MOTORDOM

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 November 1927, Page 3

MOTORDOM

NEWS OF THE ROAD

(By

“Gearbox”)

SECOND HAND CARS.

POINTS WORTH WATCHING.

One of the greatest problems of motor-car traders to-day is the disposal of second-hand cars, which they are more often than not obliged to “trade in” to effect sales of their new productions. Buying a second-hand car is a difficult business in many ways, and it would be almost impossible to lay down definite rules by which the buyer should judge the car offered. It is a far more difficult procedure to buy a second-hand car than a new one. for the simple reason that all new cars run smoothly and well, and it is only a question of buying the right type of vehicle; that which is suited to the pocket, and the work required of it.

In dealing with second-hand cars the buyer is more liable to be persuaded into buying a car which is not a suitable type, either too heavy or too light or too old, or an “orphan,” etc., merely because it happens to be a “terrific bargain,” and for this reason it usually pays to err on the side of extreme care before finally deciding. It is sometimes imagined that the second-hand car which has been repainted and, to use a trade expression, “dolled up” is in reality a crock, and for this reason should be eyed wi|th suspicion. It would obviously be absurd to judge a car merely by the condition of its paint work, but the fact that an agent has endeavoured to make the car look attractive by no. means indicates that the - essential parts are worn out or in bad condition. The motor trader is not a fool, and he realises that it pays better to put a car into proper running order before selling it than to “botch it up” and have endless trouble with a dissatisfied customer afterwards. The writer has known one or two prospective second-hand -car buyers turn away from a really good proposition pimply because some so-called “motoring expert” had advised them never to buy a used car which looked “showy.” As previously mentioned, it must not be assumed that all second-hand cars which have been furnished up are in good mechanical condition; far from it, -.but as a .general rule, a reputable .firm'of motor/traders will not waste money on repainting-,- • fjttipg a new: hood, and generally “.smartening up” a chassis which is almost worthless. For those who do'not know a great deal about a car there are a few points to be observed when they are buying one second-hand. The first is to satisfy themselves, if possible, that the car has been properly looked after by its previous owner. This can be done by examining all visible moving parts of the chassis to make sure that they have been properly oiled and greased. If they have not, there will be traces of rust and the various greasers will show obvious signs of having been neglected. The condition of the various nuts and bolts about the car which need tightening from time to time will provide a clue with regard to the capabilities of the owner. If the edges of the nuts are all burred over, they provide a clear indication of the fact that the man who has had charge of the car has not tackled maintenance work in a painstaking manner. While the speedometer reading should be noted, it must not be regarded as providing accurate information concerning the mileage which the car has covered. This is more accurately determined in the case of a fairly new car by the condition of the tyres, whilst the state of the bontrol pedals will also furnish a clue concerning the amount of use vhich the car has had. In the case of an older model, these points will, however, have little bearing on the case. The condition of the starter teeth on the fly-wheel, the amount of brake adjustment which remains to be taken up and the backlash present in the steering gear are also good points to be noted. Suspicion should fall on any peculiar or pronounced noise from the engine or any working parts. When the car is taken on the road iet is quite a usbful plan to get the driver to drive it along slowly, watching, meantime, from the footpath to make sure that all the wheels revolve truly. A back wheel which wobbles is a sure indication either that one of the axle shafts is bent or that the wheel is out of truth. If the spare wheel is fitted, and this, in turn, wobbles, then it may be depended upon that it is an axle shaft which is at fault.

In making a test-run in the car, insist upon it being driven slowly in top gear. The manner in which the car accelerates from about five miles per hour in top will furnish useful information, in connexion with the condition of the engine and the transmission. If it pulls away quite steadily there is nothing much wrong, but if there is pronounced snatching and jerking possibly accompanied by rumbling noises from beneath the floorboards, then it is certain that an overhaul will be necessary before very long. The great thing 4or buyers of sec-ond-hand cars to remember is that it is essential to be able to discriminate between defects which are easily remedied and those which would involve a fairly heavy repair bill. It is for that reason that the services of an experienced and unbiased friend are so desirable when the choice is 'being made. ’ , , It is always a good plan, when buying a second-hand car, to ascertain as much as possible concerning its past history. A car whicji has had only one previous owner is pretty certain to be in better. condition than one which has been through mapy hands.

