MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 20981, 21 December 1931, Page 15

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[BY RADIATOR.]

LIGHTING-UP TIMES. To-day 8.58 Tuesday 8.59 Wednesday 8.59 Thursday 8.59 Friday ... 9.0 Saturday 9.0 Sunday 9.0 PUBLICATION RECEIVED. The * Radiator ' for December. MOTHER-OF-PEARL CAR FINISH. According to 1 Automotive industries,’ a new finish embodying mother-of-pearl has bc?n developed by the Keo Company in America, the effect being known as “ Perleseent.” It is said that “ minute particles of mother-of-pearl produce an ever-changing and beautiful effect entirely unlike anything yet achieved.” A body to be treated is given the usual undercoats, followed by a coat of black lacquer, finally a special pigment is' applied consisting mainly of mother-of-pearl carefully scaled from the inside of oyster shells and ground into tiny fragments which reflect and refract the light. On the new Reo models this finish is set off by a black waist moulding contrasted with wheels of stainless steel. GEAR CHANGING. AN EXPERT’S ADVICE. Gear changing, according to Sir Malcolm Campbell, calls for firm and sensitive hands. The gear lever should be moved with the palm of the hands, which should be turned inward or outward according to the sideways direction in which the lever has to rock or slide. For example, assume, with a right-hand gear change, that a change from first to second is called for, the lever has to bo moved forward, right, and then forward again (this presumes a three-speed gearbox). The correct procedure then is to turn the palm thumb down, place it against the side of the knob of the lever, and push; the lever then slides forward, sideways, and forward without further manual complications, and produces a much better change than would be the case if the knob of the lever were seized by the fingers or the whole hand and a chance twist of the wrist g’ -i at the imagined point for slipping 1 ’-.rough the gate. In changing up the sense of teach is very important, and practice will enable a driver to feel through the gear lever that the teeth of the gear wheels are just attaining that speed at which a smooth change is possible. A skilled driver can, in fact, make the gear wheels touch inaudibly prior to their engagement. , The secret of all gear changing is really to get the peripheries of the two wheels to be enga’ged revolving at the same speed. This does not mean that the shafts on which the gear wheels are mounted must bo running at equal speeds, for although the shafts may be identical in size, the gear wheels mounted on them are not, and it will be .obvious that the circumference of a Gin wheel is moving faster than the circumference of a 4in wheel if both are mounted on shafts revolving at 1,000 revolutions per minute. The driver’s ’problem, then, is to raise the speed of one gear wheel or reduce that of the other before he engages them. He achieves this by manipulation of clutch and accelerator. In changing up it is necessary to reduce the speed of the engine-driven gear wheel to that of the propeller shaftdriven gear wheels; the procedure is to release the accelerator and depress the clutch pedal. This leaves all gear wheels rotating at the speed imposed on them by the road wheels via the propeller shaft. Next, the gear lever is moved to neutral, so disconnecting the gear when’! formerly driven by the engine from those still being driven by the propeller shaft. We thus have one set of wheels revolving solely from the momentum left hen ,they were finally .nected from the propeller shaft by being set neutral, and another set still connected to the road wheels by the propeller shaft and revolving at a speed governed by the car’s road speed.

Dirty radiators

USE OK AIR AND WATER

The disconnected gears will be runnii j the faster directly after neutral has been sot, therefore a slight pause is made, to allow them to slow down to the speed of the other gears, and it is. here that the sense of sound and touch are so important in judging the appropriate moment for the change

