FORD VAN POINTERS.
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By R, T. Nicholson (Author of "The Book of the Ford ").
IDO NOT often write for the very beginner ; hut this time I am going to give the novice a couple of columns (or thereabouts) all to himself. I am going to tell the beginner how to begin. " Safety first." Write that hackneyed motto large : becalise it is possible to do a.lot of damage The best way to begin is to sit by a. friend's side while he (who knows all about it) explains, whenever he does anything, just why he does it. But that friend should be not merely a• good driver, but also a good teacher. There are skilled drivers who have forgotten that they ever had to learn— that others have to learn. The driving of the van has become so simple to them—so much a matter of habit—that they cannot think why the management of a Ford should give any trouble to the novice.
Get, then., somebody who, can drive and teach to give you your first lessons. Learn how -to start the engine—whether with a handle (as in the case of the oldstyle Ford), or with a foot-switch (as in the case of the modern van). Note.how switch, carburetter, throttle, ignition, air, and hand brake have to be set for the start.
Then learn how—when the engine has started—you should throw the hand brake forward 'm you depress the C pedal into slow speed, and then afterwards—when it has picked up enough way on "slow "—you have to let the clutch pedal come back into "high." Learn, too, that you can generally restore life to a dying engine—when you have picked up -" high" too soon—by B50 "slipping the clutch." Which, by the way, should not be overdone.
See how the skilled driver uses his throttle lever to , speed up and slow down—how he hardly ever uses his brakes, except as a final touch towards a standstill. It is best that you should not have your first lesson in traffic, because most drivers are, in sueli circumstances, too busy getting through the traffic to want to be bothered with questions as to how they do it. If possible, get-a friend to take you on a country round. Get to know all the points that I have named, and then—when you are sure of your theory —ask to be allowed to start and. drive yourself.
Some drivers do not like trusting their van to the beginner. In point of fact, however, the beginner who has a, teacher by his side can hardly get into trouble unless there is a lot of traffic about. Never make your start in traffic. When the road is open, the teacher can control everything when seated by the beginner's side—that beginner being at the steering-wheel. Throttle and foot brake are well within his reach, and that is all he need touch, should the beginner do the wrong thing
Go Slowly:
At first drive slowly—but not too slowly.. A very slow running van takes more driving than one with fair way on . —say 15-18 miles an hour. But do not begin by rushing off at breakneck speed, or you may break your own. Steer easily. Do not worry your wheel. The van wants only an occasional light touch to keep it in the straight path.
• Learn how to slow down at corners and sharp curves. And learn how to reverse.
The Value of Experience.
As a matter of fact there is very little in learning to drive. It did not take me half-an-hour to learn how to do things for myself. The trouble lies, not in theory, nor in practice, but in doing things without thinking. Until you do whatever it is necessary to do without thinking hard about it you are not really a driver : you remain a beginner. The beginner should never venture into traffic till he acts without thinking. In traffic, there is no time i to think—you are slap n the middle of the crowd before you can stop ; and then there is trouble On the open road the emergencies arise one by one, and you see them coming. You have time to think. In traffic there is no such time.
My own opinion is that nobody should venture into traffic wile has not had200-2,50 miles of open road driving. It takes that mileage to form the habits— the habits that look after themselves.
In your early days, it is well not to take a companion with you who will want to talk—and want you to talk. You cannot talk unless you think what you are saying (at least it is always best to think what you are saying!), and that thought may take your mind off your main job—that of driving.
It is not, by the way, a bad test of a driver's fitness that he is able to talk when he is driving. When you find you can talk without running road risks, you will know that you have formed the driving -habits. But do not test yourself in this way too soon, or you may find yourself in a. shop window just as you are saying what a nice day it is for the time. of year!
Attention ! •
While you are learning to drive you should learn also what attention the van needs.' You should very early knowhow and when to give petrol, oil, and water.
Most drivers know the importance of giving petrol at the right time—because they do not want to peter out. But oil and water are at least as important as petrol—oil, because, if skimped, untold evil will • befall the.'" innards "—water, because even worse evil may befall.
