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been occasioned by putting on a twenty HP fuel valve on a thirty HP car, or by putting a small twenty HP nozzle on a
thirty HP car. The twenty HP nozzles are hexagonal, the thirty and forty HP nozzles are square.
A dirty vaporizer gives the same result as a choked supply. It can be detected on the vaporizer gauge on the
dash. If the gauge flies around in excess of the pressure in the tank when the fire is on and shuts off very slowly after
the flow motor closes, it is a good indication that the vaporizer is clogging, either in the passages or at the tip.
LACK OF POWER BUT DRY STEAM
This implies that the system does not make much steam, but what steam there is, is of good quality. Usually
the steam pressure never reaches the bypass point, nor does the fire burn very much at any time without racing the
engine.
Any water leak on the feed line from the pumps to the flow motor will rob the flow motor, consequently it
will not open sufficiently, and we have neither fire nor water for the generator.
A leaking flowmotor bypass valve can be caused by an imperfect seat, collection of dirt or the valve not
seating centrally. The effect when this valve is leaking is to rob the generator of both fuel and water, as the water is
returned to the water tank without feeding any fuel. A quick and easy way to detect any such leakage is to break the
little union at the upper end of the flowmotor. Having the engine running and the steam pressure below the bypass
point. If the valve leaks, the escaping water can easily be seen. No water should flow unless the flow motor piston is
at the lower end of its stroke. Under normal circumstances it is merely returning the excess water back to the water
tank, when the piston has traveled one inch.
LEAKING WATER REGULATOR
This is another point at which the water may escape without altering the ratio between fuel and water. It
might be caused by an imperfect seat on the water regulator pin valve, the pin may stick while off the seat or the
screen might wedge and refuse to close the valve. Sometimes a particle of dirt can give the same effect. Water
regulator leakage may be quickly detected by breaking the union on the line, which returns the bypassed water to the
tank. If your steam pressure is below the bypass point and water comes from this union, then the valve is leaking. No
water should flow unless the pressure is above the bypass point. The pin and the screen should both work back and
forth freely. If the seat is imperfect it can be ground in with a little pumice stone and oil, or powdered glass and water.
SUCTION LINE TO THE PUMPS
If the hose from the tank to the pumps is so soft that it collapses when the pumps make the suction stroke, or
is porous enough to admit air, the pumps will not give their full amount of water. The same thing will happen if
screen in the bottom of the water tank becomes clogged with dirt.
CLOGGED GENERATOR OR STEAM LINE
If there is a clogged or choked place in the generator tubing or in the steam line to the engine, the steam
cannot flow to the engine fast enough to keep up the power of the car. This subject will be dealt with later.
PUMPS
Any defect or disarrangement of the pumps will lessen the supply of water to the flow motor. If the stuffing
boxes on the pumps are leaking it will greatly cut down the normal amount of water supplied by the pumps. The
stuffing boxes should be kept well packed and tight enough not to leak, especially on the new type engine, where any
leakage runs into the crankcase.
The checks are the most common source of trouble in regard to the pumps. If the latter refuse to force their
full amount of water and it is certain that the water can reach the pumps, examine the checks; look at the balls and see
that they are not pitted and that they do not have flat spots or rings on their surface. A very rare occurrence, which
chokes the supply furnished by the pumps, is that the seats may become loose in the casting. The check balls should
have a lift of one thirty-second of an inch for the pump checks for the line checks, which have five-eighths inch balls,
the lift should be three sixty-fourths of an inch.
