Evening Star Newspaper, June 18, 1922, Page 58

'HOW TO LOCATE CAUSE WHEN ENGINE MISSES EXPLOSION| Cutting Out of Mufflers and Cleaning of: Plugs Urged—Other Motor Ques- tions Answered. BY A. \. ATKINSON. Does vour engine pull like a buck- ing broncho, jumping ahead, pausing, jumping harder, pausing, and so on. giving muMer explosions and, occa- sionally, puffs of smoke? Then it is missing explosions and a systematic search must be made to locate the trouble. Some system is absolutely necessary, as there are so many causes for an engine to miss explo- sions that it will not do to go at it haphazard. The first thing to do is to make sure that the engine really is missing explosions. The above symptoms are sufficient indication. but they are not present _at_all _tin Tt v Post & Schooley Formerly with Botor Co. of Wash. Stutz and Auburn Experts General Auto Repairing 1428-30 Church St. N.W. when the engine is running :d: without load. So run throttled down, with spark retarded, and listen carefully, training your car so that you may be able to tell without other help. At first you will need cutting out the muffler, in case a muffer cut-out fs provided on your car. If the nolse is not loud enough, then open the throttle slightly, keep- ing the spark retarded. This should bring out every explosion clearly, so that_any break in the sequence will be immediately apparent. With en- gines of six or more cylinders this is difficult to determine as the engine races so rapidly. Then we must cut out the muffler while the engine is pulling the car. Short-Circult Plugs. 1f there is no muffler cut-out it is more difficult to tell if the engine is missing explosions. Then short-cir- cuit each plug with a screwdriver by resting ihe point vf the screwdriver on the cylinder and leaning the side against the head of the plug. The current grounds through the screw- driver and the cylinder misses fire. If the engine slows down a little when the plug is short-circuited it shows that that cylinder is firing. 1f it makes no appreciable effect on the running of the engine when the plug is short-circuited it shows that that cylinder is missing. If the engine slows down as every plug is short- circuited it shows that it is not miss- {ing explosions at all Having located the i e, the engine ing cylinder, Ask your dealer to Champion X . . . now 60c The component parts of Champion Plugs are designed to stand hard service, eliminate compression leaks and give maximum power sell you a full set. ! | CHAMPION SPARK PLUG CO. TOLEDO, OHIO You Know Beforehand What Willard Service - Is Like When you trust your battery to a service station that has nothing more than con- venience to recommend it you're taking a chance. , When you bring it into Battery Head- quarters you know it will have the best care and attention anybody in the business knows how to provide. Every detail of the service we give has been carefully worked out by men who make a business of determining how battery users mhay best be served. You'll find the Wil- lard Standards of Service on our wall as a declaration of our policies. ) N Authorized .1 g Willard 3 Service Stations Bradburn Battery & Electrical Service 616 Pa. Ave. SE. Lincoln 1430-J Modern Auto Supply 917 H St. N.E. Lincoln 3896 ‘The John A. Wineberger Co., Inc. 3700 Georgia Ave. N.W. Columbia 865 Smith’s Battery & Electric Co. 2119 18th St. N.W. North 9928 E. J. Penning 1740 14th St. N.W. North 7998 Standard Service Station Sth and R Sts. N.W. North 9681 Garage 1000 Michigan Ave. 2 North.1821 MAIN STATION _ 1621-23 L St. N.W. Main 180 to make the noise louder by ! we must determine the cause. If we suspect a weak spark we disconnect the high-tension wire from the spark plug and hold it not more than one- fourth inch from the head of the plug, with the engine running. We see the spark jumping and so can tell if it Is strong enough. If therej 'is & good spark the trouble is in the plug. If there is no spark the trouble is in some other part of the system, such as & short circuit in the distrib- utor or on the wire to the plts. Munt Clean Plugs. If there is a good spark at every plug and still the engine misses the lignition s all right up to the plugs and one or more of these are at fault. | Then the plugs must be cleaned or replaced by good ones. If the engine {still_continues to miss we must look for the trouble elsewhere than in the ignition system, such as defective carburetion or loss of compression. Try changing the carburetor adjust- ment slightly, but if no improvement is shown leave the adjustments ex- lactly as they were