On the Road

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 138, 13 June 1931, Page 10

On the Road

(By

BY THE WAY The French have been b .th.’ £l2 motor: cd cycles for a year or two now, and have sold many thousands. British driver of British cars carried off the honours ' this year’s Monte ’arlo rally, Mr D. Healey, driving an invicta, having won in the class for cars over 11.00 c.c., and j\fr A . F. Leverett, driving a Kiley, in the class for cars of 1100 c.c. and under. Many of the motor car drivers and motor cyclists who have it easy in the past to escape the attention of the Sumner motor inspector have received a fright in the past week or two. The inspector, mounted on a motor-cycle, has hove to alongside snappy roadsters and asked for explanations from rather surprised your.i men. No, the Sumner Borough Council has not i died the progressive frame of m'-M which demands the supply of a mount for its inspector. The motor cyclo was borrowed. The hint might bo taken by the new council of the future. Travelling assembly tracks and other labour-saving systems have become the order uf tb r day, but it is probable that the most advanced device of all is that which has just boon installed at the Birmingham works of the Singer Company. This takes the form of a series of high-frequency electric tools of an altogether ncv. type, which arc placed on cither side of the conveyor track. The tods consist of drills, ream 'rs, and, most interesting of all, spanners to tighten most of the nuts used in the assembly of the chassis. The apparatus is the first of its kind to be employed by any British motor-car manufacturer.

"TIP CONTROL.")

Difficulty in keeping motor-cycle brakes adjusted may be caused by wheels, axle, or brake, drums being out of true. Cinder track riders in England are not being ac'.opted by any spoedwa, management this year for contract unless they have two first-class machines at their disposal. Pro ignition, whic 1 ’ is differen 4 - from pinging or knocking, most often ’ the result of ovcrl’cate ' spark 'lugs firing the petrol charge before it has been compressed. French clergy' use motor-cycles so largely in their work that a bishop has lately thought it desirable to issue “hints and tips” on motor cycling matters to the priests of his o’ ’esc. For the winter many riders smear the plated parts of their motor-cycles with vaseline. This is much easier to do if the vaseline bo mixed wit 1 ’ petrol. It can then be painted on with a brush and will spread int- all the corners and crevices. When tho petrol evaporates a film of grease will be left everywhere. Tho best way to preserve the original lustre o" chromium plated ami baked enamel parts of a car is to polish with a rag dampened in kerosene or a good gr do of oil polish. This applies to head-lamps, radiators, fenders, etc. According to a recent statement issued by the statistical department of the Danish Government, tho number of motor vehicles in use in Den mark has increased by some .12.000 since September, 1929. It is understood that 133,637 vehicles are at present registered in the country- and of this number 110,324 are private cars.

PETROL ECONOMY CAREFUL DRIV \ T G VALUE. QUESTION OF SPEED. Few motorists appreciate in full (he important influence which speed and driving methods in general exc t upon Ihe amount of petrol consumed. Naturally, extreme economy involves a sacrifice in motoring comfort which , few drivers co tenance, 1 t, on the I other hand, many people are certainly | wasting petrol in ys which they could easily ce.’ r ect without appreciable loss of ti or profit. Many' persons believe that, although this way they seek to prove that the with which the journey is covered. In fast travelling requires greater power, this is compensated by tho rapidity petrol consumption should ;.ot bo markedly affected, but such an a inent is quite falhiMous, says an exchange. At any speed above 30 m.p.h. wind resistance and tho power to overcome it both increases very rapidly. This < morns that tho higher the speed the ! wider must the throttle be held open, j The throttle, of course, acts mere'}'’ as 1 a tap regulating the amount of mix- I turo drawn into tho engine. In rea- I sonably level country the number of '■ revolutions tho engine makes in cov- I ering a certain journey is .....ictly the ) same whether the distance be covered I slowly or quickly. From this argu- ' ment it is clearly seen that, as the faster journey involves a bigger throttle opening, the petrol consumption will necessarily be higher. If practical proof in this connection bo needed : may bo mentioned, that in a series c p tests carried out in England recently, it was shown that i the mileage per gallon at 20 m.p.h. and ! 30 m.p.h. was p etically the same, but I at 60 m.p.h. it was halved. These results may bo slightly modi- ( fled in very’ hilly country, because n : higher average speed : ay enable certain gradients to bo taken with a rush in top gear which would otherwise have necessitated changing down. Naturally', tho use of a lower gear increases tho engine speed and more petrol is consumed. It is, of course, bad practice to allou an engine to labour pulling tho car slowly uphill in “top,” but, all the same, too frequent uso of the gearbox causes unnecessary waste of fuel. Tho careful driver must endeavour to strike a happy medium between these extremes.

