Wanted : Owners of a 1902 / 1903 L'Aster

[ThomasBorchers]

Hello !

Since some years we own a 1902 / 1903 L'Aster from France. We restored the car, engine is running but has no power to start the car. So I am looking for other L'Aster owners.

Thank you.

Regards

Tom

[West Peterson]

I would think you need to find a magneto if you want it to be authentic, but there are other possibilities as well (someone else chime in, please), but until then, you should be able to use either a small 6 or 12-volt battery to provide spark. Of course, the power to start it comes from the hand crank. My father has a pre-teen leZebra and I could find out what kind of magneto it has... both being from France, it may be the same.

Nice car. Looks like a nice restoration, too. That's very early for a steering wheel. The French were leaders in automotive technology during the early part of the 20th century.

[Steve Moskowitz]

Mr. Peterson, he said the engine was running! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Sooooooo, I think what we have with Thomas is a "failure to communicate" as maybe his English is not so good (he's from Germany). This sounds like a transmission problem that he cannot get it to engage...and yes, Mr. Editor, the car may not have a magneto!

Thomas, can you clarify the problem? Oh, by the way, an early chain driven small car...cool!

[West Peterson]

Oooooh... Now that I've changed my light bulb, what you say makes sense.

Nevermind.

Thomas. How about writing a story about this unusual car for Antique Automobile.

[ThomasBorchers]

Hello !

At first, I am sorry for my English. Sometimes it is ok and sometimes I make big mistakes. And know I am missing the spell check here. So perhaps there are now more mistakes... <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

.....

The car has a battery ignition system like a Ford Model T and it is not so small as it looks like. It has a powerful 2 cylinder 12 hp engine with around 150 cui.

The car has a normal clutch and brake pedal but a "funny" gas pedal. The movement is not freely as usual ( if you press a gas pedal down, it will come up again when you remove your feet from the pedal ), it snaps into several notches.

Usually the rod of the gas pedal goes to the throttle valve and when you would move the throttle valve you would move the gas pedal. But here I have at the rods two springs and I can close the throttle valve with the rod without to move the gas pedal.

I wonder when I try to start the car and the engine speed becomes lower because it has the load of the car, if the throttle valve starts to close and then the engine has to less power to start the car. I don?t know if you know what I mean ? It is not easy to explain technical things.

To write something about this car is not easy, because we don?t know a lot of this car regarding the history. We just know that Aster built mainly engines for cars, motor cycles and so on and just a very few cars.

Thanks for your help.

Tom