MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 19044, 12 September 1925, Page 16

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[BY RADIATOR.]

LIGHTING-UP TIMES. To-day ... (5.16 Sunday ... ~. ... 6.] 7 Monday 6.19 Tuesday ™ ... 0.21 Wednesday ... ... 6.03 Thursday ... 6.23 Friday . 6.24 PUBLICATION RECEIVED. Tho ‘ Overseas Highway. Magazine.’ TIPS THAT WILL HELP. Clogged mufflers frequently cause troublo. Note tho foregoing statement carefully. A clogged muffler is not a common trouble, but when a muffler does become stopped up for one reason or another it usually takes even an export a long time to tumble to the fact. The symptom of a clogged muffler is loss of power when all other details of engine and car are in perfect condition, and, if tho stoppage is complete, the engine will only run for a half-dozen revolutions before stopping. There is one very easy, obvious way to discover a stopped muflllcr. If your engine lacks power or refuses to run, listen to the exhaust from the muffler with throttle wide open and engine pulling slowly up a hill. If tho explosions are not clear a partially-obstructed muffler or exhaust pipe is a possibility. If tho engine refuses to run more than a few revolutions and no noise whatever proceeds from tho muffler tail pipe, muffler or exhaust pipe is clogged. You can chock this diagnosis by loosening tho muffler or exhaust pipe at any convenient point and noting if this Wings the engine power back to normal. Many things may cause an obstruction of the muffler. Carbon deposit is perhaps the most frequent offender,. although, again, it must he emphasised, do nor jump to the conclusion that loss of power is due to a clogged muffler. Clogged muffler troubles, after all, are comparatively rare, but all tho more reason that you should know how to recognise tho trouble when it docs oc- ' cur. . 1 If the car has been stalled in tho mud and pulled out backwards, the muffler tail pipe may bo filled with mud. Keep this in mind. In winter tho water from the exhaust gases may condense within the muffler and freeze, I or water may be introduced into the I muffler through tho tail pipe by care-1 loss washing, plugging tho muffler if it j freezes.

MOTOR TALK. The following address on tho audible evidence which tho motor car engine gives of its mechanical condition, and how such sound may bo interpreted, was broadcasted from Audi land on September 7: — “Good evening, fellow motorists. I am going to tell you to-night about motors that talk, what they say, and how to interpret their sayings. Preposterous 1 you say? Not so, not even .strained or exaggerated as any expert motor car man will tell you. Just for instance, let me point out the case of a high-speed motor on tho tost stand in a laboratory which is made to “ speak ” its speed to the observer with far greater accuracy than it can bo

Brief accmmts of holiday trips, roads, and places of Interest arS invited for this column.

