The automobile owner's guide

The average car owner usually fights shy of the electrical system. This deserves attention when overhauling the car, as well as any other part of the car, and a few simple precautions will go a long way toward eliminating electrical troubles.

The entire electrical system should be gone over. One of the most important things demanding inspection is the wiring. It often happens that the insulation becomes chafed or worn, through contact with other parts of the car. It is, therefore, important to look over the wiring very carefully. Where there is any doubt as to the insulation being insufficient, new wires should be used. This eliminates the possibility of there being an accidental ground, or short circuit, rendering a part or the entire system inoperative.

All terminals should be gone over to determine whether they are clean and tight. This is especially true of the terminals on the storage battery, and at the point where the battery is grounded to the frame of the car if it is a single wire system.

The connections between the storage battery and the starting motor should be clean and free from corrosion. If these connections are not tight and clean, improper performance of the starting motor is the result.

Apply a small amount of vaseline to the battery terminals for protection of the metal from the action of the acid fumes and prevention of corrosion. It is well to have the battery inspected by a battery specialist and any necessary repairs taken care of.

Distributor and relay points should be examined to see if they are pitted or burned. If they are, they should be smoothed down with a fine platinum file and adjusted to the proper gap. It is essential that the contact points meet squarely. If this is not done burning and pitting will result.

The generator and starting motor commutator should be examined for undue wear and high mica. It may be necessary in order to insure good performance that the commutator be turned down in a lathe and the mica undercut.

The brushes should be properly seated by careful sanding. This is especially necessary when the commutator is turned down. It is desirable to have three-quarters of the brush face bearing on the commutator. This can be determined by examination of the glazed area on the brush after running a short time.

Should the starter drive be of the bendix type, the threaded shaft and pinion should be cleaned, and any grease which has hardened should be removed.

Lamps should be examined. Dim and burned out lamps should be replaced.

All connections of the lighting and ignition switch should be inspected. It should be noted whether the terminals are touching, or nearly touching. If any wires are rubbing thus, entailing the possibility of a short circuit or ground, they should be fixed.

Electric cables that rub on sharp edges of the battery box will soon wear through the insulation from vibration of the car and a short circuit will occur that may be hard to find. Such parts of the wire should be well protected with adhesive tape and should be also frequently inspected.

High tension currents are very hard to control, and a short or leakage often occurs where the wire is cramped. The center wire works or wears through the rubber insulation causing the current to jump to the nearest metal part. This kind of trouble is especially hard to locate as the outer surface of the braided insulation does not show the break.

It is a good plan to examine the wiring for short circuits occasionally in this manner. When putting the car in at night, close the garage door and turn out the lights, running the motor at various speeds and gently moving each wire. If there are any short or grounded circuits a brilliant spark will jump at the defective point.