While being operated in a section of country remote from any repair shop or source of machine supplies, a tractor engine burned out a main-shaft bearing. Without some sort of an emergency repair, the machine could not be driven and to have fitted a new bearing without having the machine in a repair shop would have been practically impossible. As an experiment, a bearing was made from a piece of hard maple. It was boiled in cylinder oil for several hours to impregnate the wood thoroughly and was then placed in the machine. With the wooden bearing, the machine was run slowly and with an abundance of oil until it became apparent that the wood was developing no signs of heating. The tractor was put to work with this makeshift repair and gave satisfactory service until it could be taken to a shop for a more permanent job.
By priming with ether instead of with gasoline it is possible to start
heavy motors on the first quarter-turn. The ether should be used sparingly and in the usual manner. This method was employed with success on the engine of a large truck that would not start by spinning it.
A compound with which engines or other oily machinery may be cleaned thoroughly is made as fallows:
To one gallon of water add one-fourth pound of borax and one-half pint of lard oil. Mix them thoroughly, forming an emulsion. Rub the painted surfaces with the compound applied on waste or soft cloth and with a clean cloth remove it before it dries.
Occasionally a valve i up will stick and refuse to yield to ordinary efforts to remove it. In such a case it will be found advisable to run the engine for a few minutes until the cap becomes quite well heated. A little cold water poured in the slight recess of the cap while it is still hot will cause a sudden contraction sufficient to allow the valve cap to be unscrewed.