Tho next point is that . the speed should be kept as steady as possible. Th driver who is constantly accelerating up to 50 m.p.h.. immediately afterwards having to brake heavily for a corner or other traffic, uses far more petrol than one who is content to plug along at more modest speeds. This is simply duo to tho fact that the power needed to accelerate the mass of tho car is much greater than that required to keep it running at a steady' rate.

Petrol Iso is wasted by a jerky action of tho foit on the throttb. In some cases throttle springs are unduly light, so that on a rough road it is difficult to keep the foot steady’ without some form of rest. An English export stated reccnHv that it is a great pity' that people do not make greater uso of the hand throttle control, because a steady etting is far more economical than one which is constantly varying. When cruising on a main road it will usually be found that, having attained tho speed required, tho throttle can bo closed slightly without losing headway. Use of tho minimum throttle opening is economical.

ANOTHER ASPIRANT LAND SPEED RECORD. A YOUNG AMERICAN. The announcement comes from California of a speedway driver with ambitions to gain for America the land speed record. His name is Stapp, and familiarly he is known as “‘Babe” Stapp. He made his debut as a speedway’ driver some seven y< s ago, and his prowess and daring in tho succeeding years attracted tho attention of Mr Fred Deusenberg. He put up a real good show last May on the Indianapolis -ack, and later he took part in tho European Grand Prix and other Continental classics. After another Continental tour this year he has the intention of going to Daytona and attacking the mile record with a machine to bo powered by Duesenberg engines, two 217 cubic inch eight-cylinder supercharged ■ nits in a chassis of “re Mtionary design” according to Stapp. He says: ‘ln the first place tho fuselage will more or less resemble an inverted aeroplane wing, that is to say it will have the same qualities to keep it on the ground that tho wing of an aeroplane has to lift it above.” Plans for tho proposed car have already been drawn, and a model built to scale by tho designer. It will weigh 56001 b., and the motors will be placed side by side. Stapp does not intend to have tho largo fish-tail behind that British designers have made familiar, being confident, ho says, that tho radically’ different body construction of his machine will not render it necessary. Stapp is calling into consultation Mr “Tommy” Milton, who in 1920 established a straightwa; record of 156.046 miles an hour. That was seven years before any faster was brought along. Though Milton is retired, Stapp ’gards him as one of the greatest racing drivers that ever lived, ami says that any sugestion he makes will bo carried out. WANGANUI INVENTION Although several have cumo on the market, another turning indicator has been invented by a Wanganui man. I’he principle is to light cither left or right arrows fore and aft at. the same time. The control is a light arm extending from the underside of the steering wheel hub to tho edge, of the wheel, being moved with the thumb. Tho arrows arc red and it is claimed . that they can be seen 60 feet, away in the daylight. The apparatus is powered from the car battery, and can be easily fitted to any car.

