TOO SIMPLE
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IF it were not for so many misleading and erroneous statements in the text, the seventh edition of Diesel Vehicles by P. N. Fenton (published by George Newnes Ltd. at 17s 6d) might justifiably be termed a useful little book for the drivers of diesel-engined vehicles and for workshop apprentices. The claim on the jacket, "with the help of this book it should be possible to ensure that the diesel engine maintains a long and trouble-free life for which it is designed", is fanciful, however.
Typical of the advice given, a paragraph in the chapter on fault finding reads: "Another cause of over-heating is at the fuel pump. If the fuel-pump timing is late relatively sudden rises in pressure and temperatures tend to overheat the engine". In fact, a late timing reduces the peak cylinder pressure and may cause overheating because of the slow burning of the fuel charge.
No reference is made in the book to various important developments, for example to turbocharging and the use of alternators, and in a survey of modern diesel engines no mention is made of Rolls-Royce, Gardner and higher-powered Cummins units.
P.A.C.B.