MOTORS&MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2949, 8 December 1916, Page 9

MOTORS&MOTORING

IB? Cltjtch.]

A Tail Lamp Tell-tale. With electric lighting, a very ingenious system of indicating that' the- tail lamp is working consists in placing an additional small lamp in tho electric circuit, and, if this is situated somewhere on the dash, it forms an everready reminder should tho back lamp jail, for, in such an eventuality, both lamps becomo extinguished together, j arnffin is, howevor, still popular for' the tail lamp, and, with such, it is not so easy t<> ascertain that it is performing its .duty, for it is not generally possible to lean out backward when drivini; to see that all is right. The difficulty can, howevor, be got over if a glance is directed sideways to the loft when passing house or shop windows. The reflection of the lighted tail lamp is very striking in its passago across tho pano of glass, and it is so immediately noticeable that one's attention is distracted from driving for only a second or two. On particularly dark nights, it is often quite possible to see the light cast on the hedges, when looking slightly backwards When the Pilot Jet Chokes. Not every owner f is sufficiently strict about straining his' petrol, and if any impurity gets into the tank the tiny orifices of the pilot jet, or other slowrunning devico, aro obviously the most likely to choke, and the first indications of the trouble are that the engine stops when tho main jet is shut off by releasing the accelerator, and that it fails to restart. In such cases there is not the least need to dismount the .carburetter and clear the obstruction immediately. The function of the pilot jet is twofold; it supplies a very rich mixture for starting purposes, and it concentrates 'tho feeble suction which is all tho engine can provide when slowly rotated by hand, on very restricted passages in order that sufficient gas may be inhaled. Starting conditions may therefore bo obtained with tho main jet in action ; a rich mixture is provided by flooding the carburetter very liberally, or injecting a littlo petrol via )he compression taps (if any); and the suction may bo augmented by swinging the engine as fast as possible for ten or twenty turns, a task which is not very difficult if the engine is warm, and tho oil thoroughly liquefied by previous running. Tho main nuisance of a choked pilot jet consists in the added difficulty of upward gear changes, seeing that the engine will not rim slowly enough on the main jet to make chqng--ing up easy; and that the engine is liable to 6top when habit induces the driver to let the accelerator pedal right up; thislast difficulty can he overcome by opening the hand throttle ("minuimum eetting") a notch or so, if a hand throttle is fitted. In its absence, it is worth while clearing the pilot jot immediately, not a difficult operation if tho jet is fairly accessible. Paintwork. , One is often asked the best way to touch up chipped places on the paintwork. There-is no best way, and it is a very difficult thing to do. There is tho colour to be matched exactly, and a slight depression to he* filled up as well. Anyone who has the time and patience should first match the colour; This done as nearly as possible the depression should be filled with colour. It will be necessary, to give several coats, each coat being allowed to dry before the next is,put on, and tho depression should be filled up to the edges and no more; that is to say, the patching must not overflow the chipped place. The brush used should be a sable or camel-hair pencil, as used by artists. Even with the greatest care the results are so poor that professional coach painters will rarely undertake tho job if the chipped places are iii a conspicuous position—in the centre of a body panel, for instance. With hoods, less perhaps can be done than with any other part of the car, in tho way of renovation and tho removal of mud and water stains. The most thorough way is to take tho hood off the car, brush it well with a stiff brush, and then wash it with soap and water. / While still damp it must bo erected on tho car and loft to dry in position. It can then be treated with hood paint. Here and There. 'To get tho best out of one's tires, ono should subject thein to a periodical overhauling and cleaning, lteniove each tire from the rim, and examine not only cover, tube, and valve, but tho rim also. It is a good plan to clean tho rim thoroughly, then give it a thin coat of black enamel. This should be done onco a year. Take out the valve and pour about a teaspoonful of water into the tube itself. This helps to preserve the rubber, and will assist you in locating small punctures. Clean the cover insido and out, and use plenty of French chalk on replacing the tube. Never allow grit to remain inside the cover after puncture repairing. The following method of tire changing will bo found useful by ladies and others whose physical strength is a little less than one mechanic power (says a motoring writer). Three levers must be used, and my personal preference is for 18iu.. levers for any cover oyer 65 mm. The directions commonly given for romoving a cover are: "Insert one lever, and then another, about 6in. away." The insertion of the first may bo rather awkward in a new or stiff cover, and the insertion of the second is still moro so. But on either 6ide of the first lever the cover is pushed a littlo way back from the edge of the rim. Put the second lever close to the first. Tho second will go in mar© easily than tho first did because tho way is, to some extent, prepared for it. Hold the two levors in place, and put tho third close to tho second. Tho second will fall out, and can then be put outside' the last one. Keep repeating tho process until enough progress has been mado to lever off the cover, in tho usual way. This tip is ever more useful in replacing covers or putting on new ones.

A very simple method of cleansing a clogged silencer without taking it apart is to tap tho exterior all over with a wodden mallet. A considerable amount of deposit clings to tho interior of tho silencer, and the vibration set v.p by tho blows of the mallet loossens tho deposits so that when the engine is started the deposits will be blown out at the silencer end. Dirty and clogged silencers put a considerable amount of back pressure on the engine, as the exhaust gas cannot get away freely, with the result that the engine overheats rapidly and lubrication is affected.

Lighting up time: To-day, 7.28 p.m. Next Friday, 7.34 p.m.