HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 96, Issue 15353, 29 September 1923, Page 19 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS. (By "Crank.”) BATTERY NOTES. A battery is 'the nearest approach to a human being that can be manufactured, and when put into use it needs a reasonable amount of work. It needs feeding, rcchargin|g, it (gets thirsty and wants distilled water. It needs attention, to be kept clean, and is liable to suffer illness from neglect, and may require to be operated on. Batteries that are carried in places where 'they get covered with mud should be cleaned down frequently. Hosing with clean water will not injure the battery, but stoppers should •be kept tight to prevent water finding entry. It is advisable to apply vaseline to portions of the terminals, but terminals should be bone dry and the vaseline applied mainly to underneath parts to prevent acid escaping. A car equipped with battery ignition is naturally much easier on the battery than magneto equipped, cars. More batteries are ruined by carelessness than proper use. Too frequent use of the starter when the battery is low in charge causes the plates to buckle. Before filling with water test each cell with a hydrometer, and if they read low, start by hand and go for a long run to charge up the battery. Remember the average life of a battery is 15 to 18 months, but with attention their useful life may be prolonged. TRACING ENGINE NOISES. I There are several methods of tracing engine noises. However, the most positive method is by the use of what is termed a listening rod or a stethoscope. A long, wooden-handled screwdriver forms a good listeningrod, or one may be made from a telephone receiver and a piece of 3-Bth round steel bar. The metal end is placed against the cyc'linder or crankcase wall, and the other end to the ear. It will be necessary to try various locations until you come in close proximity to the noise, when it can be heard very distinctly. Detecting the noise is quite simple; however, its actual location is a problem that is not easily settled. The stethoscope consists of a piece of hard rubber connected by rubber tubes to the observer’s cars. The hard rubber end is placed over the engine, the noise increasing as its location Is approached. Only those sounds that are produced in the immediate vicinity of the point at which the instrument is applied are heard through it. To determine whether noise really exists, the engine can be run idle at various speeds, or .the car driven oyer a smooth, isolated road. The isolation provides quiet surroundings, while the smooth pavement excludes all knocks and rattles of the chassis and body parts. RUBBER MANUFACTURE. In a circular to the shareholders of the United States Rubber Company, Mr C. B. Seger, (chairman) outlines important new discoveries which it

is anticipated will be of great economic value to thocommunity and will mean more to the rubber manufacturer and the user of rubber products of all kinds than anything that has been accomplished since vulcanisation was discovered in 1839. The three new and basio forward movements in rubber manufacture which are amfounced are—namely, (1) sprayed rubber, for use in the manufacture of all rubber products; (2) webcord, a fundamental improvement in the are of cord-tyre making; and (3) a new method of building and vulcanising cord tyres. Sprayed rubber, the result of a new method of producing crude rubber from the original latex, ensures for the first time since rubber was discovered a pure and absolutely uniform product. It establishes from now on new and higher standards in the manufactureof rubber products. Heretofore a) ,'rubber produced and sold on the market has been coagulated out of the rubber latex by means either of smoke or chemicals. Latex is the milky liquid which flows from a rubber tree when it is lapped. The new spraying process . produces a purer and finer virgin rubber, because it works with the natural qualities of the rubber and injects no injurious chemicals. Briefly, the advantages of sprayed rubber may be stated thus: It is dry and pure and remains so. It contains every natural property of pure rubber, including many valuable properties hitherto destroyed or impair-' ed by the old treatment. It has greater strength and uniform in quality, and it vulcanises to perfection, because the rubber manufactured has 100 per ’cent, pure natural rubber to deal with. Web-cord is a rubber-webbed sheet of cotton cords with the filaments of each cord impregnated and surrounded by pure natural rubber, and docs away with all the cross tie-threads and all other resistants to flex-lire within the fabric. It is believed this fabric will result in the strongest, non-elastic fabric ever made.

Under the new process of building a cord tyre, the tyre is built in the form of a flat band or drum, instead of around a metal core the shape ot a tyre. It is claimed that there is no variation by this method in the twist of the individual cords, and that each accepts its equal share of the load on the finished tyre, and that no disproportionate strain can be laid on any cord or group of cords.

MOTOR CrXLE NOTES.

It is quite a good idea to introduce a little lubricating oil in the benzine when “tuning in” a new engine. Running with a retarded spark for any length of time will cause overheating and rapid carbonisation of the engine. The winning Douglases in the T.T. races were fitted with a system of dual carburettor control. These were the three and a half horse power 0.11. V. model.

A Ricardo engine, with which the Triumph factory was obtaining great results last season, has arrived in Auckland. The machine, well ridden, should make a great showing in the medium-weight championship. With restrictions of one sort and another to ensure more safety to the pedestrian, why are the brakes of a motor vehicle overlooked? If a test were made not more than 60 per cent, of motor cycle brakes would be found to be in order and effective. This is one of the many points that require attention.

*” SPARKS. Pure vinegar will clean ccli'oid windows in the curtains. Cultivate the habit of coasting around corners or going into second gear.

Clogged cyclinders and worn piston equipment cause loss of power in the engine.

"Omnibus Turns Turtle," we note. We gather too, that several ot the passengers were “in the soup.” * What is called a wobble-plate engine is described in the latest issue to hand of The Motor Cycle (England). It has four cyclindcrs working on the two-stroke principle. Australia was the best customer of the United States of America for motor cars in 1922, .importing 11,236. Canada ranked second. Belgium took the most motor trucks —2824. A contemporary has revived the old discussion as to whether or not families should take their holidays apart. Everything, we fancy, depends upon who takes the small carl A new kind of "silent inspector has been erected in Hastings. It is a solid looking structure with a concrete base and on each of its four sides are the words "Slow —Keep Left.” It is surmounted by a flashlight which can be seen all through the night from any direction. "Jay walking” continues to be the leading cause of street accidents in New York City. Of 89 persons killed and 2727 injured during April, 35 were killed and 779 injured in the middle of blocks. A first aid kit containing antiseptics, dressings, and instruction for the care of the injured, should be carried by every New Zealand motorist and camper, especially when touring. Many times a life can be saved by the use of one of these first aid kits. A fire-engine alongside the track pumped water on to the tyres as the car roared by, to cool the tyres (states The Sportsman, in referring to a race at Brooklands). A constant jet of water was thrown on to the wheels, this being the ,>"firs. It time that such a scheme has been onerated in connection with motor racing. Three new cars are dealt with in the latest issue to hand of “The Autocar” (England)—viz., the 14 h.p. sporting model Sunbeam, with its engine of 75 x 120 mm., the first of the production model 10.40 h.p. Mercedes chassis, with which is incorporated a super-charging system of extraordinary interest, and the latest light car —viz., the 10.20 h.p. four-speed Triumph. While making an attempt to beat records at Brooklands, Captain A. G. Miller was struck on the head by one of his own tyres, which became detached, and rendered unconscious. Tie was travelling along the railway straight at the time at about 90 miles an hour. Fortunately the mechanio was able to seize the wheel at once, and drove to the paddock where Captain Miller soon revived. He was able to make another start in less than 10 minutes.