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FORD VAN POINTERS.

13th March 1919, Page 17
13th March 1919
Page 17
Page 18
Page 17, 13th March 1919 — 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 ").

NOW THAT BENZOLE is unrestricted in Supply and free of duty, a good many Ford owners and drivers are asking questions about it.' Here are answers to-most of the practical questions that can be raised :— 78.—What About Benzole ? , Let me first say that there is up "standard" hensole. There is, in a sense, no standard petrol today ; but it remains a fact that when You buy petrol. you get about the same grade of stuff as you bought last time. In the case of benzoic, there are wide variations in quality. One maker's output differs from another's—one distillation from another. So that. it-is not altogether easy to compare petrol with benzole at any time, particularly to-day, when the benzole industry 'has not had time to settle down. "after the war." The, following general statements are, -however, true :— Good benzoic ha:s the following advantages over good petrol (1) It gives more miles to the gallon, generally from 10 to 15 per cent:.

(2) It costs less per gallon. As cost of benzole and petrol is constantly varying, it is useless to quote figures.; but it is safe to say that benzole has always at any given time been considerably cheaper than petrol at the same time. . (3) Benzolet rarely causes knocking in the engine, through deposit of carbon, in any contlitions. Indeed, it is hard to make a benzole-driven engine knock-, Further, -even if the engine is .so heavily carbonized as to knock readily when petrol driven, substitution of benzole for petrol will cure the knocking tendency withoutdecarbonization, (4) It is a moot point whether benzole carbonizes the engine to a greater extent than petrol. This probably depends on the setting.of the carburetter (with which I deal later). In any event, the carbon produced by benzoic is much softer than that produced by petrol, and is therefore much more easily removed when the time comes.

On the other hand, petrol has the following advan tages as compared with benzole :— • (1) Petrol is more readily procurable. (2) Though poor at the present time, petrol more nearly approaches a standard in quality. Poor..ben. sole is undoubtedly bad for the engine, owing to the fact that its combustion produces acids which attack the metal. (The benzole procurable is, however, not likely to be so bad as all that.) (3) Petrol does not attack paint and varnish, benzoic does.

(4) Petrol is a little more ready in starting the en,gine in cold weather. In warm weather the difference is not noticeable.

79.—Removal of the Radiator.

Most drivers hesitate to remove the Ford radiator. It looks too big a job. Really, it is 'quite easy.

There is certain work about the engine which cannot be done unless the radiator is first removed, so here goes Open the radiator petcock, and drain all thewater away. Unhook the air throttle pull-rod from the carburetter—the long piece of coppered wire that runs from the carburetter, through the radiator frame, and ends in a ring in front of the radiator itself. Pull the wire out from the front of the engine. It will come right through and out if you first straighten the hook with pliers, and it is best right out. You can easily bend it into a hook again at its back end later on.

It. is best not to disturb the rubber water hoses. I make it a rule never to touch these (except, perhaps) when it is necessary to tighten the blips to stop.leakage there) unless I am going to replace them with new ones. Removal of these hoses generally means ruining them for good and all, while. if they are not disturbed, they will go on pretty nearly for evermore. Simply unbolt the cylinder water inlet connection at the side of the cylinder, and the cylinder water outlet connection between the top of the radiator and the engine. (The illustration shows how you bring away these two connections with the radiator itself, after unbolting.) • Next detach the electric light 'wires. To do this, screw back the .vulcanite thimbles, one from behind each lamp. You will then see two little brass screws in each wire holder. Loosen these, and you can draw the electric light wires back and out. To loosen the screws, it is necessary to remove the wire-holders thernselves from the lamps.

Remove thetwo split-pins from the bolts, One on each side of the radiator, near . the bottom. There bolts pass 'through holes in the flats on the radiator sides. Then remove the nuts under the split-pin holes. You may find that it is impossible to turn these nuts without turning the bolfs. themselves. In that case, you will get no forrader " unless you can hold the .bolts, and prevent their turning. So place some handy tool under the flat, so as. to jam the bolt head which lies there. That will prevent its turning.

Now hoc -en the lock-nut that lies right at the back of the radiator stay rod, close against the dash, and screw out the rod itself from the radiator by turning the -rod with a hefty pair of grip pliers, gas pliers being the thing. It is sometimes difficult to budge this rod unless you_have a real pair of pliers with which you can get good purchase. Take care that when the rod is screwed right out of its socket in the radiator the radiator itself does not fall to the ground. You had best support the radiator while you are screwing the rod out. • Now you can lift the radiator up and off See that you do not lose the two pieces of felt that support the radiator and-sa•ve it from shocks. Also see that you do not lose the two washers that stand between the nuts and the flats. In replacing the c46 radiator later, see that these things ,go back into their proper positions.

In replacing the radiator, too, do not be too hard on the two holding-down nut If you jam the heads of the bolts (as you did in removal) it is possible to get these nuts down very hard, and that you should not do. As a matter of fact, . the -bolts are spring.

bolts, and are not intended to hold the radiator down rigidly. The springs round the bolts under the flats (which you cannot see, though you can feel them) are there to save the radiator from road shocks, and they will not do their work if the bolts are nutted' so tightly that the turns of the springs are all drawn up together solid.

The best way is to count the number of turns required to remove the nuts, and then to turn orilhe bolts, in replacement, to just the same extent. If you clean the bolts with paraffin, so that their threads are clear of dirt, the nuts will usually go on far enough without any jamming of the bolt-heads. In replacing the radiator stay rod, only screw it into the radiator far enough to -get the radiator about vertical. (You need not use a plumb-line for the purpose; on the other hand, you do not want the radiator leaning forward or backward.) It is unnecessary and wrong—to screw the rod in as far as it will go. Do not forget to lock it with the lock-nut. In working round this lock-nut, be careful not to break the porcelain insulators in the neighbourhood. It is easy to do se if you go clumsily to work.

And do not he clumsy or rough in handling the.

radiator when you have it off. D.o not put it -down with a bump, or you maY start the solder at the' ' joints. Solder -does not stand -shocks well, -and if-you dump the radiator down on to something hard, you may easily crack it ; and then you will go weeping all along the road the next time you go out Treat it as gently as you would treat a baby,' or more so..

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