AIDS TO SOLVING FORD PROBLEMS.
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• Valuable Advice on Every Phase of Ford Transport, which will Appeal to the Owner, Driver, and Repairer.
IN THIS series of hints concerning the Ford light chassis and ton truck wherever they are employed for commercial purposes, which commenced recently, we propose to deal with the subject from every viewpoint,, so that the advice given will appeal to the owner, driver, maintenance , engineer, or mechanic. Valuable sources of information will be tapped for,this purpose, and it should be understood that the information given will all be derived from those with a practical and intimate knowledge of
the subject. • We shall welcome for inclusion amongst the hints those which have proved of value to individual users, and " will make suitable remuneration for any published. What we desire are the results of practice, and not so-called improvements, which are but theoretical. •
40.—Stiff Steering.
There is a greaser at the bottom of the steering .!olurrin, and if this is not attended to fairly often the steering will become very stiff. It will be found sufficient if four cupfuls of grease are screwed right into the bearing every 3,000 miles.
41.—Cleaning the Sump.
Many opinions have been expressed as to the advisability or otherwise of replacing the oil in the sump of an engine. However, those who have had years of experience with the Ford say that it is as well to drain out the oil from the crankcase.
To do this, remove the main plug, replace it after the oil has all run out and pour half a gallon of paraffin into the crankcase. Give the engine several swings by means of the starting handle, but, of course, do not let it run under its own power, and drain off the paraffin. To permit this to be released from the troughs, the limit axle may be jacked up to a fair height. Now replace the main plug and put three-quarters of a gallon of fresh oil into the sump.
42.—Getting Home with a Broken Crankcase Arm.
• A trouble which occasionally occurs in the Ford vehicle is a breakage of one or other of the crankcase suspension arms. When this occurs the engine tilts over and usually tears away the water joints between it and the radiator.
This occurred in a recent instance when a van was a considerable distance from home, and to overcome the trouble the engine was supported by means of an ordinary jack. The foot of this was put into the bottom of the off-side channel of the frame, with the head under the flange of the water outlet in the cylinders. The jack was then screwed up until it raised the engine into its correct position, after which it was tied to prevent it slipping, and the water connections returned to their original place.
43.-A Simple Nozzle for a Hose.
Even a Ford works very much,better if it is kept. free from mud, although some drivers appear to have a different opinion, judging by the state of many vehicles of this make which are to be seen on the road.
The best way to wash them down is to use a fine. jet of water and a long brush. To obtain the former, use can be made of an ordinary Ford taper sparking plug. From this remove the porcelain, and into the place thus vacated drop the roller from an old standard commutator, then replace the locking sleeve to keep this in position. It will be found that the plug fits the size of hose usually found in the garage, but as the screwed portion is rather short it is .advisable to grip the hose to it by binding with a few turns of string or wire.
44.—Starving 'the Carburetter on Hills.
The arrangement of the petrol supply on some Ford vans is such that the fuel cannot flow to the carburetter under gravity if the tank is only a quarter full and the vehicle is ascending a steep hill.
In one case which occurred recently a van was ascending Sunrising Hill, Warwickshire. The engine was running well, and the vehicle was climbing the hill on low gear. About 50 yards from the top it suddenly stopped, and as there was a good load on the van was carefully backed into the near-side bank while examination was made. • The float chamber was found to be dry, but pressure was applied to the petrol by blowinganto the tank.. This-filled the float chamber and provided sufficient fuel for the vehicle to reach the top of the hill after a certain amount of spluttering. Once there, the fuel again flowed readily.
An alternative would have been to turn the vehicle round and to have climbed the hill in reverse, but when carrying a fairly heavy load it is none too easy to turn the vehicle in the middle of a steep hill.
• 45.—A Hint for the -Absent-minded.
On the starter-type Ford, the carburetter float chamber is flooded from the dash by pulling out the knob of a apeeial priming wire. If this knob is left out, persistent flooding will ensue. It should, therefore, be' pushed back to the farthest extent possible.
46.—Increasing the Life of a Commutator.
The misfiring of a Ford engine was recently traced to commutator trouble caused by the roller pin coming partly out of position and, by running on:the segments, wearing these badly on one side. "'The use of a. spare roller assembly proved no good, owing to the condition of the segments. However, these were reversed and were then found to give satisfaction.
This reversing of the segments does not necessarily apply only to wear caused in this manner, this being somewhat infrequent, but it is a good tip, which might prove satisfactory in other cases.