| Show Spark Plug May Be Weak Link of Ignition System field Talks Tall s of ol Uses of 0 Plugs in n Creating Power Various farious Va fa- rious T Varieties ThatTo That Are Arc Use Used What hat Causes To Plus Plugs Fouling 0 o of 0 0 BY BARNEY OLD OLDFIELD FIELD s Z Copyright lt 1010 uno by King g Features S Syndicate Inc I IFA IA A l CHAIN is Is is no stronger er than its weakest link the i ignition system is ig certainly no stronger than its spark plugs The ignition system may maybe mayhe mayhe he be functioning perfectly in every other particular but if its spark plugs are arc not transmitting transmitting- proper sparks to the combustion chamber the j entire R stem is deranged d. d The spark plug pIng i is simply the means of getting gettin the flame or spark into info the combustion chamber This is accomplished by means of a a. gap gnp between the ends of two wires The rhe electric spark jumps dumps this gap and thus momentarily passes through the fuel charge e in the combustion chamber chamber cham cham- ber firing iring it In III addition ro to affording the means of the fuel charge tho spark ping Plug must resist the tIte tremendous forces within the chamber cham chain her ber when the explosion takes place and must not permit gas as to escape through it Considering that each cacti plug pIng in tho the engine must deliver hundreds I II of thousands of sparks in the course o of a days day's ay s run while whilo being subjected I all nil the tho time to extremely high heat and explosive pressures tho the wonder I ie that Ii if the the- 1 Y IM rive service Ir that they the do I J 0 different de designs f There are a n great many signs of ot spark plugs on the tho market today and many different materials are ire employed In making them I will describe the different types briefly and explain the tho care caro that should houM be given Iven them by the car owner If It ho he hopes to get maximum efficiency from them As ts I noted above e the spark Is Introduced Introduced Introduced Intro Intro- Into the combustion chamber b by moans met of or R n gap gnp across which the alee elec electric tr Ie current Jumps To accomplish this there must be two wires which are also known as ns electrodes One of or these wires the tho one brings s the current from the magneto or other current current current cur cur- rent source must be bo Insulated so that none of ot the current will lack Inck away I The other wire which receives recel the current current current cur cur- rent after It jumps the tho gap must he bo grounded rounded This Is IR done lone b by attaching the tho ho wire to tho the spark plu plus plug shell which Is 15 of metal and screws Into the metal cylinder clinder The Insulated electrode h Is Imbedded In porcelain mica or stone stono of or some sort Mut n ne neThe The shell and the Interior of or the plug plus must be joined so tightly tho that no gas can escape and this is 18 usually done by means of at a a. gasket after the two have been cemented together or compressed together b by of ot a nut Spark plugs mO may be divided 11 Into two distinct groups according to whether the they have o open or closed ends Not nil all engines will operate properly with both types Some Somo require an nn open end j plus while others others need a closed end unit unIL Car owners should note this fact In buying this equipment Tho The vital Hal parts of or the e spark plu plug are the electrodes and ami the Insulating unit The Insulator Is la made as ns I men men men- on porcelain mica stone or or orsome orsome some similar substance designed to resist high temperatures and changes of temperature without cracking Porcelain and stoic atone are arc more lIkel likely to crack t than n Is mica and for this reason nome Mome some plug makers combine an outer Insulator of stone with an Inner core coro o ot of- mica The Time ono one L falling liing that mica has Isa Is a tendency to absorb oil but In ono plug of r popular make the tho mica Is literally l wound which seems to be beabout beabout about tho only wa way of overcoming o tho the troubles with Ith this substance Tho stone stono and mica plug plug- seems cems to fill Ill the tho requirements for a good plug pluS which cannot possibly be fulfilled by an ordinary ordinary n nary ry plug I If the tho outer Insulator should break In a combination plu plug I I service ter goes Joes on Just as efficiently be be- be I cause l a e the Inner core coro Is 18 unaffected A most Important consideration In conn connection connection con con- n with tills this plu plug Is that the outer Insulator ma may quickly and easl easily be replaced ced The Tho construction also affords affords af nr- af- af fords absolute protection against compression compression com com- leakage Th The average e car owner cannot hope to tell teU b by looking at nt a spark plug plu whether the materials used are arc good I Ihn l hn bad ad or Indifferent For this reason It ItIs ItIs ItIs Is Important to bu buy plugs made mado h by a responsible manufacturer with a reputation reputation tation to live lI up to I 1 drolC 1 The Tho electrodes which carr carry the tho spark are uro obviously ob subjected to high I temperatures and tho the materials used In them must be calculated to withstand this service Nickel steel wire Is commonly commonly