MENDING PUNCTURES. /The comparative freedom from punctures of some modern tyres and the almost universal practice of carrying a spare wheel have combined to make it seldom necessary to repair a tyre by the roadside. In consequence, many new owners never mend a puncture; they merely fit the spare wheel, and leave the repair work in the hands of a garage. Sooner or later, however, two tyres will give trouble within a few miles of one another, leaving no other course open to the owner, but to mend one of them. For this reasop it is advisable for every motorist to carry a puncture repair outfit, and to make a point of mending at least two punctures himself so that he will be quite familiar with, the job if it has to be done at a rerhote country spot. It Is not proposed here to deal with the whole subject of type

repairs, but there are one or two mistakes frequently made by the novice which need emphasis. The most common error lies in applying a patch to the tube immediately after it has been coated with the rubber solution. If this is done it will be found difficult to make the patch stick, as it will tend to curl up at the edges. The patch and tube should be liberally smeared with solution and five to ten minutes allowed to elapse before applying the patch. Another point concerns the use of French chalk, which should always be sprinkled liberally over the tube. It not only prevents the tube from sticking to the cover, but also acts as a lubricant and tends to stop chafing. French chalk should never be used until the paten has stuck satisfactorily, for there is a danger of its finding its way under the patch and making it necessary for the whole job to be done again.. CARBON DEPOSITS. A number of factors contribute towards the formation of carbon in a motor car engine, not the least important being back pressure in the exhaust and silencing system. Many present day cars have a pipe of comparatively small bore extending rearwards from a centrally-placed expansion chamber to a point beyond the rear axle. In many cases this pipe' is of not more than lih bore. By the time the exhaust gases reach this pipe they are comparatively cool, and the oily vapours and so fofth which they contain tend to become deposited upon the inner surface of the pipe •thus reducing Its effective diameter and creating a resistance to the gas flow. The effect of this is to increase back pressure and to lower the general efficiency of the engine. By substituting a tail pipe of at least twice the bore much better running will result, and it is unlikely the noise of the exhaust will be increased unduly; certainly not to a point at which police attention becomes a possibility. In fitting the new pipe it will be necessary of course, to increase the diameter of the silencer outlet to suit, and it will be better to arrange some form of detachable clip or detachable flange at this point rather than to wed the pipe directly to the silencer, a method of fitting which makes future cleaning a difficult process. Provided that the pipe lias no complicated bends, the cost of conversion should not be more than a couple of pounds or so.

TO REMOVE STUBBORN NUTS.

A very old idea, but one which is not generally known, to remove a nut which has seized on the bolt through heat or for some other reason, is to heat a box spanner and let it rest on trie nut for a few minutes. The heat from the spanner will soon expand the nut without producing corresponding expansion to the bolt, and it may then be unscrewed. The spanner may be heated over the gas range, but it is inadvisable to use a tempered spanner for this work, as the heat would destroy the temper. As a help to the heat treatment, a little kerosense poured round the nut-threads gives good results. While tinkering round with the “old ’bus f ’ the owner may find that a bolt which he wishes to enter in a hole is very hard to place owing to other chassis or body parts being in the way. A good handle for placing the bolt is obtained by lightly soldering a piece of small gauze wire to its head, or by winding a couple of turns of wire under the head, pulling the wire away when the bolt has started on its thread.

STOCK CAR RECORD. Driving a strictly stock, stripped Chrysler imperial “80” roadster, Ralph De Palma, famous racing driver, on the Atlantic City, N.J., board, mile and one-half track, averaged 89.072 miles peir hour for 90 miles. Up to the 56th lap when the shoe on the right front tyre ripped partly off, De Palma averaged 90 miles an hour, making each lap in 60s6c flat. The breaking of the shoe slowed down the car somewhat, but did not prevent De Palma from finishing the 90-mile test.. The best previous record in the United States for strictly stock car performance Was 86.249 miles per hour. The car was stripped of fenders, running boards, license plates, windshield, and extra tyre, but was changed in no other way. The previous record for stock car performance was also made on the Atlantic City track. The test was made under the official supervision of representatives of the contest board of the American Automobile Association. z ; NOTES. • The carburettor should have its regular seasonal overhaul. Working parts and screens should be examined to remove sediment and scale. This should be done by one that specialises on your particular make of car.

When inserting a new inner tube or replacing the old one which has been repaired, the inside of the casing should first be wiped out with a damp cloth to remove any sand or grit that may be present. A single sharppointed grain of sand between the casing and the tube is very likely to force its way through the tube, causing a puncture. This is the real cause of many a mysterious puncture.

The secret of maintaining a gravel road in good condition is to avoid too much camber. The Main Highways R(?ards’ engineers have found that there is a tendency among local authorities to construct gravel roads which h£,ve this fault. Excessive crown on some of New Zealand’s gravelled highways has caused traffic to concentrate on the centre of the roadway. The correct camber for a gravel road is a drop of j»in for every foot of width. «

One. out .of . every two cars bought in the United States is to replace a discarded, car. r For. the rest of the world, -two out of every five cars, or 40 per cent of the- world’s production, w.ere used to replace old cars in 1925. World production in 1925 is placed at 5,091,474 vehicles, but, in the above reckoning the number in use by only 3,061,018. Therefore 2,030,45 b replaced cars were worn out or retired from service. Sales of cars in the United States for replacement in 1926 totalled 1,850,838 vehicles or 47 per cent of the consumption. Replacements in Canada in 1926 accounted for about one-fifth of the production.