MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 19197, 13 March 1926, Page 16

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[BY RADIATOR.]

LIGHTING-UP TIMES. To-day ... 7.6 Sunday 7.4 Monday 7.2 Tuesday 7.1 Wednesday 6.69 Thursday 15.57 Friday ■ ••• 6.55 FIXTURE. March 20.—Waikouaiti beach races. LIGHTING EQUIPMENT. Few motorists nowadays give sufficient attention to the lighting equipment on their cars. It is sound practice to look over the lighting equipment to see that it is in a condition of proper efficiency. One cannot afford to run the risk of having feeble lights or possibly no lights at all. An examination of the battery should be the first ■step. Test the add with a battery hydrometer and sec that it is of the correct specific gravity. There is a tendency for the acid to weaken. Tho specific gravity varies within certain limits according to tho amount of charge in the battery, and it is therefore advisable to rotor to the battery manufacturers’ instruction booklet and find out what tho specific gravity should ho. Weak acid should bo strengthened by tho addition of pure sulphuric acid, 'although in this case it is desirable to empty out tho dilute

Brief accounts of holiday trips, roads, and places of interest art invited for this column.

acid from the cells to add the concentrated acid thereto and test the spccilic gravity. The battery connections should be examined, as it is highly important that these should be perfect. Serious trouble may easily result from a loose or corroded connection. The bulbs may be burnt out by the excessive voltage resulting, the bulbs being then practically direct on the' dynamo, Any corrosion at the terminals must be scraped off thoroughly, a clean metal contact obtained, and some vaseline applied after the connection is properly tightened up. Better still is it to paint the whole connection with celluloid varnish which is acid proof. If the rate o fcharge, as denoted by the ammeter, shows a falling off from normal—and there is always a tendency in this direction—a little attention to tho dynamo will as a rule put this right. Tho commutator should be denned wdh a piece of soft, very dean rag on which a few drops of paraffin have been placed, the rag being lightly pressed on and moved along the commutator when tho dynamo is running. This should bo repeated till no more carbon dust can be taken off. The brushes should bo examined to make sure they are pressing firmly on the commutator. If they' have run for about 5,000 miles it would be well to fit a now sot. ft only remains now to look at the bulbs and renew any that show apprcciablo blackening, as the remaining life of them would at best he short. Each bulb should, be tested in ibo lamp to make sure that it is efficient.

MAN’S NEW FRIENdT"*" AFFECTION FOR CARS. “ A horse you cannot help getting fond of. A car you can get pretty lorn] of, too.”—An old coachman, after lilty years’ service. One can imagine the horror of this fine old coachman when the first horseless vehicle made its appearance on the streets (says a writer in a London paper). AH horse lovers in those days considered the motor car an outrage. But conversion came slowly, and it is good to hear to-day an old coachman, a little grudgingly perhaps, expressing a tender sentiment for a machine that has ousted his first love. Machinery and sentiment do not often go hand in hand, but the motor car provides an exception.

No doubt to-day onr coachman hisses gently through bis teeth as lie grooms bis new friend, proudly putting tho final polish _on its glistening enamel work. He is pot alone in his conversion, neither is lie alone in Ids affection.

Many of the taxi cab drivers of today were cab drivers of the past. A!arching with tho times, they exchanged tho horse for tho petrol engine. Some have found in tho motor vehicle a new friend of man.

You can see tho affection expressed in tho way they look after their taxi cabs. Whenever I see an old taxi cab with highly polished metalwork and coachwork, which, in spite of its age, is ns clean as elbow grease will make iff I know that hero is a man who has learned to care for his car as ho did for his horse.

Affection for cars is common among all motorists. A man will abuse bis own car, but will take immediate offence if it is abused by another. It is i lie most personal of all his possessions. It has moods, just as a horse has, sometimes jibbing, but generally giving faithful service if treated well.

Parting with an old car is like parting with an old friend. It is at this moment that one forgets all its vices and remembers only tho miles, that have been ticked off in its company—miles of adventure on many a highway. I have seen the most unemotional Scotsman give, bis car an affectionate pat on tho bonnet when the day of parting came.

