WITH TENT AND MOTOR.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20381, 30 October 1931, Page 5

WITH TENT AND MOTOR.

getting the car heady. further ideas that save MONEY. (SPECIALLY WRITTEN FOR 'IUF. IT,ESS.) [By Trip.] (All Rights Reserved.)

Tiieso article."., wliieli will he published during tho Glimmer months, will deal with touring and motor camping generally. They will give details essential for the success of motor camping holidays, and full information nbout roads right through New Zealand. Wherfj further information is desired, readers can obtain it liy enclosing a stamped and addressed envelope to "Trip" c/o The Piiess.

Of all the many things, that keep the car functioning perfectly, none is 3nore important than oil, and before any extensive camping tour is undertaken is is certainly advisable to change the engine oil and. give the car a.thorough greasing. A great many motorists prefer doing this for themselves, but for those who do not, quick and efficient service is now available. Above all; do xiot attempt to economise oil oil. The saving of a shilling a gallon, is nothing in comparison with the damage that cdn be done by cheap and unsuitable oil. Tho writer firmly believes that by the constant watching of the oil, aiid by changing every thousand miles, very much greater mileage eaii be secured from any car, no matter what the make: Insufficient or" improper oiling is probably the most fruitful source of garage workshop profits. Before You Star*. Why riot make a point of changing the oil in tho engine and gear box i before you leave for your fortnight's I motor-camping tour? You w r ill then be relieved of all further worry till after you return, at the cost of a few shillings. You may say I am overstressing the need for care in this res; ect, but after touring for years and meeting motorists all over the Dominion, J. am certain that lack of oiling is responsible for the major expenses in motoring. Greasing of the various chassis points is equally necessary of % course, but in any case is less likely to be neglected if only beciuse of the squeaks that will be apparent if it is neglected. When you are changing the oil, the opportunity also presents itself for ii gemral tightening up of engine and chs?:sis boltB) aijd tho rfenewal of any par s that may be broken or damaged. Th' 1 contlnubiis We&r >nd tpfer over all sor'.s bf rbads naturally looseiis up the chassis bolts; arid it is a wise ttiii win'' nldkbs an ocfeisioiial tour of inspection with a spanner. Helre and there i hub will bb fbiliid t'o be iiiissihg, or a screw loose,. If thase are replaced at once tli6 ttbttblb will nbt fcjir'edd; if left untouched a strain will bo placed on one port ion of the chassis and other bolts will come apart. If you have a preliminary run, and find out just where are the rattles and squeaks in your cat, the job of tighteqiiig nji will be inftde more easy, and tho finished resulftsmore satisfactory. These are the jobs that can better, bo dtone by; yourself'than by anyone else, for you are most intimately in touch with your jitr. Care of the Tyres. Tho tyres on an average car arc given a little air vdrtm' .they begirt to Ibbk really flat, and aro removed occasionally when a puncturo demands attention; Otherwise, they are gehbrilly neglected, and nine out of ten motorists will contend that they don't peed any looking after, dhtf that libttiihg call Be' saved by giving them any attention. This is all wrong, and . although the writer must confers that £lt, tiliies Hfe is very careless when it comes toa tile tyres, the fact remains that thous,artds of extrd miles can lio coaxed froni a set of tyfes that have "proper treatment, and which are regularly changed from front, to back, and from left to right. I know one man who uses his car a good deal and does an average of about 500 hilles A. week, who makes a point of changing his tyres regularly once a week. The front left goes to the back left, the 'back left to the back right, and so on. In this way each. tyre, gets eVen .wear on all fotot wheels, and inahy thbUsaiids more miles are secured from the set. However, no matter ,wh)3t the condition of your tyrek;. yb\i tean 1 S'av<s yourself troublo while on the motorcamping (tour, if you will lobk thfetti over beforehand/ If any aro practically done, it may bo worth while discarding! them, or else helping them but With liners.' S)iii|ll hdles that Wbuld allow stones t;o v enter can be stopped up with a special solution. If you have two spare wheels on the car, you have tJtifficieat reserve in hand,, but if you carry only oriß sp&ft) Wheel; it 'frill be advisable to carry r a spar'd tUbfe.- If this is kept unpacked in its originjil box, it will not deteriorate even if kept for years, and. it. will eventually be of use. Admittedly it is Unpleasant paving to chftngi. a tubp, fiut f it Is bertainly easier tie 3d tliat thdii 'tb try moving: tho possibly in the pduririg rain. A spare tube is orie of the .minor details-which should not be neglected, A SattSry N fejldrbs. The battfery maynbbd 110 attention at all, or it may be necessary to give 10 a charge. See that the water level i§ fight before yoil start, as the chances are that you won't look at it while you are aW&y. Are the lighti in good working order? You may -need them badly if ybii kre on a at night. Be suro and carry , a spire light bulb somewhere in the car. A car -vith. one headlight only is a danger to. all traffic. It will be worth while, too, having your headlights' ■ focussed. This . can be easily arranged if you are ;iri a city where social provision haS beeii made for headlight testing; some Automobile asfiociation§ give free service in thiß respect also. ~ A very useful accessory on a camping holiday is an extension light, especially with a fairly big car, the battery of which Will stand somb heavy usage. An extension light ii admirable for use in ,t$ tent, aid is worth its wpight in gbbi if any repairs have to be done at rtight by tiife roadside. In a iiy case an electric torch should certainly be carri'ed if no exttension light is-Available. Whild on the question of spares, it will be as Well to suggest that _ a spare sparking pltig .or two be carried alijo. These give many' thousands of miles of service, but o'i&ijtionally the porcelain cracks, or the plug bils up. and the spare you are carrying means that you can travel Ufa feiiy loss of efficiency. It tiki been Suggested by the manufacture?! tii&t iricirfeasea efficiency can be obtained also by changing the complete set. of pliigS every ten thousand niiles. t don't know whether, there is a. great saying ift 'effifeiencf of iiia I

