WINTER MOTORING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 147, 7 June 1932, Page 5

WINTER MOTORING

FUMES AND WABMTH. Now that the winter season is here the motorist who values warmth and comfort will take steps to see that the bodywork of his car is put into good order, to the exclusion of draughts and engine fumes. During the summer, when most people motor with one or more of the car’s windows fully open, the presence of fumes may not be noticed, but, in many cases, it will be found that, unless ventilation is increased to an unpleasant degree in cold weather, driver and passengers will suffer from drowsiness and headaches. There have been cases in which drivers have collapsed at the wheel because of the insidious effects of engine fumes; but, although in this climate such a risk may be remote, it is desirable to inspect both the engine and the booywork to see that all is in order. The front floor boards should be so arranged that there will be no circulation of air through the cracks and pedal lever openings into the body of the car. This is easily achieved by tacking strips of felt to the underside of the joints and close up against the pedal controls. The exhaust manifold and exhaust pipe joints should be inspected to ascertain if there is any leakage or blow-by. This will generally be indicated by discolouration near the joint through which the hot fumes are leaking. All sueh escapes must be stopped. But the complete sealing of all joints in the exhaust system may not eliminate the fume nuisance, for, if the piston rings are worn, there may be a blowpast of gas into the crankcase, with the result that the breather cap also becomes a danger spot. Where other remedies have failed, it has been found possible to overcome this by sealing the ordinary apertures of the breather and running a short length of piping from the cap to a point underneath the car, but, in ordinary circumstances, this should not be necessary.