MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3047, 7 April 1917, Page 15

MOTORS & MOTORING

[Bv Cltjich.l Overheating. Occasionally a cyclecarist, for some reason' or other which he is unablo to fathom, experiences overheating. The • 'chief remember with an aircooled engine are to direct a good blast of cool an- on the cylindors, especially on. to the exhaust valve side, and to ,make oertein'that the heated air has V perfe'cfJy-free-path to escape., 'With, an engine .that-is inclined to get. hot, .the cooling draught may be increased ,in., various w^ay's,. one of the simplest of which was observed on a belWlriven cycle-car. Tho 1 machine was already equipped with' a,fan of average size,and it was' obviously impossible, without "going to a great expense, to increase the diameter;.of the fan, or to,.speed ■' it up in any. way. However, the tijpuble ' was overcome, in this manner. A-new and'slightly'longer spindle was made; the.original fan, was'replaced in its old position,"but 'another exactly similar ,was fitted Øog, tho spindlo yepd to tho . pulley. Theynew arrangement worked admirably, ahd'thfl overheating maladywas cured.; 'The expense oT this addition was,'Qf course, trifling. In order, "to allow, the,heated, air to escape more '. .easily,- a spiall'-door-wajpmade in the ■' sloping and it;.was only on . very hot'days '• open it..'- In a somewhat similar device the floorboard was simply a framework covered over with wire netting. The "former method, however, las perhaps more td'recdmmend it than the latter, as the passengers need not have the hot air- or fumes around them, except when necessary. ■ Wheal BeaWQfis. The proper case and luferfpation of the wheel. Wrings will result in greatly increased .reliability and sweetness of running. ■ jtfost light y cars and 'cyclecars are fitted with annular ball Dearings, the hub'beujg usually- supported on an outer, and an inner race. For a ■ball bearing- to work satisfactorily, igrit and waiter must,never be allowed rbo come into\,c<)ntact with either, the ■balls or tho races. The usual Wjj-y to ensure, that this' is, the case is the interior of the hub grease, so that water can fipd ho entrance. The hub cap should be removed and filled with' good quality grease. It should then, be screwed up' until it bears against the hub; and the hub cap should he -unscrewed, the process being repeated until grease exudes from the inside of the wheel. Care must be taken that too .'milch force is not used 'insprewing^up'the cap full of grease, 'as ! itjis' ; quite'possible to burst these - if excessive pressure is .employed. The superfluous grease should be wiped off the inside of the, hub,, and this process repeated at during the first run aftar lubrication" as the rotation of the wheel will cause, the 'grease.'to expand, and'it may .then'run down the spokes and damage the tires. It is es'sential;.if the ,b'earings ( are to be. kept in the best qphdition, that the grease used is of the fiost quality, as cheap grease often.,contains water, which has a detrimental., effect'on the'''bearings, causing rust to fprm on the races, and the balls. The latter then chip and finally the bearing is destroyed. .Cheap grease also contains acid, which is destructive'. Here and There. , that- about 60 per cent.; of the''motortcycles now sold in America-.' are' fitted v with ' side-cars. : There is nojkloubt as to the popularity ; of tlus attachment, which is both economical and coiniortablo. The only objection to this, attachment, in the early days of its use was thaiiit put an undue strain on'..the motor-cycle; but that trouble has long since been 'removed through the, combination of efficient adequate motors with' scientifically designed and' properly constructed passenger-carrying attachments. It is often difficult to ■ recover small nuts and Bolts -which are dropped into the undersbield, it generally entails getting one's-coat sleev.es into a mess. . If the object is of moderate- size .'and is in sight it can generally be by %( a tool somewhat similar to a. twojipfonged fork, which can be made from a piece of stout cane, one end of which is split and the notch widened to .form an angle of entrance to assist in, picking up tho object. When the article is smaller, and concealed a good plan is-to make a mop by wrapping a piece of cloth round a stick. If the head of the mop be dipped in rubber solution-we have an ' instrument which-will prove very useful in collecting a small article from an inaccessible place. The "AutomobOe Engineer" has been dealing with...a, question whioh is not. ■ frequently mentioned, namely, the'effect of the pressure of the'piston rings on the The ' average pressure, i.t appears, is abbiiflOlb. per suare inch, and, _ aeedless to say, the f,r,iction._ of the,.rings is approximately proportionate to the,pressure. A case is stated where the piston rings of a v 3i-kp. engine had a pressure qf/lllb, per,,square,inch. A :weaker set was fitted, giving '81b; pressure, and the re- . suit 'was a gator of five miles iper hour, J which indicated a previous very serious I loss by friction. The subject is one whioh ought to bo,dealt with so that reliable dats/oan be provided. Needless to say,_ the Jess the pressure the smaller the friction,, lyit, on the other hand, if the pressure is not sufficient,, oil is likely to the piston rings." It is a* case for adopting the bajpy mean, though possibly, this may vary \vith difTereat engines, 'w. The governing body of cycling in Franoe, the Union Velocipediquo of France/has, disqualified.for-Jife Marcel: :'' Dupuy, who ngured in tho winning '■■ team of- the .last New York six days' ' bicycle race, decided last December aj;' 'Mfldiscft,Square Gardens. .The union's: contention is.tjh'a/bjja Frenchman who.is capable of -ij-iiuiing such a strenuous; contest as the great New York event should be serving his country at. tho present ,time„va, view£?that will be upheld, by all true, sportsmen. 1 : j To prevent leakage past the valve ; caps, it is'best to use a copper and { asbestos ..washer, but of en wen these are not infallible, as when they have been in use somp time they become hard, and>if <a speok of grit lies between the faces .the washer will not seat properly. A good practice is to use boiled <a'l ox gold size in addition to, or in place ~of,' the washer, but a very emrjliatie warning is necessary in connection with the use of such liquids. l;These must on no account be put upon the screw threads,vhut only, on the fiat faces, since, they set very. e[trotng]y, and ' ( if they are put upon the screw, threads fit will be.found very difficult subsel quently to unscjew the valve cap. This I tip js used on. special hill-climbing and racing machines .where high efficiency • is required., In emergency on a riarticularly cold day a paper cut to waistcoat,,phap9 l ?'makes a pleasantly warm linuJg under oue's coat. An English {Dotorist has devised some leather breastplates cut but of a soft hide. An elastic is attached at the top which passes round the neck and , another round, the waist. This garment is stowed away under-the cushions and perhaps is riot used for six months, out when called : into.requisition it is ijmuch appreciated! by .the passenger who has come out"without.his coat.