ON THE ROAD.

Franklin Times, Volume XIX, Issue 38, 3 April 1929, Page 6

ON THE ROAD.

NOTES FOR MOTORISTS.

SELF-STARTER SWITCH. Should the self-starter motor refuse to function when the switch has been depressed it does not necessarily mean that the battery is flat or that the starter pinion has jammed. The trouble may lie in the contacts of the switch becoming so pitted through the sparking as to prevent a proper contact being made. Sparking takes place each time the circuit is broken when using the starter. The contact surfaces may be cleaned with emery cloth. The set screws mounted at each side of the switch flange should be removed to allow inspection to be made.

A VALVE GRINDING HINT. 'I __ When a valve that requires grinding cannot be turned by means of a screwdriver or brace, as in case, for instance, when it is near or under the dash, a good plan is to pass a strip of metal or a nail through the cotter-hole and oscillate the valve by this means' The requisite light pressure on the valve can be given by the Angers of the other hand, and a good face obtained on the valve.

THE VACUUM TANK. Modern improvements in equipment appear to be making it simpler to keep track on the condition of cars. Who would imagine, for example that a petrol filter could be used to test the efficiency of the vacuum system? Filters can be useful for just this sort of thing. If inserted between the main fuel line and the top of the vacuum tank they will not work unless there is sufficient suction to operate the vacuum tank.

Suppose the engine gets no gas and it is found that the vacuum tank yjps empty. That suggests a suction leak, and to the modern car owner the value of the filter as a testing device.

OIL THE SPRINGS. I Motorists and automotive engineers have long been seeking to improve ; the method of lubricating springs. BeI cause of the comparative inaccessij bility of automobile springs they are ; frequently neglected. Dust, dirt and j water work into the y springs, making I frequent and efficient lubrication nec- | essary if the springs are to be kept from being virtually welded together, nullifying the advantage of laminated spring destruction. New springs ride easily because they are greased with graphite before they are assembled, but when the lubricant dries out, the springs rust and lose their S flexibility, eventually crystallising to such a degree that any severe jolt and break them. To counteract this tendency and to make the necessary lubrication so easy that there will be no cause for neglecting the springs, a self-lubricating spring has been designed by an American spring company. Slots one quarter of an inch wide and two inches long, overlapping onequarter of an inch, with slots in adjacent leaves, provide a channel for the grease to he distributed across the face of each leaf by capillary atraction and the flexing of the leaves. By means of alemite grease cups, each end of the spring can easily be filled | with grease. It is stated that in this way sufficient grease is provided completely to lubricate the leaves of approximately 1000 miles. Tests made by the designer of the self-lubricating spring showed that old springs drilled with over-lapping grease slots and filled with an ordinary grease gun, not only produced greater flexibility and freedom from squeaks, but also materially increased the mileage received from a set of tyres. Cushioning the spring leaves with grease also saves mol or and chassis from a certain amount of devastating vibration.

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