MAKING BEST USE OF THE FORD.
Page 49
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Valuable Advice on Every Phase of Ford Operation which to the Owner, Driver and Repairer.
532.—Keeping the Coils Tight.
Once the newness of a coilbox has worn off the lid, rightly or wrongly, is often suspected of shorting the coils and thus rendering difficult the starting. Usually, the lid is discarded and the driver commences to pack the coils closer to the contacts of the terminal posts by means of odd pieces of cardboard, etc. Obviously, this continual packing must strain the box still further, necessitating much thicker packing being utilized. This results in the whole box presenting a slovenly appearance, and, as it can easily be avoided, there is no excuse for its continuance.
When the coilsare found to be a slack fit in the box they should be removed and the brass contacts on the eight terminal posts gently levered ,outwards to increase their natural spring. The four contacts on the brass strip at the base of the box should be treated similarly. Then replace the coils in the coilbox and from a piece of old rubber tube Out a band about
in. wide and slip this around the eoilbox rind over the coils, as shown in the diagram. It will then be found that the coils will require no packing at all. A suitable tube from which to obtain the band is one from a rearwheel pneuniatie.
533.—Obscure Causes. of Mis
firing.
The old-type dash is made of plywood and should be thoroughly cleaned from time to time, especially on vehicles engaged on general haulage work, The oily vapour from the engine and the dust settling thereon will soon completely cover with a coat of filth the engine side of the dash and the H.P. terminals of the coil box.
When a dash becomes impregnated with such filth a very mystifying short in the ignition system is liable to occur. Until a mechanic has had experience of this trouble it is Often difficult to locate. Should a truck or van with a plywood dash report persistent missing, when everything else is apparently O.K., suspect the dash, especially if it be dirty, and the H.T. coil-box terminals covered with dirt. If, as is usual, the miss occurs on No. 1 plug of a R.H. controlled vehicle, or No. 4 on one with L.31. control, it is almost certain to be leakage across the dash. Scrubbing the dash with a wire scratch brush and cleaning the coil-box terminal posts with a rag dipped in petrol, paying particular attention to cleaning out the holes in the dash to accommodate the terminal posts, will generally cure the trouble. In some cases it will be necessary to remove thc coil box from the dash in order to clean it properly.
The writer first located this trouble with the assistance of the elements. An old van came in, reporting persistent missing on No. 4 cylinder—it was a vehicle with left-hand drive—and a storm which had been brewing suddenly burst. The •van was brought in
to the garage, which was in semi-darkness, and the bonnet raised with the engine still running. A tiny spark was observed jumping from the wooden dash to the steering column at a point where the steering passed through the dash. In normal daylight it would have been unobserved. Cleaning the dash and the coil-box terminal posts cured the trouble, which did not recur. Similar trouble has been experienced with other old-type vehicles, which have all yielded to the same treatment.
A recurring missing on the latertype steel-dashed vehicles. will sometimes occur on the road, disappearing
when the vehicle is brought in for examination. Whenever such a case is reported be sure to make certain that the horn wires are held properly in the clips provided for that purpose on the dash. If they have worked out of these clips they are generally the cause of the trouble, the road vibration causing them to work downwards and forwards until they occasionally touch the nuts of the H.T. terminals. The H.T. current shorts through these wires to earth.
534.—A Starting-handle Hint.
The new type one-piece starting crank, with its thin sleeve for a handle grip, is apt to seize up. There is no oil-hole provided for keeping the sleeve properly lubricated. When this sleeve does seize up it is a cause of pain and annoyance to the drivers, as the handle rotates in the hand instead of remain
lag stationary, so that mom:tient occurs between the sleeve and its pin only.
The best cure for this is to remove the entire crank and soak in paraffin overnight, when it can usually be freed by the morning. Before refitting drill a couple of 3-32-in, holes in each end of the sleeve, which will serve as oilholes. Any burrs, etc., should be filed down.
535.—A Repair to a Ton Truck Differential Housing.
While overhauling a ton truck rear axle considerable wear was found to have taken place inside one of the differential housings, between the back of , the axle-shaft driving pinion and the wall of the housing. This wear caused excessive end play amounting to it in. or NO.
The axle was of the old type with the shaft and two pinions in the differential, According to the local authorized dealer this type is now out of production, and a spare housing could not be obtained.
To effect a repair by replacements would have involved two new-type dif ferential housings, a cross-piece, and two extra pinions. As this expense was not considered advisable a successful repair was made by cutting back in the lathe the roughened surface of the housing, increasing the diameter of the hole to 31 ins and funher cutting back to
about 126• in. from the surface of the housing wall. Two differential thrust plates for a light-van rear axle—Part No. 2,529—were then procured and fitted
into the recess in the housing ; these took up all the excessive end-play that had hitherto existed.
The thrust plates are large hardenedsteel washers of 3i in. overall dia
meter, and about 3,32 in. thick. The
hole in the middle will accommodate nicety the rear axle-shaft pinion boss of the ton truck. Actually, very little extra cutting was necessary, as the excessive end-play was of long standing, and the webbing of the housing seemed to provide ample strength.
By ensuring that the plates are a good fir in the recess no fear need be felt of the plates falling on to the pinion and cutting .into it.
536.—Removing the Exhaust Manifold.
When it is necessary to remove the exhaust manifold, never do so when it is het, as it will distort in cooling and will never make a good joint again. The same precaution is necessary with the cover over the timing gears.
537. — After Relining 'Trans mission Rands.
When gear bands have been relined they should be used as gently as possible for the first day's running, as this will allow the strands of the lining to get well soaked with oil and " sot," they will then last four times as long as if they had been treated harshly when new.