LACK OF A PETROL FILTER. A car owner got excellent service from lus ear. Then it suddenly refused to go over the 30 m.p.h.; it would just “peter out” and stop. Tie diagnosed carburettor trouble; drained off the sediment and blew through the jet. He connected it up again, and found tho carburettor flooded all right when the Hunt was depressed. Tried the carstill ft refused to go over thirty. Took it lo a garage, and new rings and plugs were fitted and valves ground in. Ignition checked up O.K. Another trial, hut tho car would not move the speedo. hand past thirty. Still blamed tho carburettor, and had another make fitted. Car then touched fifty-five, but was hard to start. The service station, on examining the old carburettor piece by piece, found in the jet a. piece of fluff, buoyant and moulded by tho action of tho petrol to n tiny pear-shaped ping. When the engine was revived to do thirty this ping was drawn into the jet orifice, and blocked it; when pressure was released it sank, and allowed tho engine to run moderately. It was small enough to allow a passage of air when blown, hut too large to escape through cither end. Owner came back to have new carburettor of old make fitted, and tho service station fitted his old one, and attached a filter to the vacuum tank. The owner’s little hill encompassed the rings, plugs, and grinding service, losses in trading carburettors, final serviceing of old carburettor, and tho filter, togetheiy with the lost time the car was undergoing treatment. All for the lack of a filter in tho first place. GET NEW PART. Warnings have been sounded by engineers against the practice of trying to straighten steering rods and cross tubes bent in motor car accidents. Mechanics use two general methods of straightening—cold bending and heat treating. Roth of these methods are unsafe. It is advisable to replace bent parts, since they have been forced beyond their elastic limit, and will not stand a repetition of this treatment under a straightening process without being that much nearer the breaking point when put back into service. RADIATOR HINTS. KEEP ENGINE COOL. If maximum efficiency is to he secured from the engine the cooling system must be kept effective. If it fails to operate serious damage will be done to the engine. If a suitable temperature for an engine is not maintained in all running conditions trouble will soon develop. The work of tho cooling system is to keep the engine at the proper temperatime, which will allow of proper lubrication and will ensure the development of maximum power. The radiator should bo kept reasonably full of clean, cold water, and the front of the radiator free from obstructions, so that the draught of air will not be interfered with. Care should be taken to see that tho fan which draws a current of air through the openings in the radiator is working (properly. The belt of the fan should be kept tight and the ballbearings of the fan well oiled. _ One of the causes of engine overheating is a loose fan bolt. It is generally agreed that the,ideal temperature .of the water; in the cool-

ing system is below boiling point. Too low a temperature will have a tendency to cause portion of tho petrol to run past the piston rings and dilute tho oil. This will increase the risk of faulty lubrication and will carbonise the cylinders. With tho object of assisting the motorist to check the working of the cooling system some ears are fitted with meters on the radiator caps which indicate tho temperature of the water. These can easily be road from the driver’s seat, and as soon as warning of overheating is given search should bo made for the trouble. There may bb lack of water too little oil, or too much petrol. If a car is being used daily the cooling system should be rinsed out with pure water once a month. This can bo done by disconnecting tho radiator inlet and the outlet hose, and flushing the radiator and the water jacket. In replacing the connections care should be taken to see that the joints arc ■secure and do not permit of leaks.

MONEY IN MOTORS.Mr Henry Ford lias been making automobiles for twenty-three years. Today his business and personal wealth is estimated at more than a thousand million dollars. A mathematician has figured it out that, if Mr Ford were to retire now, convert all ids wealth into one-dollnr bills, and start counting them, at the rate of one dollar a second, it would take him 120 years to complete the task. In other words, if ho bad started working for ono dollar a second, .‘5,000 an hour, it would have taken him 120 years, instead of the twenty-three, to liavo made his money, working eight hours a day. Looking at a watch tick off the seconds, think that for every ono of these seconds that have been ticked off for the last twenty-three years, about six shillings have been added to Mr Ford's wealth. This does not take into account the amount of money lie has spent.

LUBRICATION. With the increasing speed of automobile engines comes an increased need for the most careful consideration of the question of lubrication and of lub.ricants. The conditions under which a high-speed intcx’unl combustion engine works are very trying to the lubricant, and one of tho most important of the questions which have recently engaged the attention of engineers and chemists has been the production of a lubricant which will effectually operate at the high temperature attained in these fast running engines. Indeed, tho efficiency of the modern petrol engine depends, in a very great measure, upon the possibility of efficient lubrication at these high temperatures. The viscosity of the oil must bo maintained, and so also the flash point. An oil which thins appreciably at excessive heat loses a great deal of its efficiency as a lubricant between the adjacent surfaces of working parts. These considerations give importance to methods of cooling the lubricant, and ensuring that it is not subjected to such over* boating ns shall thin it to a constituency where its lubricating value shall lie impaired. This result may bo obtained in two ways—or a combination of two methods. The quantity of oil may ho increased in the. sump. That is to say, a, sump of such generous capacity may be provided that the thinning of the nil is partly prevented or some method of cooling tho sump may lie devised which will ensure the requisite reduction of temperature. We have not yet come to the stage where the oil is circulated through a radiator, although experiments in that direction might very well bo carried out with considerable chances of success. Along those lines we find many designers providing deep or radiating rims or fins along the bottom of the crank case or sump, with the idea of quickly radiating away tile heat taken up by the lubricant in its journey around the oil circulating system of the engine. .It seems a very sensible and very simple method of overcoming the trouble, and migM, wo think, he further and mors genon.ilv adopted. But its efficiency is often ( >'-■ 'durably reduced when layers of mud urn allowed to accumulate on the onfHde walls of tho sump, and since engines so fitted are often not enclosed hr an under apron there is much chance of this happening. Tho careful motorist will see to it that this dried mud nc-

