Attention Must Be Paid To The Ignition System

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19028, 30 May 1936, Page 9

Attention Must Be Paid To The Ignition System

A POINT worthy of attention by ™ motorists is the manner in which the ignition system can bo nfrccted by the use of'high cylinder compressions.

Modern engines employ a e.oinprcs-i-;ion ratio which, on the average, is 0 lo .1, as compared with the 1.5 5 to 1 compression ratios oi only a Few years back. The idea of high compression, of course, is to obtain more power from a given engine size, and the general uso of high compression has .nought in its train ail sorts of problems connected with combustion oi: tho mixture, and has necessitated lno development of various special fuels to avoid detonation.

It has also raised the combustion chamber operating temperature to a much higher degree than before, and this, in turn, lias placed additional strain on the sparking plugs and the ignition system, generally. Because of this, a modern car should not be allowed to run for more tiiaa 5000 miles at a stretch without having the various parts of the ignition checked over. If convenient, examination at shorter periods is preferable. It may lie found that the plug points burn away fairly rapidly, and will need adjusting', and that the points of the make and break mechanism of the distributor will be pitted and burnt. These will need adjusting and resetting to the proper gap. Failure to pay this,,attention to tho ignition system will result eventually in the breakdown of the coil, making the whole ignition system inoperative. It is advisable to lit new sparking plugs at; every JO,OOO miles, because of the loss of insulating qualities en tailed by the high operating temperatures. Recent- cases of unaccountable loss of power and increased petrol consumption have been traced to the ignition system being affected in the manner described. Cleaning and adjustment have resulted in an immediate return to former efficiency.