June 2011 – #132 - HH Franklin Club, Inc.

June
2011
Copyright © 2011
Newsletter of the H. H. Franklin Club
Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, New York, U. S. A. 13035-7903
Number 132
Page 1 of 8
The H. H. Franklin Club publishes Franklin Service Station solely as a convenience to its Members. No endorsement is made by the Club or the editor, of anything advertised in FSS.
No claim or warranty is made as to the accuracy of an advertisement; no responsibility is assumed for any transactions resulting from the ads.
ADVERTISEMENTS: Please state full car and engine serial numbers (all characters) when selling cars, engines, or crankcases. Type or print your ad clearly, be brief and precise, and
specify the classification: VEHICLES, ENGINES, REPRODUCTION PARTS, PARTS, SERVICES, or MISCELLANEOUS—FOR SALE (with prices) or WANTED. Ads run once
per request/donation. A DONATION is requested, although members’ ads can be free, and suitable nonmembers’ ads may be accepted. Selected company ads (member and
nonmember) are $3 per line. One line contains 50 characters/spaces. Make payment to the H. H. Franklin Club, Inc. Misrepresentation in advertisements may result in a member being
dropped from the Club rolls. The publication of your ad entails an obligation to answer all inquiries. The acceptance of advertisements is at the Editor’s discretion. NO PHONE AD
ORDERS but Editor will answer questions 610/573-8013.
MAIL YOUR AD TO:
Tim Miller, FSS Editor, 3438 Oakhill Road, Emmaus PA 18049-4421 USA
DEADLINES: (for issues dated): MAR 7 (for March); JUN 7 (June); SEP 1 (September—Hershey); NOV 30 (December—Christmas)
Membership in the H. H. Franklin Club is open to anyone interested in air cooled cars & trucks through 1942. Ownership is not required. Dues are $35 per calendar year ($45US for
foreign) for family membership. Yearly publications include three magazines (Air Cooled News), four newsletters (FSS), annual Trek notice, renewal notice, and when published, a
Roster of members, Register of Franklins, and Technical Index. Please send address changes to Membership Services, 8620 Territory Trl., Wake Forrest NC 27587-4411.
EDITORIAL POLICY:
To publish information that will enable you to make your Franklin run well and safely.
CLUB LIBRARY & PUBLICATIONS
Reprints—INSTRUCTION BOOKS: S10, $26; S11, $28.50;
S12, $24; S130, $7.50; S14, $22.50; S15,, $18; S16/19, $7..50;
S17, $9; S18, $7.50. PARTS CAT: S11, $48; S12, $43.50; S13,
$34.50; S14, $40. ACN 11—20: $67.50. Instruction book, S135137, $24; & $2 postage. Checks to: The H.H.F.C Library, Lloyd
Davis, RFD#1 Box 3899, Rutland VT 05701-9217.
CAR BLUEPRINTS: Order by drawing number from Parts
Catalog, call for others. $5 each for first 3, then $3 ea.; you’ll be
billed. Jeff Hasslen, 13311 95th St. NE, Elk River, MN 55330.
Tel.: 763/441-7815
VEHICLES FOR SALE
1932 Franklin Speedster: Supercharged Airman Model 163
Dietrich Body. From the 13” headlights to the snazzy, onboard trunk this four-passenger, close-coupled sedan is the
quintessential full classic automobile. $85,000 Bill Deibel
206-522-7167 [email protected] Seattle WA
History, details & photos: www.myfranklin.wordpress.com
(132)
Parts For Sale
Parts: Oakes locks, $300 ea.; 19-31 Jaeger Clocks, $300
ea; Floorboard washers, $5 ea.; 2 Tires, NOS Custom
Classics-2 small w/w stripes 650x19, $500 pr; Numerous
1929 parts. Doug Hull. Tel.:201/230-3300 cell, NJ
(132)
Parts Wanted
1926 S11A: Sports sedan—steering wheel, mascot, hub
caps, outside door handles, inside door handles(2), landau
irons, tail lamp and bracket window winder handles(2) and
ascutions. Andy Harrison, 8488 Harvard Park Dr., Sandy
UT 84094, Tel.: (801)566-2040
(132)
“RADAR” — searching for homeless Franklins:
These are current on the www.franklincar.org site:
• ’23 S10B 4Dr 585/230-7671
[email protected]
• ‘26 S11A Sport Touring John MacKiernan 508/746-1988 MA
• ’26 S11A Op Cpe Bruce bthomas@vianet,ca 705/767-3716 Can
• ’29 4dr Body and parts Steve Dahrens 541-258-2129 PR
• ‘29 S135 4drSdn John Davis [email protected] CA
• ‘29 S137 4dr
[email protected]
WA
• ’29 S130 4drSdn 360/297-2549
[email protected] WA
• ‘30 S145 4dr 208/756-3629 [email protected] AL
• ’30 Sport Sedan
[email protected] 925/202-9554 CA
• ‘31 S153 TwnCar Lee 661/599-1670 [email protected] CA
• ’32 Speedster (See Bill Deibel ad above in Cars for Sale WA
• ’32 4drSdn 219/252-2692 Adam [email protected] IN
• ’33 Sdn w extra parts
Norm Miller 563/320-2096 IA
The ads in the website have detailed descriptions and photos. Also
see Franklin Website Repro Parts and Accessories, Literature and
Services. Get on a computer or to a library and have a look !
