Motordom

Southland Times, Issue 22008, 6 May 1933, Page 13

Motordom

News and Notes.

OF GENERAL INTEREST

ON THE ROAD AND ON THE WING. THE LATEST HAPPENINGS. Courtesy To Others. Selfishness is often apparent in slowmoving vehicles holding to the middle of the road and blocking overtaking traffic. This offence is accentuated when the driver of the slower-moving car deliberately accelerates when overtaken, thus forcing the overtaking car to fall back. This practice is by no means clever. It is ungentlemanly, selfish, and moreover, it is a breach of the motor regulations, says the official organ of the Auckland Automobile Association. 'On the horn being sounded by an car, it is the duty of the driver of the overtaken vehicle to pull over as near as is practicable to the left-hand side of the road to permit the other car through. Speed must not be increased. This is a little point that motorists should watch, and which would save the other fellow a lot of worry and make motoring much more pleasurable. First Diesel Truck. The first Diesel-engined commercial road vehicle to be put into service in New Zealand is owned by Mr W. V. Mockett, of Mockett’s Motors, Culverden, and he thus becomes the pioneer of this new form of transport in the Dominion. His example is being followed by at least one other truck proprietor, and it is anticipated that the use of these crude-oil burning engines will become popular. For Mr Mockett’s use a five-ton truck has been converted. The engine is of four cylinders, develops thirty-eight brake horse-power at 1000 revolutions, and has a speed of seventeen miles an hour. The milage a gallon on crude oil is 100 per cent, greater than on petrol, a considerable saving with crude oil costing 51d a gallon, against, say 2/3 for petrol. It has compression ignition; there is no carburetter, magneto, spark plugs, or vacuum pump. It starts without heating. There is a fuel supply of forty gallons, giving a cruising radius of over 400 miles. A Sound Amplifier. In a recent batch of new regulations covering motor transport in France is one which makes it compulsory for every vehicle weighing over three tons to have a sound amplifying apparatus fitted so that the driver will hear warning signals however much noise his vehicle may be making. Motorists often blame the drivers of heavy vehicles for hugging the crown of the road despite all the “honking” behind them. The regulation has the support of fair-mind-ed people, as they realize that it is not sheer “cussedness” on the part of the lorry drivers that makes them unresponsive but merely the fact that they cannot hear for the noise they are creating, nor can they be blamed for taking the crown of the road where the sides are not good. The carrying of a rear-view mirror does not meet the whole case of the heavy car driver, though it has its uses. It is hardly likely, however, that lorry operators will take kindly to the fitting of sound amplifiers. The first cost will be bad enough, but what of the cost of upkeep. One Can hardly expect the life of the valve or valves to be a very long one under the constant heavy vibrations and shocks they must receive, and it will not be surprising if the regulation goes the way of many another, theoretically a good idea but impossible in practice. Stoplight Switch. A simple switch for operating a stoplight when the brake pedal is depressed can easily be made and fitted to cars having earth-return electrical systems. Obtain a strip of springy brass and bend it at right angles near one end. The short leg is then drilled so that the strip can be screwed to the underside of the floorboards near the pedal arm. The long leg of the strip is bent in position so that the arm makes contact with it after the first inch or so of pedal movement. A wire leads from, the strip to one terminal of. the stoplight, the other terminal of which is connected to “battery positive”—assuming “battery negative” to be earthed. It will be clear that when the pedal arm makes contact with the strip the circuit to earth will be completed and the lamp will light. It is a good plan to set the contact strip so that light application of the brakes does not close the circuit, the warning signal being given only when the brakes are heavily applied. i Why Blame Speed? For some years past every thoughtful person has been appalled at the growing list of casualties on the road. The speed-haters, of course, have known all about it, and have never had the slightest doubt as to the cause—speed. Their remedy, since the days of the man on foot with the red flag, has been speed limits. Enlightened opinion has recently accepted the faftt that sneed per se is not the fundamental cause of road accidents, and to-day the speed limit as a means of ensuring traffic safety is discredited, observes the “Irish Motor News.” But not until now has the brilliant idea occurred to the official mind that the proper way to attack the problem is first of all to investigate the circumstances of road accidents individually so as to determine the main causes for the “toll of the road.” It does not require a great intellect to deduce that the best way to prevent an accident occuring is to discover, and, it possible, eliminate the cause. But the trouble in the past has been that the official mind was quite convinced ol the root cause of road accidents and refused to listen to reason. Aerial Forest Patrol. The Vacuum Oil Company has received advice that the ’planes of the Canadian Government Air Force are used in the summer months for fire patrol work in the large Government Forest Reserves. During the winter the aeroplanes are mounted on skis in place of wheels, and they are used to prevent illegal trapping of the fur bearing animals, which by law are allowed to roam unmolested in the forest lands. Most of this country is inaccessible during portion of the winter, excepting by aeroplane, but the Air Force have discovered that poachers have also used ’planes to carry out illegal trapping. Valve Life. It is well known that the valves of an engine, especially the exhausts, are very highly stressed. In high-compres-sion sports engines the exhaust valve heads may become red hot, and thus act as a definite limiting factor to performance. Normally, the only method of dissipating the heat is via . the valve seatings, and this, at very high speeds, is not always enough. Therefore, the need arises for cooling the exhaust