cumulation is not allowed to assume too great proportions. Proper provision for allowing the air complete access to the sump walls will help to ensure a better cooling, and anything which obstructs the How of air_ under the car and around tho radiating ribs should be removed or obviated. THE SPEEDOMETER. VALUE OP TALLIES. Running a car without a speedometer is like conducting a business without a proper sot of books —one is quite incapable of distinguishing economy from extravagance. When a motorist buys a car he receives detailed instruction for its “running in,” and is warned to keep tlio speed down to twenty or twonty-fivo miles an hour for tho first 500 miles. This is where the speedometer manifests its usefulness. Without it tho driver would have to make futile guesses at his speed, and vague estimates of the distance run. If his calculations erred greatly on tho wrong side ho would be subjecting the car to an abuse which would shorteu its life appreciably. Again the oil in tlio crank case requires renewal after the first 500 miles I with a new car, and perhaps every 11,000 miles thereafter. \\ ithout the j speedometer this would again bo a hapI hazard matter. Some motorists do not I sot a high enough value on tho speedometer. Should it _ cease work through a broken drive or defect in the instrument, they make no attempt to remedy the trouble. There are a number of reliable makes of speedometers on the market, but oven the most expensive sometimes run fast' or slow, tho same as a watch or clock. To eliminate errors it is therefore necessary to have the speedometer tested occasionally, say, once or twice a year. This service is usually free at a speedometer service station equipped with calibrating machinery. Every motorist likes to keep a check on benzine consumption. This is where tho speedometer actually saves tho owner many pounds a year. A small book kept "in tho car in which are entered tho speedometer readings at the time the benzine is purchased, together , with tho amount of fuel bought, will readily show tho mileage per gallon that _ is being obtained. Tyro mileage is also important to the motorist, and this can only be satisfactorily known if the speedometer is reasonably accurate. An accurate speedometer is very clo- ; sirabio in this city on of pro- [ seen lions for speeding. An innocent ' driver may he prosecuted for doing just that mile" or two too much which his speedometer did nob disclose. A certificate of accuracy from a service station may also provo of material use to any motorist concerned in speeding. ENGINE MOUNTINGS. ’ Designers of automobile chassis differ in their opinions regarding the method of mounting the engine _in t tho frame. The majority favor bolting , the engine very securely and making it in elf cob an integral part of tho frame. There are others who consider that it is bettor to insulate the power plant from the frame andallowa cer- : tain flexibility witli ilia intention oi saving the engine from ordinary riding shocks. There is no doubt that if "this flexible mounting is properly applied, it must ease the strains by wearing of tho frame. Three-point suspension of the engine is common. The term implies that tho engine is secured from a single point at the front and from points on cadi side of the rear end ol tho crank case. Mountings designed to absorb vibration, and keep the engine independent ■ of flexing of the frame, are being employed on sonic of the most advanced cats. The 'Rolls-Royce power unit is -■ ■ ' ■■ ' '

»I fastened to the frame with friction • 1 damping devices similar to ordinary shock-absorbers. The engine, of the 1 Chrysler is supported at tho front on a short somi-elliptic spring placed transversely across the frame. At tho roar a bearer arm on each side has a special rubber mounting on the frame > members. On the Alvis car a number of rubber bushes afford tho engine a > certain amount of insulation from i, shocks. : THE DASH AMMETER. [ ELECTRIC FAULTS. Knowing the expensive breakdown which will follow on failure of engine lubrication, most drivers watch the oil gauge on tho dash. Few motorists, ■ however, take advantage of the proi tection afforded the electric system by i observing tho dash ammeter. Therea--1 son is, perhaps, that the average driver • is ignorant of tho value of tho elusive 1 ampere and is unable to sco why its 1 absence or super-abundance should in- ' clicate trouble. Certainly the function ' of the od gauge is simpler. It is easy • to understand a fast or slow flow of ■ lubricant, but hard to appreciate the invisible transmission of electrical i units. Although lacking knowledge of the ■ most elementary princilpcs of electric--1 ity, the driver can soon acquaint him- ; self with the normal functioning of the ammeter. It should bo regarded as a ■ sort of warning signal and a sure ini dication of trouble with tho battery, generator, ignition coil, horn, or lamp 1 connections. The dash ammeter indi- ■ cates when tho battery is charging ■ and at what rale. .It shows the current consumption of tho lamps and horn, and the ignition coil if there is no magneto used. The onlv electrical unit on tho car which is independent,of the ammeter is the self-starting motor. The reason is that the self-starter requires a rush of current of from 150 to 200 amperes for the few seconds it is in operation. It is, therefore, impossible to include in circuit with the starter, an ammeter which is graduated for a discharge of only twenty or thirty amperes. AMERICA WARNS “HOGS.” Accident insurance is a good tiling to have without the accident. A road hog roots up macadam with his nose. A circus is the place for clowning. Our roads are wide and smooth, but some drivers are narrow and rough. 1 Wo have seven good hotels and one ' gaol. Take your pick. Your grandfather lived to bo ninety because be had sense, and so did tho horse. There is room for two hands on a wheel. No more and no less, j Fifteen miles an hour may be a chill, J hut fifty is fever.