MOTORDOM

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 April 1931, Page 8

MOTORDOM

NEWS OF SHE ROAD

XBy

“Gearbox")

MAKING MOTORS MIND Mr. W. B. Franklin, Service Manager of General Motors, New Zealand Limited, writes: Mixture trouble in the carburettor may be due to the flow of benzine, to extra air getting into the mixture, between the carburettor and engine, or to water being in the benzine. As to trouble due to the flow of the fuel to the carburettor, the ways in which this might be effected are as follow: The car may be out of benzine; the gas may be turned off; the feed pipe may be stopped up; the carburettor may be higher than the level of the gas tank, if the car is on a hill and has a gravity feed system; there may be trouble with the vacuum tank, if the car has a vacuum feed system; the petrol strainer in the line may be dirty; the float valve of the carburettor may be stuck or clogged. As to the extra air, sometimes the bolts holding the carburettor to the manifold, or the manifold to the engine loosen, thus allowing air to get in at these joints and so weaken the mixture. It is a good plan, therefore, to'test and tighten these bolts once in a while. By pouring oil around the joints it is possible to see if there is leakage, as, if there is, the oil will be sucked in. The formation of carbon is generally due either to the mixture being too rich or to oil getting past the piston rings and collecting on top of the pistons, valve heads, etc. The latter may be due to the rinks leaking or too much oil being in the crankcase. If the oil used is low grade the formation of carbon will be very rapid, f as it takes a high grade oil to stand the great heat encountered in a gasoline engine. For this, and many other reasons, the - purchase of a cheap oil is decidedly poor economy. Unless the top of the car is covered with a paint of good quality the fabric will decay rapidly and the surface will eithei’ develop a lead or crack and tear away. It does not require much experience to apply a top dressing and the costs are little. A brilliant finish adds much to the appearance of a car. When troubled with a sagging door, the best plan is to install, a new set of door hinges or to ream the holes in the hinges for ( a larger screw. The old hinge becomes weakened with use, besides the hinge pins become worn and the screws or bolts that hold’ the hinge to the door becomes loose. Always rub in a circular motion, from the outside to the centre, when applying a cleaning solution for the removal of spots from the upholstery of the car. Keep this up, using a clean spot on the cloth with each generous application of the cleaning fluid. The spot is bound to disappear and a circle will not be left where the spot once was. Two things are necessary to keep good brakes on the car: First, to have the proper type of lining according to the particulai’ brake hook-up, which might call for low friction lining, high friction lining, hard woven lining or soft woven lining and the second is to have it properly applied and in adjustment. The best way to preserve the original lustre of chromium plated and halted enamel parts of a car is to polish with a rag dampened in kerosene or a good grade of oil polish. This applies to headlamps, radiators, fenders, etc. Spring shackle bolts, when too tight, will cause the car to ride hard and there is also the possibility of breaking a spring leaf due to impaired flexibility.

AUTOMOBILE VALUE. ■ «-. . DUE TO ENGINEERING ADVANCES Engineering research, in the automotive industry is responsible for the continuous rise in the value of to-day’s motor cars, according to Mr. L. L. King, production manager of General Motors,' New Zealand Limited. Mr. King- said the car manufacturers have, from year to year, improved automobiles at no cost or with even lower cost to the public. These economies are the result of engineering achievement, which is responsible for improved cars and improved methods of making them. “If we produced to-day’s cars with yesterday’s methods,” he said, “the cost of a car would be so prohibitive that it could be purchased only by relatively few persons. If we produced yesterday’s car with to-day’s methods, the result would be more or less the same. This Is not intended as a disparagement of the early efforts of the engineers. On the contrary, we know theii' efforts make possible the high development of to-day’s car. Our veteran engineers to-day occupy, of course, as high a place in the industry as any who came along later.

“There have been all-round improvements in practically every part of the car. Quick drying lacquer and the self starter will always stand out' as some of the hifetory-making major achievements in the industry. These developments with their multitudinous benefits, were a mighty influence in the progress of the industry. “After this, development followed development. In 1927 the fuel supply syster was revolutionised by introduction of the fuel pump. Besides its mechanical advantages, it made possible a saving of millions a year to the purchasers of automobiles. This saving was important, but far more important than this, the fuel pump made possible increased horse-power at much lower cost. So development of the fuel pump played a most important part in making most automobiles more efficient and at lower cost. “If the motorist would compare the cost of various units on his car today with those of ten or fifteen years ago, he would be amazed. The instruments on the instrument board alone, would to-day make a most interesting comparison. Speedometers, many times more efficient to-day, are much lower in cost than years ago, so are ammeters, thermo gauges, oil gauges, petrol gauges. The total savings to car owners over a period of a few years that engineering science has made possible through development of these instruments, would be staggering. “There is no wonder that the value of the automobile to-day is about twice the value of the cost of a motor car in terms of 1914 purchasing power.”

