MOTORING

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18947, 11 March 1927, Page 5

MOTORING

DAMAGE TO HALFMADE ROADS.

BY "ROADSTER."

SELFJS&i MOTORISTS. WORKMEN'S LIVES ENDANGERED The selfishness of a certain section of motorists and motor-lorry drivers was the subject of a complaint voiced to a "Dominion" representative recently by the county engineer of Ilorowhenua. Frequently when bitumen is being laid down or penetration work is being done on the main roads, motorists rush the barriers, heedless of warnings, drive over the new material before the roller has been over it, damaging the surface and endangering the workmen. At the most they are only delayed twelve minutes, and the work is being done mainly in their interests. Drastic steps are threatened unless motorists adopt a reasonable attitude in the matter. They may find sections of main roads closed altogether, involving motorists generally in it good deal of inconvenience and expense. The Ilorowhenua County Engineer is at work on a four years' programme, involving an expenditure of £190,000, in the county, on fifty miles of main roads. He was in Wellington on Saturday at the District Public Works Engineer's office concerning main roads ■ and other matters. "Throughout the country," said Mr Anderson, "there is a lot of road construction work going on, and this work is being greatly hindered by a certain section of motorists and motor-Jorry drivers. Horowhenua County has a big programme of work in hand, and hopes shortly to complete 11 to 12 miles of main road ill bitumon. At present the heaviest work is proceeding between Waikanae and Otaki, a portion of the main road which carries exceedingly heavy traffic. During the progress of the work it is necessary occasionally to close the roacl for 10 to 12 minutes at a time during spraying, which is part of the penetration system of paving. I Too Impetuouß. "Sumo motorists, more impetuous than others, chafe at the delay, thinking that the main road should not be closed under any consideration, ignore all warnings, and burst the barriers to get through. The result is that the workmen are delayed, the new road surface is badly damaged, and those who are putting their heart into this work, and take pride in it, are greatly discouraged." It was explained that after the hot spray is put on, granite or gravel chips are put on, and the roller goes over once or twice. By this time it is fit for\ traffic to pass over, and at the most only delays the motorist _l2 minutes, yet in some cases the motorists will not wait for the roller, but run the cars over the soft stuff, cutting deep ruts, and the work lias to be done over again, causing delay and additional cost.

Some of the more reckless motorists have not escaped scot free from their "road hog" tactics. On occasions, when a car has rushed, through heedless of the warnings, the man on the boiler would cry to his mate, "Look out, Bill!" Bill, expecting to be run down, twists round smartiy with the hot spray in his hand to jump out of the way. The sharp turn with the spray sends a shower of hot tar and bitumen flying through \tlie air for a few yards, and if the unlucky motorist was prsssed close enough, the car and occasionally the passengers catch quite a few of the spots. Each spot of this stuff on a car leaves its mark, and it is not necessary to describe its effect on the clothing nor on the skin.

Roads Closed Unless— — These things have happened, and the ifiotorists have only themselves to blame for any damage they have suffered in rushing the barriers and the workmen. If it is possible to let them through on the side of the road this is readily done, for the authorities do not desire to hold up traffic unnecessarily. This assurance was given not only by the Horowhenua official, but also by representatives of the Main Highways Department and the District Office. _ The flagrant disregard of warnings has reached such a pitch that the authorities are determined to make the fullest use of the powers they have under the Main Highways Act. One lorry-driver, ignoring all appeals to wait for a few moments, drove through, compelling the men to give way, and on reaching the other end dismounted and went back to deliver a round of abuse at the men. A magistrate will shortly be asked to judge the offence. Workman in Hospital. Another instance is that of a motorist who actually broke down the barrier, drove through a cutting at high speed, flashing close to the nose of a horse which: was carting away spoil. This caused the horse to back suddenly, crushing a workman between the cart and the bank, and necessitating his removal to hospital. The Horowhenua authorities have determined that these practices shall cease, and they have the support of the Main Highways Board, for the practice is not by any means confined to Horowhenua. Under the Act the authorities can close the road where this work is proceeding. Speaking of service cars, the Horowhenua official said the drivers were most careful and considerate, and had never failed in that district to observe the warnings and the requests of the men at work, and if asked to wait ten minutes had done so. C.A.A. NEW MEMBERS. Two hundred and sixty-eight new members have enrolled with the Canterbury Automobile Association since the beginning of the new financial year, the mo3t recent being:—Messrs D. Barr, S. C. Blatchford, G. Blogg, J. C. Brodie, A. H. Burrage, J. H. C. Bush, C. Charnpness, E. B. Clarke, J. D. Crampton, J. Chatfield, G. H. Coe, H. T. Falla, 0. M. Friedlander, B. Flynn, B. D. Hart, B. H. James, L. E. Laugesen, W. 1. Lewis, S. W, Lilley, T. F. Bead, and C. C. Sutherland.

WHEN THE ENGINE GIVES OUT.