inust pl&aa, U usiiig plbgs for liiuch greater distances. In theso last two articles We have ruh very thoroughly over tlie car s and if attention has *6 all the points mentioned there should be little doubt that a trouble-fre-e cainping holiday is y*iu tftM mimmer. During the next few weeks we will run over , some 6f the placbs which irllfeis canlpiiig holidays during the summer menths.-

CARE OiF THBI dAR. POINTS WORTH WA'TtttlNG.

Lack of lubrication of thd spring shackle bolts or of th 6 lelvbs wiU result in a squeak on rough iroafls. Racihg' the Engine just befbre cutting oft' the ignition does not mean a tiling to thfe modern motlJr. jFurtherrnoi'e, it is aiways an unrißc6slß.ry and harmful procedure to rac§ thtt engine uhlesS tlic cat is pulling. Excessive use of the ''cfeblte" catlsps fuel,waste, sooting, oil diltitibfi; fouled sjmrlt' plugs, afid irregular running of tne, engine.- _ ' Continuous starting in second, especially when ustfd to beat traffic after a -red light, is a strain on the engitie, driveiSiaf t, and differential Nevef st'aft to bA'ck s cAr u&til tnfere is positive assurance that there is no bhildj persbn, or BbstrUCtibtt in the line of mbveinfent. . • ■ , It savfe ffiueli petrol 4pfl ,it damages your engine to lliut bff the ignition when coaßting jlqwty , a Jong iiilL Unburjied gas is Sucked into tne gjriiaaferi aaa tte duj w that hs efficiency as a lubricant is impaired.' Alsoj the gas may . explode in the, silencer and, blow it off. LbbSSnSS's- ifi ttiS btiiiiffer ffitt'driiigS causes a noise that often is Hard to trace. Often motorists who never would think of starting the engine without retarding the spark drive with it fully advanced. In some cases it would be much better the other way around,. Don't forget,, to carry textra headlight bulbs. They may be needed at any time; Remember to Signal the car behind when stopping suddenly, cither night or day. Rough Toads are hard on underinfiated tyres. The roughness of the highway causes the tyres to flex constantly, with. the rbiult that the excessive lieatt does considerable damage tb sidfiwails. • Always check tfie o.' I supply daily befbre tajcihg 'the new car out of the garage. Only wlieil the crankcase is full is there afesiirance of the safety of adequate lubrication. Stubborn car windows, which aro hard to raise and lower, can be eased by placing a thin coat of graphite and grease ifi the side channels. Thb durability of an under-inflated tyre is far less than that of one properly inflated. Soft tyrfes become Hot at &ny speed.