read from the tachometer—tho instrument commonly used to determine the speed of a rotating shaft. If you happened to bo at the Indianapolis motor race this year and listened to tho steady hum of the exhaust of each of the contesting cars, you will bo in a better position to appreciate tin's laboratory experiment. For the hum you heard represents 15,000 exhausts per minute, considering a six-cylinder engine turning up at 5,000 revolutions per minute, and 15,000 beats or vibrations per minute represent, in turn, a definite ) musical pilch. ' So, granted that wo wish to make the I engine tell us its speed in laboratory • | work, w r e attack to its shaft a toothed II wheel, tho number of teeth being known •'tons. Thou we start the engine and ■ | bring a reed against the toothed wheel, j i which results in a hum or whine like a ■ | buzz saw at work—high-pitched and , : shrill at high speeds, lower-toned when i; moderate speeds are encountered. We i | then match tho tone pitch with a tunil ing fork, and when wo have done so •; we road the musical pitch stamped s on the fork and ascertain the number i of vibrations per minute necessary to i produce tho note of that pitch. Then, ; if wo divisits tho total number of vibrai lions by tho number of teeth in tho • wheel, the result is tho exact speed of the engine in revolutions per minute; the engine has spoken or “sung” its ■ speed to us. | “ This is a very practical and real ! application of tho principle I am goin;* to enlarge upon to-night; but, ot . course, as an average motorist, you will wonder how you can derive practical benefit Iran tilings which seem to be of value only to engineers and others like , ourselves, whoso mission is tho quest i °f facts along scientific lines. But a. ; study of the noises—of the sounds—j emitted by tho motor car engine is of i real everyday value . to all folks who drive cars. For it is the steady, uninterrupted, . rhythm a. tic purr of tho j motor over its entire speed range that tells us that ‘all’s well,’ and when the | engine speaks to us in these terms it’s ! |iko a, friend bearing good tidings and beaming on us as he relates the gleeful talc. You know. You’ve lifted the hood, started the motor, put your ear down and listened before starting on a | long trip, and have then closed tho ; hood and started off with a feeling of I satisfaction, Tho purr of tho motor i said. that all was well, and it’s word inspirecLyou with real confidence. But it’s quire different, isn’t it, when some ‘ tap, tap, tap,’ some ‘ blank, klank, blank,* or some ‘ rap, rap, rap ’ breaks ' into the rhythm of the motor’s purr. Did tho motor speak? It did, and it spoke harshly this time; and you ; started out less gleefully, with fretful , lack of confidence; either that, or else I much worry, . you postponed your trip j ponding a visit to tne repair sliop. You do not have to bo an old-timer with an uncommon familiarity with engines and ; their performance to distinguish between 1 right ’ and ‘ wrong ’ when tho I motor gives this audible account of its 1 condition. But tho thought I waul to j leave with you to-night is that, if you | are sharp enough, ami intent on doing so, you can tell from the sounds emitted by the motor whether you can use the car with impunity. In fact, to tho j highly-trained car of the expert nioi chain'd the knocks and blanks are individualised, and he can usually listen and then diagnose tho ailment with awe-inspiring precision. Ho can do so because ho lias studied ‘motor talk’; lie knows what tho engine says, even as a fond parent knows the full significance of what passes for talk from the j youngster of pre-couvcrsai ional age. “ Have you ever had your engine develop a pound on a trip so marked that you became frightened—fearful less ft main bearing had let go—and have some wayside garage man cure the evil : by the simple expedient of cleaning one of the spark plugs? Tho noise that sounded to you like a main bearing pound'his trained ear told him instantly —much to your chagrin—was nothing hut a ‘ mis ’ confined to one cylinder. How did he know? That's not so hard to answer, either. He listened and noted that the pound was heavy, regular, and occurred at every other revolution of the crank-shaft. And he reasoned that a loose main bearing, or a loose fly-wheel—the; only other sources of a perfectly regular deep-noted pound •—would cause tho noise at every revolution of tho crank-shaft. And lie oupled this knowledge with what you told him about the inability of tho car to take tho hills on high, and tho tendency for the engine to labor and perform in jerky fashion. Then ho tested dll he found tho fouled or broken plug, >mi ho scut you on your way greatly relieved and a whole lot wiser. Next time you will recollect you understood when tho motor cried out that one of its plugs was missing fire. And so, by I the character of the noise, oinilted: by its regularity of the peculiarity of it® | occurrence and recurrence; by its loc-a-| don; and by its periodicy with reference to Hie rotation of the crank-shaft., : ilie trained observer distinguishes bo-. tween the more common motor ail- : merits. He will toll you whether the I tapping that has puzzled you is due to faulty adjustment of tiro valve mechanism, to piston slap, to piston pin wear, | or to some deeper-seated troublo. He I will distiiuruisii between carbon knock : and olher knocks; between noises which : come of gross neglect entailing costly repairs and the little irregularities in adjustment which oftimos set up an awful ‘clatter',’ but which a carefully-] applied wrench or screwdriver will effectively cure. Many mechanics use an ins! inmout, based on the principle of’ tho physician’s stethoscope, to aid them in ascertaining tho seat of the noiseprovoking trouble. But well may you i ask yourself when your motor begins to talk in turns that indicate that something is -wrong; ‘ VThai principle of correct lubrication have 1 disobeyed to bring on this deluge of motor chatter?’ Well yon may ask it, for any automotive engineer will 101 l you that from 50 to 80 per cent, of tho motor troubles encountered are duo to neglect of ono of these principles. Have you •always used a quality oil? That is tho first principle of correct lubrication. If you have overlooked it you need never be surprised at any troublo talk the; motor may indulge in. You cannot i expect to safeguard the vita! parts of your engine against noise-provoking, [ trouble-cansing wear unless yon put j into its oil reservoir an oil nmnufao- ; tured expressly for its lubricating and I wear-reducing qualities. Have yon j used an oil of proper body and charac- | ter for your engine? This is the second principle of correct lubrication. The proper grade of a quality oil must be used; the oil must be fitted to your engine’s requirements with scientific exactness. How are you to know? you ask. ‘ What is there about your engine that is so different as to make you use heavier or lighter oil or ono different in character from your neighbor with some other make of car?’ “ There may be many things that you do not know —many conditions of service, features of design, details of construction which we lubrication engineers study, and understand and use to guide us in making the recommendations which we place each year on j our chart of recommendations. You i could not hope to get the same results \ by haphazard guesswork as this liighly- , trained Board of Automotive Engineers of ours achieves by the combination of research work—intensive work at tho plants whore cars are built.ia oollabcra-1

