MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 18093, 7 October 1922, Page 13

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[By Radiator.]

He that drives slowly drives-surely,

HINTS AND TIPS,

—To Test the Mixture,—

If there are doubts in the mind of the operator as to whether the mixture is rich, an excellent way to ascertain the correct proportion of air and petrol is to shut off the fuel at the tank and open the throttle. If the mixture passing into the cylinder' is too rich tho engine speed will increase as.tho level of tho petrol in the float chamber is lowered, since this operation weakens the mixture considerably. If the mixture is thought to bo too weak, tho float chamber can be flooded while the engine is running, -and if this causes the engine to speed up it may he taken as an indication that the mixture is not too rich. Tho proportionate amount of petrol to the proportionate amount of air is essential. The novice usually gives too much petrol by opening this adjustment valve too wide, thereby causing “too rich a mixture.’’ Too much petrol will not run tho engine any better than not enough. It must bcT remembered that only a very little petrol is required in proportion to the air. —When Washing the Car.—

A fairly stiff spray of water from tho garden hose serves well to wash the wheels, running gear, and mud guards, but will drive sand and dirt into tho varnish of the body, ruining its lustrous finish, so that no amount of polishing and rubbing will restore it. —A Helpful Hint.— When a rim with a-tyro is found to be difficult to place on the' wheel, remaining partly on and partly off, a slight springing of the rim is all that is needed. This may bo accomplished by placing the head of a jack against the hub of the wheel and the base of the jack on the protruding portion of the rim. Thus sprung a little, a blow from the hammer will slide the rim over the edge of the wheel. In most cases of this kind the more operation of tho jack will force the rim over the wheel —At Random.— Examine the tyro repair outfit before starting for a long trip. Make sure everything is in good condition. Better this inspection before a trip than regret for having overlooked it during the,trip. If you have to leave your car on an incline and tho brakes do not hold it, put in the reverse; only don’t forget to go into neutral before starting up. Chewing gum makes an excellent temporary stoppage of - a fuel lino or carburettor connection leak. . Do not operate a car unless you have a driver’s license in your possession. The number of arrests on account of this neglect is enormous. To gain maximum power from each explosion with minimum fuel, advance the spark as the speed of the engine is- increased. GREASE. One of the most vexatious greasing problems is to insert grease through a plug hole larger than the nozzle of tho gun. To keep the grease from going everywhere but into the hole, obtain a cork about the size of the largest grease plug on your car. Bore a hole in this cork so that it will slide over tho stem of the grease gun, and when you are filling a large nolo simply push this cork down to fill the oversize opening. Chemists’ rubber corks are ideal for this purpose. Many cars are now fitted with high-pressure greasing systems ; in fact, 90 per cent, of the modern cars carry them as standard equipment. For older models these greasing systems can be purchased from your dealer, and no car owner should now depend on the obso-' lete grease cup, which is cumbersome, crude, and a great lime-waster. With a greasing set on your car you can feel assured there,.is grease where it is most needed, forming a film about the king pins, shackle bolts, etc. With these sets it makes it easy to do some cleaning of the grease passages about once a season. Attach tho empty gun, the plunger so that it can bo worked like a pump, and then, proceed to force tho air through the grease -connections. This will servo to clean out the distributing grooves in which grease residue has probably congealed. To make still more certain of perfect lubrication, precede the air pressure treatment with a similar treatment of kerosene to flush out the dirty old grease, which will be seen coming out on the opposite side of the spring shackle. Then use air pressure to force out the kerosene before applying fresh lubricant.

Brief accounts of holiday trips, roads, and places of interest-are Invited for this column.