auto fumes curbed. A device which, according to laboratory and’ road tests, insures virtual elimination of carbon monoxide, saves from 20 to 50 per cent, in gasoline consumption and permits the use of benzine, kerosene or fuel oil in any internal combustion engine—automobile, motor boat or airplane —has recently been perfected. Other advantages claimed for it are the elimination of carbon in cylinders and a definite increase in speed, power and acceleration. The device is known as the Jubasz Tri-Fuel carburettor. TYRE TREADS. An 'important judgment by Judge Heydon, in an English county court is of special interest to motorists, as it has a bearing upon the necessity of using motor tyres that have efficient treads. The case arose out of an accident in which a car skidded, causing a collision. The defence was that the skid was unavoidable, but the Judge held a definite opinion on the subject, and stated, that the defence must satisfy him that no blame attached to the driver of the skidding car. The pui-p° se of patterns on motoi’ tyres was to minimise or avoid skidding, which would be unavoidable with smooth tyres. As the defendant was driving on tyres that had worn smooth, which constituted a defect, the defence failed, and the plea that the accident was unavoidable was not accepted. This decision is an important and far reaching one, and points to the danger of motorists using worn-out tyres, that constitute a risk when driving on slippery roads. Tyres to-day give wonderful mileage before' they wear to a dangerous condition, and considering that they cost considerably less now than in pre-war days, there is no justification for taking undue risks in this connection.

RADIO IN GARAGES. Opening and closing the doors of the private garage by radio is the latest idea in automotive accessories. The operation is performed by a -specialised dash board radio set which transmits a signal that automatically opens the garage doors. The device is said to be simplicity itself —a pull on a knob on the instrument board of the car and the garage doors open, another pull and they close. A tiny sending set is installed in the car, the receiving set mounted within the garage, and a dooi- operating mechanism, also within the garage. It is also possible to code the signals sent by the transmitter! Thus a car carries its own key to its garage. The transmitter, which is installed in the car, consists of three main parts—-the timer, the spark coil unit, and the transmitting antenna. The timer which governs the sending of the impulses is encased in a small box and mounted under the instrument board by means of a clamp. The coil unit clamped to the main frame, furnishes the high frequency current necessary for broadcasting. To the observer there is only one part of the mechanism visible —that is the small knob which protrudes from beneath the instrument board, and this is the only part that the driver is concerned with in working the device. Power for the transmitter is drawn from the car battery, and since current is no greater than required for parking lights, consumption is said to be very small. The receiver unit is contained in a box about a foot square which is mounted on the wall inside the garage. Connected to it is the receiving antenna, which consists of a wire buried in the driveway. Radio impulses sent out from the car are thus transferred to the receiver. Upon receiving the correct series of impulses, the receiver closes a contact which starts the door-opener, a motor driven mechanism mounted above and behind the garage door. When the doors are closed they lock automatically and in case power is shut off, it is possible to operate the doors manually. The finishing touch to this interesting device is enjoyed at night. When the car lights are burning the signal from the car not only causes the doors to open but turns on the garage lights as well. The lights and doors can be operated independently of each other and the radio control.

RUBBER BUMPERS FOR SPEEDERS Munich, more than any other German city, is jammed with automobile traffic, because it is located so that a great deal of traffic between other populous cities passes through its rather congested business section. In an effort to keep this traffic flowing as smoothly as possible sturdy posts or iron and concrete were set up to mark the traffic lanes in several of the community’s squares and street intersections. Motorists were forever colliding with these formidable markers and so the municipal authorities decided to replace the solid posts with others made of rubber. These are painted white and made more noticeable by stripes near their tops. They look as hard as the iron and concrete pillars they replaced and motorists, of course, try to avoid hitting them but when a cai’ does crash into one of the> resilient posts, it gives and, unless another machine runs into the car, no harm is done to the automobile or its occupants. Since the installation of the rubber posts the number of casualties within the limits of Munich has been greatly reduced. The posts, which are about four feet high and ten inches in diameter, are set firmly in low, square concrete bases. They are but little more expensive than concrete and iron posts and, under ordinary conditions, will last for many years. Several other European cities, profiting by the experience of Munich, are installing the rubber traffic guides to protect careless and reckless motorists.