valves in some other manner. A method adopted successfully in aircraft practice is to use salt-cooled valves. The stems are drilled up to the heads and a special metallic salt placed in the hole. The lower end is then sealed. At high temperatures the salt vaporises and has the effect of withdrawing the heat from the head. Valves of this kind have been in use for some years, and there is now a possibility that they may be adopted by light car manufacturers, not so much for preventing incandescence as to increase the life of the valves, for, by maintaining them at a comparatively low temperature, scaling or pitting is avoided. It is interesting to note that large gas engines and certain forms of Diesel engine are provided with watercooled valves. Race Against Death. Another example of an aeroplane being used as an ambulance to transport a sick man is told in a story from Lourenco Marques in Africa. In answer to an urgent appeal for assistance received from Inhambane, 250 miles from Lourenco Marques, the local Aero Club, which was informed that the sufferers only chance of recovery was an operation, quickly got in touch with its honorary pilot and instructor, Mr Stanley Walters, of the Vacuum Oil Company, Lourenco Marques, and at dawn the following morning Mr Walters set off on his errand of mercy. He reached Inhambane at 9.30 a.m. and, taking the .patient aboard, made him as comfortable as possible and set off on the return journey; The aerodrome was reached at 3.1 a p.m. A motor ambulance was rushed to the side of the plane, and within 20 minutes of landing, the patient had been successfully operated upon at the General Hospital. Medical opinion stated that another 24 hours’ wait would have produced fatal results. This desperate race for life captured public imagination and was the chief topic for discussion in Lourenco Marques. Both the English and the Portuguese newspapers featured long, articles in which unstinted praise was accorded Mr Walters for the prominent part he played, and the Vacuum Oil Company for its ready assistance.

BETTER DRIVERS NEEDED

KNOWLEDGE OF RULES VITAL. INCOMPETENCE OF MOTORISTS. This article of Harold G. Hoffman, an American traffic expert makes interesting reading. “In the interest of the lives and comfort of the community, I ask the Legislature to pass a 1aw.... that no automobile shall be allowed in. this state that is geared to run at a higher speed than fifteen miles an hour.” The above is an excerpt from the first annual message of Governor Franklin Murphy to the New Jersey Legislature in 1903—thirty years ago—while recommending enactment of a law to license drivers and control what he termed “the increasing use of automobiles.”

Intervening years have witnessed many changes. Instead of a speed limit of fifteen miles an hour, considered excessive at the dawn of the twentieth century, motor vehicles are permitted, under certain conditions in New Jersey, to travel forty miles an hour, while m some estates and in certain countries there is no limit to the speed at which a motor-propelled vehicle can be operated.