In some cars a form of brake is fitted to tlipt part of tilts clutcli which is withdrawn when the pedal is depressed; this brake slows down the disconnected gears quicker and permits a more rapid gear change. If a oar lias a clutcli brake it is important to discover how far the pedal must be depressed to bring the brake into action; generally speaking, the faster the car Is travelling, the more must the pedal be depressed to get a rapid change. When changing up the clutch pedal must always ho kept depressed enough to-keep the clutch right out of engagement while the gear lover is in or is passing through neutral, otherwise the gears which should be slowing down will pick up again to the speed of the engine, arid a quiet change will he impossible; likewise, if too long a pause is made between changes the gears connected to the [impeller shaft will attain a higher speed than those idling. The only way to got a quiet change in such event is to let the clutch in, with the gear still in neutral, speed the engine up a little, depress the clutcli pedal, and try again. For changing down the problem is reversed, and it is required to speed up the idle gear wheels to the velocity of those driven by the, propeller shaft. This is done by declutching, moving the gear lever to neutral, re-engaging the clutcli, and accelerating the engine (with gear still neutral), declutching again, and then making the change. _ The invariable fault in this connection lies in accelerating too little while in neutral, and it is actually almost impossible to accelerate too much when the change down is being made while crawling along in traffic, or at least at under twenty miles per hour. When changing down at high speeds, such as from top to second or third in order to speed up a bad hill, do not let the clutch in finally without at the same time accelerating your engine up to such a speed as will enable the drive to be taken up smoothly. It is not only uncomfortable but also very bad Tor the car to let your clutch in when the car is perhaps travelling at thirtyfive miles per hour, while the engine is only running at a speed appropriate to fifteen miles per hour; this is using the engine as a brake instead of as a motive unit.

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

Gear-changing, up or down, is only a matter of adjusting the speeds of the g..ir vvluels concerned, and a study of one’s car in this particular respect'is always worth while. Change down early rather than late, never let your engine labour, and remember that the petrol engine depends on its revolutions per minute for its power. Intelligent anticipation of gear change makes all the difference between a good average speed and a had one; it is invaluable in traffic driving and enables one to take advantage of openings which save minutes on even comparatively short journeys. INTERESTING FACTS. An interesting brochure was recently produced by the Vacuum Oil Company illustrating, by facts, how the mdustrv gives employment to hundreds of sew Zealanders inside and outside their actual organisation. The preparation and building of numerous installations throughout the dominion, railway tank oars, tank wagons, and numerous other requisites of the compan3 r , are giving labour to local workmen and circulating money within this country. As much as one to one and a-half million pounds has been spent within the dominion in' one year. It is claimed that nowhere in the world has more consideration, regardless of cost, been given in order that local motorists should enjoy an unexcelled service. RUNNING BACKWARDS ON HILLS.

One of , the striking features of touring development in recent years has been the marked increase in popularity of hill and mountain resorts. This, no doubt, is due partly to the construction of the new roads and the improvement of old ones through mountain districts, and partly to the improved climbing powers and general comfort of cars, enabling them to be easily driven through districts in which a journey not long ago would have been uncomfortable, and in some circumstances dangerous. There are many drivers who still avoid the mountain roads under the belief that they are dangerous, but few of those who do use them have any knowledge of one of the greatest dangers likely to be met or the action to be taken when it occurs. This is the danger of running backwards on a steep hill". In the mountains grades are, often difficult accurately to estimate, and one may sometimes find his car stalled on a steep pinch before gears can be changed. If brakes be faulty or if prompt action be not taken by the driver there is a grave danger of the car running backwards down the hill, and when once it begins to move an accident may he difficult to avoid. The severity of that accident will depend on the skill and presence of mind of the driver. The obvious method of stopping the car should, its own brakes prove inadequate, is to run it into the side of the hill or mountain. To,do this the steering wheel should be locked over sharply, so that the car strikes the bank as nearly as possible squarely with its back. Damage will then be limited to buckled panels, which can be readily repaired, and the car can generally he restarted and driven on without difficulty. The utmost care should he taken to avoid bringing the car into the bank at, an acute angle. Should this be done it will seldom be stopped. The rear wheel nearest the bank will simply climb on to it, and the car will probably he overturned, perhaps with grave results to its occupants.

Overheating is usually traced to imperfect cooling through the radiator and water jackets becoming clogged with silt and rust;’

On ' new cars a useful cleansing method is to add about lib of washing soda to the gallon ol water in the cooling system and run the engine for half an hour, then drain and (lush out after the engine has cooled down. Neglected radiators, however, need another method to unclog them, but the owner will have to go to a garage fitted with compressed air. The radiator is removed from the car and a water hose connected to the pipe at the bottom of tho. radiator, where the bottom hoso connection is usually attached. The jotcock at the bottom of the radiator is removed and a small nipple is put in place of it and connected to an air hose. Any other suitable connection to an air line will do as well. The pipe where the top hose connection attaches to the radiator is closed with a large cork. A largo section ol’ rubber cut from an inner tube can ho held in [dace with largo rubber bands, and will serve the same as the cork.