Franklins for sale: May’11 HMN: ’29 4dr-PA, ’29 130 SedanMA, ’29 135 Vivt-WI, ’30 4dr PA, ‘31 7pass sdn NJ, ’32 Sdn-MO
Jun’11 HMN: ’29 4dr Sdn PA, ’29 130 Sdn-MA , 29 135 VictWI, ’30 4dr Sdn PA, ’32-34 Engine-CA, July’11 HMN: ’23 S10
Trng-OH, ’29 4dr-PA, ’29 130 sdn-MA, ’29 135 Vict-WI, ’30 4dr
sdn –PA, ’32 Detr Spdstr 163-WA May/Jun’11 HCCA: (None—
WntAd: Bob Cornman PA looking for windshield info for ’08 G)
Jan/Feb ‘11AACA: (none listed)
MISCELLANEOUS
ORIGINAL FRANKLIN LITERATURE:
Sales
brochures and manuals for most models. SASE for free list.
Please specify Franklin as I have lists for all
cars/trucks/motorcycles, U.S. & foreign. Walter Miller,
6710 Brooklawn Pkwy, Syracuse NY 13211 Tel: 315/4328282 Fax: 315/432-8256
www.autolit.com
REGIONS & LOCAL GROUPS
Lehigh Valley Franklinites (PA) meet on 3rd Tuesday of each
month near Allentown PA for dinner & drinks. Usually attracts 1015 people. If you are visiting eastern PA or NJ call Tim Miller at
610/573-8013, anytime. Leave a message or email:
([email protected])
Midwest Region: The Midwest Region covers the states of IL,
IN, MI, OH, WI, MN, KY MO, and IA. Many faithful members
from NY, NJ, TX, AZ, PA, NC and KS meet with us. You too
are invited to join us at our planned 2010 meets. With or without a
Franklin, consider joining us.
To host a meet or require information please call Ralph Gack,
President, 13900 Ridgewood Drive, Plymouth, MI 481702431, email: [email protected].
WEB PAGE: http://www.franklincar.org for news, more
classifieds, events & tech talk. Have a Franklin event
planned contact web master on site.
H. H. Franklin Foundation Franklin Museum: Info:
Tel.: 520/326-8038 [email protected] 1405 East
Kleindale Rd.,Tuscon AZ 85719
AIRCOOLED EVENTS
WesTrek ’11: Santa Barbara CA area, June 19-24, 2011
Mailing is out; if you need one, call Dana 805/969-5506.
58th Franklin Trek, 2011: August 6-13, 2011, Cazenovia NY
(SE of Syracuse) Mailing in late June or early July.
Hershey 2011: October 5,6,7,8 & 9 — HHFC spaces RNE 812. (Red North Field) Stop & say hello to friends on “Franklin
row” in the upper North Red Field
Page 2 of 8
Franklin Service Station
THE FRANKLIN CLUB PROJECTS
Contact for information or order: Bob Harrison, 59 Reuben Brown
Lane, Exeter RI 02822. Cell: 401-269-9122, Hm. 401-667-0214
[email protected]
Prices listed do not include shipping.
Item#
Item:
Price:
FCP-1 1930 Ser. 145 outer Tail Light Lens, clear glass. $5.00 ea
FCP-2 Red plastic inner lens for use with FCP1
$5.00 ea.
FCP-3 1928 on—Swing out W.shield Weather Seal
$25.00 ea.
FCP-3.2 Series 17—Windshield Weather Seal
$40.00 ea.
FCP-4 1928 to Series 151 W.shield Hinge Cover-52” $ 2.00 ea.
FCP-5 S10-S130 Sp.Plug rubber Escutcheons(set of 6) $65.00set.
FCP-6 1930-on Side draft motor. Pushrod Set of 12 $150.00/12
These are direct replacement hollow push rods with hardened solid ends.
FCP-7
FCP-8
FCP-9
12” Twilite Head Light Lens
(out of stock)
Cowl vent seal (cut to your length)
$0.25/in
Hood Door Pulls for Side draft hoods 1931-’34
Bronze castings that require Chrome Plating. $10.00ea
($5.00 ea for “seconds”)
FCP-10 1929-1932 Brake Drums for cars with wire wheels or demountable wood wheel. Will require riveting to your
hubs and turned to finish size. Include rivets and detailed
instructions. Note: For safety reasons, to be sold only in
sets of 2.
$150.00 pr.
FCP-11 Series 11 “STOP” ruby tail light lens
Made of Acrylic Urethane
$35.00 ea.
FCP-12 Series 11 “Beehive” ruby tail light lens
Made of Acrylic Urethane
$35.00 ea.
FCP -13 Head Light Bracket to Sill cap screw
3/8”-16 X 3 !” long slotted oval head
$ 4.00 ea.
