JOTTINGS

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12116, 18 April 1925, Page 14

JOTTINGS

From Prague, Ozecho-Slovakia, comes news of the introduction of a now motor-ifuol known as Dynako], which ia stated to consist of a mixture of alcohol and benzole with an addition of 5 per cent, ether, and I per cent, of naphtholene or tetraline. At a staff dinner of the London General Omnibus Company at the Hotel Cecil Lord Ashfield, the chairman of the company, raid that their omnibuses ran 153,000,000 miles in a year, equal to 19,000 journeys round the world.

Motorists complain of the state of the main road between Moumahaki and AVestmere. At one time it had a fine Burface, hut owing to the heavy motor traffio it is being cut up badly and will become a menace to traffic in the winter unless the Highways Board give it immediate attention.

Pre-ignition is sometimes caused by overheated spark plug. The plug becomes overheated when they project too far into the combustion chamber. Pro-' per length plugs should be used for each type pf engine. The racing of the engine when cold, with the mistaken idea of "warming her up a bit,” is an evil habit. The nil being in a thicker state when cold than when warm, will not flow quickly enough to supply adequate lubrication for the overworked bearings, with resultant friction and wear;

An excuse is a poor relief in an automobile accident. An excuse does not mend an injured limb, bring the dead back to life, or repair property damage. An excuse does not ease the conscience of the driver of an automobile’ which figures in an accident, no matter how plausible the excuso may be. The public wants safety—not excuses. Drivers "’ho race their engines at the kerb for minutes at a time are public nuisances, and are ruining theii engines as well. Most of the generator and starter-brush trouble is caused by too much oil. It leaves a film on th» commutator and insulates the brushes from the commutator and also causes arcing. One or two drops at each oiling is sufficient.

1 Petrol mileage depends largely upon proper carburettor adjustment. ' Have the carburettor carefully adjusted by an experienced mechanic. It is also ’well to check over connections between the carburettor and intake manifold opening and the cylinder block to see If there are leaks. A small petrol lead around th© or somewhere along the line whicli carries the fuel from the main supply tank to the carburettor may cause trouble. I Sparks often result from striking toiaether two pieces of metal. It is best to use kerosene instead of gasoline when cleaning oil and grease from petal parts.

AVhen any part gets rusty put kerosfne on it, but be sure to wipe it off Utter it has stood a while. Kerosene is useful in removing rust, but it will q'so cause rust.

Never drive a car with a slipping clutch. It will cause high temperatures. make gears hard to shift, and tpay draw temper fiom springs, buckle the plates, and destroy the linings. Over-heating of the motor may be caused by lack of water, lack of oil, I,ao rich a mixture, retarded spark, a pose or broken fan belt, dragging brakes, faulty water pump, or a clogged radiator hose.

Fires have been known to catch by opening the muffler “cut out” in starting up. This danger is greater inside the garage than out of doors, since there is usually more or less spilled grease and petrol on the garage floor. If a tyre blows out while the cai is in motion, do not jam on the brakes. Out off the power and let the car coast to a stop. Jamming on the brakes might cause a bad skid, and will be fatal to the blown-out tyre if the wheel on which it is placed is locued.

The easiest and best way to clean a windshield is to wipe it off with a chamois and rub dry with a clean cloth. A little kerosene in the water will help if the glass is dirty. This Method of cleaning glass is to be recommended for closed cars, as it does not scratch. At 6000 revolutions a minute, the engine speed of a motor-cycle engine, in recant Brooklands speed records, the piston started and stopped 200 times every secoirl. Each of the valves opened and closed 3000 timeß a minute, or over 40 times a second. The piston must have gape up and down in l-6000tlis part of a minute, and the exhaust and intake periods would be about the same; still the engine ran as quietly as a sewing-machine, and never missed a tap. Such is the efficiency of the modern motor-cycle sngine.