HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17586, 15 December 1928, Page 23 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

LIGHT CAR RECORD. The Melbourne-Perth and AdelaidePerth light-oar records have been broken by a Baby Austin driven by Messrs Feardon and Sinclair, states a cabled message received by the Shell Company of New Zealand. The 2355 miles between Melbourne and the western capital were covered in 1.50 hours 29 minutes, while the time taken between Adelaide and Perth was 108 hours 39 minutes, while the time taken Both drivers pay a high tribute to the arrangements made by the Shell Company for fuel and oil supplies along the route, the minimum of delay being occasioned at each stop—and also to the sterling performance of the plucky litlle engine. THE SPARE WHEEL. WHEN TO USE IT. A life of indolence is bad for all of us and my heart often goes out to the spare wheel of the modern car (writes "L.C." in the Autocar). Five wheels and five tyres are provided by thoughtful manufacturers on every car sold, and the hand of Destiny (in this case the fitter) decrees that one of these wheels complete with tyre shall be mounted as a spare. Meanwhile the remaining four wheels and tyres start to work in earnest for their respective livings. Tyres are so good nowadays that s new" car will often run 5000 miles or more without a puncture. Meanwhile the spare wheel leads a life of complete indolence. When the first puncture occurs the spare wheel starts life; the damaged tyre is duly mended and takes a wellearned rest. But to obtain the full mileage from a set of tyres it is obvious that all five must do the same amount of work, and the spare that only starts life at 0000 miles or more has a lot of leeway to make up. It is a good plan to do a little changing around every 1000 miles or so. Put the spare wheel on the offside back wheel, for example, and give that tyre a rest; alter another IUOO miles change over with the near back tyre; then the off front, and in turn the near front. To avoid getting confused as to which wheel is which it is a good plan to enter up the cover numbers in a book, so that one can tell at a glance how far each cover has gone. . REPLACING WHEELS. Replacing a wheel needs care. Too many owners run the nuts up with their fingers, lower the car off the jack, and tighten up with the wheel ■on the ground. This is wrong. If the wheel is slightly canted on its studs the weight of the car may prevent it from bedding correctly, and sooner or later it will work loose. The best plan is to put the nuts on the studs and then, while tightening them with the lingers, slowly revolve the •wheel. In this manner the weight settles equally on all the studs. The brace should then be applied, the wheel being held by the brake or the knees as the case requires. When it is seen that the nuts are truly home the wheel can be lowered for the final turn or two. A wheel so replaced will rarely be found loose.

OBSTINATE GREASE-GUNS. i Inability to force grease into a bearing with one of the old type guns, no matter how tightly the handle be screwed down, is often blamed on a choked oilway in the bearing itself. Frequently, however, the fault lies in the gun/ and the screw-on nozzh should be dismantled. This takes but a few moments, and will nearly always repay the trouble which has been taken. In most cases there is a bushtype valve kept in place by a diminutive helical spring. Grease passes into the inside of the bush through two small holes, which easily become blocked. It will then be impossible for grease to be forced out of the gun, but if this little overhaul job is done periodically it will make the task of greasing certain and far easier. WHEN STORING A CAR. Wheels should be jacked up and air released from tyres of all cars in storage for any considerable length of time. If a car is in storage for two months or more the weight should be taken from tyres and the air released, in order that the life of the rubber may not be impaired. When tyres are fully inflated and stored for long periods of time the rubber is distended and tends to lose its elasticity if not in use. The process is the same as that which causes a rubber band to lose its elasticity when stretched around a package of paper, while a band that is not stretched will remain in comparatively good condition for a considerable length of time. The greatest harm to an inflated tyre on a car in storage will occur where the tyre rests on the floor if the wheels have not been jacked up. That is tne tyre at that part is stretched and flattened more than at any other place, and the disintegrating process occurs more rapidly. TRACING COMPRESSION LEAKS. Although compression leaks from such places as valve caps, and cylinder head gaskets are often accompanied by oil leaks, it cannot be taken for granted that tlie presence of burnt oil around a point signifies a leak, or that its absence means a sound joint. Slight compression leaks frequently occur after an engine has been dismantled, but are often rapidly sealed by oil, traces of which, however, remain long after the fault has cured itself. The only reliable way of locating a defective joint is to smear oil over any suspected spots and turn the starting handle until the piston of the cylinder in question is at the top of the compression stroke, when leaks will be revealed by bubbles in the oil. Before turning the starting handle the throttleshould, of course, be opened to allow a full charge to be sucked into the cylinder.

USING WOOD SCREWS. When wood screws are being used it is a good plan to apply a little household soap lo Ihe threads before screwing them homo. This will make the screws much easier lo I urn, especially it Ihe wood into which llicy are being driven is of u hard uuLir.c.