INADEQUATE TYRE INFLATION. It has been stated by experts that fully 90 per cent, of premature tyre failures are attributable to inadequate inflation. This, it is said, causes a rooking motion of the beads and consequent chafing, and also develops a severe hinging action upon the shoulders of the tyre, causing excessive internal -friction. This in turn allows the piles of material to slide upon one another, and so tho tyre breaks up. Another effect of insufficient inflation is that the edges of the tyro tread, which, it is declared, are not designed to resist continuous wear, are forced into contact with tho road, thereby increasing risk of puncture. So tho motorist’s salvation lies in Jus frequent and toilsome manning of the pump. Many motorists are inclined to reduce inflation pressure when hot weather comes or the lyres seem to bo running hot, because they believe that the pressure is being raised excessively. But apparently this' is not so—indeed, it is urge-d that a hot tyro is generally evidence of too little air pressure, and' should bo tho signal for testing the inflation with a view to remedying tho 'deficiency. MOTOR TYRE DUMPING. Mr William Greenwood (Co. U., Stockport) asked the president of tho British Board of Trade whether ho was aware that over 14,000,0001 b of yarn trade was being lost annually to Lancashire cotton spinners, owing to the dumping of motor tyres at below cost .price into this country? Sir W. Mitchell Thomson (Under-Secretary) said bo was not aware of tho basis at which the figure quoted was arrived at, but it seemed in any case to be exaggerated. ( Action could be taken to apply Part 11. of the Safeguarding of Industries Act to any class of goods only on complaint made to'the Board of Trade, and after full investigation by a committee, as provided for by the Act. BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION. Preparations arc actively going forward for the great exhibition which will be held near London during 1924. The _ task of organising the shipbuilding, marine, mechanical, and general -engineering sections ,of the'exhibition, winch will form quite the most magnificent display of British engineering triumphs, has been placed in the hands of the British Engineers’ Association. Thus association will allot space to the various branches of British engineering, and will ensure that tho exhibits will bo representative of the best modern practice in British engineering. HER E AND THERE. A device which should render a motor car thiefproof has recently been patented. Tho device consists of a bracket, which clamps on to the steering column. The bracket has an arm, at the end of which is a padlock. This arm roaches to the arms of the steering wheel, and tho latch of the padlock can be slipped over one of these arms and the padlock locked in the ordinary way. When not in use the latch of the padlock falls back-and in no way interferes with the steering wheel. _ A travelling motor dental clinic ia being instituted by the Nova Scotia division of the Red Gross, to operate among tho school children in the rural districts. While the clinic is on tour its work will be-_ supplemented by health talks and moving pictures illustrating various phases of public health service.

In the United States 'during 1918 there were 27,445 motor cars stolen, and of these 21,763 were recovered. Machines stolen and recovered respectively for tho years 1919, 1920, and 1921 were 33,903 and 24,740, 50,046 and 21,273, and 37,654 a-ndi 26,517. It will be seen that car thefts are keeping pace with increased production.

' PETROLEUM ON THE LAND.*

A valuable booklet for farmers has been published ■with the above title. It prises over fifty pages of practical information concerning the care and upkeep of all kinds of farm machinery, such as_steam and petrol engines, harvesters and implements, separators, tractors, motor cars, and so on. The importance of using; the correct oil for all purposes is now widely recognised, and care in this respect means greater efficiency and bigger profits. Farming is not a pastime—it is a business proposition, and the wise farmer takes advantage of the knowledge gained by the scientist and business expert in all parts of the world. Earn .implements and machinery mean prosperity, but the most important factor in keeping such equipment at its best is correct lubrication. A copy of ‘ Petroleum on the Land' may be secured by anyone interested from the Vacuum Oil Company, Pty., Ltd., Wellington, or branches, by simply asking for it. THE TOURIST TROPHY, The results of the "Tourist Trophy" motor cycles races on the Isle of Man, off the English coast, are to hand. The races are hold over a circuitous and mountainous course of 37|m. Three events were decided —the "junior, ’ “lin-htrWeight,” and “senior.” The former" for 2| h.p. machines, was won by T. M. Sheard (A.J.S.), who covered the iSBJra in 3h 6min, 48|sec —equal to an average speed of 54| m.p.h. G, Grinton, on the same make of machine, was second. The "light-weight,” for 2-J h.p. machines, was won by G. S. Davidson (Levis) in 3h 46min 56sec —equalling 49.89 m.p.h. The "senior,” for Si, h.p. engines, was won by ,T Bennett on a Dunlop shod Sunbeam. He negotiated tho six circuits of tho course _22oim in all-in the fast time of 5h 53min 2seo-cqual to 58.35 m.p.h. W. Braddish (Triumoh) was second, with H, j hangman third oh a two-stroke Scott, | 1 misfiring caused by faulty I SWITCH WIRE. | A number of instances of tho switch wire ■ from the magneto having caused misfiring i have occurred from time to lime, and in ! a recent case the trouble was located _in i tho switch, tho end of the wire having become detached from the terminal in such a way that it made occasional connection with ’ tho grounded part of the switch, thereby short-circuiting the magneto, and ! causing misfiring when the car was run--1 ning on rough road. In another instance | recently noted, occasional short-circuiting was caused by the magneto wire passing close to an oil pipe, where it was taken I through the dash. Tim rubber insulation | had become softened, and the inside wire ; frequently made contact with tho pipe. ; This occurred on a rather old car, the | wiring of which had not been_ examined for several years, and had got into a bad 5 slate. In the event of an obscure magneto trouble developing, it its advisable a precaution to disconnect tho switch wirq first of all, thereby eliminating one possible source of trouble and greatly simplifying further investigation within ■ ''