before. Cranking the engine by hand will test the com- pression. If any cylinder Is found to be weak the cause of the leakage must be found and removed. Run the engine and squirt oil around dhe spark plugs, compression cocks, valve caps and aiso around the gasket if the engine has a removable head. Bubbles will show leakage. If no |trouble s shown here the loss of compression Is inslde, such as leaky valves, scored cylinders or defective pistom rings. You may have to call in an expert to help you remedy some of these troubles. but remember that the more work you do around your car the better you will understand it and so be better equipped to find troubles by yourself later., PRACTICAL HINTS. When oiling the car look for oil holes that are plugged up with dirt and clean them out with a piece of wire. All holes should he covered with a small ofl cup, but sometimes manufacturers do not take this pre- caution and occasionally the cup is knocked off, leaving the hole open to catch dust. This allows grit to enter and keeps out the oil. Every time a tire is changed a light coating of graphite and shelluc or a be rubbed on the rim. w vent the tire from sticking and save time. Rust patches should be re- moved with sandpaper, but, if very large, can best be removed with a file followed by the sandpaper. finishing with graphite as.mentioned. Keep watch on the spokes of the wheels, especlally if the car is an old one. If they can be shaken, tighten the bolts on the flanges of the hub. If they are stil] loose, consult a wheel- wright, as there is danger of a broken wheel and loss of life if this is neg- lected. | A skilled driver rarely u his | brakes, except for an emergency stoy or on a hill. He has learned to judge the distance and allows his car to coast to the point where he wishes to stop. This saves the brake linings and joints in the brake mechanism so SOLD and GUARANTEED in Washington H. 1. Tonneman e e e LT during its life. O economically. satisfaction. that they do not need fo be replaced so often. joints are getting the attention and fubrication they deserve? ed a serious loss of power results, the parts wear and become nofsy, and the joint is so much harder to turn that the bolt heads sometimes shear off, making a troublesome repair. medfum ‘grease and renew it every thousand miles or oftener. To the Automobile Editor: consume three times as much oil as it used to, and if the oil gets low the engine develops a knock and weakens in climbing a hill. )01" there seems nothing wrong with it did not have this trouble until re- centl you could not consume guch an exces- sive amount without carbonizing the cylinders. There is also a looseness in some part of the mechanism which is mufiled by the oil when at the right The Price of a Car ‘And Its Annual Cost What any automobile really costs its owner is the original price plus whatever is spent to keep it in opera- tion. A great many people now using street cars would ride in automobiles if the price of the car included upkeep Economy and satisfaction in car O\\"l’l(‘:fa:}!i[) depend first upon the car, then upon the accessibility of the things necessary to keep the car running smoothly and From this last-named standpoint, therefore, the cost per mile of automobile transportation can always be traced back to the automobile dealer. For he it is who should assume the responsibility of meeting the day-by- day requirements of his car customers in such a manner as to make car_ownership an economical and constant We invite you to inspect our ability to assure the Reo owner low cost mileage, as well as to inspect the new models of this famous line on display in our salesrooms. The Trew Motor Co. 14th Street at P This must be removed or it level. do serious will grow woree and damage. Are you sure that the universal To the Automobile Editor: My carburetor is continually leak- ing at the needle valve. How may 1 stop this trouble and how do you stop leaks at joints? P.T L If by needle valve you mean adjust- ing valve on spray nozzle, the trouble is elsewhere, either heavy float, dirt in float valve, or worn boat valve. If you mean float valve it is one of these troubles: If heavy float the gasoline must be removed from it. If a worn valve it must be ground with rouge or rottenstone and oil. The dirt can be removed by flooding unless it is too large, in_ which case the car- buretor must be taken apart. Leaks at joints can usually be stopped by filling the throads with soap before the parts are put tcgether. 