MOTOR NOTES COURTESY ON THE ROAD.

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 154, 2 July 1938, Page 13

MOTOR NOTES

COURTESY ON THE ROAD.

There are still many motorists who display a curious lack of appreciation of thoso finer points of car control mark the considerate driver. Their sins arc generally duo to thoughtlessness, but that does not mitigate the exasperation, nor lessen the danger they bring to other people. If they would only put themselves in tho other man’s place, and try to envisage the effect on him of their actions, the highways would be far more pleasant places on which to spend tho week-ends. A cardinal sin, easily the most frequent, is to stop a car on the blind aido of a comer, while the occupants admire the view. A motorist swinging round the bend on the same side can generally avoid the stationary vehicle if there is no other vehicle coming in the opposite direction. But if there is the width of the road determines whether the two cars can pass in the narrowed gap left oy the stationary car. Generally, on a cross-country road, there is not sufficient room, and the stage is set for an accident, which may ha\e appalling results if there is a drop on the outside of the road.

An excellent custom not always recognised is for a descending motorist on a narrow hill to give way to the man coming up if the conditions are such that one has to pull over to make room, l’robably this custom originated in the days of horse traffic, but an engino pulling hard dislikes a pause in its momentum almost as much as a struggling horse, so it is up to the man coming down to stop.

Finally, whether on a country road which is thought to be deserted or not, never fail to give tho customary hand signal if a sudden stop is to bo made, bocausc very frequently a fast and silent car may be coming up behind.

About the most common cause of engine overheating is tho collection of rust, scale, and sediment in the radiator and water jackets of the cylinder block, so restricting *the flow of the water through the radiator core that it cannot be efficiently cooled by the passage of air through the interstices of the honeycomb.

The trouble is as old as motor cars themselves, and it has always been recognised that the whole cooling system should occasionally be flushed thoroughly, to remove as much of th' sediment as possible. In the older types of car, the time-honoured method of running a solution of warm water and trashing soda through, the block was reasonably satisfactory, but engineers have found that the newer, high efficiency models, which have very fine passages in the radiator to expose as much of the water as possible to the cooling air stream, require more thorough treatment. An entirely new method of flushing radiators ha 3 been devised, and is gradually being adopted in Australian service stations.

In the condemnation of dangerous driving the fast driver usually comes in for the greatest amount of criticism. Tho fast driver is regarded always, particularly by the slow driver, as a menace on the road, and while no attempt is made to contradict that high speeds in certain circumstances are exceedingly dangerous, the slow driver himself is ofteu the cause of accidents.

There is a tendency on the part of •low drivers to consider that becauso of the slow speed there is no danger, but it is not an uncommon practice to see a slow driver cutting corners, and if another car approaches from the opposite direction the slow driver is very often unable to accelerate quickly enough to recover his correct position on the road.

Again, the slow driver will often rely on his horn to a greater extent than a fast driver, and when braking will fail to give the correct signal, as he feels because of the slow' speed there is little danger to traffic in the rear.

Generally speaking, slow speed is not the only factor of safety. There are all the other road courtesies and regulations to observe, and the slow driver should remember that failure to observe them may be the cause of accident.

When misfiring and chronically uxliNcn running cannot bo cured by all > rdinary adjustments to the ignition ystem, it is worth remembering that

earth return from a distributor head is through the shaft, upon which it pivots through a small arc to provide advance and retard of tho spark timing. Sometimes an excess of oil on this j shaft or a certain amount of looseness will prevent a good contact betweeu the shaft and the sockets into which it fits. |This naturally will cause uneven running, and in very bad cases may make the engine very difficult to start. | If a wire is taken from a Suitable screw on the distributor head to tho .body of the engine, a good earth return quite independent of tho shaft jwill be provided, and should effect a 'permanent cure of this elusive trouble.

FILES ARE DANGEROUS. Zann Treatment gives quick, permanent relief. Send ninepencc stamps for generous trial treatment Zann Fly-; Box 9525, Wellington.