Learn that tyres must be blown up really hard— especially the back tyres—much harder than you think necessary. Soft tyres—if not too soft—ihake for comfortable running so far as you are concerned, but are extravagant luxuries. Soft tyres die young. And tyres cost much money.
It's Your Van.
Or, if not, always treat it as if it was. Unless you do so think of it, you will never do it. justice. The good driver has real sympathy with his "bus." Symptoms of strain and stress should go right to his heart. I know that that reads more like poetry than cornmen-sense ; but stick to it. A good driver does feel for his van, just as a coster feels for his " moke " —if he is a decent coster.
So tend it well, and keep it clean. 73e proud of it and have good reason to be so. Only so can you be proud of yourself—as a driver.
320.—A Word to New Model Drivers.
• Do not Ee too hard on your "power starter" in cold weather. If the engine is gummed up, it is hard on your dynamo to make it turn the flywheel. At all events, free the engine to some extent with a few pulls on the starting handle. The resistance of a gummed-up engine to the dynamo means a big strain.
If, when the foot switch is pushed down, and the ignition is switched on, your engine will not start withiia 10 seconds,. do not keep the foot switch down. Turn the shaft by hand for a while, even if that grinding does not make the charge fire.
Such grinding has two good effects. It helps to fill the cylinders with " gas," and it helps to free the pimpled engine. Then, when you turn on the dynamo again, by depression of the foot switch, the engine will probably fire readily.
And do not forgot what I said recently as to the use of battery current for starting in cold weather. It makes a lot of difference.
321.—For the Cold Snap.
(If any !) There is such a thing as keeping the engine too cool in cold weather. Not everybody knows that an engine can run too cool ; but it can. The temperature of the radiator water ought to stand at not less than 120 degrees. Anything' between that and 200. degrees will serve. You do not get full engine power unless the water is as hot as at least 180 degrees. In cold weather, the temperature of the water is quite likely to fall below that limit, even when the engine is steadily running. If you find that your engine is not pulling well, after it has got warmed up, try the effect of slackening off the fan belt, so that the fan. will not turn. It is not necessary to remove the fan belt from its working position, as it is a bit of a job to replace it when the right time comes. Simply slacken off the fan belt
adjustment so that the belt "slops." •
If, however, your water-boils readily with the belt slack, tighten up the belt adjustment again. Boiling water indicates that your engine gets too hot, since water boils at 212 degrees.
322.—Engine Heat.
Most drivers think that the engine should be kept cool. The real truth is that if we could only find some oil for the engine that would stand any amount of heat, the engine would run better' the hotter it got. The only reason why we keep the heat of the engine down within limits--that is, under 200 degrees —is that at a higher temperature the engine oil loses its lubricating properties. As we must have lubrication of the engine, we must keep the engine relatively cool; hut, below a certain limit (about 180 degrees), the cooler we keep the engine the less powerful does it become. You ought to know that from the fact that when the van starts out in the morning from cold it generally pulls badly. The popular idea is that this is due to the gumming of the oil in the engine and elsewhere. Undoubtedly, this has something to do with the weakness of the engine; but not everything. Heat makes for efficiency just because the motor engine is a heat enginm Our water-cooling arrangement is really a compromise between the efficiency of a very hot engine and the failure of lubrication at high temperatures.• 323.—Water-cooling.
Which brings me to another point of theory.We speak of theFord engine as a water-cooled engine, as opposed to an air-cooled engine. The truth is that all engiries are air-cooled. A water-jacketed engine (like that on the Ford) is really air-cooled through the medium of water. The water carries away the engine heat, by circulation, and passes through the radiator tubes. Those tubes are exposed to cooling. draughts of air, and as the water is split up into thin trickles, through a number of tubes, the air is able to get well down to work. Without such exposure of thin streams of hot water to -cool air, the radiation would be comparatively slight and slow. What we ordinarily call an air-cooled engine (like that on most motorcycles) has less chance of parting with its heat, simply because the air cannot lick up" so much of that heat as in the case of a (so•called) water-coaled engine.
The only time when the Ford engine is really watercooled is when the water is boiling. In that case; the heat of the steam (i.e., the water) does really pass right away with the steam.