FORD VAN POINTERS.
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By R. T. Nicholson (Author of "The Book of the Ford.").
WHEN FROST COMES, the effort to start the engine from cold is often a frost, too. Let us try to "arm things up a, bit! 281:—Frosts!
I make no apology for going over some old ground in dealing with this subject again, for, as winter comes round year by year, I get my annual dose of questions on the same old problem—easy starting in cold weather. So, I can only suppose that every winter, as it comes round, 'finds a new lot of drivers in trouble for the first time, and new drivers deserve a couple of pages to themselves every now and:again. For Fords multiply apace, and the army of Ford drivers is always growing ; and we must cater for the newcomers who do not know the ropes as well as for those who have been all over the rigging. So here goes.
282.-, Hard Starting in Cold Weather.
First, let rue say that, if you have had trouble in starting in warm weather—if the engine would not fire in summer at the ROLLER third or fourth pull of the starting handle, or within a few seconds of the engagement of the power starter (as I prefer to call the ",self-starter")—you are going to have a lot more trouble during the winter months. If everything was right, you ought to have got the engine going easily in summer time—even the beastly summer time we have had this year, and even with the beastly Fig. 178.—The roller of spirit that they give us the contact breaker should for fuel in these days. not have too • much play Any _fault in your caron its spindle and the buration or ignition that spring should not be too
told against easy starting during the warm weather is. going to be. g'reatly magnified during the cold months—especially faults in carburation. weak.
283.—The Remedy.
The remedy for starting troubles in winter time is warmth. If you can keep things warm, you are bringing back the summer tirne; so far as your engine is concerned. Kept decently. Warm, .your engine will start in winter as readily—though only as readily— as it did. in summer. • . . ••• If you had trouble in starting in warm weather, I recommend you to let the garage mechanic tune -up your ignition and your carburation. Or, if-you like to: do this for -yourself, here are your Main 'lines of action :—
284.—Tuning the Timer.
By the timer, I mean the wipe make-and-break, generally (but altogether wrongly) called the commutator. If the path of the roller inside the cover is worn, either have it trued, or (as is more satisfactory) get a new cover. You can replace the cover without taking off the radiator. Take care that you do not shuffle the wires in fixing them to the new cover. The best way is to take one off at a time, and to attach that one to the new cover before attacking the next. Each wire must go to its proper place, and to no other ; in other words, there is a proper terminal on the cover for each wire. If you shuffle the wires, your firing will be all wrong, and you may not be able to get a start at all. If you succeed in getting a start, you will probably get horrible „explosions in your silencer, which may blow it to. smithereens. .
If your wires are badly oil-soaked near the timer cover, it will be as well for you to get a newset of wires, as well as a new cover. When the wires get sodden, they leak electricity, so that you get,a, poor low-tension current passing through your timer ; and a or low-tension current at the timer gives you a poor high-tension current at the sparking plugs. Or, if you do not want to go to the expense of new wires, bind up the old ones all.: along the sodden parts with insulating tape, after washing the wires with petrol and drying them.
Timer Roller and Spring.
For easy starting, thera should not he much play in the timer roller. When you have the timer cover off, you can feel if there is much play in the roller. There is always some play, even in a new roller ; but there should not be a lot. I have seen rollers worn to mere . shells : theysare of no use for easy starting. If badly -worn, the roller will not press firmly enough on the metal insets in the cover when it is in place; and there must be good,•firm pressure. This brings, me to another point. . The timer spring, which governs the pressure of the roller on the metal insets in question must have good tension. An old spring is apt to weaken. I cannot tell you exactly how strong the spring should be, but it certainly should not be sloppy. After Ss spring has been in use for some thousands of miles, it is best to rePace ,it anyway : it costs only a. few pence. It is possible to strengthen,this spring by taking a coil or two off it and so shortening 'it; hut life is not long enough for this kind of-finicking.
• To replace a bush (the part that carries the roller) or spring, you must have the radiator off, for, with it on, you cannot see what you are doing : neither can you drive out the pin that holds the bush on. An old hand could perhaps replace a.,spring Without removing the radiator, but even for that it is best to remove the radiator the first time you tackle the job.
285.—Tuning the. Coils.
The coils should be sat so that they will buzz as easily as possible : that is to say, the adjusting nut on the top of each coilcould be turned up. (with the engine-running) till the engine. just misfires on thet unit, and :then, turned dawn, say, 'half a turn—not more. If you get a lot of tension on the trembler, you will need a lot of current to start the' buzz, and
you cannot get a
lot of current through when cold oil prevents the engine turning over quickly —whether, y o u rely on'the starting handle or on a power starter.
Have the coil contact points— the points that "touch and go" when it buzzes— clean and trim. They should meet with full contact, and should not be black nor pitted. A very thin, smooth two-sided Ale passed between them will set things right here. Burnt, ragged contacts always hinder starting.