FCP-14 Head Light Bracket to Sill Cap Screw
3/8”-16 X 4 "” long slotted oval head
$ 4.00 ea.
FCP-15 Spring Pivot Bolt Washer
Series 9 to Series 147 cars
$ 2.50 ea.
FCP-16 Copper Washer for Master Cylinder fitting
0.034” thick x 1.125” OD x 0.885” ID
$ 1.00 ea.
FCP-17 Copper washer for brake fitting
0.065” thick x 0.565 OD x 0.345” ID
$ 0.75 ea.
FCP-18 Mandrel bent Aluminized Exhaust Pipe for S145 to
163 Exhaust pipes are made to order and are not
164 always in stock. (Price New as of 12/9/10)
Delivery time is 1-4 weeks..
$ 300.00 ea.
FCP-18-1 Mandrel bent Stainless Steel Exhaust Pipe for S14
to163 Exhaust pipes are made to order and are not always
in stock. (Price New as of 12/9/10)
Delivery time is 1-4 weeks.
$ 400.00 ea.
FCP-19 S16 Tresslite Tail light yellow Segment lens
Made of Acrylic Urethane
$35.00 ea.
FCP-20 S16 Tresslite Tail light white/clear Segment lens
Made of Acrylic Urethane
$35.00 ea.
FCP-21 S16 Tresslite Tail light Ruy Red Beehive lens
Made of Acrylic Urethane
$35.00 ea.
FCP-22 S16 Tresslite Tail light clear license plate lens
Made of Acrylic Urethane
$35.00 ea.
FCP-23 Rebuilding Kit for Gemmer Steering box.
This kit is manufactured by Dick Pratt
$375.00 ea.
FCP-24 Muffler, Aluminized, part Number 45690 for all side draft
engines
(Price New as of 12/9/10)
$65.00 ea.
FCP-24-1 Muffler, Stainless Steel, Part Number 45690 for all side
draft engines.
$130.00 ea
FCP-25DP Fan Bolt Kit
$76.00 per kit NEW
FCP-26DP Grease Cap Spring
$20.00 set of 4 NEW
FCP-27 Venturi for Stromberg U-3 Carburetor $35.00 ea NEW
The Gemmer steering box kit FCP-23, is supplied to the club by Dick
Pratt. Members can buy the kit and rebuild their steering box themselves
or have someone else rebuild their steering box. Another option would be
to buy the kit and save it until it is needed. This way they can be sure to get
No. 132 (June 2011)
a kit before they are all gone. When the time comes to rebuild their steering
box they could send kit and steering box to Dick Pratt for rebuild or rebuild
it themselves.
Franklin Cooling Systems—Part 2
Problems & Maintenance
This is the second of two articles about the Franklin Air
Cooled systems. Part 1 (FSS, Vol 131) was a description of
each system which, when tied together, showed the
evolution of air cooling toward a modern configuration. Part
2 (here, Vol 132) covers maintenance and servicing of each
of the major types. There are many sources for servicing
information and the more useful ones will be cited at the
end.
There are four broad categories of Franklin Air Cooling
systems (not including aircraft engines). The first type is
simple horizontal fins which characterized cars from 1902 to
1909. Later cars with inline engines (vs early cross-engines)
had a cooling fan. The second type began in late 1909 with
slight variants through 1921(S-9). A rear flywheel fan
moved air through the engine. There was sealed ducting on
the sides and bottom of the engine, thus allowing the fan to
pull a vacuum and air flowed down the vertical fins
surrounding the cylinders. The third type was the “downdrafters” or a pressure down drafter system. The cooling fan
was in the front and the duct work was much simpler—up,
over and down around the vertical finned cylinders. The last
configuration was the “side drafters” which had horizontal
fins like the earliest Franklins and most modern
configurations. The fan is in the front and the duct work
covered the left side of the engine. The result was pushing
air across the engine from left to right. This principal was
the same on the V-12’s but the flow was from the center of
the “V” then outboard across each bank.
Each of the four basic systems have their unique
maintenance and service problems. The most difficult and
sensitive system is the vacuum, downdraft system, mainly
due to the complexity and vulnerability of the “ductwork”
The other three systems are relatively easy to inspect and
service.
Maintenance of the Early System (1902-09)
The early systems are very simple and easy to maintain
and service. There is no ductwork and the open horizontal
fins make inspection and access easy. On both early cross
engine and later barrel hood configurations, the important
thing is to keep the fins free of dust, oily dust and dirt. Any
layer of dust, dirt and/or oil puts an insulating barrier
between the cooling air and the fin, thereby reducing heat
flow. Result: less effective cooling, hotter cylinders and
heads.
• Inspecting and cleaning. Look closely at the fins,
particularly where oil may seep out (near head and rocker
arms). Also oil leaking from front of engine will deposit on
rear cylinder fins. Cleaning can be done by a brush (various
configurations) and/or an air jet.
