The Book of the Singer Junior - Written by an Owner-Driver for Owners and Prospective Owners of the Car - Including the 1931 Supplement

G. S. Davison

Description

This maintenance handbook is in its complete and unabridged original form, extensively illustrated and full of instruction that is as useful and practical today as it was when originally published. A must-have for anyone with an interest in these classic automobiles. Contents include - Singer Junior Models - The Running Costs Of The Singer Junior - Licences And Insurance - Learning To Drive - Lubrication - Decarbonization - The Chassis, Maintenance - The Ignition System - The Lighting And Starting Set - Singers, 1876-1928 - Road Tests Of Singer Cars. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 28 juin 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528762489
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

THE BOOK OF THE SINGER JUNIOR
WRITTEN BY AN OWNER-DRIVER FOR OWNERS AND PROSPECTIVE OWNERS OF THIS CAR. FULLY ILLUSTRATED
BY
G. S. DAVISON
AUTHOR OF THE BOOK OF THE ARIEL
1929
1931 SUPPLEMENT
TO THE BOOK OF THE SINGER JUNIOR
T HIS supplement has been prepared owing to the extensive alterations in the motoring laws brought about by the Road Traffic Act, 1930. It also deals with the alterations, improvements, etc., which have been made to the Junior range, the most important being the introduction of coil ignition on all models. This system is fully described, together with explanatory illustrations.
Four models are marketed, two being four-seater saloons ( Figs. 1 and 4 ), one two-seater tourer ( Fig. 2 ), and last but by no means least, the two-seater sports ( Fig. 6 ). The specification for these cars is practically the same, and therefore only one full specification is given. The R.A.C. rating of all the above models is 7 78 h.p.; the tax, therefore, is 8.
Engine. A four-cylinder engine is fitted, the bore and stroke being 56 mm. by 86 mm., giving a total capacity of 848 c.c. The cylinder head is detachable, making decarbonizing a very simple matter. Aluminium pistons are standard on all models.
Lubrication. Lubrication is by means of the pump and trough system. A gear-type oil pump, driven directly from the front end of the intermediate shaft, draws oil from the sump and delivers it to all the bearings and to troughs under the connecting rod dippers. A dip rod is provided for inspecting the level of the oil in the sump, the rod having maximum and minimum oil-level marks. A pressure gauge is fitted on the facia board so that correct circulation may be verified.
Carburettor. Mixture is provided by a Solex horizontal type carburettor, which has a foot accelerator in conjunction with a hand lever. An air strangler, operated from the instrument board, is provided and assists starting from cold.
Ignition. A Rotax coil and distributor is employed on all Junior models, and, as already stated, this will be fully described later.
Lighting and Starting. Rotax 6-volt set, including starter motor, two head lamps, two side lamps, tail lamp, and ammeter. The instrument board has concealed illumination.
Cooling System. The engine is cooled by the thermo-syphon system. A newly designed radiator with large top tank is fitted.
Wheels and Tyres. Five detachable wire wheels, with Dunlop 27 in. by 4 in. low-pressure tyres. On earlier models disc wheels were fitted, but these are now discontinued.
Brakes. These are of the external expanding type, the foot brake controlling all four wheels. The hand-brake lever acts on rear wheels only, operating independent shoes.

F IG . 1. T HE S PORTMAN S C OUP

F IG . 2. T HE J UNIOR T WO-SEATER
Gear-box. Four-speed gear boxes with central change are standard on all models, and the ratios are as follows-