The old horse and buggy have been replaced by the beautiful, luxuriouslyequipped and speedy motor cars of today. The automotive engineer has given us four-wheel brakes, better compression, more sensitive steering apparatus. The country lanes of 1903, the deeply rutted roads, alternately muddy and dusty, have developed under the magic of the highway engineer into great broad and durable highways, with embanked curves, guard rails, warning signs and multiple traffic lanes designed to carry the thousands upon thousands of commercial and pleasure vehicles contributing vitally to the economic and social life of our times. Yet is it not true that by reason of selfishness, recklessness and incompetence of many users of these fine cars and roads we are permitting our magnificent highways to be turned into shambles? We go on building better highways, and it is well that we should do so. Is it not important, at the .same time, to develop some way of building a better race of drivers—drivers who will use horse sense—drivers who will be less selfish—good drivers—fair, alert and cautious?

What is a good automobile driver? To define what constitutes a good automobile driver is not an easy task. Many definitions have been formulated to sketch the qualificiations of the really capable motorist, and, whether one attains any great precision in such a definition, there are certain characteristics that are unmistakable.

Every driver is inclined to think of himself as a “good driver,” despite the virtually complete absence of any specific, well recognized yardstick by which he may measure his degree of skill.

The motor vehicle regulations are the rules of the game of driving. Obviously, one can no more play that game well without a knowledge of the fundamental rules than he could play sound golf, tennis, baseball, bridge or any other competitive game under similar circumstances.

One could go on in a discussion of a good driver and point out that no one laying claim to real merit as a motor vehicle operator would fail to give proper signals, to stay where he belongs on the road>to give the right of way to the pedestrian or the motorist to whom it belongs, to keep his car in sound mechanical condition, to adjust his speed always to conditions and a host of other things.

All of these, however, are specified in the rules of motor vehicle operation. That is why I believe that a sound definition of a good driver is contained in the statement that he is one who knows and obeys the rules of the game of driving.

BACKLASH PROBLEMS OF STEERING. WEAR AT VITAL POINTS. A casual glance over the steering gear of a car shows that it is rather a simple device, but, as everyone knows, it must be kept right up to concert pitch if anything like safe and sure steering is to be obtained when the wheel is used. What usually gives the trouble is some fault arising in a part of the car that is intimately connected with the gear. Probably everyone knows that the front wheels must be properly aligned, and that, viewed from the side, the steering heads have a slight castor action, which is apt to alter if the camber of the springs is flattened by long use. Alignment can be set right by altering the track rod, and it is equally simple to have thin wedges placed between the front axle and the springs in order to restore the castor action. Incidentally, too small an angle will make the steering heavy, and will often cause wheel wobble. Apart from this, the most common steering fault in a car which has covered a considerable mileage is backlash, which means that the wheel can be moved through a considerable angle before the front wheels are affected. This backlash may be caused by slight wear in a number of places. It may be in the steering box itself, in which case it can be taken up by either removing shims or tightening down on the large thrust nut at the top of the box itself, this depending on the type of steering employed. Another common fault which promotes backlash is looseness of the bolts holding the steering box either to the frame of the car or to the crankcase of the engine. The initial movement of the wheel then causes the steering box to move before the wheels are affected. The remedy for this is obvious, and the symptoms are a pronounced tendency on the part of the car to “wander,” particularly when on a cambered road. Another point is slackness in the fitting used to secure the steering drop arm to the drag link, or broken springs, or looseness in the screwed connection between the steering cross arm and the steering head arms. This is usually taken out by either screwing up the loose parts, or in taking out shims to take up the wear. Either remedy becomes obvious as soon as the loose part is inspected. Wear is, of course, liable to occur in any part of the steering gear if lubrication is neglected, and this usually makes itself manifest first of all in the king pins and bushes. The test for loose king pins is to jack up the front axle so that both front wheels are clear of the ground. When this is done, rock’ the wheels, holding a hand at the top and one at the bottom of the wheel. Any play that is likely to affect the steering can be clearly seen if the king pin assembly is watched. The remedy is to replace both the king pins and their bushes.