Sometimes a solvent is required to clean away oily
deposits. My personal favorite is to carefully spray aerosol
carb cleaner and then wipe, brush and jet air dry. Caution:
Some solvents like some carb cleaners, alcohol and ether
will cut or blister paint. Carefully test before trying solvent.
No. 132 (June 2011)
Franklin Service Station
Page 3 of 8
• Lubricate the front fan on barrel hoods—Most barrel
should not be run without top cover(S-10 thru S-13) or hood
hoods have a front fan and the top bevel gear often runs dry.
open (S-9 and some earlier cars). I will only run uncovered
There is a small ball or grease fitting on top of the upper fan
for about 10-15 seconds, to check the timing with a timing
housing. Squirt some engine oil into the fitting (about a
light.
tblsp). Any excess will drip harmlessly down into the
Maintenance of Side Drafters (1930-34)
engine base. Using grease is not recommended as it will
• Inspecting and cleaning.
Access from the right
track and any overflow may not be compatible with engine
(passenger) side of the engine is pretty good for inspection
oil
and cleaning that side. Access from the left (driver’s) side is
Maintenance of Suction Down Drafters (1909-21)
limited due to a tight, well designed duct. Fortunately, dirt
• Inspecting and cleaning. Inspection of the vertical fins is
from a lot of the oily valve box and rockers is not a major
fairly easy using a light from below, inside the ductwork
problem on the side drafters. Simple inspection is done from
(access doors or hood open). To clean use a long
the right side. One member experienced a large mouse nest
“pipecleaner “ brush and air jet. Solvents followed by brush
in the left side, rear duct. This can happen if the car is stored
and air are safer here because it is less likely to contact body
in an area with mice—like a barn. The only way to inspect
paint and the lower engine is enclosed.
from the right is to carefully look from the right and poke a
• The big problem here is inspecting the tight sealing of
long, thin “popsicle” stick between the lower fins. Here you
the duct work. Best inspection technique is to put a light
are feeling for soft material with “give”. Normally you will
bulb near the engine base and close access doors or hood.
feel the solid inside of the left-side duct. Mouse infestation
Darken your garage and look for light leaks around the belly
is pretty rare but a yearly casual look is merited if the car is
pan, access doors and rear shrouding around flywheel. (See
stored in an infested building. Access for cleaning is
Dave Rock’s discussion below on this problem.) Correction
difficult. The best path is probably from the front via the
of any leaks often involves straightening or modifying the
left side duct after removing the fan and front duct.
bellypan or access doors or hood or other shrouding. The
Cleaning of the right side and fore and aft surfaces can be
upper shrouding located low on the cylinders should also be
achieved with a thin “pipe cleaner” brush or cloth wrapped
tight.
over a long, thin “popsicle” stick. Cleaning from the left
Maintenance of Pressure Down Drafters (1922-29)
side is difficult and probably can only be done effectively by
This system tends to be simple and trouble-free except for
removing manifolds and left duct.
oily dust and dirt in the vertical fins below the valve boxes.
Oily deposits on side draft fins are relatively rare.
• Inspecting and cleaning.
Inspection and cleaning is
• Fan Inspection is similar to the “Pressure down drafter”
fairly easy. Remove the top cover and look down the fins.
procedure described above. The main issues are the
With a small flash light shining up from below, you can see
integrity of the rubber ring and rivets and fan balancing.
dirt about 75% around the cylinder. The remainder, I simply
• Other problems. Side drafters frequently experience
assume are dirty and clean them from the bottom with a long
head gasket problems. This is often caused by stripping the
“pipe cleaner brush and air. Make sure the upper duct
Aluminum threads in the head causing head gasket leaks.
cover fits well on the lower cover. It is also possible that a
Repair is relatively simple involving removal of the cylinder
lower upper cylinder duct from a later car was used on an
and installing steel thread inserts in the Aluminum head.
earlier car or a smaller earlier cylinder of smaller diameter
Fitting of new copper ring gaskets must be carefully done
was used. This can be seen by looking at the space around
using Key Graphite Sealing Paste. Apparently no other
this duct and the cylinder circumference. It should be about
brand of sealant works well for high temp and pressure.
1/16” or less. Larger clearance will significantly reduce
Major Air Cooling Problems
airflow around that cylinder. (I’ve also seen early ducts
Here are some known major problem areas, but you can help
hacked out to accommodate later, larger cylinders.
by sending me some of your air cooling problems such as
Clearance around each cylinder should be uniform and
Dave Rock’s discussion about his Series 9 below.
small.)
• Early Cars (1902-09) The early cross engine and barrel
• Inspecting the Front Cooling Fan. The front cooling fan
hood cooling systems were pretty bullet proof. Sometimes
on the down drafters can have a few problems. It is mounted
unseating of the valve/valve seat assembly could cause noisy
on a crankshaft hub with a thick rubber disc sandwiched
and performance robbing leaks which could cause local
between it and the hub to reduce vibration. Sometimes the
overheating. On the ’07-’09 barrel hoods, each cylinder
rubber disc gets very hard or disintegrates which age and oil.
location had unique fin density and spacing. This makes it
Inspection is fairly simple. The fan should not be loose on
difficult to replace individual cylinders.