; tion with tho engineers who build thorn 'and work in the field carefully watching • their daily performance in ordinary scr- ! vice, li you guess at what oil to uso I you arc putting yourself needlessly | against this board of a score or more of engineers with all of these facts at their finger-tips. Why should you take a chance and guess when their chart of recommendations is published. just to guide you in the selection of the oil which exactly meets your condition? And then there is that last correct lubrication principle which must not bo overlooked—tile correct use of tho oil selected. To attain best results you must keep the oil at the proper level; that does not mean too high, for overfilling causes .over-oiling, carbon, fouled plugs, missing, smoking, etc. Nor does it mean too lov/, which entails top rapid circulation, which may entail lubrication troubles. j “You must drain the crank-case frequently—not less often than once each : 1,000 miles—to get rid of dirt and fuel I with which the oil has become burdened; and after draining you must refill the crank-case with fresh oil of correct body and character to carry you lover tho next 1,000 miles period. I “ You must not wash out the crank- ! case with kerosene, because if you do I so you cannot got rid oi all the kcrol sene, and kerosene, even in small quantities, impairs the lubricating properj ties which are carefully developed m I lubricating oils of feal quality. If you 1 will adhere strictly to. these three correct lubrication principles—-the use of : a real quality oil, the use of an oil exactly suited to your engine as detcrI mined by competent lubrication cngi- ! neors. and tho correct uso of this oil in 1 service—(lie times when your motor will speak to vou except to say ‘All’s well,’ will be few and far between.”

USE OF BRAKES. When a car is provided with good brakes, and more especially with Jourwheel brakes, some drivers are inclined to get careless and take risks when motoring in hilly country. Every car Should have brakes powerful enough to hold it on the steepest hill, but these brakes should not bo used for long periods, because extended use causes heat, and the brake linings may become burnt or glazed and lose their gripping power, as a clutch will do. The car should bo kept in hand by means of the engine, and the brakes used in emergencies. On moderate hills tho engine can control the car in top gear, but on bad hills it cannot. Generally speaking, the man who uses his brakes least is tho best driver. Every sudden application of the brakes is generally caused by a mistake on the part of some person or other. May be the driver of the car,, possibly tho driver of some other vehicle, or it may bo caused by animals straying on the road. MOTORING DURING THE HEAT. HINTS TO ENSURE COMFORT.

Major Forbes-Leith, who has gene to America to lecture on ins recoil motoring achievement, here contributes an interesting article upon motoring in tho Uailed States ; During the present spoil of warm weather many owners ot cars arc finding the heat during the middle of the day very uncomfortable. The sun's rays, combined with the heat arising from the engine, are- apt at times to make motoring lar from pleasant. Owners of closed cars of the saloon type—the use of which is growing very rapidly in this country—find at such times that they have a decided advantage over those cars equipped with touring bodies. In our changeable climate it is good to have a car whose, windows can be opened and closed at will. Nevertheless, one must make the best of what one has. In a touring car, comfort in hot weather may lie had by putting up the hood and opening tho front screen. This will allow a, current of air to pass under the hood and blow away the hot air rising from tho engine, and at the same lime keep ilie ieet cool. In doing this, however, it may happen that tho draught will make the eyes sore, if this be so, ordinary spectacles, with plain or tinted lenses, will bo found much more comfortable than the motor goggles sold nowadays, which in use are very hot and uncomfortable. In the present condition of roads in Britain there is very little dust, and side screens to glasses are hardly necessary. . Glasses may bo had whose lenses are tinted, just -sufficiently to protect tho eyes from tho sun and to taka the “ glare ” from white roads. These are a great boon on a long run.

DANGEROUS DRIVING AT NIGHT. At Romiord, England, recently, prosecuted by the Automobile Association tor dangerous , driving, the driver of a taxi cab was fined £5, The facts were that a lady member of tho association was driving her car. near- Romford, just after lighting-up time, when -she observed the lights of another vehicle approaching her. When a short distance away the other vehicle—a taxi cab—suddenly' crossed to tho on-side of the road, the cars stopping within 2ft of each other. Tho taxi cab driver then said: “ Dim those lights. If you (Inn. them you won’t have to stop again.”

