We are going to assume in this article that the car is in the condition it
naturally would be in, when delivered by a dealer to a customer, or if it
had been running previously. That is, that it has water in the boiler and
water tank; fuel in the main and pilot fuel tanks; oil in the cylinder oil
tank; and pressure on the main pressure tank and pilot tank. In each detail
where we ask you to see that a certain thing is so, if you find it is not so
read the earlier paragraphs which will tell you how to make it so.
The main fuel tank at the rear of the
car has a quantity gauge on the right end. If it contains only a small
quantity of kerosene it can be filled now, or after steaming up, as desired.
Remove the carpet from the front foot
boards, take the hand pump handle from under the ledge of the front seat and
put the flat end over the lever through the slot in foot board.
Remove the right front cushion and
seat board.
The square tank under the front seat
is the cylinder oil tank. If it contains only a small quantity it can be
filled now or after steaming up, as desired.
The round tank under the front seat is
the pilot fuel tank and has a quantity gauge on top. See that it is more
than 1/4 full.
See that there is 30 Lbs. pressure on
the pilot fuel tank, as shown by the red bend and red figures on the duplex
fuel pressure gauge.
See that there is 100 Lbs. or more
pressure on the main pressure tank as shown by the black hand and black
figures on the duplex fuel pressure gauge.
The water tank is under the front seat
and foot boards and has a quantity gauge extending up through the foot
boards. If it contains only a small quantity it can be filled now or after
steaming up as desired. The water tank should be filled before it is
entirely empty and overflowed a short time to carry off accumulated oil.
Open the engine steam-chest
drip-valve, the stem of which comes through the left running board shield.
Open the throttle by pushing the
throttle lever on the steering post forward.
Set the emergency hand brake.
Lift the left side of the hood and
open the small door in the top of the flue over the boiler.
Open the lower try-cock at the bottom
of the water-indicator body, which is between the boiler and dash on the
left side, and see that water runs out of it. If it does, it indicates that
the water in the boiler is above this point, and that is sufficient for
steaming up. More does no harm but will take more time to raise steam.
START THE PILOT
Open the door in the left running board shield near the front.
Open the peek-hole in the side of the
burner casing.
Press the starting-button (the long
one on the left).
Wait 10 seconds.
Open the pilot-valve and light the
pilot by inserting a lighted match into the peek-hole.
If the pilot lights with a strong
clear blue flame, shut off the electricity by pressing the release button
(the short one on the right).
In case the pilot does not continue to
burn with a clear blue flame, press the starting button for 2 or 3 seconds,
shut off by pressing the release button, and if necessary repeat again.
If the pilot fame does not appear
strong, with a screw driver turn the pilot screw back and forth quickly a
few times.
The pilot should burn with a strong
clear blue flame 4 or 5 minutes, so as to thoroughly heat the main vaporizer
before starting the main burner.
Close the peek-hole.
START THE MAIN BURNER
The main burner starting valve stem goes through the dash at the extreme
left above the steering post, and has a wheel handle.
Do not confuse this with the main
burner valve, which goes through the instrument board, and has a lever
handle. On earlier cars the starting valve is in front of the dash attached
to the steam automatic. This valve admits gasolene from the pilot tank into
the main vaporizer.
Open the starting valve one half turn,
for one second, close it for three seconds, repeating this until gas comes
out of the main nozzles into the mixing tubes, passes up into the combustion
chamber and ignited which it will do with a little puff.
Continue opening and closing the valve
until the gas, which at first may be wet, becomes dry and almost invisible,
then leave the valve open about 2 minutes.
Close the starting valve and open the
main burner valve using the same method as with the starting valve until the
gas is dry, then leave it open.
Notice the sound of the little puff
the burner makes when it starts and the difference in the sound when the
vapor is wet and after it becomes dry, so that when you are sitting in the
car and turn on the burner, you will be able to tell by the sound when the
burner starts, when the vapor is wet, and when it becomes dry.
When steam begins to blow out at the
steam chest drip valve, partly close the throttle, so as to keep a small
quantity only coming through.
