1916 Cadillac - GM Heritage Center

4> ADJUSTMENTS
CIRCUIT BREAKERS.
The circuit breakers are mounted on the inner face of the dash.
are protective devices which take the place of fuses.
These
The circuit breakers prevent the discharging of the storage battery, damage
to the wiring to the horn, lights and the ignition apparatus, or to any of
these parts in case any of the circuits to or in these parts become grounded.
As long as only a normal amount of current is used for horn, lights and
ignition the circuit breakers will not open. In the event of a ground, an
abnormally heavy current is conducted through one of the circuit breakers
thus producing strong magnetism which attracts the armature and opens the
contact. This cuts the flow of current.
The circuit breaker protecting the horn, handy lamp and tonneau lamp
circuit is known as a lockout circuit breaker. In case of a ground in any of
these circuits, the breaker opens and remains open until the ground is removed.
The circuit to the ignition apparatus and remainder of the lights is protected
by a vibrating circuit breaker. In case of a ground in any of the circuits
protected by the vibrating circuit breaker, the breaker will start to
vibrate and will continue to vibrate until the ground is removed.
DISTRIBUTOR AND TIMER.
ADJUSTMENTS 40
DISTRIBUTOR AND TIMER.
The distributor and timer (Fig. 10) are carried on the fan shaft housing,
and are driven through a set of spiral gears attached to the fan shaft. The
distributor consists of a cap or head of insulating material, carrying one
contact in the center with eight additional contacts placed at equal distances
about the center and a rotor which maintains constant communication with
the center contact.
The rotor carries a contact button which serves to close the secondary
circuit to the spark plug in the proper cylinder.
Beneath the distributor head and rotor is the timer. The timer cam is
provided with a lock screw in the center of the shaft. (See Fig. 11.)
A manual spark control is provided in addition to the automatic spark
control. The manual spark control is for the purpose of securing the proper
ignition control for variable conditions, such as starting, differences in gasoline,
weather conditions and amount of carbon in the engine. The automatic
control is for the purpose of securing the proper ignition control necessary
for the variation due to engine speed alone.
CARE AND ADJUSTMENT OF TIMER CONTACT
POINTS.
Fig. 11.
Fi s . 10.
To set contact points proceed as follows:
Turn the engine over until the contact arms "D" and "C" are directly on
top of lobes of the cam "B." Then adjust the contact points at "E" and "F"
so that they stand twenty thousandths of an inch apart.
Both sets of contact points should be adjusted exactly alike.
' DO NOT FILE OR GRIND THE CONTACT POINTS. To clean
them, simply rub them over an oil stone two or three times. Then replace
and adjust, following instructions given.