TWO USEFUL HINTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18629, 26 July 1930, Page 10

TWO USEFUL HINTS.

Many motorists to-day take a keen interest in mattei's mechanical, and, in consequence, repeatedly discover that there are numerous small yet unimportant details which can be attended to by themselves without on all occasions seeking professional help. Naturally, the more serious repair or adjustment jobs should be left to those who specialise, but more often than not, with the aid of useful and practical hints and tips, the lesser running adjustments can be done quite readily in one's own garage. 'For example, a source of ignition trouble can be a sticky rocker arm. Oil should not be used. After removing the rocker and cleaning the rocker-ann bearing, effective lubrication can best be obtained with the aid of a lead pencil, the lead, or graphite, serving as a dry lubricant. Another useful hint to help detach an obstinate wheel is to attach a suitable strap to the wheel spokes, and insert a jack in the loop between the end of the axle and the strap; then operate the jack in the ordinary way, and the stickiest wheel will soon respond. FLASHES. An open throttle means increased ! petrol consumption, more wear on the I engine and tyre and additional mainj tenance. Speed always has to be paid j for. j By. coating the high-tension cable | with shellac varnish the possibility of | loss of efficiency or misfiring through i leakage due to the rotting or perishing ;of the rubber insulation will be con- | siderably reduced. | The number of motor-cycles regis- ! tered in the Province of Tchad, in ! French Equatorial Africa, is steadily j increasing, the total now standing at two. In a certain district of India there is a dangerous stretch of downhill road, 52 miles in length, at the beginning of which motorists are handed a timed card. This card also bears a notice forbidding them to complete the journey in less than four hours—a maximum average of 13 m.p.h. When they reach the end of this stretch the time of departure and arrival is noted by the patrol on duty.

The world use of automobiles has increased to nearly 35,000,000. The exact total, in operation on January 1, 1930, was 34,879,323 cars, trucks, and buses, and 2,565,889 motor cycles. Throughout all territories, one new automobile was added to circulation during the year for each 10 previously in use, the increase having been 3,027,533 automobiles, or almost 10 per cent.

A new motor horn is said to make a noise like a chord on a harp. That's a nasty hint to pedestrians! adds Passing Show.

That John Hopkins, the chemist who has made motor exhaust fumes innocuous, might now turn his attention to making them smell like fried chicken, says Philadelphia Bulletin.

True (observes an American paper) street widening is making the sidewalks narrower and narrower, but it is also making the pedestrians fewer and fewer.

Prospective Customer: “I would like to see a really good used car.” Dealer: “So would I.”