When the pressure on the main fuel falls below 80 Lbs. lift
the front toe boards and the air pump should be found attached to the air
check valve, a sitting between the two hand air valves at the foot of the
dash.
Open the main hand air valve (the one
on the right) and pump 25 strokes of air into the main pressure tank and
close the valve. If this has the effect of raising the pressure 50 Lbs. or
more, wait until the pressure has fallen below 80 lbs. again then open the
valve, pump another 25 strokes of air and close the valve again.
Operate the hand fuel pump if more
pressure is needed.
When the steam pressure gauge
registers 500 Lbs. close the main burner valve.
Close the throttle by pulling back the
throttle lever and lock it with the locking screw.
Close the engine steam chest drip
valve.
Close the door in the flue and the
left side of hood.
See that the pilot light is burning
properly and close the peek hole and door in left running board shield.
Replace the seat board, cushion, hand
pump handle and carpet.
Before starting out on the road
remember to see that the main fuel, pilot fuel, cylinder oil and water tanks
are filled or at least contain sufficient quantity for the distance you are
going.
TO DRIVE THE CAR
Take your place in the driver's seat.
The reverse pedal is the one on the
left.
The hook-up catch pedal has a round
end, which extends through the reverse pedal pad.
To hook-up the engine press forward on
the reverse pedal only, until the catch drops into the notch and holds it in
that position.
To unhook, press the round end of the
catch pedal until the catch lifts and the reverse pedal comes back to its
original position.
To reverse the engine, press both the
reverse pedal and catch pedal forward as far as they will go.
Practice hooking up and unhooking
until you can readily see when it is not hooked up, but is in full forward
gear position, and leave it in that position, driving the car without giving
the reverse and catch pedals any thought or attention other than to see that
they are in this position.
Open the main burner valve a little
and listen for the little puff it should make when the burner starts.
If the burner whistles, partly close
the valve. after a few minutes, when the vaporizer gets thoroughly heated,
the valve can be opened more.
Release the hand brake.
Unscrew the throttle lever locking
screw.
Open the throttle by pushing the
throttle lever forward and close it immediately. Repeat this until the car
starts.
Open it more or less so as to give the
desired speed.
To back the car, press both the
reverse and catch pedals forward as far as they will go and hold them firmly
in this position.
Open the throttle and close it again
immediately, repeating this until the car has gone as far as desired
Release the pedals and see that they
come back to the full forward gear position.
While driving, glance occasionally at
the pressure gauges to see that the steam and fuel pressures are maintained
and at the water indicator to see that the proper water level in the boiler
is maintained. The hand should stand nearly vertical, that is, should point
half way between high and low and at the cylinder oil blinker to see that
oil is being pumped to the engine cylinders.
After you have driven the car a
sufficient length of time so that you can drive with assurance, begin
hooking up the engine.
Always see that the engine is unhooked
before opening the throttle to start the car, and hook it up directly after
starting.
If you open the throttle with the
engine hooked up and the car does not start, close the throttle, press the
catch pedal and, if the reverse pedal does not come back, kick it back, or
open the steam chest drip valve until the pedal will come back.
While driving in congested traffic
where sudden stops may often be necessary, it is well to leave the engine
unhooked.
If while going up a steep hill it
should become necessary to stop, hold the car from backing with the brakes
and unhook the engine. With the engine hooked up if the car is already
moving backward and the throttle is opened the steam pressure may accelerate
the motion of the car, instead of checking it, because the steam cuts off so
early in the stroke. When the engine is in full forward gear and the car
moving backward, if the throttle is opened this would tend to stop the car,
provided the reverse pedals were held in position so that the engine could
not reverse itself, as it would have a tendency to do under these
conditions, and might if the spring were not strong enough to prevent it.
Should the pilot go out, vapor of
kerosene in the form of smoke would come out around the hood.
If this occurs, close the main burner
valve and run the car until burner has been cleared of vapor, then relight
the pilot.
If it has been out so long that the
vaporizer is cool, close the pilot valve and follow the instructions to
restart the pilot.
When the water tank is nearly empty,
if no town water system is available, use the water siphon.