The magistrates, in convicting the defendant, stated that they were not concerned os to the position with regard headlights, but wore satisfied that the defendant had driven dangerously.

TOO MANY TYRE SIZES. With the price of rubber still soaring and tvro makers contemplating further price advances, t,ho position for tho car owner is not altogether happy, Tho United States is making an attempt to relievo the situation by reducing the number of tyro sizes used in that couilln th>; country (says a London writer) live different typos and ninetysevon different sizes are used. Some of the United States tyres vary by ns little as live millimetres, but with so many American cars over here our tyro makers have to cater for every kind. It is estimated that if the tyro makers of all countries could come to an understanding the number of tyro sizes could bo reduced to a dozen. SMALL CAR DEVELOPMENT. Signs are not wanting that small car manufacturers—among whom are numbered many makers _ of worldfamous largo cars—are leaving no stone unturned to reduce tho size of their engines without in any way sacrificing efficiency. This gradual development, which lias been attended with conspicious success, has been made possible largely as n result of the lessons learned on the racing tracks and in other spheres of motor sport. A well-known authority on motoring matters in Great Britain has foreshadowed the time when 1,500 cubic centimetres will give place to 1,000 c.c. as the light car limit for racing machines. This in itself is a striking commentary on the strides which are being made in small car construction, and, if this prophesy comes true, we may expect to see full four-seater touring light cars with engines not exceeding 750 c.c. It sounds far-fetched, but time will tell, In the meantime, tho progress of the “ small lour ” will bo watched with close interest. FORD AND FLYING. Although Henry- Ford is keenly interested in tho development of commercial aviation, he never once has sot foot in an airplane, and, in all probability, never will. This is what ho brought out in a discussion of tho recently created F ord air services between Dearborn and Chicago. “ I have never boon off the ground lu a plane,” ho said. “The chances are I never will go up, either. I have never had tho slightest desire to fly; understand thoro’s nothing to it. it simply docs not appeal to me.” In discussing tho Ford air service, Mr Ford said; “This air service of ours is really on trial. Wo keep exact tab on every detail connected with it. We keep records on how tlm engines behave in regular daily service, how they stand heavy loads, what their cost is compared to motor or railroad transportation, and how dependable they nro under varying weather conditions. So far they appear to be pretty satisfactory.” CHEAP CARS. Automobiles were purchased for from 2 dollars to 4 dollars and motor cycles lor 50 cents at a sale held in Los Angelos recently by the Los Angeles Col ice Department in disposing of unclaimed machines. The lowest price paid was 25 cents for a battered chassis of a popular make of car, while tho nigh mark was reached when an anxious motorist bid 10.50 dollars for that was guaranteed to run. 01 lan an antique motor-driven conveyauce that was guaranteed to run. In all, twenty cars wore sold, a majority of which wore of ancient model and some with romantic records. They brought in a total of 58.62 dollars. The lowest price paid for a complete automobile was 1 dollar. Motor cycles were sold it prices ranging from 50 cents to 2 dollars, THE HISTORY OF RUBBER. Rubber, which has been providing mch frenzied scones on ho Stock Exchange, has only recently got rid of the prefix “inclia,” with which it had been issociated for more than 130 years. Tho usefulness of rubber was first suggested by Dr Priestley, who_ menJonod in one of his works that it was isot'u! for “wiping front paper tho mirks of a black-lead pencil.” Twenty vears later Mr Samuel Peel, of Loulon, patented a process for waterproofing cloth with rubber, but as this was both smelly and sticky it was not popular. It was not until 1823 that Mr Charles .Mackintosh began that practical and commercial use of rubber which _ has developed to so extraordinary a pitch. A NEW SILENCER,. A now silencer has been designed in England. The principle of this device has been in use cm marine engines for many years for equalising the discharge of air and water pumps. The silencer consists of two or more metal cones with their apexes pointing in tho direction of tho incoming gases. The gases are spread out by the first cone and projected into a dead-end pocket formed by a tube welded to the shell of tho silencer at its lower end. _ Tho gases, on being projected into this pocket, fill it up, and, due to their velocity, are compressed, any surplus passing out through a largo opening into tho next section of tho silencer. Directly tho pressure due to velocity is released for an instant, tho accumulated gas in tho pocket proceeds to flow away, and in this way tho pulsation of the gases is divided oven at the first stage. It is possible to make the opening to the next stage considerably larger than tho exhaust pipe area without interfering in any way with tho reduction of noise, and this also makes it possible to place two or three cones in series without appreciably increasing tho back pressure. Accumulated gases in the dead-end pockets provide an elastic medium on which energy of the gas expends itself, and which also retains a certain proportion of gas to break effectively tho vacuum caused by the initial discharge. EXCESSIVE SPEED. Why is it, asks a London writer, that on a ‘broad road tho light cars, as a rule, go at tho greatest speeds? 1 noticed tho other day that the majority of tho big cars were going between twenty and thirty, while many of the small ones were being pressed for all they were worth. A small car “all out ” at forty or forty-five seems much more potentially dangerous than a high-powered vehicle at the same speed. Avoidance of accidents depends largely on reserve power enabling an emergency spurt and ability to drop to a minimum speed. In both respects a small car driven to capacity is hampered.

