CARE OF THE CAR

Hawera Star, Volume L, 25 October 1930, Page 13

CARE OF THE CAR

POINTS TO WATCH. There is a simple cure available for the glass fronts of facia-hoard instruments which vibrate in their bezels. A little clear cellulose lacquer applied with a brush to the glass rims terms a handy transparent cement which makes a lasting joint between the metal and the glass. The lacquer never dries to brittle hardness, and this ensures that there is a slight amount of resilience in the joint. Those who have used glue and even fine putty for securing the glasses, of clocks, speedometers, oil gauges and so on, may have found that when the cementing material dries it tends to crack, and

the glass again becomes loose. Tbit is not experiences with the cellulose lacquer. The fact that it is transparent is also an advantage. Where expense is a consideration it is often necessary for the owner-driver to put tip with a somewhat cheap type of sectional garage. These are generally built of weather-hoarding, and on a. wet day the rain drives through the overlaps of the boards on the exposed

side and runs down the wall. As a | result moisture condenses on tools and on the exposed metal parts of the car. This state of affairs can very easily s ’ and cheaply be prevented by buying a roll of ordinary roofing felt for a few shillings and lining the wall which gets the most rain and wind. The felt should be tacked to the uprights in such a way that a 2in. air space is left between it and the boards, otherwise there will be little ventilation and rot inav set in. This improvement is also very valuable on cold winter nights, for it keeps out many of those draughts which result sometimes in cracked water jackets. Grease nipples have a habit of stopping up occasionally, and no matter how much pressure may be exerted by the gun the stoppage cannot be cleared. In these circumstances the proper course to adopt is to unscrew the i nipple and to hold it for a few moments. by means of a pair of pliers,

’ in a smokeless flame, such as that produced by a gas ring. So soon as the nipple becomes well heated the pocket of grease within it will melt and shoot out, carrying with it any other foreign matter which may have collected in the nipple. When cool the nipple can be swilled out with paraffin and replaced. It is sometimes possible to free choked oil holes in shacklepins and similar parts by unscrewing the nipple and passing a red-hot steel wire down the hole, as in almost every case the stoppage is caused by an accumulation of hard grease. Bonnets which are apt to rattle by reason of their bottom edges hitting against the flange of the sill hoard, can be silenced very effectively by slitting up a piece of rubber tubing the length of the Ixmnet and then slipping it over the lower edge. If the tubing be fairly thick it will remain in posi- i tion quite satisfactorily by • its own ft’

, I “‘grip,’’ but it can be stuck if thought i desirable by the use of a little seceotine. There are various reasons why the water in the radiator becomes hot and boils. Foremost is the condition of the hose connections. If the rubber tubing is not new it becomes soft and the inside layer loosens and partly stops the circulation. A loose fan belt will cause , a reduction of the air circulating around the' cells of the radiator. When using hydraulic brakes make inspection at intervals to ensure the > proper amount of pressure. The motorist should not attempt adjustments of the carburettor unless he is certain of his ability. Many times the carburettor is adjusted when something else is at fault. The thin oil film between moving parts is really what protects the automobile engine against wear. This oil film is six times thinner than the page of a newspaper. It is kept clean by the oil filter—the device through which the oil passes and is filtered. After 10,000 miles of driving it is important to service the oil filter, because after this mileage it becomes filled with as much as two pints of dirt, sludge and other foreign matter taken from the oil. and ceases to function at highest efficiency in keeping the oil film clean. It is just as important to carry a kit of spare bulbs for headlights and tail lights as it is to have the car equipped with ispare tyres. "Oneeyed” cars are dangerous obstacles on the highway. Electric bulbs do not live for ever. Constructed with an average life of 100 hours’ continuous burn ink, headlight bulbs should last the average driver almost, a year. Comparatively few drivers do more than 100 hours of night driving in a year. However, a great many drivers seem to expect the life of a bulb to be equal to the life of' a car.