Hit and Miss

[vakkotaur]

Some time ago now I visited an antique steam and gas engine show. The older gasoline engines sounded a bit odd as they didn't fire all the time. Instead they'd miss, a lot. This was by design. I'd wondered about them from time to time, but tonight I wondered about them and consulted the oracle that is Google and got some answers.

This page, despite a few typos and misspellings, does a good job of explaining just how a hit and miss engine works. It also is one of those rare places where the animated GIF is a useful tool rather than an annoying distraction.

Comments

[aedifica]

Interesting. It's not a subject I know much about, but I have the same vague interest I do in most subjects, and I could follow why centrifugal force and springs could do that. Neat!

Thank you!

[foolscap001.livejournal.com]

That explains various old farm equipment I've seen in the past that I thought somebody needed to take to the mechanic. "That's not a bug, that's a feature."

[chakawolf.livejournal.com]

I love hit and miss engines! I would loke to own one of the big horizontals someday. (Wonder where I'd keep it . . .)