com com- used but In buying plugs It Is la lawell well to see seo that thal tho the electrodes are thick an and 1 hea heavy heans as ns naturally these last longer than than- smaller ones would Undoubtedly the tho most frequently en- en spark park plug trouble Is cracked Insulators Insulator which allow the tho current to leak away Cracks Crack a In tho th l. Insulator may develop elop through faulty material though carel carelessness In handling whereby whereby where where- b by tho the plug has received d d. a knock with witha a wrench in installation or through too great pressure being put on It with the wrench It Is often orten Impossible blo to detect a n crack In the Insulator with the tho eye as the crack ma may bo be in a portion portion portion por por- tion of the tho Insulator that Is out of ot sl sight ht The best wn way to detect a suspected suspected sus crack is b by dismantling tho the plug Or If that Is not po possible sible b by laying the plug on the cylinder cUnder head with the cable attached In this wa way wh when n the engine is cranked 1 it is easy to see whether thero Is Js a n. good spark Another trouble commonly encountered encountered with plugs is IS' fouling which means that the thc electrode ends and the bottom of the tho Insulator become carbonized car car- with tho the result that a 3 short circuit Is formed the current passing through the carbon Instead o of jumping the tho gap sap Electric current always follows follows follows fol fol- lows tho the line a of least resistance This formation of ot carbon is usually due to tho the presence of ot oil which Is splashed on the plu plug In most plugs tho the ground electrode Is la formed In a book shape so as to let shy any an oil that may be bo splashed on It run away from tram tho the gap sat I When plugs become carbonized tho the best remedy is to soak them in kerosene hero kero sene seno and then scrape with a knit or ora ora a stiff sUr wire brush Care must be bo taken not to roughen the insulating material I as this Induced further deposits of at car- car I k N sJ c r l 7 t nl s Jf t t OUTSIDE RUBY INDIA INSULATOR Ta Tai MICA INSULATION LATERALLY WOUND i I p UNSCREW HERE y V A FOR CLEANING GLEANING J. COPPER tty s ASBESTOS GASKET i k 1 I. I POSITIVE GAS TIGHT JOINT t. t I R J SPUN COPPER COPPER- GASKET t i-t SMALL 1 I I COMPRESSION SPACE i J i EXTRA J HEAVY SP SPARKING POINTS Sectional view of a a. combination mica and stone spark plug This particular design uses laterally wound mica which effectively overcomes any soaking oil troubles bon Chronic plug fouling will probably ably be bo found to be caused b by leaky piston rings too much oil all too thin an anoil anoil oil worn or pitted cylinders rs or on any of or the theother other caU causes es of ot oil l pumping Care Core of or Spat pa k I Plugs Care must mURt bo be taken to have havo the spark I ICare gap the tho space between tho the two electrodes electrodes elec eloe- properly distanced This gap ap will vary somewhat with different engines engines en en- gines but it is important to g get t tho the correct distance and keep It Too narrow narrow nar nar- row a gap will make mako 0 a weak weal spark while If it the gap Is too wide there may not bo be current enough to send the spark across at all It Is ea easy to adjust the tho gap gnp b by bending the ground electrode electrode elec elec- slightly It Is 18 A A. good plan to squirt a a. little oil on the tho plugs to see Ice If any bubbles bubbleR show how for If Ie they do It means mean lost com com- Tho The gasket Is a p potential source of ot compression loss and In cases where whee this trouble exists exist the ga gasket ket will probably be found to be dirt dirty worn or otherwise out of proper con con- Tho rho car owner should take care calc al always always al- al ways to get set tho the proper plugs for his engine After Actor a 3 satisfactory make and andlen len length th has been found stick to that one Never eer throw plugs pluS's Into the tool toolbox Lox box unless they thoy are arc protected from knocks that will fracture the tho Insulators Insulators tors or otherwise injure them Incidentally Incidentally Inci Inci- dentally replace worn orn or broken parts of oe tho the plugs s rather than buy new ones er e every time trouble develops That Is common sense an and 1 conservation conser QUi qUE S 'S TIO S AND D S r Barney Oldfield Plea o let me know v where whore to locate the following trouble First engine will not start b by crankIng cranking crank- crank Ing InS but can be started by Ly being towed to In Second storage battery In car Is dead New cw brushes In distributor and old ones cleaned make mako good contact Breaker points gives S1 spark sparl Had mag mag- neto recharged Spark plugs plus weak ant and some times tall fall to spark ark an and 1 then tho they are arc all spark Nave Have primed them but the they fall to work proper properly 1 had tho the generator cleaned but the vibrator will not charge unless tho the points arc are put pul together h by hand When hen the battery was charged It would 1 not make mako the motor motor motor mo mo- tor go Mechanics cant can't locate locale tho the trouble The Thc wiring is 18 O. O K E. E J J. J L L. L The trouble Is la duo due possibly to weak magneto or 01 poorly adjusted or dirty