CHECK ON MIXTURE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 96, 27 April 1929, Page 27

CHECK ON MIXTURE

JJbw; the,accblerator can serve as- ft check on' the: carburettor mixture is one of the interesting chapters in ep care. Merely by noting how the engine.acta when the accelerator is pressed",' it possible to know whether the, carbur-. ettor is correctly adjusted. Suppose, for example, you are eager to get ahead in traffic, you st^p on the throttle, expecting to dart ahead, but are surprised to find that the ear slows sharply as .though you had applied t)ie brakes. Tliisjiiidicatps. that the niistar,e is too lean [for fchisf sort-of driving. '• If, on tliiv'bther hand, the engine picks up W.hen the'-accelerator is pressed 'down "slowly tj}ev chances; are ..jthat .;t:he mixtureis ideal, fora; long;, piill up'a steep hill where, abnormal .engine .heat changes .the efficiency of the carburettor. ;.(«; '■■• •'.: ;:;'; "v . ,•;.'"./

Motor Notes, ■ Edinburgh's famous motoring niazeT-r. .flic 's'.West.Eii'3 >" Tangle," .as, it has;. come to be called, may be solved in the main as the result; of negotiations which are taking place between the Corporation and the Vestry of St. John's Episcopal Church. If a suitable settlement is arrived at, the Corporation will proceed with a scheme of .street widening at the west end ,of Princess street and Lothian road. This road widening-,is urgently, required as it is'an important centre of the.motor industry. .'

TKe:,n'e>' experimental',-laboratory.-, of ithe Governmeiii Academy of Engineering. Seierice in'.'Stockh6lni«is atipresent carrying on a number of important ex,periments and tests, some of which'have already yielded highly interesting results. • Commercial Councillor En-

stroern, tlio director of tho Academy, recently stated that tho problem of obtaining benzine and other oil from.wood ■by.;.tha.-use..^)fyhfdrpgori-"..gas imde.ivhigh pressure liai'lbcen theoretically solved;

■ The motorist who has nevor ridden a .bicyulo -.often fails, to appreciate the 'liecc'Sity; '.b'f^giviug cyclists a fair ajiiouivt. ptl'-'rooin.' Especially in wet ivoatiior isfiliis necessary. Forcing a cy'a!ist.:"down the camber, of the road is .an- unsportsmanlike procedure, and shbulcV bo avoided. It may moan dis-ast'er-'.to .the cyclist, and the motorist a 150,.. 'Motorists will add to tho amenitios p.f.tli&'J'pad by a.consideration of tho^.twb'-.^hecters. :-: , ,

' .Occasionally; when ,iti;ikinr. ready to start a car in Traffic.: th'c : gears'will not slip into low on tho' first try. When this happens, take "ydur '■ foojt off the clutch pedal for. ;i moment, then press out the clutch and try shifting to low again. If the car is on a grade, release the brakes and Ict'it roll a foot or two with the clutch in. ; '

Although motorists in Groat Britain are the heaviest taxed in tho world, road users have to pay tolls on 55 roads and 88 bridges. Of tho 88 toll bridges, 24 are on Class I. roads, and the balance on less important highways. Many efforts have been made to have theso sources of extra taxation removed, without result. „

On some of the accessories of tho car, such as the electric horn, there are sometimes very small screws for which there is no sufficiently small screwdriver iii tho tool kit. A usefiul tool can be made very quickly by bending a suitably-sized, split-pin open, so that one arm is at right' angles to the other, filing the ends into the shape required.-

■When working on small parts} such as the magneto; difficulty is often experienced in starting the veVy small screws. It will be found helpful, to push these screws through a strip of paper, which forms a handle to holS';' the "screws upright ,whjle it is. being'started with a Vcraw.diiter.-i; Wiien'-the screw is entered in^the•threads the-'paper can be torn away,. t and . the. screw run % right ■home:, >::-> :</*■'::•".'■ v-. V-r ;;:"

Taking!-a. single piece of threejeightti inch rubber tub&g;'bending it and slipping -'dri"«nd"dver each 'handle of r the pliers, is ,a qiiick jiind, conyenient method- of pliers that are to be used- for eleotricar jrorkvpn the car or in the garage where ther_e is any likelihood of getting a shoek'if not protected. , The loop formed -by the tubing will not interfere with the use of the pliers, and 1 has the'advantage that the pliers may be, hung by it on a rack or hook. . .- .. •

"When cranking a cold engine with the electric starter keep the clutch disengaged. This allows the starter to turn the engine alone, without, turning the clutch and the idler shaft pinions, and consequently prolongs the life of tho battery. .. l . . ■-'

.■,engine,V.to;l'''s;ee:;;.ttiat'.'t'lie':c6ntrols-.'to. .the "throttle are well lubricated. A sticking throttle due to stiff' joints in the controls may have serious consequences, especially if the throttle should stick in the full-open position. Keep; them well, oiled, and take- up any play that may have developed, when necessary.

Immediately the paint on any part of the body wttrir of a ear begins to crack or chip '"there is a possibility that. ijusKriiay '' 'form on tho exposed metal tjeneath and^quickly spread' under the- edg'fis of crack. Rust should be "removed* at once, by the application ofa little kerosene, and a permanent cure can then be effected by painting over the cracked parts with a little quick-drying enamel. A tin should be

kept handy in the garage for Iho purposo, so that any scrnteliOH. jnay be touched ■ up inimotliatoly 'they aro .noticed. •; ; , ... .. „- „ „ I---'-There-is h (mo twelve-niilo stretch or | concrete rpnd, ..between.. JlnstinifH nnd Napier. Niitiivnlly.- Ihia strip of piM'twctroadway.. tompU. motor people. .Probably-; the reconl'js.^iehJ-by.ft'tiixi ilrivcr, wlm, • when asked if fast limes Jnid been roi.'oi'd-. od, replied, vemiiiiseenily, "I did it om:« in 13 minutes—and got throe qliitl for the job!" ■ - ■ ':.. :, ; ■•■■,■ " There are only 45 "bootblacks loft in London. They say tliaf, modern, clean ■streets- hnvo ruined their business.-