full retard
noun1
The setting on a magneto when the ignition spark occurs as late as possible, just before the piston reaches top dead center.
- It is characteristic of the usual magneto to give an ignition spark at a somewhat lower speed with the spark control in the full advance than in the full retard position.1911 December, “Intensifying the Retarded Spark”, in Ignition and Accessories, volume 1, number 3, page 85:
- Briefly, the objectionable features of the magneto are that the intensity of the spark depends directly upon the speed of the magneto—that is, the hottest spark comes at the highest speeds and the thin spark at the low speeds, that there is a difference in the intensity of the spark in the rang of full retard to full advance, and that with the use of the magneto there is the extra electrical unit that must be cared for.1915, H.A. Minturn, “Generator-Battery Ignition”, in The American Chauffeur, page 165:
1 more example
- Interrupter set back of center at full retard, ½ inch.1918, Charles Brian Hayward, Automobile Ignition, Starting, and Lighting, page 155: