Motors and Motoring

Horowhenua Chronicle, 16 October 1934, Page 2

Motors and Motoring

(By Backfire)

A MOTOR-MINDED GOVERNMENT. Tlio la ml in which the Government takes a (persona] interest in making motoring comfortable —that is how Germany is described in a booklet just issued by the German Railways Information Bureau. (Certainly it would appear that there are very definite grounds for this claim.

The roads are excellent, the booklet states, smoothly paved, often shaded

bv beautiful fall trees. Directions are shown on large signposts; curves arc indicated iby white stones or posts.

n even the smallest towns there is a

filling station. Parking places are clearly marked, and should a visitor unwittingly violate the traffic laws, policemen 'are forbearing. HITLER ’8 INTEREST.

The booklet points out that Germany is fortunate in having a Government which is so automobile-minded

and mentions the fact that Adolf Hitler, himself an enthusiastic motorist, personally 'gave the order for a special

network of motor roads to be built. (Other sections of the booklet deal with various interesting things which are to be seen in Germany —historical castles, quaint old towns, beautiful churches and cathedrals, and so on. What a. contrast is all this to the attitude of the average Government towards motoring!

FREE AIR. ■ The motorist had run into a man with his car, hut had not injured him much. Motorist: “Here’s five shillings. Arc you satisfied?” Victim: “Quite. But (tell me, when will you be this way again?” * * * * Two convivial fishermen rowed energetically towards the far shore of ‘the lake. “Are the (whisky and cigars aboard?” asked the one. “Yes,” replied the other. '“The lunch?” “You belt.” “The hooks and lines?” (Search revealed that the tackle had been left (behind.

“Well,” said the first speaker, after due reflection, “we’ll just have to get along as best we can.”

Policeman: “Madam, didn’t you see (me hold up my hand?” Lady Driver: “I did not.”

Policeman: “Didn't you hear mo blow ,my whistle? " Ladv Driver: “I didn't."

Policeman; “Well, I guess I might as well go home. I don't seem to be doing much go'od here."

Wife: “I can read you like a book, John."

Husband: “Why don’t you, then? You 'Skip what you don’it like in a book, and linger over it in me.”

Women are like cars in one respect: the paint job may not be important in the long run, but it certainly influences the sale.

She: '“ls there any difference between a fort and a fortress?" Her Husband: “Well, I should think that a fortress would be harder to silence."

(Nevertheless, a lot of people still think that “roughing it" means riding with the windows open.

You might define an orator as a man who uses twelve-cylinder words to propel a four-cylinder idea.

“So, you got £IOOO froan the man who ran over you with his car. What have you done with the money?" “Bought myself a car." FAN BELTS.

If at any time it, is : necessary to cut a leather belt, as, for instance, to make a strap serve as a replacement for a fan Ibel't, when one of the righit size is not obtainable, the following method 'will assist in obtaining a'straight edge, which is normally difficult. 'Get a board about two feet long, and into this drive la row of nails in a straight line, so that 'about one inch of each remains .projecting. Then mark with a -pencil the distance required from the hails for the width of the belt, and on 'this line drive in a pen knife with the -blade (parallel to the nails. Place the leather strap against the nails and start the knife blade 'info the leather; when -sufficient is projecting beyond the knife .it will (be found that by pullinlg it 'the strap can be cut neatly.

A TIP TO CENTENARY VISITORS. Watch out for coughs and colds on the boat and when in Melbourne. Better take a supply of 'Baxter’sLung Preserver with you. Even on the other side of the Tasman there is no remedy so quick, so safe and so sure. Take “Baxter’s” and “Baxter’s” will take care of you. In big 4/6 bottles or in handy '2/6 and 1/6 sizes at any chemist or store. Insist on “Baxter’s.”*

Sparking Plugs.— Because your engine starts up first tiuno every day, and seems to pull ail right, do not leave your sparking plugs unoxainined from one month’s end to the other. They should be taken out from time to time and all the hard carbon scraped from 'them, and cleaned finally with .a stiff toothbrush dipped in petrol. 'The advice of the sparking plug manufacturers to renew the plugs every I*o,ooo miles should not be regarded as just sales talk; it is sound advice, for more miles to the gallon, better and smoother running, and improved general performance, will be the result in many cases if now plugs are fitted.

Flywheel ,out of Truth. Few drivers realise that a flywheel a little out Of truth may materially affect the power of an engine; to a steam-tractor, or waggon engine it may make a difference of as much as one horse power. If, therefore, the flywheel appears to wobble in the slightest when the engine is running, see whether the wheel is loose op its sealing, whether u (bit of grit has got on to the seating and is preventing the wheel from bedding properly on the shaft, or whether the shaft itself is bent. See to. it as soon as possible. A loose flyjwheel especially may lb ring dis- ’ a®trows results in its train.

Soldering Tip. When soldering 1 a nipple to a control cable a much neater job will result if the following method is employed. Having inserted the finned end of the cable through the nipple, bind the latter in place with a small strip of insulating 'tape. Hold the nipple and ealWe vertical and heat 'the nipple with the iron. Then allow the molten solder to run over and into it. The tape will prevent the solder from running down the nipple and compel it to form, when hardened, a neat but strongly-fixed collar, A Tail-light Telltale. . It is quite an easy matter for the owner of a machine fitted with an instrument panel to arrange a telltale which will warn him if his rear light goes out of action. The (bulb's in the instrument panel and tail-lamp should be replaced with those of 3-volt 2-watt type. The frame connction on ithe tail-lamp should be removed, and a lead eiarried from the body of the rear lamp to the centre pin connection on the instrument and panel light. The current will then pass from the lamp switch through the taillight and panel light, and should the bulb in the rear light 'break, the panel light will not be illuminated.

