MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 18173, 13 January 1923, Page 11

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[By RADIATOR.]

January 16.—Motor Club meeting. HINTS AND TIPS. —Safety When Soldering.— * While soldering the face should not be near the work. Moisture may cause an explosion, spattering the hot metal into your face and eyes. ’ —Keep Tyre Record.— Keep a careful record of the number of • miles run, and compare it with the rc- ; cords of each month past for gasoline and tyres. In this way it is possible to tell what make of tyres gives the best results, and if the number of gallons of gasoline increases the cause can then be investigated and adjusted. . —Vibration.— If a. motor is subject to considerable vibration, there is danger of the bolts coming loose at the base. A wrench should be applied occasionally to make sure that everything is tight. If this is not attended to, almost anything may happen, from oil leakage to wrecked engine. —Starting on Compression.— Before stopping the motor, speed up the engine a little, at the same time making the gas a little richer, if you have a dash control. This leaves a strong mixture in the cylinders, making it easier to start again, especially on damp, heavy mornings. —A Brake Test. Each brake should bo able to stop the car correctly under the following figures; Feet. Ton miles per hour ... ... 10 Fifteen miles per hour ... ... 20 Twenty miles per hour ... 68 Twenty-five miles per hour ... 57 Thirty miles per hour ... Thirty-five miles per hour ._ 100 Forty miles per hour ... ... Fifty miles per horn- ._ 225 —Spark Plug Efficiency.— Spark plug points should be checked up occasionally. The intense heat causes them to burn off and to have too wide a gap for the spark to “jump.” This quite often is the cause of irregular firing. If one will throttle his motor at low speed, he may tell generally if it is firing on all cylinders. Misfiring is more noticeable at low' speed. | I AN APPEAL. ■ j At the head of this column appears an invitation for motorists to send in short accounts of holiday trips, of the state of roads, and of places of interest; but how few have ever done so! How numbers of motorists must have taken to the road during the holidays just past, and l there are others who get their holidays later on and are contemplating touring. Those who have been should give those who haven’t been the benefit of their experiences. Tell them where the good roads are to bo found, where the accommodation is good or bad, where the interesting places are and how' they are got at. Don’t bo backward; motorists are the best spoils in the world, so don’t keep to yourself that good trip you have just taken; let it be known to your fellow knight of the wheel. THE WOLSELEY PROGRAMME FOR 1923. It is rapidly gaining favor among British manufacturers to declare their policy for the following year without waiting lor the Olympia Show, and l Wolseley Motors, Ltd., have published details of their 1923 ■ models, six of w : hich are to be manufactured for next season, comprising the small two-cylinder seven, three of four-cylinder— , the ten, fourteen, and fifteen—two of six- ■ cylinder—the 20 h.p. and 24-30 h.p. The fourteen is an entirely new popular model, and has been introduced to provide a family touring car for the motorist of small means. It will sell in England at 1 £525. EUCALYPTUS OIL AS MOTOR FUEL. ; A VALUABmTd-ISCOYERY. ; A few months ago Captain O. M. Dyer, ] a well-known automobile expert in Mel- [ bourne, made a discovery which opens up ‘ tremendous possibilities for Australia, Ho j found beyond doubt that automobiles may be driven on eucalyptus oil (slates the ‘ Mining Standard ’)- Hardly believing it possible that millions , of acres of land in the Commonwealth con- ' tained the fuel necessary for the propul- j sion of millions of internal combustion en- j gines, ho decided on a road trial. People j walking along the cpiiot suburban streets j wondered how the sweet odor of the bush could have drifted into the city. It was the exhaust gas from his motor. Ilia dis- • coverer was using the fuel ho had seen in a bottle on the shelf of his garage. The r fuel was eucalyptus. e

There aro 179 varieties of eucalyptus in Australia, and the yield) of oil, to has found, ranges from, .02 to S5Tb per I,ooolb of leaf treated. Eucalyptus oustraliana, which crows in the Halloo, and Eucalyptus phellandTOiie yield as high as 351 b per I,ooolb of leaves; while Eucalyptus dives returns 281 b of oil for every I,ooolb of leaves treated. The process of distillation is extremely simple, and does not call for any highly skilled labor. A lad of fourteen, says Captain Dyer, could handle' four stills, and secure, roughly, fourteen gallons of oil for his day’s work. The gathering of the leaves calls for the greatest amount of labor. The discoverer says that eucalyptus oil can he used in any internal combustion engine which is operated on petrol, bub which has efficient means of vaporisation. Eucalyptus oil will not start an engine from cold without “ priming,” hub in this respect it differs

Srlef account* of holiday trips, roads, and places of Interest are invited for this column.

little from koroseno and l the heavier benzines and distillates. The calorific value of eucalyptus oil is very high, varying considerably with tho oils ■distilled' from the different species, and with efficient vaporisation the results obtained, on road and bench tests arc excellent.