Setting the Plug Gaps. •
The gap in an old sparking ping tends to widen, the points getting burnt away. The Ford engine calls for a pretty wide gap at the plugs—one thirty-second of an inch. If you get a narrower gap, you are likely to have it fouled up. with oil, and that, of course, makes starting impossible, so far as that particular plug is concerned. Clean your plugs well, and set the proper gap in each. Sot the'gap, if anything, on the narrow side, though, if you overdo this, you will have to take your plugs out pretty often to wash the. oil off. It is the front plug that is most likely to oil up : give that a liberal gap up to one thirty-second.
285.—Magneto Queries.
Not in one case in a thousand is the magneto at fault, though often suspected. You can generally take your magneto for granted. If, however, you get a pour light (on a hand-starter Ford) with a new bulb in position, when the engine is running at a fair .speed, there is reason to suspect your magneto. (An old bulb tells you nothing, because old bulbs ge dim, anyway.) With a poweristarter Ford, the electric light tells you nothing, because it is fed from the loa-ttery, not from the magneto.
But if you have aalatestsmodel Ford, the condition of the magneto, so far as easy starting is concerned, need not worry you, because you can start the engine on battery current: indeed, it is best to switch the ignition to " Bat." position when starting in amid weather, keeping the spark well retarded.
Why the Battery?
The battery is best used for starting in cold weather, for one very simple reason :—Magneto current depends upon the speed at which the engine is turned over : and the engine will not turn over quickly when everything is gummed up with congealed oil. So you get no spark at the plugs—or only a weak spark. With the 'battery curYent switched on, you get just as good a spark at slow speeds as at high speeds— which is au excellent thing when you cannot get anything but a slow speed on your engine. If youcan turn your engine over at all, however slowly, you will get really vital sparks ab your plug points if your ignition system is in good order.
Run on Magneto.
But, all the same, once you have gat your engine properly started, switch over to magneto, and let it run on that. The reason for this is that your coils are adjusted—or should be adjusted—for magneto current, not for battery current, in ordinary running. Bayou were going to Tun on battery current all the time, you would adjust the tension of the tremblers differently.
286.—Carburation.
If your ignition system is all in. order, any tro,uble that you may have in starting will be a matter of carburation. We have. quite a lot of trouble to-day with carburation, because the motor spirit that they dole out to us at high prices is very poor stuff—as compared with what we once got. It does not vaporize at all readily: it is heavy; stodgy stuff. This brings me again to a point that I made a long way bank--for ready carburation we need warmth. If you can keep your motor warm, you will have no trouble with easy starting. If,your fuel is no colder than, say, 50 degrees, carburation will be all right, for the spirit will vaporize at such a terns' perature, but if the spirit gets chilled with a lower temperature it will vaporize only badly—if at all. , B30
The motor will retain a good deal of heat through a single night if the engine is run till the radiator water is really hot—boiling if you likein the motor house, and the radiator and bonnet are then shrouded with heavy rugs. In the morning, the radiator water will still be warm, if the, cold is net too severe. In really cold weather, if there is no way of heating the motor house, you must heat up your spirit somehow. If you can get three gallons of hot water, empty the radiator sopply, and pour in your three gallons. Give things a little time to warm up, keepin-g the :Ionnet closed meanwhile, and you will have no trouble with carburation.
But it is generally difficult to get three gallons of hot water. Here is the next beat course:—
Pour a quart of boiling water over carburetter and induction pipe—keeping it off everything else, That will:ialways give an easy start so far as that start depends on carburation. Do not be worried at the idea that the water will get into the carburetter: it will not : it cannot—in the case of the Holley.
Carburetter Adjustment.
Turn the spray needle upwards for from half a turn to acturn. Do not overdo it. Hold the air throttle closed for a short time while the engine is turning over before firing—while you hear three or four " swishes'" in the Carburetter. Do not overdo this, or you will get your engine choked with liquid petrol—which will never explode.
.287.—Additional Hints.
Use a very light., oil for your timer in cold weather. An engine oil gums things up there, and it is important,that there should be no gumming between roller and metal insets. A light bicycle oil is wanted here.
It is quite a good tip to wash out the timer overnight by squirting paraffin through the_ lubricator, and not to oil up in the morning till you have got running. The inside of the timer ought to be really clean for easy starting.
Use as light an engin* oil as possible for the crankcase supply. A heavy oil, when chilled, drags on everything.
The Last Word.
As my last word on this subject, I repeat what I said almost at first. Keep the motor warm-, and all will be well.
There are many good garage stoves advertised. It is not safe to heat a garage with " any old" stove ; there is too much risk of a fire from petrol vapour. If you are going to warm your motor house, you must have a stove specially made for the purpose. Even then, turn off your petrol at the main tap under the tank.