Fan Breakage. A Cause of fan 'breakage is, the running of the fan when considerably out of balance, which results in setting up Stresses that the sheet metal often will not withstand. If a fan does not turn true it should be miade to do so by Ibending hack into position the blade that has been bent, or bringing the circumferential wire or band into shape If it has been distorted Good Ground Connection. Do not Iforgeit that the ground connection of a battery ignition circuit should have a dependable cpnnection to the metal parts of the car. If the connection is at all loose or is made by fastening the wire under a nut or bolt head the metal parts should be well 'cleaned and m'ade bright before being tightened, and the end of the ground wire should have a terminal of brass soldered to the wire. New Connecting Rod Bolts. Whenever connecting rod bearings are taken up, new bolts shrPuld always be fitted. 'These 'are subject to great strain, particularly when' they become loose'. ' iSuccessive -- •tightenings - also have the effect- of weakening' them. They are worth only a few shillings, but the. failure of one could easily cause a very considerable expense in ■repairs. The same principle applies to gudgeon (or- wrist) pin locking screws or locking rings.

Wires to Terminals. Although it would !be hard to find any 'Simfpler loperation than that of gripping the end of a wire in a terminal, there are nevertheless wrong and right ways of doing so. Where an eyelelt is not fitted on the end, all the strands of the wire should be twisted together and a loop made. This, should be placed under the :terminal screw iw'ith the end of the wire to the right o«f the screw. In this Way, when the screw is tightened, the loop twill be firmly drawn under the head, and an excellent contact made. If the end be placed on the left, turning the terminal screw will merely tend to push off the wire.

Inspect Cooling System, The motorist might ■well consider having the radiator drained and flushed, the hose connections replaced, and the ‘Water pump inspected for wear and poor adjustment. If , the

ear has gone a couple of years without a cooling system general inspection, it niay be well worth while to have one. Draining Engine Oil. Draining the crankcase should be done after the engine has been running for a while, and not when the engine is cold. Unless this rule is observed, fhe fresh oil will be given an unnecessary dose of dilution in cranking up ‘the eold engine, which, in (turn, will ibe sitiffer by reason of the now oil. A considerable amount of sludge m'ay also remain. Causes of Boiling. Faulty caflburetion Is a prolific cause of over-heating. If the mixture is either foo strong or too weak undue heating will occur. It seems peculiar to talk about a weak mixture causing overheating, but it is nevertheless the case that if does. Nothing but a theoretically perfect mixture will give absolutely perfect combustion. That is a thing we never get in practice, but Ithere is a range over which we do get practical results. Keep Controls Well Oiled. It is important when going over the engine to see that the controls to the 'throttle are well lubricate 1. A sticking throttle due to stiff .joints in the controls may have serious consequences, especially if fhe throttle should stick in the full-open position. Keep them well oiled and take up any play that may Wave developed, when necessary. Spare Hyre Hint. When carrying a spare tyre in addition to that normally carried on. the spare wheel, as on ia long tour, it is a good plan to arrange that this tyre should not be an absolutely new one. As anybody who has ever Wad much to do with the fitting of new tyres knows only too well the fitting of a brand new tyre is, as a rule, a far more difficult job than the fitting of one which has run a few hundred miles. The presumption is that the | additional, spare tyre may have to be fitted under the most difficult condition, probably by the side of the road. It is therefore as well to fit this (brand new cover in the com--1 fort of the garage with all usual fiaci--1 Titles, and to carry as an additional 1 spare a cover that has been in use. 1 The fitting of the latter will be a. very much simpler and quicker business.

TRAFFIC LIGHTS, SUCCESSFUL SYSTEMS IN ENGLAND, That three-quarters of Britain’s.traffic sign'd! installations will probably have to be scrapped 'before the whole country can have vehicle-actuated signals in place of the older “fixed cycle” signals is revealed in an analysis which the English Automobile Association have compiled. Surrey is the m'ost up*-to-date county in this respect, since 97 per cent, of its traffic signals are vehicle-actuated: Middlesex has 83‘ per cent., Hertfordshire 66 per cent., Sussex 60 per cent., London Boroughs 4 per cent., and Kent 52 per cent. Liverpool and the North Wales area makes the ibest showing in the rest of the country with 47 per cent. In a large area in the Midlands the proportion is as low as 12 per cent. More traffic signals are being erected all the time, but mostly of the vehidcaotuated type. The installation off vehicle-actuated signals at the junction of the main road from Hastings and from Tunbridge Wells at Tonbridge has been postponed, and a “roundabout” is being tried as a temporary measure. The question of traffic signals, 'however, is still being considered.

It is interesting, in this connection, that miany complaints have been made regarding the system of 'traffic lights in Oxford Street, London, and the display of coloured signs which may be confused with them. The. system >f lights there in operation was ode of the first to be erected, and their type has now become more or less obsolete. Many are anxious that modern vehi-cle-actuated lights should Ibe installed, and the secretary "of the .A.A., Sir Stenson 'Cooke, has . remarked- 'that if hnd when the inevitable change in the Ox,ford Street system is made it is to be hoped the authorities will bear in mind the recommendations of the -departmental lObnmuttee on Traffic Signs, particularly in regard- to signals 'iaud Objects which might he confused with them. ; •