Petrol Supply. This is by Autovac from a six-gallon tank carried at the rear of car. A two-way petrol tap is fitted to control a reserve supply.
Equipment. Exterior bright parts chromium plated. Sliding luggage grid. Grease gun chassis lubrication. Triplex safety glass windscreen, speedometer, driving mirror, ignition lock, electric horn, adjustable seats, automatic screen wiper, number plates, and complete tool kit.
THE IGNITION SYSTEM
A 6-volt coil ignition equipment is standard on the Juniors, and this is controlled by a lever attached to the steering column. The device is housed in the distributor body, and as it is carefully adjusted and greased during assembly, it requires no attention whatever.
Adjustments and Cleaning. Very little attention is needed to keep the ignition equipment in first class condition. It is advised that the set be inspected occasionally, and, if necessary, those parts referred to in the following paragraphs should be cleaned or adjusted.
Distributor. Occasionally remove the distributor moulding A ( Fig. 3 ) by pushing aside its two securing springs B . See that the electrodes are clean and free from deposit. If necessary, wipe out the distributor with a dry duster and clean the electrodes with a cloth moistened with petrol. Next examine the contact breaker; it is important that the contacts C are kept free from any grease or oil. If they are burned or blackened they may be cleaned with very fine emery cloth and afterwards with a cloth moistened with petrol. Care must be taken that all particles of dirt and metal dust are wiped away. It is possible that misfiring may be caused if the contacts are not kept clean.
The contact breaker gap is carefully set before leaving the works, and a gauge is provided on the spanner dispatched with each distributor. Provided that the cam is kept clean, the wear on the heel is negligible, and, consequently, the contact breaker gap will only need adjustment at very long intervals. If the cam is dirty it may be cleaned with a cloth moistened with petrol, and afterwards given the slightest smear of vaseline. To test the contact breaker gap, slowly turn the engine over by hand until the contacts are seen to be fully opened. Now insert the gauge on the spanner in the gap; if it is correct the gauge should be a sliding fit. It is not advisable to alter the setting unless the gap varies considerably from that of the gauge. If adjustment is necessary, proceed as follows: When the contacts are fully opened, slacken the locking nut D on the stationary contact screw, and rotate it by its hexagon head until the gap is set to the thickness of the gauge. After making the adjustment care must be taken to lighten the locking nut.
Lubrication of Distributor. The distributor main bearing is lubricated from a grease box. This should be packed with good quality high melting point grease, and the cap should be given two turns about every 500 miles.
About every 3,000 miles add a few drops of thin machine oil to the hole G ( Fig. 3 ) provided in the housing for the cam lubrication wick, or whenever the latter appears to be dry.
About every 3,000 miles withdraw the rotating arm H from the top of the spindle by lifting it off, and add a few drops of thin machine oil to the felt pad that is exposed to view.

F IG . 3. T HE D ISTRIBUTOR .
A . Distributor moulding.
B . Securing springs for moulding.
C . Contacts.
D . Locking nut.
E . Rotating cam.
F . Heel.
G . Oil hole for wick lubricating cam.
H . Rotating distributor arm.
J . Spring contact.
In warm and tropical climates the lubrication of the moving parts will need more frequent attention.
The Coil. The coil unit is not adjustable in any way, and requires no attention beyond seeing that the terminal connections are kept tight and the moulded coil top is kept clean.
Wiring the Distributor. Distributors in which the leads are taken vertically from the moulding are dispatched from the makers with cable clips inserted in the distributor terminals.

F IG . 4. T HE J UNIOR S ALOON
The 7 mm. high tension cables used for wiring the plugs to the distributor should not be bared at the distributor end, but should be cut off flush to the required lengths, and the ends should be fitted with cable clips as follows: Insert the cable end in the clip, when the centre band will make contact with the cable strands. Then press the small forks on the outside well into the rubber insulation to prevent withdrawal. Now push the cables home into the distributor terminals, when they will be locked in position and good contact ensured.

F IG . 5. S HOWING THE F IRING O RDER
IGNITION TIMING
When re-timing the ignition the following procedure should be adopted-
The firing order is 1, 3, 4, 2; No. 1 cylinder being the nearest to the radiator (see Fig. 5 ). No. 1 H.T. wire is the one nearest to No. 1 plug in the distributor cover, and the distributor arm revolves clockwise.
The normal ignition timing is the piston on top dead centre with the ignition fully retarded. When it becomes necessary to re-time the ignition, fully retard the ignition lever, and disconnect the control rod from the distributor lever.
Remove the distributor cover by releasing spring clips, and slack off the bolt and nut retaining the distributor lever to the distributor body.
Turn the engine over until the piston of No. 1 cylinder is on the top of the compression stroke. An inspection hole is provided on the clutch casing, through which can be seen marks on the clutch cover plate, indicating the top dead centre position for both No. 1 and No. 4 pistons.
Fully retard the distributor lever, i.e. as far as possible in a rearward direction, and rotate the distributor body until the platinum points are just breaking on the No. 1 segment of the distributor; tighten up the bolt and nut on the distributor lever, and replace the distributor cover, noting that same positions correctly in its register slot. It should also be noted that the retarded position of the distributor lever is maintained in relation to the ignition control lever when coupling up the control rod.
The gap between the platinum points should be set to the gauge attached to the distributor spanner.
The ignition setting on the Porlock sports model is slightly advanced as compared with the standard timing. With No. 1 piston on its compression stroke, and with the ignition fully retarded, the timing position is determined by bringing the 1-4 flywheel rim mark 1 3/4 in. to 2 1/32 in. before its top position. Looking from behind the flywheel, this position is to the right of the top dead centre. Then, as for the standard model, locate the distributor assembly so that the rotating distributor arm is situated