MOTORING NOTES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 55, Issue 3928, 19 July 1937, Page 3

MOTORING NOTES

COOLING SYSTEM. Never add water to an empty cooling system when the engine is hot. The result will probably be a cracked cylinder block or water jacket. OILING ROAD SPRINGS. The importance of spraying road springs with penetrating oil, particularly during the wet weather months, is now recognised by all maintenance men, but owing to absence of air line or other special equipment the work is often neglected. Penetrating oil, however, can be sprayed quite successfully from any pump tyre blow lamp. No alteration to jet size is necessary. After filling the lamp with oil, a few strokes of the pump will send forth a strong, closely packed stream of lubricant at high pressure which can be directed on to the springs or other underchassis part with little trouble. SPARE TYRE. The spare tyre is kept out of use too long in many cases. Rubber is better when kept alive with use; therefore change over to one of the road wheels is advised. If a note is made of the date of change, all five or six tyres can be given an equal amount of use during their useful life. It is a good plan to correct the pressure weekly and see that the spare tyre or wheel mounting is secure. CARE OF THE JACK. Friction absorbs energy even in the tool kit. Too many jacks, for instance, are allowed to dry out thoroughly due to neglected lubrication. The next time you clean up, ' see that the threads and working parts are free from rust and well oiled. The tyre pump also requires occasional oiling to keep the leather pluger cup soft; place a few drops on the threads of shifting spanners for easier adjustment. HOW QUICKLY CAN YOU STOP? Many minor collisions occur daily in the city and suburbs through one car bumping into the rear of another because of the sudden application of powerful brakes. The responsibility for avoiding these minor collisions is divided. The driver in front should remember those behind and try to avoid sudden stops. If forced to brake quickly he should try to give 4 the correct hand signal as a warning. Drivers following other cars should not follow too closely. And they should keep constant watch for indication of trouble ahead which might cause the driver in front to have to stop suddenly. OIL FILTER. When adding sump oil, especially during a long run, a quick glance over the various unions will quite possibly locate a loose one that is permitting an oil leak. The filter cartridge may be due for renewal. Test by opening the drain or test tap, when oil should come out freely. By placing the hand upon the filter, a fair idea whether the oil has been by-passing or dead-ending it, or has been circulating freely, may ' be formed by the temperature of the unit. A cold or only warm filter has usually had its day. MISALIGNMENT. Excessive side wear - of tyres indicates misalignment of some kind. At the front look for incorrect toe-in, a bent axle, or incorrectly cambered wheels. Loosely adjusted or worn hub bearings, worn king pins, or distorted wheels are other frequent causes. Broken springs or sheared centre bolts allow the axle to slip out of’ position. Certain well equipped stations are specialising in the investigation and correction of such irregularities. CASTELLATED NUTS. Castellated nuts are those which are slotted at the top to accommodate split pins. Should a new one be necessary, but not handy, place two hacksaws in a frame to cut the wide slot. Spider washers such as are fitted to hub nuts are rather brittle and the tabs will bend over only once. i VALVE TAPPET CLEARANCES. Valve tappet clearances differ between engines. Make sure that they are set at the minimum specified by the maker and locked tightly. Overtightening must be guarded against as it is not only unnecessary, but will swell the lifter and cause binding and lost power. MOST DENSELY “MOTORISED.” Great Britain, for its area, is the most densely “motorised” country in the world. Figures quoted recently by the British Minister of Transport (Mr. Hore-Belisha) showed that the number of cars registered for each square mile of Great Britain was 23. The corresponding figure for the United States was only eight > cars to the square mile. In England there were two and a half miles of road for every square mile of terri-

ritory in Germany the corresponding figure was only three-quarters of a mile. Density figures for other countries are:—France, 10.2 motor vehicles to the square mile; Germany, 6.07; Australia, 3.9; Italy, 3.27; New Zealand, 1.8; South Africa, 0.5; Japan, 0.5; Canada, 0,31; and India, 0.12. AUSTRALIAN SPEED RECORD. The two Australian land speed records for a motor car and a motor cycle were brought closer together recently when F. Kleinig, in a 1.494 c.c. Miller Special, attained a mean speed from a flying start over a quarter of a mile of 116.9 m.p.h., at Canberra. This is now the car record, which is still below the top speed attained by a motor cycle. The occasion was the annual speed carnival held in the Federal Capital Territory by the Light Car Club of New South Wales. The Australian motor car speed record is 123.2 m.p.h., established by A. Senior in August last year near Sydney. Riding a 500 c.c. Supreme Dunlop he reached a speed of 130 m.p.h. with the wind, but this was reduced to 116 m.p.h. against it. SAFE CONDITION. A good driver in a poor vehicle may avoid more accidents than a poor driver in & good vehicle, but the only really safe combination is a good driver in a good vehicle. Scrupulous care in obeying traffic regulations and constant alertness are attributes of good driving, which can, and should, be acquired by every person allowed to control a road vehicle. They will be of little avail, however, if the brakes, steering, lights and other safety factors are not maintained in good condition. Almost all garages and service stations will inspect these parts free of charge or for a nominal fee, and it is the duty of owners to see that their vehicles are kept in a safe condition. SPARKS. Witness at Highgate Court: “Owing to the motorist leaving his catwhile he went to lunch, traffic became seriously digested.” “How’s the car running?” “Badly. Can’t keep her throttled down at all.” “Just like the wife, eh?” Red is an unpopular colour in Germany. It has been suggested that red cars be forbidden, and now all

the fire engines are to be painted green. Fat policemen in Pittsburg, U.S.A., have been ordered to slim. Fat traffic cops, says an authority, cannot be efficient. Besides, they cannot dodge so easily. It is suggested that motorists convicted of speeding should have a mudguard painted yellow. Anyway, it would help to sell the car. It was bound to happen in the end. In the small Scots town of Denny recently a lorry dropped part of its 12-ton load of jam on to the highway. “Traffic jam, of course,” adds the Motor. Passing motorist (to driver standing by his car upside down in a ditch and badly bent). “Shall I send a break-down van out to tow your car in?” “No, thanks, old boy, it’s finished with.” FAN HUBS. Lubrication of the fan hub bearings must not be neglected. If grease or oil escapes after filling it denotes wear and faulty retainers or use of unsuitable oil or grease. Some fan hubs require oil only to a certain level which is indicated by the position of the filler plugs. Excess is thrown out when the engine is next started. The Tyrol Provisional Government nas just sold the top of the Grossglockner (Austria’s highest mountain, to the Austrian Alpine Club for half a crown. A peak price. If the car refuses to start after being left for a period, although it has previously been running well, suspect an air bubble in the fuel system, usually caused by an air leak in the line to the fuel pump, causing that component to suck air instead of petrol. When the car is in motion the pump will overcome a slight air , leak, but the leak may make it im- ' possible to start up.