They are
the hub (caused by deteriorating rubber disc or loose rivets.)
functionally interchangeable but a wrong cylinder in a
Very slight looseness is OK for short trips but the ring and
wrong position will result in a too hot or too cold cylinder.
rivets should be carefully inspected by removing the fan.
• Suction Down Draft (1909-21) major problems relating
• CAUTION !!! Do NOT run the engine for more than
to
keeping the shrouding and ducts tight, especially in S-9.
30 seconds with the upper cover removed. Do not adjust
Dave
Rock from Zimbabwe in Southern Africa has been a
valve lash with the engine running and cover off. This
member
for years, writing comments and buying parts. He
practice WILL quickly significantly damage the engine.
writes
a
great description of his experiences with this
(Most of the three other cooling systems will allow you to
cooling
configuration:
adjust the valve with the engine running if access doors are
Having just received the March “FSS”, and read the section
closed (barrel hoods).
But pressure down drafters and
on Franklin Cooling Systems, I reflected back some 30 odd
vacuum down drafters where the hood must be shut to cool,
years to when I purchased my 1916 9A.
Page 4 of 8
Franklin Service Station
Further to your article covering the 1912-1921 cooling
system “There were a number of problems with the suction
system” perhaps this attempted solution will bring a smile
(or a grimace) to readers. One of my 9A’s earlier owners
fabricated an awful solution to overheating and burning of
the wooden engine dash diaphragm, around where the
exhaust manifold passes through the woodwork.
I found the manifold at number 4 cylinder had been cut off,
and redirected through a hole cut in the cylinder jacket,
passing downward, and then rearward through a second
hole cut into the flywheel guard, from there connecting up
with the exhaust pipe. The short rearward curved exhausts
from cylinders 5 and 6 were reversed to face forward, and
welded into the now shorter manifold.
How much better to have solved the overheating problems
by restoring the duct system to Franklin’s design. I used a
lead light placed in the upper duct, and with the hood
closed, and looking upwards through the spaces normally
closed by the engine guards, observed light passing through
non sealing faces, and made adjustments as needed.
Thanks for an ever great technical Newsletter.
Dave Rock
Zimbabwe.
In summary, the major problems of the Suction Down
Drafters is keeping tight shrouds and ducts including:
Engine Belly pan, access doors, steering box and flywheel
shrouds, and tight-fitting hood
• Pressure Down Drafters (1922-29) Pretty simple, trouble
–free system.
Ductwork and cylinders are not
interchangeable between models. For example, the S10A-B
cylinders are different in overall diameter and fin length than
S-10C or S-11A-B even though the bore/stroke and cylinder
flange patterns are the same. Early S10A-B had cast
Aluminum ducts (covers) while all of the later S10-C and Sll had pressed steel. Not interchangeable !
Fans can be a significant problem as discussed above,
causing engine vibration due to deteriorating rubber ring
and/or loose rivets. Fans, once removed and re-ringed, can
easily be balanced improving engine smoothness.
• Side Drafters (1930-34 and V-12’s) Same fan problems
as pressure down drafters. They also have a bellows
thermostat mounted on front right side of engine shroud
which senses temperature in the engine compartment and
controlled it by opening and closing the hood front shutters.
Many folks have disconnected this feature with little
damaging effect. However the shutters must be blocked open
to at least ! open. However, this feature will really help
engine life and warm up and passenger comfort (more heat)
in cold weather driving.
Engine Baffles for the right or exit air side of the side draft
engine may be helpful in extending engine life. This easyto-install feature, designed by Jeff Hasslen, improves the
flow of exiting air around the cylinders (right side).
• Importance of proper tuning and engine adjustments
apply to all of the configurations and their cooling system
performance. This includes ignition timing, carburetor
settings and valve time. Good compression on all cylinders
is also important reflecting on the sealing of the valves and
the pistons—in general, good engine condition.
No. 132 (June 201
Air Cooling Gems from Past Publications:
These extracts from early ACN’s, FSS’s and the Q&A
portion of the website support the above discussions of
maintenance and service the various Franklin cooling
configurations.
ACN40p30 John Burns Column discusses Engine
overheating: An engine which is over-heating, will ping
excessively and will show an appreciable loss of power. A
clean engine always runs cooler than a dirty one. Causes:
1. All cylinders not firing
2. Oil: a. poor grade, b. low level, c. diluted by
gasoline
3. Carburetor needle valve not adjusted properly.
Coolest running mixture is point where best power
is obtained (usually about " to ! turn open)
4. Spark timed incorrectly
5. Cylinder fins plugged with dirt.
6. Too much space between hood and sill finish strips
(S-9) There should be a very close fit here.
7. Engine guards loose where they are fastened to
crankcase (S-9)
8. Lower flywheel guard is too far away from flywheel,
or skirt is torn off (S-9)
9. Hood wings not fitting engine deck properly. (S-9)
Examine these (S-9) items by placing a small light
near edge of engine deck, closing hood, and
looking through the front hood grill.
