Frank B. Scholl

“ It is equaled only by the internal combustion gas engine, which is a factor in making it practical and efficient.
Gasoline-propelled vehicles have become one of man’s greatest aids in business efficiency, but nevertheless it is very important that we consider the facts, that the adoption of the automobile by man for business, commerce and pleasure is on a very large scale, and that the production by manufacturers is so great that very little thought is given to proper care, which is an ever-present factor in economical operation and a fair return for the investment. ”

“ In cold weather it will probably be found necessary to turn the dash adjustment one-quarter turn to the left, particularly in starting a cold engine. As gasoline vaporizes readily in warm weather, the driver will find it economical to reduce the quantity of gasoline in the mixture by turning the carburetor adjustment to the right as far as possible without reducing the speed. This is particularly true when taking long drives where conditions permit a fair rate of speed to be maintained, and accounts for the excellent gasoline mileage obtained by good drivers. ”

“ The clutch used in automobile construction of the present day becomes a necessary part of the equipment upon the adoption by manufacturers of the progressive and selective types of sliding gear transmissions.
When the engine is started the clutch is “in,” that is, in contact with the flywheel, and all parts of the clutch revolve with it at the same speed. The shaft on which the clutch is mounted extends into the transmission gear case, but as the transmission gears are in a neutral position, the movement of the car is not affected. ”

“ An automobile is always equipped with two sets of brakes, as they are required by law. The functional action of the brakes is to check the motion of the car when the driver wishes to stop or reduce the rolling speed. The service brake usually operates on the external surface, or on the outside of the drum flange, and is connected to the right foot pedal through a set of linkage. The emergency brake operates on the internal surface of the drum, and connects through linkage to a hand lever operating on a notched quadrant. ”

“ A. A lean mixture has too much air and not enough gasoline. A rich mixture has too much gasoline and not enough air. A rich mixture will not only quickly cover the cylinders, pistons and valves with soot, but will tend to overheat the cylinders, and is likewise wasteful of the fuel. It will often choke the engine and cause misfiring at slow speeds, although at high speeds the engine will run perfectly. The mixture should be kept as lean as possible without the sacrifice of any of the power of the motor. ”

“ Magneto Cleaning.—Magneto parts should be washed with gasoline as it has the ability to remove grease and dirt and evaporates rapidly leaving a perfectly dry surface. Care should be exercised to prevent fire, for the present grade of gasoline does not evaporate as readily as it did some time ago when refiners furnished a high test grade of fuel and the surface of the armature and indentures of the magneto may retain a pool or film which may be ignited by a short circuit, or from the breaker box, and cause a fire which would ruin the magneto. ”

“ A. The Ford is the simplest of all cars. Most of the ordinary adjustments an owner will soon learn to make for himself. But we must strongly recommend that when it becomes necessary to employ the services of a mechanic, the car be taken to a Ford mechanic—one of our own representatives who thoroughly understands the car—and who will have no motive for running up useless repair bills. The entire Ford organization is interested in keeping every individual Ford car in constant operation, at the lowest possible cost. We have known of much damage done to many cars by unskilled repair men. ”

“ The transmission and differential operate more successfully when a lighter grade of grease is used, such as a graphite compound, or a heavy oil known as 600 W.
Oils.—Great care should always be exercised in purchasing lubricants. None but the best grades should be considered under any circumstances. The cheaper grades of oil will always prove to be the most expensive in the end. The ordinary farm machinery oils should never be used in any case as an engine lubricant, for in most cases they contain acids, alkalies, and foreign matter which will deteriorate and destroy the bearings of the motor. ”

“ The operation of each cylinder is identically the same whether you have a one or a many cylindered motor, consequently when you have gained a working knowledge of one cylinder, others are a mere addition. This may sound confusing when the eight or twelve cylindered motor is mentioned, but is more readily understood when we consider the fact that an eight or twelve cylindered motor is nothing more than two fours or two sixes, set to a single crank-case or base in V-shape to allow the connecting rods of each motor to operate on a single crank shaft. ”