HOW TO LOCATE CAUSES OF STOPPAGE. DANGERS OF "TINKERING." (By Major F. A. C. Forbes-Leitb, F.R.Cr.S., Author of "By Car to India.") A great deal of very precious time is wasted by my motoring friends, at the roadside, in useless tinkering with the machine, if, for any reason, they are beld up. Many of them do everything that can be done, except the correct tiling, and few are able to locate the root of the trouble with reasonable speed. "With the exception of the actual breaking of a part or.parts, there axe three processes to be thought of when stoppage of the engine occurs. They are ignition, compression, and carburettion. Consider them in that order, and choose the simplest' ways of locating any trouble that is likely to happen. In tho first place, if your engine has been functioning well, and suddenly "cuts out" on you, it is logical to suppose that the most likely cause of your trouble will be the ignition. Testing the Spark. This- can be tested in several ways. The simplest of these is by means of a spark-tester, a' small instrument which can be purchased for a few shillings, and which many motorists carry. This can be placed on the top of the sparking plugs, and the self-starter operated. It will not only give indication of whether there is a good flow of "juice" from the magneto or batteries, but will also indicate to you the quality of the spark. If this is not available, short circuit your plugs by holding a screw-driver between the plug top and the cylinder-head, which should give a spark, if working. Your amp meter, on the dash, will tell you whether there is a possibility of your batteries having run down, so it will be necessary to oxamine tho circuit between the source of supply and the plugß. First and foremost examine your earth wire, at the point, where it is attached to the chassis, and make sure that this has not worked loose. Then feel out all the wires, one by one, for breaks, and try all the terminals and make sure that they are screwed up tight. Taults of Compression.

Now for the second possible seat of tho trouble —compression. The fact that you can feel some compression in the cylinders is not, of necessity, a sign Uiat you have sufficient.

The fact that a sparking plug has worked a little loose is quite enough to reduce the compression necessary to a good explosion. In the first place, this has the effect of causing the down.yard stroke of the ]>iston to suck in too great a proportion of air to mix with the gas j and second, if you do get an explosion, it will be a poor one, and will interfere with the regular turn-over of the engine. Another cause of bad compression is a perished cylinder-head gasket. To prove this, get your oil-can and run round the joint, leaving a fine film of oil there. If there is a leak, you will find that the oil will bubble at the fault. This may sometimes be remedied by tightening up the cylinder head bolts, but more often than not a leaik of this kind is a definite indication that a new gasket is wanted. Be Careful -with Carburettors. If you cannot find either of the above faults, and your engine is definitely missing on one cylinder, it will be more than probable that you have broken a valve spring. I'inally, let us consider carburettion. At the present time, carburettors are made with wonderful precision. If you locate a fault in this instrument, in no circumstances should you alter the adjustment. Most carburettors are made in such a way that the float chamber ,can be removed, and the jet cleaned, without interfering in any way with adjustment. And, above all, if a jet is clogged up ; don't use anything to clear it that will expand it at all, for a thousandth part of an inch difference in size will entirely alter the efficiency of your explosion. What Jfoise Means. It is of vital importance to rememiber that, in these days of quiet cars, any unusual noise and clatter means wear and tear. Unless you are an expert, or happen to be stranded away from help, don't attempt to interfere with the mechanism of your car. Get as quickly as possible to a garage, and let a trained mind diagnose the trouble. Even in dealing with garages, a certain amount of caution is necessary. The days of the "bodger" who made jobs, are almost over, and one can be sure of getting good service almost anywhere. But, wherever possible, go to one of the accredited service agents of the make of car that you are driving. These men understand your car, and they will charge you according to a scale that is laid down by the makers, and which will not be out of proportion to the service rendered. faulty lubrication. GAS LEAKAGE AND DAMAGE. Wear of motor-car pistons after 2000 miles' running of the car averages between one and two one-thousands of an. inch. Origin a] clearance in a new engine is from three to four one-thou-sands of an inch. After running 2000 miles the space between the piston and the cylinder wall is • increased 40 per cent. For economical running of the engine and preservation of the life of the car an entirely different grade of > lubricating oil must be used from this period on. Wear inside the cylinder is constant, and the grade of oil must be changed again after 10,000 to 12,000 miles, when the clearance has increased to 100 per cent, more than the original space. This principle was not generally recognised until the last few years. Light, heavy, and medium opaline oils are adapted to different cylinder clearances. The motorist should keen in mind the oil grades prescribed for different makes of cars at different periods in the handy guides prepared by the oil companies. Gas leakage and damage to engines from overheating come from faulty lubrication and this is one of the most prolific causes of prematurely worn-out machines.

TRAFFIC CONTROL. HOW ENGLISH POLICE HELP MOTORISTS. Mr M. Hollander, a member of the Canterbury Automobile Association, who returned to Chxistchurch yesterday, states that one of the reasons for the great success of the control of vehicular traffic in England, was the manner in which ■ the police and traffic inspectors assisted the driver. The feeling between the police and the driver was most friendly, and in consequenoe the motorist was not frightened at the appearance of a policeman. If he made a mistake in one of the rules, the policeman would

advise him, and help him out of a traffic jam. , Tor example, in Hyde Park ana Piccadilly there was the system of oneway traffic. Occasionally a motorist would proceed along the wrong way. The police knew that such action was through ignorance, and in good humoured fashion, a constable would get the motorist out of the difficulty. At the intersections of the main highways, traffic police were invariably to be found. Inspectors, provided by the automobile clubs, were often at such intersections, and if there was a police trap in operation, • wfmld give the signal to the motorist. If the motorist ignored such warning, he deserved to encounter trouble. A new system now successfully in force is the establishment of traffic signals at night by means of_ lights. Thus when travelling along a highway, a motorist will receive by means of a coloured light the caution or go-slow signal.

HEADLIGHTS. ESSENTIAL OF SAFETY. It is generally agreed by headlight *. ■ experts that it is better to switch on the headlights too early than too late. Late autumn is one of the most decep- . , . , x tive times of the year for the motorist, not only because the day is short, but also because early evening mists obscure the sunset, bringing on darkness much more abruptly than in the summer se©- ■ son. . ■■ ■■ ■ ■ ■ . Keep the lamps "trimmed and burning'' at the proper time is regarded as one of the first essentials of safety in ' C the autumn. This is an eppepialjy' apt - caution, as the moist conditions f | railing along many roadways now'add" j 1 much to the hazards of driving. r