10. Carburetor hot and cold intake air regulator not set
correctly. (S-9)
11. Intake manifold heater valve leaking. (S-9).
12. Excessive carbon in cylinders. Examine inside of
cylinder using light through the spark plug hole.
13. Valves not timed correctly.
14. Worn oil pump or oil pump improperly adjusted
15. Oil connections loose and leaking.
16. Camshaft not timed correctly.
17. Muffler plugged.
Test by noting power after
disconnecting muffler.
18. Piston fitted too tightly in cylinder. Examine
cylinder wall as in (12) above for deep scratches or
imbedded Aluminum.
19. Spark plugs leaking compression or porcelain plugs
used in S-9 Engine. (???)
20. Distributor block dragging against segments in
cover so as to retard spark (rare).
21. A heavy deposit of oil and dust on flywheel blades
which reduces efficiency of fan.
Q&A 6/27/99 1921 S-9 Overheating Question about
running hot, heat burning legs of front passengers. Ans.:
Possible missing or misplaced upper flywheel shroud.
Insulate Exh manifold near dash (again missing heat
shroud), check for leaks with light, tune engine.
Q&A 11/1/98 Does’32 engine run hotter than ’31?
Answer: Likely carb tuning but other factors discussed above
can cause differences. By design, the answer is NO.
Q&A 6/15/09 S-9 Engine Cooling Are various beat-up
shrouds underneath necessary? Ans.: Yes, they all must fit
tightly to get max air flow through engine and cylinders.
ACN108p31 Here, Don Kitchen carefully explains how he
lines up timing of the fan when reassembling with new
flexible rubber discs. Also cites the importance of balancing
his fan (from 12oz out to less than 1oz in his example).
No. 132 (June 2011)
Franklin Service Station
ACN43p25 S-12 cooling system comments in John Burns
Column. The system of cooling is exceptionally simple
and efficient, for there are no moving parts other than the fan.
All of the air forced into the housing above the cylinders
must pass down the cylinder walls. The cylinder heads and
fins must be examined occasionally to see that there is no
accumulation of foreign material which might interfere with
the cooling system. The best method of cleaning the
cylinder fins is with an air spray. This should be done
monthly (From S-12 maintenance manual)
ACN89p27
Don Kitchen describes procedure for
rebuilding blower fan (in S135, applies to all front fans).
ACN102p29 Jeff Hasslen indicates where to get Hood
Front Shutter Thermostats repaired and rebuilt.
ACN31p31 How to remove Fan. Earl Buchman describes
simple method.
ACN106p5 S-14 and early S-15 deflector box accessory
for these early cars to direct hot air away from front
passenger compartment as done in later cars.
Page 5 of 8
(Note fan carefully mounted on a dummy shaft and set on a
balancing rack with sheet metal, low friction edges to allow
rolling to low, heavy point.)
ACN34p30 Good article on details of S-15 engine with
many cooling and head construction details. Flow diagram
of side draft air flow.
Q&A 8/20-21/05
Is 1930 Air Deflector Housing
Necessary? Pros and cons. Pro: cooler front passengers in
summer. Con: better presentation and visibility of engine.
ACN92p29 Removing fan.
Gene Kosche describes
removal procedure similar to ACN31 above.
ACN85p30 Removing Fan Nut Illustrated procedure.
Q&A 9/11/02 How to Remove a Fan on the College
Campus. Marlene Zimmerman’s and Tom Rasmussen’s
hilarious discussion on how her father removed a very
stubborn fan nut in a flash. (Ed note: I was there and it was
a really funny scene !)
Q&A 6/22/09 Fan Removal in S153. Making an outer
nut tool and socket wrench details.
Q&A 8/05/03 Can sudden water hurt cylinders? Will
a sudden rain storm cause a cracked cylinder in my S-3?
Tom has experienced this with no problems. Detailed
discussion.
Q&A 12/21/02 Fan Sag (due to rubber and rivets)
Advice on when to replace rubber disc and rivets and then
balance. Nice photo and procedure on balancing fan. Also
see Dick Lamphere letter below from ACN48.
(General cooling air flow on side drafter engine)
Q&A 6/2/05 Sidedraft Engine Baffles Good discussion
of how Hasslen designed engines baffles improve cooling of
side draft engine on right(passenger)side of cylinders. Photo.
(Note sheet metal corner baffles on cylinders (cast Iron, black)
Page 6 of 8
ACN48p35
Franklin Service Station
No. 132 (June 2011)
An Air Deflector box can now be installed on the engine in
Fan Mail: Here is a dismal ditty about a fan. A
year ago (1968) on the way to Vermont from Tennessee, the fan on
my S-152 began to vibrate a bit due to wear of the fiber
(rubber/fiber) disc, causing a loosening of the blade assembly.
These fiber rings don’t get any stronger with age, and when they
begin to loosen up or crack, one can get a powerful lot of out-ofbalance. Many of these fans, in fact most I suspect, have the disc
distorted from age so that the fans are out of balance even though
the rubber discs are still fairly strong.