With the radiator cap removed and the radiator standing upright, the water is turned on gradually and allowed to How out at the top. If hot water is available the results are usually better and faster. The air is then turned on in spurts, a little carefully at first, and then in bigger spurts, to blow a mixture of water aigl air up through the radiator coil. 'Phis is continued for a few minutes, the radiator being allowed to fill with water between tlie spurts of air. ’'Die water and air may be allowed to flow through steadily at a rapid rate for a few minutes. Care should be exercised not to place* too much pressure bn the radiator, and one should be careful to see that the air and waiter are passing through freely before a great amount of pressure is put on. This treatment loosens up the rust and carries it out at the top of the radiator, and does it much more effectively than air and water alone. It is possible that with some experimenting this method of cleaning radiators could be so developed that it would not be necessary to remove the radiator from the car. Of course, if this can be worked out a great savingin time will be effected. REPAIRING PUNCTURES. Tbo comparative freedom from punctures of some modern tyres and tbo most universal practice of carrying a spare wheel have combined to make it seldom necessary to repair tyres by the roadside (says an article in the ‘ Goodi’ear Nows’)* fn consequence many new owners never mend a puncture—they merely fit the spare wheel and leave the repair work in the hands of tbo garage. Sooner or later, however, two tyres will give trouble within a few miles of 0110 another, leaving no other course open to the owner, but to mend one of them. For this reason it is advisable for every motorist to carry a puncture repair outfit. It is not proposed here to deal with the whole subject of tyre repairs, but there arc one or two mistakes fre-

queutly made by the novice which need emphasis. The most common error lies in applying a patch to the tube immediately alter it has been coated with rubber solution. If this is done it will he found difficult to make tho patch stick, as it will tend to curl up at the edges. The patch and cube should be liberally smeared with solution, and five to ten minutes allowed to elapse before applying the patch. Another point concerns the use ot French chalk, which should always lie sprinkled liberally over the tube. It not only prevents the tube from sticking to tho cover, but also acts as a lubricant and tends to stop chafing. French chalk should never be used until the patch has stuck satisfactorily, for there is a danger of it finding its way under the patch and making it necessary for the whole job to be done again.

PROFOUND INFLUENCE. THREE GREAT INVENTORS. The death of Mr Thomas A. Edison, the great American scientist and inventor, removes the third of three men whose discoveries have exercised an almost incalculable influence upon civilised life to-day. They were Michael Faraday, an Englishman, who discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction, and made possible electrical engineering: John Boyd Dunlop. who evolved tlie pneumatic tyre ami thus made possible the world’s automobile industry; and Edison. It is computed that. Edison's inventions increased the wealth of the world by £3,119,800,000. Regarding Dunlop’s it is largely due to his re-in von turn of the pneumatic tyre in 388 S that today there are on the road 35,u0U,000 motor oars and trucks which have cost their owners more than £4.000,000,000, and 2,850,000 motor cycles on whose purchase £114.000,000 was spent. In addition there are at least 20,000.000 bicycles, whose aggregate value is estimated at £4,314,UUU.U0U on the road, the manufacture of all these vehicles and of the tyres on which they run having given employment to many millions of people. REAR LAMP TROUBLE. On some cars, and particularly on many lorries, vibration is sufficient to cause constant breakages of tlie filaments in roar lamp bulbs. There arc several methods by which this can be overcome. The first is to install a special motor cycle tail lamp in which the bulb socket is mounted ou.a rubber disc. Another method is to mount the tail lamp on a pad formed of pieces of inner tube built up to a thickness of about an inch, having tho bolts rather loose, but pinned or soldered to prevent unscrewing. Still another plan is to mount the lamp on a short slightly flexible arm cut from an old cover or fabric universal joint. Tail lamps made entirely of rubber can also be obtained which not only protect the globes, but also will survive roar-end collisions.