1f neglect- Use a This Recently my engine has begun to If filled full of Yet there must be something, as back E.R T low There must be a leak somewhere, as To the Automobile Editor: Many things prevent an engine {rom being troublo §s in the carburetor adjust- ment. valve should be closed. buretor adjustment is right, test for leaks in the inlet manifold by squirl- ing oll around the joints while the engine is running. ed in the joint should be tightened carburetor has no adjustment, but I of the fixed type, it will be necessary to get In touch with the nearest agent to make whatever changes may b¢ necessary in the spray nozzle. To the Automobile Editor: While replacing the tires on the ran faster than the other. How might THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., JUNE 18, 1922 PART 3. K : } all. The engine seems to be in good ! this be explained? condition otherwise—compression and lubrication O K. and a good spark. M. L. G. Answer—Providing the differential is in good order, there should be no reason for one wheel to turn faster than the other, except that you are eized wheels. If one large tlre and one small tire is used the wheel with the smaller tire will turn faster than the other. This is bad, as it throws extra work on the differential, causing rapid wear. M e R R R R R RE " Puts a Hush )n Your Gears . Trust Ebonite to put those whimpering, grinding transmis- _sion gears to sleep. After Ebonite spreads its coating of lubri- cation over the gears you won't even get a whisper out of them . For Tran:missions EBONITE - differentials stays on the job all season—one filling of a tight transmission case is all that is necessary. Lbonite eliminates all metal-to-metal contact—Kk i11s throttled down. Usually the | o B ol th e vonj e At slow engine speed the air If the car- If the oil is suck- might be the trouble. If your wheels recently I ran the car on gear and /noticed that one wheel My carburetor will not permit the engine to run slowly. It seems to work well enough with the throttle opened to pull the car, but that is Use One of Our New Dodge Brothers Cars While We Paint Yours We paint all makes of cars and we furnish you a car at a cost not to exceed the amount you pay to operate your own car and give you a paint job equal to, if not bet- ter than, the original. Upholstering, Slip Covers and Top Work SEMMES MOTOR COMPANY 613-619 G St. N.W. Phone Main 6660 THE NAME oF AGOOD TIRE 320 Shepherd St. N.W. T \ - REO O 0 M Main 4173 T TR | Two Great CHAS. E. MILLER, Inc. 812 16th St. 4 Doors North of H 8t. friction—and puts a keen pleasure into driving. Try Ebonite—ask for it by name. Sold at gara gasoline stations and accessory dealers in five and twenty-five pound tins. BAYERSON OIL WORKS Values in TIRES Manufacturers Erie, Pa. 28x3 Inches Pennaylvania Petroleum Producta— 30x3 Inches MAKERS OF AlTOCRAT MOTOR OILS CRIC PEXNGYLVANLL What Will Be Your Decision? This is the first of a series of articies which will endeavor to present the case of your dealor, who accepts msed cz=s i part payment for new cars. misunderstanding on the part of the public is due to the fact J that most people are not far Tisr with the many fectors with vhich the dealer has to contend. When you trade vour used car in. ac pari payment for a mw.humgedflkvr'}onyunmifnitnmd Lrsiress will permit. From your standpoint, the amount he aliows may seem lower than you have a right to expect. If you are at all interested in this question, you will be in- terested in hearing the dealer’s side of the story. After the “evidence” is all ia, we feel confident thal your deci-~a will be ypical of the fair-minded spirit which charac- trizes the average Washimgtonian. Washington Automotive Trade Association You may pay more for an enclosed car, but you can’t get more in real automobile essentials than are offered in the complete- ly equipped Ford Sedan. These are sensi- ble—not extravagant times. Buy a Ford— and Spend the Difference. F.O.B. -DETROIT Terms if Desired Authorized Washington Ford Dealers R. L, TAYLOR COMPANY 1840 14th St. N.3, PARKWAY MOTOR COMPANY 1065-1067 Wisconsin Ave. STEUART’S GARAGE 141-151 12th St. N.E. HANDLEY MOTOR CO. (Ine.) Georgia Ave. nnd Quincy St. N.W. TRIANGLE MOTOR CO. s N. Y. Av€. at N. Capitol St. STROBEL MOTOR COMPANY 1425 Irving St. N.W. HILL & TIBBITTS 301 14th St. N.W. ROBEY MOTOR COMPANY ’ 1429 L St. N.W. DONOHOE MOTOR COMPANY 215 Pennsylvania Ave. S.E. UNIVERSAL AUTO COMPANY (Ine.) 1529-31 M St. N.W. All Dealers Are Equipped to Take Care of Battery and Generator Work These Dealers Can Sell Ford Cars, Tractors, Parts, Etc, Anywhere in the States. Reasonable Delivery on Touring Cars, Roadsters, Trucks |