THE MOTORIST

Northern Advocate, 10 November 1934, Page 7

THE MOTORIST

I RUNNING-IN. OVER-CARE HARMFUL. RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS. New engines, like young children, can be just as badly harmed by oversolicitous care as by thoughtless handling. This is one of the most important deductions that can be made from the latest research results —researches which have materially altered ideas as to the best way of carrying out the running-in process. The engine of a new car turns stiffly for two reasons; firstly, the bearings and pistons are fitted tightly, with minimum clearances, and, secondly, the working surfaces, however carefully machined, are actually marred by microscopic irregularities. In the course of running-in these surfaces are burnished until smooth, and as a result, the clearances increase; both these changes tend towards a reduction of friction. Burnishing produces heat and yet, if the surfaces are to be smoothed with reasonable rapidity, a certain amount of pi'essure is essential. Consequently, the first and most important requirement is an adequate supply of lubricant which will reduce friction and carry away the heat genei'ated. Not only must the ownerdriver maintain the proper level in the sump, but in addition it is essential that he should use a reasonably light oil of the right grade. Cold Starting. Particular care is necessary when starting a stiff engine from cold, because the oil is then thick and sluggish. It has to flow from- the pump thx’ough a filter, a number of tiny passages and a series of tight bearings, before it is thrown into the cylinders by the rotating crank shaft; consequently vei’y little oil reaches the bores and pistons during the first couple of minutes. This is where the over-cautious owner is apt to make his first mistake; he sets the engine at much too low an idling speed when allowing it to warm up. In so doing he extends the time required .and reduces the quantity of oil thrown into the bores. The proper speed is from 1000 to 1200 r.p.m., which can be roughly judged from the fact that it is about the rate at which the engine revolves when pulling the car at 20 m.p.h. oxx top. Too low a working temperature does an engine far more harm than running too hot. The products of combustion condense on the cold walls of the cylinders and set up a corrosive action which has been shown to be one of the most likely causes of undue wear. Thermostat devices are of great assistance in this connection, a good alternative being the radiator muff. Bursts of Speed. The golden rule for running-in a new car oxx the road is to avoid' sustained periods of hax*d work, which will raise the oil temperature to an unsafe figux’e. Provided that this is remembered, short bursts of speed, at intervals, will be found advantageous. Otherwise, general running can be done with an engine speed not greater than 2000 x’.p.m., representing about 33 m.p.h. on top and 21 m.p.h. on the third gear. On the other hand, while over-rev-ving is harrnful, the engine should not be allowed to labour at full throttle; it is, therefore, better to change down on a stiff hill than to hang on to top gear, always pi’ovided that an excessive speed is not mairitained. After 500 miles have been covered it must not be assumed that the engine has suddenly become transformed into a free-i’unning unit. Care is still required and the best method is to increase the load and speed bit by bit, with more frequent full-throttle periods, so that by the time 1000 miles is reached the car is being quite freely used. At this stage it is very important to have the filters cleaned, the sump thoroughly drained and to refill with freslx lubricant. The running-in process . results in the abrasion of a certain amount of metallic dust which mixes with the oil and is harmful to the bearings. The whole process is undoubtedly assisted by using one of the many special running-in compounds now available, which contain colloidal graphite in the form of tiny particles in suspension. The graphite forms a greasy film on the metal surfaces, safeguarding them from seizure and helping them to attain a smooth, longwearing “skin.” POLISH FOR LEATHER. A good polish for leather upholstery can be made quite cheaply by mixing equal parts of tui’pentine and wax candle ends. Heat the mixture until the wax melts, taking care that it does not catch fire. The solution should bo poured into a tin and left to set. It should be rubbed into the upholstery and then polished hard, making old leather look like new.

j CANADA’S NEW HIGHWAY. j 4000-MILE STRETCH. ! WORLD’S GREATEST MOTOR HIGHWAY. A 4000-mile stretch of perfect road, said to be the greatest motoring highway in the world, is now nearing completion In Canada. First urged by the Canadian Automobile Association a few years ago, which body foresaw the advantages of a trans-Canadian highway, not only for the Dominion’s domestic needs, but also as an attraction to tourists, the, work of construction \yas eventually undertaken by the Government, and the road is now a reality,- running the entire breadth of Canada from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific (4000 miles). This vast highway, which has kept thousands of men in employment for years, will offer to all who patronise it an unrivalled variety of scenery under ideal travelling conditions. Great rivers will be crossed, vast stretches of open, prairie where the gradient of the road hardly var.ies will be traversed, and in the final stages of the journey from east to west across the continent motorists will pass through some of the grandest mountain scenery in the world. The road runs from Halifax, in Nova Scotia, to Vancouver. As tourists constitute one of Canada’s important sources of revenue, the Dominion has been very diligent in the development of her highways. Her surfaced roads total about 100,000 miles, while unsurfaced roads aggregate some 400,000 miles. These figures include roads outside cities, towns and villages. The expenditure in Canada on road construction and on bridges and ferries connecting roads amounts to approximately £13,000,000 a year, while maintenance accounts for another £4,000,000. Canada has now an average of one motor vehicle to every 9.4 persons, MAKE USE OF THE GEARS. RIGHT KIND OF DRIVING. Of all the unnecessary errors made by owner-drivers, none is quite so expensive as “hanging on to top” at low speeds; it wastes time and fuel, plays havoc with the transmission of the car, and the nerves of the driver, and may lead to a very awkward contretemps if nothing more serious. You have a gearbox—why not use it, particularly if it is one of the new forms which make gear changing easy. Why do so many people suffer from shyness? In almost every case they have been taught wrongly. An English teacher of driving declares that when starting pupils out he does not tell them' about top gear. He simply teaches first to second, then to third; into neutral and coast along to, a stop; once more first, second, third —then into neutral and coast once more. They leai’n the gears and in four half-hour lessons, he says, any of> them can engage any gear from neutral, irrespective of road or engine speed, without crunch or crash. It is all a matter of practice. Only when his pupils have learnt the gears is anything said about direct drive. The purpose of the gear lever is to give a lively response from the engine. That means power, and power implies the ability to accelerate. Even on a hill there should be something to spare; if there is not, drop to a lower—livelier—gear.

From an analysis of verdicts of coroners’ inquests in England made by the ‘National Safety First Association, it would appear that motorists are actually responsible for only a very small proportion of the fatalities which occur on the roads. During the period under survey a verdict of accidental death was recorded in 1033 cases and of misadventure in 154 cases. On only four occasions was a verdict of manslaughter returned. In no fewer than 540 of these cases the driver was specifically exonerated from all blame. Road improvement and better lighting were suggested in 61 cases, and in 51 cases drivers were censured.