OPEN PROPELLER SHAFTS. Many oars and trucks are now fitted with the propeller shaft open instead of being enclosed in a torque tube. While this systeiq of transmission is generally satisfactory and.has.certain advantages there is a serious element of danger in the event of a universal joint breaking or coming adrift in front, ft may then drop, ami, catching on the road, will certainly do considerable damage or even overturn the oar. in many cases this is guarded against by taking one of the frame cross members below the level of the shaft. If this precaution has been neglected, however, it is a good plan to bolt a length of inch by quarter steel securely across from one running board to the other at a point about Bin behind the front universal. It is better, though slightly more trouble is involved in drilling the frame, if the steel is bolted to the chassis, and it may then be given a slight dip in the middle. AIR CLEANERS.

There* can be no doubt as to the desirability of having an air cleaner installed on the carburettor. Even in cities there is a considerable amount of abrasive dust suspended in the atmosphere, and conditions are infinitely worse on country roads, especially during the busy touring season* non - approaching. Dust, especially in cases where aluminium alloy pistons arc used, has a very destructive effect on both pistons and cylinder walls. In choosing an air cleaner select one of ample size lor tlio engine, or air throttling will occur at liigh engine speeds. This not only causes poor performance, but wastes fuel, and is generally had for the engine.

There are two types of air cleaner in general use, the filtration and centrifugal designs. In the former dust is arrested by passing tbo air through a special cloth or through wire gauze or loosely-packed metal turnings- soaked with oil. In the centrifugal cleaners the entering air passes through spiral vanes, which cause it to rotate and throw down its dust. This principle is the same as that used in cream separators. The filtration types are more efficient and are gaining in popularity, but have the disadvantage of needing occasional attention, whereas the centrifugal are self-cleaning. '

It ig, an easy matter to make an air cleaner of tlie most efficient type. Obtain a round tin from Sin to 12in deep and din in diameter. Cut a hole in the bottom and attach to the ■ carburettor air intake, and cot out nearly the whole of the top of the lid. Cover both these boles with fly wire. Then obtain from a workshop sufficient long turnings to fill the tin comfortably, wasli them carefully in petrol to remove all metal and floor dust, then dip them in oil and pack into the tin, where they will be retained by the wire gauze. The oily surfaces will trap all entering dust, and an occasional cleaning can be given by washing in petrol and reoiling. -Additional advantages of this typo of cleaner are its induction silencing and flame-trap effects. A similar device, but much smaller, can be made from a round 2oz tobacco tin and fitted on the crank case breather. It will aid in preventing oil, being thrown,out, as well as excluding dust, which is very harmful to the engine hearings, POPPING BACK. Motorists have, no doubt, experienced at times a somewhat elusive trouble, caused by engine explosions in the silencer when the vehicle is coasting. A clear understanding of the reason for this phenomenon is necessary before steps can ho taken to ensure its elimination. When a vehicle is coasting tbo throttle is nearly closed, and a comparatively rich and slow-burning mixture is being supplied to the engine. As the engine speed is fairly high, the combustion is incomplete, and the charge is passed into the silencer. If no air reaches these incompletely burnt

gases, they will pass mil, unoxploded, into the atmosphere: but if through any' cause dilution occurs, an explosion will take place when the next burning charge enters the silencer. On vehicles prone to this defect a careful examination shoe hi be made of the exhaust system to see that all points are tightly bolted, and that no air leaks arc present. A too small pilot jet will sometimes have the same effect, but it is wise to examine carefully the exhaust system before blaming tlie carburettor. CORRODED TERMINALS. It is often found that through corrosion battery terminals are in bad condition and difficult to remove. Boiling water poured over them will free them, however, in a few seconds, and they can be easily unscrewed. On replacing, clean the terminals and coat them with vaseline; this will prevent further attacks of the acid. RESOURCEFUL WOMEN. The following story comes from America :—- “ Three out of 240 women whose papers were graded in a police traffic school passed with 100 per cent.; 70 per cent, of them passed with grades of 80 per cent, or better. But others were nob so good. One woman, on being asked what she would do in the event of an accident, said she would be ‘ nonchalant.’ • She failed to pass. And so did the helpless little thing who was asked what action she would take if she saw the oil gauge reading was zero and who replied with a gasp, ‘ Pour water into the radiator.’ ”