Upon arrival in Vermont, I had the rubber/fiber ring replaced
with metal. Both Chape Condit and I had some misgivings, but I
felt the engine vibrations would be low enough to be acceptable.
The car was driven all summer and then back to Tennessee at
speeds around 50 or sometimes up to 60 as a maximum—a total
distance of 2500 miles. There was no noticeable extra vibration.
Then one bright, sunshiny day my good wife and I were out on
the turnpike near Kingston tooling along at 73 mph when suddenly
there was all Hell to pay. One fan blade weighs only 3 ounces, but
at 73 mph the radial force is 1130 pounds, and two adjacent blades
had left the fan. With an unbalanced force of a ton whopping
around in there I leave it to your imagination as to what took place.
Anyhow, we got stopped, then limped home very slowly. Now the
fiber/rubber disc is going back in.
Each blade is held by two tabs on the back face, and one tab to
the front rim. Engine vibration had caused embrittlement of the
back tabs and other blades were beginning to fail. Thus the rubber
ring may not be necessary to protect that rugged Franklin engine
but it sure is needed to save the fan.
Dick Lamphere
(Ed. Note: The fan assembly with sandwiched rubber/fiber ring
acts like a modern vibration damper on the front of the crankshaft.
The modern damper is a layer of rubber sandwiched between a
heavy metal ring (also serving as the crank fan belt pulley) and a
hub attached to the crankshaft. The effect is to absorb high
frequency crankshaft twist vibrations resulting in a smoother
engine. In the Franklins with front mounted fans, the sandwiched
rubber disc also soaks up twist vibration and stresses between the
fan back plate, blades and hub. Dick’s blade tabs likely failed from
metal fatigue failure where the level of stresses from crankshaft
vibrations to the blade tabs were increased due to the nonabsorbing installation of the steel ring. Metal fatigue failure is why
old connecting rods fail from old age after billions of vibrations.
The part’s vibration life gets shorter if the stress level of each
vibration cycle increases. For example, you can shorten the fatigue
life of a paper clip to about 10 or 15 cycles by bending it
completely back and forth and it will break.
In Dick’s case, even an old loose rubber disc would have reduced
the chances of such a failure. (But that doesn’t rule out a failure of
the old rubber disc or rivets).
I’m not trying to scare people into replacing the rubber discs.
But it IS a good idea to check the fan for looseness and that the
rubber disc is not hard or disintegrating. It should be rubbery. If in
doubt, remove the fan and inspect it very carefully. In the
meantime, you are probably OK for low speed local driving and
short trips.)
approximately three hours which keeps the front compartment as
cool as the outside temperature, making the One Forty Five and the
One Forty Seven Franklins the coolest cars on the road to operate.
The Air Deflector (is pictured above in ACN106). After the
cooling air passes through the cylinder fins it is directed down
toward the road, away from the dash, toe boards and floor boards.
The large door or deflector plane on the front of the air deflector
can be opened making the oil filler spout, ignition instrument,
starter and generator readily accessible.
FSB No.577 7/1/1930:
HOOD FRONT SHUTTER
RATTLE It has been found that that hood front shutter rattle is
due entirely to the side play between the vanes in the hood front
and the pins that guide them. This side play can be eliminated by
installing hood front anti-rattle springs that we have just devised.
The installation can be made very easily within one hour. It is
only necessary to remove the hood front and screen, and with a pair
of roundnose pliers, fit the closed end of each spring around each
upper and lower pin in the hood shutter frame and put eht other
around the edge of the vane. The picture below shows the
installation. (Ed.note: Some hardware store springs insalled as
shown should solve this problem)
FSB No.563 2/1/1930:
HOOD FRONT SHUTTER
THERMOSTAT The hood front shutter control has been altered
to prevent the shutter from opening more than three quarters of the
full opening. The change is effected by installing a nut as shown to
limit the travel of the thermostatic unit.
The following items appeared in various factory published
Franklin Service Bulletins during 1930:
FSB No.580 8/8/1930: AIR DEFLECTOR—SERIES 14
During this unusually hot summer the warmth given off by an
automobile engine has been noticeable in the front compartment in
all make of automobiles.
It is, of course, possible to keep the front compartment of the
Franklin comfortable under abnormal temperature conditions, by
installing the toe board insulators and caulking around floor boards,
toe boards and any other openings to the front compartment, as
explained in Service Bulletin No. 569.
(Ed. Note: This should be easy to make or modify with nuts and
washers. This was done to improve the front appearance.)