MAKING MOTORS MIND HINTS FOR THE MOTORIST. FACTS ABOUT RADIATORS. By. Mr W. B. Franklin, Service Manager of General Motors New Zealand Limited. The cooling system of a car can cause a good deal of trouble if it is deprived of the attention it requires, especially in cold weather. Ordinary precaution, however, will make winter driving mechanically safe and enjoyable. Many improvements have been introduced in cooling systems. Dial thermometers and other devices on the dash warn the driver when dangerous temperatures are reached. Automatic valves on some cars keep the water from circulating through the radiator until a predetermined temperature is reached. This reduces the time required to bring the engine and oil to normal temperature. Thermostatically controlled radiator shutters automatically open and close. Despite these improvements nothing has been devised to replace radiators, cylinder heads and blocks, hose, water pumps, packing glands, and gaskets on water-cooled cars. All these are potential sources of trouble to the cooling system. Owners who like to tinker with their car.; themselves should first carefully inspect all the joints in the cooling system for leaks. These include hose connections, gaskets, the water pump and the radiator itself. A hose that looks sound from tho outside may have deteriorated inside. Such a hose should be replaced to prevent clogging tho radiator core with small pieces of rubber which may become detached and circulate with I ho cooling water. Water pump leakages are usually stopped by tightening the packing nut. Sometimes this will not remedy '.he ditliculty, because the packing has become hard from lack of lubricant or the pump shaft has scored. The grease cup should be kept filled and screwed down occasionally to prevent this occurrence. Should the leak persist after tho tightening of the nut, it would be advisable to disassemble the pump and examine tho shaft. If it is only is ightly scored, the rough spots

|may bo dressed with an oilstone. If more than superficial scoring has occurred, a new shaft and new packing will bo required. Wherever a gasket joint is impaired it is most economical and satisfactory to replace the gasket. Next, tho whole cooling system should bo thoroughly cleaned. Run the engine for a short period to agitate the water and keep loose particles of rust scale and foreign matter in motion, lhen open tho drain cock and empty tho system. Fill the radiator witn a solution of water and ordinary washing soda, completely dissolved* in the proportion of one-half pound of soda to a gallon of water. Blanket the radiator and run the engine until a normal temperature is reached. It helps during this period to tap the radiator with a rubber mallet io loosen accumulations of rust and scale. About ten minutes should suffice for this treatment. The solution should then be drained off, and after the engine has cooled, a garden hose should be placed in the radiator filler and water allowed to circulate for a few minutes with the drain cock open. If an especially good job is desired, the radiator can be removed from the car, inverted and flushed upside down. Light tapping with a rubber mallet will remove what remains of the loose scale and rust. While the radiator is off, the hose can be placed in the outlet in the top of the cylinder block and water forced through the engine to remove foreign material. The radiator should then be replaced and all hose joints carefully connected and tightened with suitable clamps. I’he system is now ready to fill, after which an inspection should bo made for leaks. Special cooling system service is now available at well-equipped garages ind service stations. Suitable chemicals under pressure are forced through »he system and a thorough cleansing results. These treatments are recommended for those who have neither the time nor the inclination to do the work themselves.

SPARK PLUG FAULTS When the ignition system is being checked over, probably th_ first component that the average motorist inspects is the set of spark plugs. To test a plug properly, remove a hightension lead from it, hold the lead at a distance of about 3-16th of au inch from tho cylinder block, and have tho engine rotated by hand - by starter motor; a good, fat spark should be outained. A weak spark indicates a faulty magneto or eoil system, as the' ease may be. Next attend to the plugs, cleaning them and setting tho points to ,6mm Dismountable plugs should be taken, apart in order chat the carbon on the body may be removed, as this is a frequent cause of sparking high up inside the plug. If tiny globules of metal are evident on the electrodes, it. is a sure sign that pre-ignition is occurring at; high speeds; this will be accompanied by loss of power and spitting back symptoms often conveying the impression of a shortage of fuel. Tho ignition system should not be tested by laying a plug on the cylinder block, as even a weak current will bridge a gap at the points under these conditions. Such a current will not necessarily produce a spark under compression. Neither is it a good tost, to hold tho lead within a short distance of tho top of the plug, as this Wil. give a spark, even should the plug be shorting and useless. Similarly, the old screwdriver test, will only repeal a dead Short; it will not show whether the spark is occurring at the points. Old plugs, which may work satisfactorily under half-throttle conditions, will often cause a great deal of trouble at full throttle. Loss of power, a high petrol consumption, and overheating may all be caused bv defective Plugs.