“ In order that the proportion of air and gasoline vapor may be correct for all motor speeds, provision is made by means of a valve A for the automatic admission of larger quantities of both at high motor speeds. The ducts are open at all times, but the valve is held to its seat by its weight until the suction, increasing as the motor speed increases, is sufficient to lift it and admit a greater volume of air. The valve A is joined to the tube L, hence the latter is raised when the valve is lifted and the ingress of proportionately larger quantities of gasoline is made possible. ”

“ The foundation of a tire as every motorist knows consists of alternative layers of rubber, fabric, or cord, covered with a tread and breaker strip of rubber. The tread and breaker strip, however, are not worth the space they occupy if they are placed over a poorly constructed foundation of cheaply made fabric. Therefore, great care should be exercised in choosing a tire of standard make which has been tested, inspected, and guaranteed to be in perfect condition, and gives a mileage guarantee. ”

“ The live axle which carries the weight of the load and transmits the power of rotation to the wheels, is built in two distinct designs called the semi-floating axle, and the full-floating axle. The semi-floating design is used extensively in manufacturing cars of light weight, while the full-floating design is favored more by the manufacturers of cars of medium and heavy weight. Both designs give equally satisfactory results.
The dead axle carries the weight of the car and load in much the same manner as a horse drawn vehicle. ”

“ As soon as the engine fires the starting pedal should be released immediately, as the overrunning motor clutch is operating from the time the engine fires until the starting gears are out of mesh. Since they operate at a very high speed, if they are held in mesh for any length of time, there is enough friction in this clutch to cause it to heat and burn out the lubricant. There is no necessity for holding the gears in mesh.
The motor clutch operates between the flywheel and the armature pinion for the purpose of getting a suitable gear reduction between the motor generator and the flywheel. ”

“ The spark plug should be kept clean (i. e., free from carbon) and should be replaced if they persist in not working properly. There is nothing to be gained by experimenting with different makes of plugs. The make of plug with which Ford engines are equipped when they leave the factory are best adapted to the requirements of our motor, notwithstanding the opinion of various garage men to the contrary. All wire connections to spark plugs, coil box and commutator should, of course, at all times be kept in perfect contact. ”

“ An automobile engine cannot be hung at the low level required to allow straight line drive, as it would have to be carried from six to eight inches lower than it is in present construction, and this would allow very little road clearance if any. And as the rear axle receives the power transmitted to it at a constantly changing level due to torque and spring action, it is necessary [205] to have a flexible coupling on the propeller shaft between the engine and the rear axle to prevent the gears and bearings from being damaged from distortion. ”

“ The tire iron should be pushed in just enough to get a good hold on the under side of the bead, but not so far as to pinch the inner tube between the rim and the tool. A second iron should be inserted in the same fashion some seven or eight inches from the first, and a third tool the same distance from the second. As a cylinder tire must be pried over the clinch, three or four levers will come in handy in a case of a “one man job,” and the knee of the driver can be used to good advantage to hold down one lever while the other two are being manipulated in working the shoe clear of the rim. ”

“ In order that any carburetor may do justice to what is claimed for it, it is absolutely essential that the motor on which it is installed is in good condition in other respects because, besides poor carburetion, there are numerous things about an internal combustion engine which will cause its poor operation. Therefore, assuming that the following conditions exist, we can proceed with the installation of the carburetor and after adjusting it we can expect very good results as to the operation of the motor. ”

“ A good plug properly constructed should outlast the life of the motor. When purchasing new plugs, first examine the old plug and get one of the same length. This is very important as spark plugs are made in as many different lengths as required by high and low compression motors. High compression motors have a small low walled combustion chamber, while low compression motors usually have a spacious high wall chamber and require a longer plug, whereas if the long plug is used in the high compression motor it may be put out of commission by the ascending piston. ”

“ When the clutch is disengaged there is no friction between the shaft B, and the throw out sleeve D. The thrust bearing takes the rotating drag of the clutch shaft, thereby eliminating the necessity for a brake to check the spinning action. The friction and power action is readily understood as, when the clutch is thrown in, all the rotating parts are friction locked into a single combination and revolve as one with the flywheel. ”