A well-known low-priced car running on petrol gave twenty-luur miles to the gallon, while on a half-and-half mixture of if petrol and eucalyptus it increased to twenty-eight. On eucalyptus “straight” J a mileage of thirty-six to the gallon was I registered. Eucalyptus will mix with petrol, benzol, and alcohol, and adds cond sidorably to the value of these fuels. It - is also an active decarbonising agent. Further developments in connection with this discovery will be awaited with interest. : SLIPPING OF LUBRICATED DISU i CLUTCH. When an enclosed disc clutch which runs I in oil has been giving good service lor a 1 reasonable length of time, and then develops a tendency to slip or, perhaps, to take hold too fiercely, the trouble should not bo taken immediately for an indication 1 that the clutch is in need of adjustment. Before altering the adjustment of a clutch of this type one should first drain out tho old oil, inject a pint or more of kerosene, preferably with a squirt gun; then close tiro opening to tho casing, start tho engine, and with tho gear-shifting lever in neutral position operate the clutch pedal so that tho kerosene may be thoroughly distributed and tho internal mechanism of tho clutch well rinsed and cleared of old and sticky oil. Then drain tho clutch casing, flush it out onco or twice with fresh, clean kerosene, and refill to tho required amount ■with clear oil. If after i this treatment tho clutch still slips, draw out a little of tho oil and replace the amount taken out with keroseneby thinning tho oil this way better contact with tba plates is obtained* and slipping reduced. Unless tho proper proportions of oil and koroseno are known, tho lubricant may have to bo thinned down gradually until tho proper mixture is obtained; but, onco found, tho extra trouble is rewarded by a lino, smooth action. Should it bo found that slipping cannot 'be eliminated by means of thinning the lubricant, then an increased spring tension may be required, which can bo obtained by tightening or screwing up all adjusting studs evenly all around. It is good motor practice never to disturb an adjustment unless having an absolute knowledge of the operation and effect of tho adjustment. SIX-WHEELED VEHICLES. Tho demand for motor transport waggons capable of carrying very heavy loads has led to tho design of six-wheeled vehicles in, which tho load is better distributed than is possible on a four-wheeled vehicle. Several types of six-wheeled vehicles have been developed in Great Britain, and one of tho latest shows conspicuous improvements. It may bo regarded as a four-wheeled vehicle with a two-wheeled tractor attached. The tractor moves on a turntable attached to the fore end of the waggon proper; and tho peculiarity. of the new arrangement is that the rear wheels of the waggon are also on a turntable. The result is that when the vehicle goes round tho comer the rear wheels follow tho front wheels exactly, thus enabling the waggon to be manoeuvred with tho greatest possible ease. Even when the vehicle is backed it can be readily manoeuvred in awkward situations. Existing four-wheeled vehicles can be readily converted l into tho new type, so doubling their carrying capacity at a verymoderate expense. "DITHERING” MUDGUARDS. Except on the most sturdily constructed cars tho guarjls are accountable for a certain amount of noise when the car is getting on in years. Rivets and bolts wear so slightly and produce just enough shako to set up a “dither” on the average road: A half-hour spent with a spanner tightening the nuts concerned, or scrapping rivets I and 1 replacing them with nuts and bolts, should effect a cure. Tho rubber or other packing between tho guard supports and the guards themselves may have to bo renewed. When the body of the car itself is the cause of tho drumming, the task of ’ effecting a permanent repair is a long one, as it usually involves the renewal of the packing, although much good can be done by going over tho screws that hold' tho body to its framework. In the search for ■ body rattles do not overlook the door bandies. Another portion of the coach- 1 work given to making itself much heard in the roadster body is the boot door, which, 1 if not a good fit, frequently sets up a dull rattle which is hard to locate. The re- 1 nowal of tho raw-hide laces on tho bonnet 1 and attention to tho bonnet clips will often 1 eliminate bonnet rattle.