Hints To The Amateur Operator

There are four important points that the operator must attend to. First, the ignition; second, the mixture; third, the lubrication, and fourth, the water circulation.

To start the motor you will first see that there is a supply of fuel in the tank, then open the valve next to tank and also give a vent to the tank. Open the gasoline valve next to vaporizer and the needle valve of the mixing device. Open the relief cock of the cylinder and give the fly-wheel a couple of turns in the direction motor runs, adjust the ignition to take place at the top of the stroke, close the relief cock, throw in the switch and give a quick turn to the fly-wheel. The motor will then start. You must now advance the spark and if dynamo is used, switch current from battery to it. See that pump is working and adjust oil cups to give proper supply.

It will be found that to start the motor when it is cold will require an extra amount of gasoline, but as the cylinder becomes warm the supply can be reduced to the proper point. Less gasoline is required in warm than in cold weather. Keep watch of the sight feed oil cups until they become warm, as the oil will then run more freely. Adjust the cylinder cups to feed from 6 to 7 drops per minute. To check down the motor, shift the lever so as to retard the spark. If the slow speed is to be continued any length of time, reduce the supply of gasoline accordingly.

To stop the motor - throw off the switch, turn off the supply of gasoline at the stop-cock and needle valve, shut off the oil cups, and when leaving the boat shut off the gasoline at the tank and close the vent.

Locating Trouble

If, after a proper trial the motor fails to run, first examine the spark. If make and break is used, test by turning the fly-wheel until the points or electrodes within the cylinder are brought in contact, then detach the wire from the stationary electrode and pass the end of the wire across its post and see if there is a spark. If the spark shows all right, turn the flywheel until the electrodes are separated and try again in the same way. This time there should not be any spark. If jump spark is used, disconnect the wire and take out the spark plug, reconnect the wire and lay the spark plug on top of the cylinder in such a position as to ground the metal part with the cylinder, then turn the flywheel until the circuit is formed, when a spark should show between the points of the spark plug.

If no spark occurs with the make and break, look over the insulation of the wires and all connections. See that no wire is broken under the insulation and that connections are firmly made. Ascertain if the battery is weak.

Weak Battery

When a motor stops or refuses to start, nine times out of ten the trouble will be found with the spark. When a battery alone is used to furnish the spark, it will in time become weak and useless. A weak battery will recuperate and show a good spark, but this will not last. A few sparks will exhaust it and then a rest of a few minutes will again recuperate it sufficient for a few more sparks.

This often puzzles the amateur, as he will try the spark and apparently it will be all right, and at the same time the motor will stop after three or four revolutions. Therefore, when testing the spark for weakness, try it by repeatedly sparking it for at least a minute to ascertain that the spark holds its strength. Never add new cells to an old set of batteries to strengthen them, as one old, weak cell will bring down the new ones to its strength or voltage.

In all except small cylinder motors a dynamo should be used to give the current, the batteries only being used to start with.

If no spark occurs with the jump spark, look over the insulation wires and spark coil, and see that the vibrator is adjusted properly, see that the insulation or porcelain of the plug is not cracked, and that the points are clean and not over 1-16 of an inch apart. If the spark is not at fault, then look at the mixture. This may be either too rich or too poor in gasoline or the compression of the charge may not be perfect. A mixture that is too rich will cause a smoky exhaust, resulting in fouling the cylinder electrodes and valves. A mixture too poor will not ignite regularly and is apt to be slow firing, which is one of the causes of back firing. After the valves of the mixing device have been once adjusted to give the proper mixture, they should be marked in this position.

compression. If the cylinder leaks or loses its compression through a leak, it will result in a loss of power or may cause the motor to stop. A two cycle motor may leak past the piston if the rings become fouled or worn, or it may leak at the spark plug. A four cycle motor leaks compression at the intake or exhaust valves. These are liable to leak through becoming corroded, and when found in this condition they should be removed and ground to their seats with emery flour.

Water Circulation

Should the pump stop working and the cylinder become hot, stop the motor and let it cool gradually. Never put water in while the cylinder is overheated. If you have been using dirty, muddy water, the sediment is liable to clog the water, to clog the water jacket and cause trouble unless removed. In freezing weather draw off the water from the cylinder, pipes and pump - otherwise they will be broken.

Some Pointers

Do not All the gasoline tank near an open lamp.

Strain the gasoline before using it.

Remember to give vent to tank.

Do not permit any joints or valves to leak.

If motor is two cycle and compresses in the base, see that the base is tight.

If make and break sparker is used and causes trouble see that the spring is not cracked or broken, or that the moving electrode is not bound by becoming overheated or from a lack of lubrication.

Use kerosene oil to clean out a fouled or gummed -cylinder - gasoline will not do.

If jump spark is used, see that the porcelain is not cracked, or that the points are not fouled.

Use 76° test gasoline - never lower that 74° test.

Do not feed too much gasoline - Do not feed too much cylinder oil.

Do not forget to drain cylinder, pump and pipes in freezing weather.

Remember that a leak of any kind at any place is •detrimental.

Foundation

Some of the smaller makes of motors require only two foundation timbers which are placed athwart-ships (right angle to keel), and the bed plate is bolted directly to these timbers. Most motors, however, are fastened to two fore and aft timbers that are placed on top of the athwartship timbers. The athwartship timbers are notched over the keel and shaped to fit the inside of the planking. These timbers are bolted to the keel and the planking is nailed to the timbers from the outside. The top of the foundations is trimmed to conform with the line of shaft. A very simple way to line up a small motor is to first put in the outboard shaft and stern bearing, and then so shape the top of the foundation as to bring the crank shaft in line with the outboard shaft.

Fuel Tank

This should be of copper or galvanized iron. The latter is commonly used and is perfectly satisfactory. Be sure the tank does not leak. If it is of over ten gallons capacity, it should be made with two or three compartments or partitions placed fore and aft with a small opening in the bottom of each. This prevents the contents shifting with every list of the boat. The fuel tank should be placed on a shelf close up under the forward deck, and be provided with a suitable opening on deck for filling. This opening should have a pin hole vent. The tank should be connected with the motor with either block tin or lead pipe and a shut-off valve be placed both next to the tank and next to the motor. An ordinary glass water gauge may be connected so as to show at a glance the amount of fuel in tank. Brass fittings should be used to connect up gasoline piping and the unions of such fittings have ground joints that need no gasket. If, however, you should use iron unions, make all gaskets of leather, as ordinary rubber or composition packing will not stand. Use shellac or common soap on the threads when putting gasoline piping together. To figure the capacity of fuel tank, allow one gallon of gasoline per h. p. of motor for ten hours running.

Muffler

The muffler is an expansion chamber attached to the exhaust, used to deaden the sound. It is usual to place this under the after deck. In small boats it is sometimes placed next to the motor with the exhaust outlet directly through side of boat. The water from the motor may be piped into the exhaust pipe so as to flow through the muffler and overboard. The advantage of this is to keep the exhaust piping cool. It, however, has this objection, that the water partly turns to steam, which makes the exhaust always visible. When the water is piped into the exhaust, the exhaust pipe must slant down from the motor to the point of discharge - otherwise the water would flow back into the cylinder when the motor stopped. The exhaust pipe and muffler should be covered with asbestos covering. This covering may be finished with brass bands and painted with aluminum paint.

If jump spark ignition is used, the batteries and spark coil must be placed in a locker so that they may be kept dry. The jump spark requires a high tension current that must be carried to the spark plug with a special insulated wire. This, however, is furnished by all motor manufacturers.