need of a rich mixture for starting purposes. We flood our carburetter, with the idea of providing that.richornixture. Our practice is all right, but our theory is all wrong. You want exactly the same proportions of petrol and'air in your starting mixture as nryour running mixture. The trouble at starting is that petrol (and still more benzole) will not vaporize readily. You, therefore , erefore (133, flooding), slop a lot of it about over as large a'surface as possible, so that you may get!a, sufficient supply of petrol vapour to make the correct mixture. But you can overdo this—even with a cold engine. If, for instance, you poured liquid petrol into your cylinders when cold, that would not help you to start if you poured too much in, and made the mixture really rich. So give up that "get rich quick" idea, please.
430.--Some Tyre Fitting !
I was recently at the Ford factory at Trafford Park, and while there was much struck with a tyrefitting machine the operation of which was "real slick. '
The covers were waiting with inner tubes in place. The fitter took a cover and tube, and set the two together on a machine, together with the wheel on which they were to be mounted. He pulled a lever, and a finger spun round and forced the beads into the rim—both beads at one operation.
The fitter showed nog sign that he war hustling on account of my being there. He just went on at the same pace as before. I had a stop-watch in my hand, and timed him from a distance, so k that I doubt if he knew I was about. It took just 12 seconds, after he had first handled the tyre, to fit the cover and tube to the wheel.
You cannot do that on the road, you know
The machine referred to was a power machine. I afterwards saw a hand-operated machine at work. The time taken in that case was 18 seconds. This particular machine was used for fitting the heavy back tyres used on the trucks.