KEEP PLIERS HANDY. A practice which many motorists have followed to good effect is that of keeping a pair of pliers in the pocket of the car nearest tlie driver. This tool is used frequently for a score of purposes, and it is a nuisance to go through the tool kit each time. Also, yvheu it’s so handy it means that jobs get done which otherwise would be put off and then forgotten entirely. HERE AND THERE. Keeping, the engine reasonably' clean has many advantages, such as making it loss irksome to carry out small adjustments, such as replacing plugs or cleaning the fuel filter. Extending the cleaning to tlu outside of the sump is of definite value, as it improves tho ooo.mg of tho oil, and thus gives better lubrication in hot weather. When fitting new hoso connections do not use gasket cement, as this makes subsequent removal difficult. A thin smear of grease Will preve'nt leakage and cause no subsequent trouble. Neglect to top up the battery' with distilled water at least once every two weeks results in the tops of the plates becoming destroyed, and thus reducing the capacity of the battery. The remainder of the jflates also will suffer to a certain extent owing to the greater acid strength of the remaining solution.

Thin red fibre is the only satisfactory material for making the washers needed for some petrol conr itions. Ordinary packing materials are either not strong enough or are destroyed in time by the action of the spirit. Should it become necessary to replace covers during the summer particular care should be taken to fit new tubes unless the old ones are obviously in perfect condition. A car which is faded or dull can nearly always be restored to good looks by the use of a suitable polishing and cleaning mixture, of which there are many good brands, provided there is a reasonable depth of lacquer underneath.

MOTOR CYCLING COMPARATIVE EFFICIENCY. CAR AND MOTOR CYCLE. The. efficiency of modern motor car and motor cycle engines has been compared by Mr L. Mantcll, an English authority, who expresses the opinion that the motor cycle has almost invariably die more'efficient power plant. He pointed out that while a very poor motor cycle engine of 600 e.c. (lumiiiiiilly h.p.) would deliver at least 20 brake h p., it was generally accepted by ear engineers that about 25 brake h.p. per 1.000 c.e. was an excellent output lor touring engines. The difference was even more marked when racing types of engines were compared. Many of the 500 e.c. class of racing engines such as were used at Mrooklands or in the Tourist Trophy road races, were computed to give off 40 brake h.p., equivalent to 80 brake h.p. tor l,0i)0 c.e. The only ear engine lie could quote which would do nearly as well as this without being supercharged was alio Riley Nino of the latest type. This 1,087 c.e. engine could produce 00 brake h.p., but even that only bore out his main claim, even if it was the exception to his rule that the car engine was in the main only about half as efficient as the motor cycle. Mr Mautell proceeded to sum up the various differences between the air cooled motor cycle engine and the multi-cylindered car power plant, and drew the conclusion that the vast difference in power outputs was due to earburetion. in the modern motor cycle engine the gas went straight to the cylinder head without encountering any bends in the induction system. In the modern motor cycle engine tiie gas wont straight to the cylinder head without encountering any bends in the induction system. Induction pipes were extremely short on most machines to-day; in fact, the carburrotor almost fed directly into the combustion chamber. Mr Mnntell believed that the motor cycle’s remarkable efficiency was largely due to this fact, that the inlet and exhaust ports were usually opposite to one another, thereby providing a straight through line for gas, combustion, and exhaust. This Tine from carburettor to exhaust port was only a matter of a few inches, thereby reducing the gas pumping resistance losses. There was another great advantage in this straight through system. the cooling of the exhaust .valve by reason of the fact that the cool gas spray impinges' straight on to tiie not head of the exhaust valve. The value of this system was recently demonstrated in the racing Riley Nino, which had a separate carburettor per cylinder, affixed close up to the cylinder head. This ear had some exceedingly fine s))eed achievements to its credit within the last few months. The Miller engined car. in which Mrs G. M. Stewart, the famous English motorist, established many high-speed records at ■Monti’hery and Rrooklands, covering 1181 miles in (JOmin, and also at aiming speeds of more than 1430 miles an hour, also had the carburettor per cylinder system. The effect of this was claimed by American authorities to lie virtually that of super-charging the engine, and on that account the multiplicity of carburettors was prohibited as far as competitors in the Indianapolis 500 miles race were concerned last year. TOLD AT THE WHEEL. The angry motorist drove his baby car back to the works. “ 1 want all the wheels taken off,” he said, “ and replaced by four big ones. I’m not going to have every Sealyham that passes harking through my windows.”