MOTORING WORLD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 110, 10 April 1937, Page 7

MOTORING WORLD

NOTES It is estimated that 150 man-hours a day are lost by members of the London Metropolitan police in attending Courts to give evidence in motoring cases. At a lecturo in London, Mr H. Alker Tripp, Assistant Commissioner, London iYJjeti>opcilit’>an Police, distributed the blame for accidents among road users as follows:- —Motor drivers, 33 per cent.; pedestrians, 35 per cent. ; pedal cyclists, 20 per cent. ; miscellaneous, 12 per cent. It is a commonplace, when tightening up various bolts about a car chassis, work which every wise motorist performs occasionally, to come across a nut whose split pin is so tightly in place that it cannot be removed by ordinary means, while twisting it about with pliers only makes matters worse. An excellent scheme for dealing with a recalcitrant pin ol this sort is to pass through its looped end) an ordinnary nail. Then a sturdy, screw wrench, with its jaws set apart i so that they will clear the nut, is placed with its jaws against the two ends of the nail. A smart blow with | a hammer should drive the split pin out of its hole. According to a Continental paper, German and Italian engineers are discussing plans for a £20,000,000 highspeed motor road linking Berlin and Rome.

REMOVING SPARKING PLUGS. It is not generally realised that careless use of the plug spanner may damage a sparking plug. The spanner should always be placed squarely on the plug, and should be kept so while it is being turned. If the spanner is forced to one side or the other, through carelessness or in an endeavour to avoid some obstruction, it can set up a heavy, side thrust which will crack the insulator, particularly if this is of the porcelain type. A slight crack caused in this way might not be noticed at first, but would gradually spread until persistent mishring resulted.

Care is particularly necessary when using two spanners to dismantle plugs for cleaning. Accurately fitting spanners can be used in this way, but the operation is safer and easier if the plug is mounted in a vice.

IGNITION CONTROL. Years ago, every car was fitted with a manual control tor advancing and retarding the ignition, but few owners knew how to use it to advantage, and there were instances of cars being harmed by failure to pull the lever to “retard” on a heavy pull. Automatic mechanism controlling the spark position was developed, and is now fitted to every production model. Its operation. however, is arbitrary, and a driver who really knows his car soon discovers that he could improve performance if advance and retard were under his control.

The fitting of a manual control is quite an easy matter, well within the scope of a capable mechanic, and there is no reason why a keen driver should not have this work carried out. A motorist must be prepared to use it intelligently, however, otherwise it is better to leave the automatic mechanism undisturbed.

STEEL SHORTAGE. Cabled reports from England state that the scarcity of steel caused by rearmament needs has not affected the motor industry as severely as was thought. At least one large organisation, Morris Industries Exports, Ltd., has sufficient supplies on hand to meet all orders, even in the boom which the motor industry is now experiencing. WHEEL ALIGNMENT. One of the most important requirements is correct alignment of the front wheels. With the higher operating speeds that are common to-day, it is all too easy to inadvertently drop heavily into a pothole on a country road before there is time to slacken the speed in order to soften the blow. After a few shocks of this sort have been taken by the front wheels, it is more than likely' that the “steering geometry” has been badly' upset. For this reason, a motorist should make a practice of taking his car to a service station which has the proper equipment for the purpose, and have the wheel alignment checked every few thousand miles. Running for any length of time with the front wheels faulty will prove expensive, and the tyres will wear out with startling rapidity.

REDUCING CYLINDER WEAR. If an English invention which lias already been tested successfully can be put into economic production the reboring' of cylinders will seldom be mentioned. After years of research the inventor and his backers spent £511,000 on testing a cylinder block with chromium-dressed walls. Three blocks were used in the test, one of cast-iron, one of hardened cast-iron, and the third of hardened cast-iron with chromum walls. After running 150,000 miles, the second block of cylinders was badly in need of a rebore, but it required microscopic examination to find very slight wear after running 300,000 miles.

BRAKE ADJUSTMENT. Whenever the .brake pedal goes very close to the floor boards as the brakes arc applied, steps should be taken immediately to have the brakes readjusted, as complete failure due to natural wear without adjustment generally comes with appalling suddenness, and at a time when the brakes are needed badly. It should also be remembered that brake failure is likely to occur when the pedal goes very far down if .the car is driven in the wet. Water gets on the linings, and not sufficient pedal travel is left to enable the exertion of the extra force necessary to squeeze the water out. When brake failure occurs, due to lack of adjustment in cars fitted with hydraulic brakes, a car can often be driven safely to a service station by jabbing at the pedal twice when the brakes are needed. This pumps extra liquid into the pipe lines and restores the effectiveness of the brakes. The driver, however, will have to think ahead very carefully, as this method is of little use in an emergency. The element of time comes into the 'matter, and it is hardly likely that the space available will be sufficient to allow the pedal to be moved twice before a collision has occurred.