SPARK TIMING

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 13 September 1930, Page 12

SPARK TIMING

THE PART IT PLAYS

It is still a wise policy to avoid tampering with the carburettor, says an American authority, until every other means of improving the petrol mileage has been tried. The carburettor usually is least to blame, and many troubles can follow an improper adjustment. The case is adduced of an owner who tried all kinds of adjustments in an effort to increase the mileage performance of a light six to what would be normal for a. machine of the type, but he only mads matters worse, not suspecting that his mileage loss was due not to the carburettor, hut to the ignition timing being too late, it is easy to make this mistake, because when the timing is slow an engine will seem to be powerful enough provided the driver does not make an effort to speed. Some of the best hill-climbing performances are achieved because the car has the spark on a late timing. Engines so adjusted also run nicely in high gear at very low speed, but it will be discovered, if put to the test, that they are very deficient when it comes to high .speed performance.