Interrupts Interrupter If tho limo magnets are aro weak you ou cannot possibly get a good starling starting start starl- ing spark but after the engine Is turn turned d over rapidly as It Is when the tho car Is towed there Is spar spark sufficient The generator has nothing to do with i ima ma magneto noto ignition If the tho storage Lattery battery battery bat Lat LatI I tery Is dead you cannot expect to use URO I tho battery for starting I cant can't tell you about the trouble In your our battery circuit until you ou tell how you OU have this car wired for starting Barney Oldfield I 1 have havo run 11 my ear car about miles I Ilm am now having considerable trouble with the front wheels ever every once in a while the they get gel for the collywobbles and md three feet or more When hen this occurs It pulls on tho the steering wheel but It Is Impossible to control it from the seat sent It I is necessary n for mo me to start when I 1 start anew It goes all allright allright I rl right ht but I may only go o ten feet or orten orten orten ten miles bolero it occurs a again aln I II have hn had the car to about aboul half a dozen I mechanics but the they do not seem seven to beable be he beable able ablo to fix It It Everything about tho the steering appears to be all right tho the wheels are In lino line and are aro tight Will greatly appreciate It I If ii you ou can ad advise advise nd- nd vise Ise a cure A. A H. H Usually the trouble is caused by worn gears those gears those which are aro exposed However replacing these cures th the troubles but not always for any i of ot time tinge The trouble might ml bo be caused cd b by the front axle twisting In such a position that It allows what might be called a critical wobbling speed The Tho front springs becoming weak may mayca ca cause causo JR this Take your our car to a service ser station and ask them to remove remo tho the wobble and get Jet a written guarantee that the wobbling wont won't begin again In a rea reasonable time As s a hint on controlling tho the car when it does this I would suggest chan changing tho the front wheel direction that Is s steer to ono one side as far as ns possible an and 1 at nt tho the same time Increase tho the speed of ot tho car car It If you ou can Dear Oldfield Please tell teU mo me how to apply appl piston rings s on ona ona ona a piston j. j L L. S. S Kather than go o Into the details hero I am writing writing- a complete article on this subject and this will appear short shortly Briefly true up tho piston grooves then start to fit the bottom ring first Tr Try It In the groove groo backwards roll backwards loll It around around and and see If it It is ia too loose Joose or too too tI tight ht If It it wont won't go in the groove it It will have to bo he lapped to size If It It has up and down play pIa that that- can n bo be felt it should not be bo used In that groove at all nil The ring must bo be free to turn easU easily In Its groove and at nt the samo same time there must bo no up and down I Dla play Barney Darne Oldfield I have ha ble trouble with water boiling and motor motor mo mo- tor heating Th The cylinders have havo been Leon and pia pistons ons fit tit but there Is the same samo trouble I use medium oil Please tell me mo the tho cause o of tho the trouble and the tho remedy for tor it W. W A. A E. E I wrote an article on overheating overheating- which you should have havo read The first thing to get ct after atter Is the water ss tem tern It naturally must be bo freo free of ob ob- ob This Includes radiator and water Jackets Is the tho water circulating In ing 1 Look into Iho tho radiator when en en- en- en gine ino Ine Is la running and anti see If It it is Is time the tan ran an belt bolt slipping too much Check the tho mixture the Ignition timing and valve o timing Barney Earney Oldfield Oldfield-Is Oldfield Is It p possible to to add a t fourth gear ear to an n Overland tour tour- lug InS car 1 B If It so 80 will you ou Kindly give ivo directions as ns to now how hoIt It can cnn bo be and the approximate cost I would like to have e a n higher gear to uso use when on good roads and traveling tra fast rast as ria at present In touring at a n speed of about thirty miles milos per hour the tho engine races and antI Is not only noisy noblY but It must be bo hard on it II II E E. V. V O. O It Is It not possible to all add another re reduction reduction re- re in tho the present transmission re-I re I Barney Oldfield After Oldfield-After After I r get set the en engine engino en- en sino gine of ot my car warmed warned up I have havo I en-I to toso use so most of m my strength to turn It over o the crank handle b being ng so o stiff I ran It 11 all last year ear that wa way and after taking It apart I m find some little bits of Hof hard Iron welded to the walls of ot cylinders Nos Nis 3 1 a and 4 4 After ship chip shipping chipping ping them i off Ct and putting th the en engine together I I gave It a good tryout and Its It's just as bad 11 Please let lot mo me know how I can overcome overcome o I the stiffness When hen tho the engine lne is cold It turns turn over o quite easy and it has always alloys been boen well supplied with oil and also been well wen cleaned of ot all carbon F. F IT The only onh timing thing r can sec is that the pistons |