No. 132 (June 2011)
Franklin Service Station
Page 7 of 8
A Member’s letter that raises an interesting question:
use, all but one or two sprung new leaks elsewhere on the
Dear EDITORS(CAN & FSS),
bellows and became inoperative. Looking with a magnifying
I just want to call to your attention to the website
glass many show very small cracks at the edges of the
pure-gas.org.
bellows where they did the most flexing. I think that after 80
Logging in provides one with State-by-State locations that
years the brass in those old bellows became too brittle. I
sell ETHANOL-FREE gasoline. It goes without saying that
stopped sending them out because it was not cheap to have
such a fuel could be helpful, to say the least, in making cars
them rebuilt and the re-failure rate was too high.
run better longer, and do the same for the small engines in
Don't know of anyone else rebuilding them. Paul Fitz
lawn mowers, chain saws, weed whackers and snow
Answer cont.: I only know of one source for this—it is Jim
blowers. Tony Adams, Wallingford, CT
Otto. I believe he is in Tennessee. Jim worked for
(Ed Note: Tony’s discovery of this website is helpful and
Robertshaw Controls, Sylphon Division and restored all
his implied question is worth discussing. My personal
bellows-type thermostats for them. Since they closed that
feelings are: 10% ethanol don’t make much difference.
department a number of years ago, Jim has done it on his
Here’s my reasoning: Water and ethanol are actually good
own.
knock reducers. Water doesn’t mix well and is a harmful
At one time, he was offering the service to simply
addition but ethanol does mix well. The current Octane
repair/recharge or to replace the bellows entirely. I have
ratings are 87 with 10% ethanol. The octane ratings in the
never done just the repair/recharge and have not had a
early 1930’s were typically around 60. So from a “knock”
failure with a new bellows yet. The new units seem to be
point of view, the current 10% Ethanol gas is better.
remarkably reliable. Beware, it is costly, which is probably
However, mpg is lower by 5 to 7 % in my modern car with
why some opted to repair/recharge.
10% Ethanol. The price of ethanol-free gas around in
I have not contacted Jim for several years. I have worked
Eastern PA is about $0.65/gal. higher than the normal mixed
with Brian Joseph however on bellows for Stutz's. Brian
grade. I have had no running problems with either of my
uses Jim and is able to get work from Jim in just a few days.
Franklins, or 27hp garden tractor. That being said, my
It is possible that Jim no longer deals with general public
Franklins have compression ratios of 4.0 (1905) and 4.3
and that you might have to go through Brian Joseph, or
(1923). Note that Tony’s car has a higher CR of 5.1 (My
perhaps I could work with Jim directly.
garden tractor has a CR of 9.5.) I’m not in agreement with
I have heard of several who have been determined to reTony’s assertion that my Franklins’ and tractor’s engine
charge these on their own. It takes a vacuum chamber and
lives will be longer with straight gas—Ethanol free.
the right % mixture of Methyl Alcohol and Acetone to get
However, they would get better gas mileage but at higher
the opening temperature correct. Perhaps it can be done in an
fuel costs.
ice bath - I don't know. After all that, there is still the issue
One area where I think Tony’s is right is fuel system
of an old bellows which is most likely to fail. I prefer
corrosion and deterioration of certain rubber parts. Cast
complete replacement.
iron carburetors and other iron fuel parts may see more
I agree with Paul that unless one has full confidence in the
corrosion from the Ethanol component. I have seen this on
thermostat, locking the shutters full open is pretty important.
cars not used much or stored for very long periods.
Sure is fun to watch them open and close though! tom
Corrosion product dirt accumulations can clog small jets.
Answer cont.: I've been giving more thought to the problem
This is much less likely to happen in a car that is used a lot
of getting thermostat bellows that can be relied on.
where tiny particles of corrosion products are gradually
As I mentioned in my last, many original Franklin
sucked into the engine. The rubber parts deterioration of
thermostat bellows suffer from age/stress cracks. There is
some fuel hoses, carbs, emissions components and pumps
not much that can be done to fix that with a high degree of
was pretty common on 1960’s & 70’s cars after the addition
reliability, other than replacement with new brass bellows.
of ethanol. Most were fixed with modern rubber parts.
Taking into consideration the high failure rate of original
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. However it does
bellows, even when rebuilt. And that fact that with properly
merit discussion from others’ experiences. Or perhaps there
adjusted linkage, if a working bellows fails, the shutters will
is a knowledgeable Chemical or Petroleum Engineer that can
remain closed under all driving conditions. And that the
straighten us out. (This could get as emotional as . . . as
majority of Franklin driving is done at a time of year when
lubricating oils—OMG!)
closed shutters could risk over heating a motor. For the
safety of the motor, I'd recommend adjusting the shutter
WISDOM & WIT from Tom & Paul
linkage to the full open position until such time a solution to
Selected Q & A’s from the website
the bellows controlled shutter problem can be found and
(Only Cool wisdom this month ! )
tested for long term reliability. Paul Fitz
Question: Thermostat repair Does anyone know of some
Answer cont.: I just got off the phone with Jim Otto who'll
one who can make Hood Front Shutter Thermostats sensitive
be receiving my thermostat next week. FYI the good phone
to temperature again? Tony Adams
number came from Classic & Exotic and the address from
Answer: About 10 years ago I was sending them out to a
Jim Otto himself. Hope that helps.
retired, former worker of the company that originally built
Jim Otto,
the bellows thermostats for Franklin. He rebuilt a number of
10700 Alameda Drive,
them for me. If I remember correctly, including the ones on
Knoxville TN 37932
your Town and Club Sedans.
Phone: 865-256-4774
However, despite the good job he did, after a short time in
Tony