PEDESTRIAN’S STREET RIGHTS. An unwary walker in tho Paris streets was brought before the police magistrate to answer a charge of crossing tho Champa Elysees at a point other than those indicated by tho police authorities. The magistrate, however, refused to admit tho claim made in the j name of tho Prefect of Police, and ac-j quitted the sinner with the statement: | ‘‘The order of the Prefect is illegal; i every citizen has a right to come and i go about the streets at will, and only Hie regulation of vehicles and animals comes within the jurisdiction of the police.” j

HERE AND THERE. King George’s motor car is readily distinguished to police traffic controllers at night hy a bright blue light. • » « ■» According to a daily paper, a Welsh motor cyclist has won a wager hy riding n motor cycle at thirty in.p.h. and, at the same time, without touching the handle-bars with his hands, hitting at the first attempt, with a shot-gun, a day pigeon target thrown into the air. v * * ■» A car was recently seen on an English road bearing at the back a rod sign with white letters ns follows: — “ If you can read Hus you are too damn close.” * # « * Silence and smoothness of the engine are preserved if the rocker arms, pins, push rods and tappetsare given a few drops of oil each morning at the points where the most wear occurs. Ouco a month fho valve assembly should bo given a kerosene bath. An old paint brush may be used for this purpose, all excess of kerosene being removed by a clean cloth. Such a bath will prove to bo an important factor in reducing the wear to which the assembly is subjected, as it removes the accumulations of dirty grease and dirt. « # # O A now development in the American motor industry is the sale of tyres on time-payment. * « » Prophecies of tho early demise of the 7 h.p. sidecar outfit are again to be met with, and, indeed, it has been declared that the big sidecar combination has definitely been killed by the light car. To this it is replied that figures show quite definitely that during tho first three months of 1925 more highpowered sidecar combinations have been sold in England than in the similar period of any previous year. Does this look as though the big sidecar combination is dead, or even dying? It is, on tho contrary, easily maintaining its comparative popularity, while at tho same time it is increasing rapidly in public favor in most other parts of tho world. That this should bo so is only natural when it is remembered that, added to a very high road performance, the sidecar combination of oven the most luxurious typo stands unrivalled for economy. There is room—and a market—for both types of vehicle, and either will find supporters. Huddersfield (England) claims to have more motor cars per head of population than any other town. » # * * An American aphorism regarding tho efficiency of brakes: “ If you get hit in the back, your brakes are good; but if you hit the car in front, they re rotten.” » » » e An interesting item of news gleaned from a report recently issued by tho United States Census Bureau is that there are no fewer than 298 manufacturers of motor body polish in tho United Slates, who, in 1923, did an aggregate business of about three-quar-ters of a million sterling. In tho quest for tho oldest car in regular use, one has recently been discovered in Brisbane, Queensland, which has been in use since 1905, and is still running. ft * « R Invitations have boon mailed to all countries of the globe inviting automobile men everywhere to attend tho Second World Motor Transport Congress, which will be held in New York, January 11-13. 192(5, during the National Automobile Show. Assurances of participation have already been received from fifty countries speaking sixteen different languages. * ■» « o A Ford owner in Kansas jubilantly displays tho sign on his “coop”: “ This car used to belong to a Detroit millionaire. One more payment and it’s mine.” • # * Jack up one of the wheels of the car and spin tho wheel. Then take a wrench and tighten all tho rim nuts. Tyros may bo wearing out at a fast rate, duo to the fact that the rim is not tight on tho wheel. ■9 ft « « "Why is your father starling up his car by hand?” “ Oh, mother’s'got the accumulator for tho wireless sot!”