The mechanism in the steering box proper is rarely liable to wear unless the lubrication has been grossly neglected. Wear can be taken up, however, as mentioned above, and it is rare indeed that replacement parts are required here during the life of the car. The steering gear in all parts can be to a very large extent safeguarded by careful driving. Nothing is so hard on the steering as the habit of turning the wheels on the lock while the car is stationary. Bumping over gutters at anything over idling speed is another cause of steering strain, and if this habit is persisted in looseness and fast wear will result.

Erratic or unpleasant action of the steering may be caused by several faults outside the steering system proper. Fol - example, a broken leaf in the front spring will allow the spring to set down, with the result that the castor action of the steering head is altered, making the steering tend to wander, and at the same time become heavy. Loose front wheel bearings also have a marked effect on steering, and these should be inspected every 3000 miles, and adjusted if necessary. Undue wear in the front spring shackles will also affect the steering, and in case of trouble which the ordinary remedies fail to correct, the shackles should be inspected. In mysterious cases trouble the front wheel bearings should not be over looked. Even if they are tight, broken ball or a damaged ball race may so affect the steering as to make it very unreliable. It is even possible for a damaged ball race in a rear axle to upset the steering. This fault may promote rear wheel wobble, which will appear to make the front steering gear erratic. LIGHTING PROBLEMS SYSTEMS VARY CONSIDERABLY. USEFUL INFORMATION. Lighting systems vary considerably, and, therefore, the hints given below may not meet all cases. It will, hov ever, be found that they are applicable to nearly every instance of lighting failure. Should one light fail while the others are functioning properly: Tap the side of the lamp lightly with the hand and shake the cable leading to it, as the fault may be due to an imperfect contact which can sometimes be cured by a light jar. If the tap does not effect a cure, remove the bulb and examine it. Should the filament be broken, replace the bulb. When in doubt clean the solder contact at the base of the bulb, and try the bulb in a holder that is known to be working properly. Should it light, then the fault obviously lies in the holder or its wiring. With the finger-tip try working the spring contact in the bulb holder up and down. It may have become stuck in its guide. Trace the wiring from the lamp for a loose or broken connection. Examine the lamp mounting for, in the case of a car fitted with the single wire system, a loose or imperfect mounting may make a faulty electrical connection.

If all or a number of lights fail suddenly together: See if a fuse has blown, as this is the most probable cause of the trouble. Replace the damaged fuse and, at the earliest opportunity, buy a new one and carry it as a spare. Before replacing the damaged fuse, however, critically inspect the units that have failed for short circuits or other faults, as a blown fuse is evidence of something wrong. If a fuse blows repeatedly and the fault cannot be traced, have the electrical equipment examined by an electrical service station. Inspect the dynamo and battery connections, going over them with a spanner do not overlook

the battery earth connection to the frame. Take care not to cause a “short” with the spanner. Examine the battery for internal short circuits or broken connections.

If the lights are all dull the most probable cause is an exhausted battery. To test rapidly: Try the horn and starter. Should the former be feeble and the latter fail to turn the engine over briskly, the battery is certainly run down. Should the ammeter fail to respond to the variations in the engine’s speed and remain at zero, see if the switch is on “full” charge. Where the dynamo is belt driven failure to charge or wild oscillations of the needle are evidence of belt slip. Tighten the belt, but if it is worn and bottoms on the pulleys fit a new one. Some -cars are fitted with a dynamo field fuse. This will be found in a case built on to the dynamo itself. Failure to charge may be due to this fuse being blown. Replace it if necessary, but before doing so examine the wiring for a broken or loose connection in the circuit to the dynamo or battery. Examine the dynamo commutator and, if it is dirty, clean it by rotating the dynamo while a piece of silk, damped with petrol, is held against the commutator.