HIGH ROAD AND BY ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 117, Issue 19597, 8 June 1935, Page 24 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY ROAD

BATTERY EFFICIENCY. ONE WAY TO PRESERVE IT. A motor car battery is not nearly so efficient when it is cold than at normal temperatures. Although It may he fully charged, it is not capable of delivering its maximum power on days (and nights), when the thermometer is low. This is unfortunate, because it is in the winter-time that the battery is needed much more than when the days are long and warm. In the wintertime, lights are used more; engines take longer to start, and great is the consumption of current. Nothing drains a battery more effectively than an engine that is slow to start. Batteries may be to a large extent preserved for their important jobs of lighting the way, and of starting the engine, (and of sounding the horn), by the simple procedure of draining out the old engine oil, and refilling with the correct winter grade of oil. A summer grade of oi-1 is too heavy for winter use. it clogs the cold engine, making the job of turning it over to start a difficult and frequently a lengthy one. But an oil tiiat is fluid at low temperatures permits an easy and rapid turning-over of the engine—an essential to a quick start in the cold.

Witli such an oil as the correct winter grade of Mobiloil, there is no danger that the oil will be too “ light ” once the engine has thoroughly warmed up. Ordinary light oils may give easy starting, but there their advantages cease, for they are apt to break down at high speeds and temperatures. The winter grades of Mobiloil, however, have a double-range quality, and do not thin out unduly even at high engine heats. Tdiey give thorough protection at all times.

The use of such oils throughout the winter months saves the battery at a period when it is most needed.

IRREGULAR running. SIMPLE TEST FOR TROUBLE. Most drivers are familiar with the symptoms of a nengine gradually losing its power, developing at the same time a certain amount of roughness. “Missing ” is the definition usually applied to such a malady; a specific remedy is not always the simple matter which it appears to be on a first investigation. To short-circuit each sparking plug in tun* gives some small indication as to which is the offending cylinder, or cylinders, A much better idea, however, can be obtained by using two small-link chains each fitted to a block of wood, to serve as electrical insulators. By dangling the ends of the chains on to the engine, the remaining portions can be draped round the sparking plugs, leaving one only free to spark. In such circumstances tiie engine can be run on full throttle, and a measure of the efficiency of all cylinders obtained, In addition to “ spotting ” a delinquent sparking plug. As may be expected, the engine will not run very fast when operating on one cylinder only and it is quite possible to determine the cylinder which does the least amount of work, even in an engine which is not suffering from “ misfiring.” Perhaps a valve tappet requires adjustment, or there may be a bad compression leak 'caused by a burnt valve seating, whilst a knock or tap from the engine can be located instantly and if the operator be a little expert in the detection of noise, a heavy thump from a main bearing, tire hard knock of a big end or the tap of a piston or gudgeon pin can easily be distinguished when one cylinder only is running under full-load conditions. Even a slack camshaft Chain can be detected by running the engine slowly.

CHANGING TYRES.

SHIRKED AS UNPLEASANT. It is surprising how many motorists shirk tiie job of tyre changing, as a difficult and unpleasant one (states the “Motor”). Any claim that it is really very simple is apt to be greeted as rather an old joke. It is, however, an easy job If tackled in the right way, and any great difficulty encountered usually indicates that the method is wrong. When -taking off the oover remove all the valve parts and push the cover right into the well at the point diametrically opposite the valve. It must be right in the deepest part of the well and is best held thereby kneeling on the cover. Now insert the tyre lever under the cover near the valve and lift it over the rim. If the other side of tiie cover is kept right in the well it will be quite simple to lift tho edge near the valve over the rim a little at a time, and after the first foot or so the whole cover can be pulled over with the lingers. 1L is no use applying excessive force as the edge of the tyre will not stretch and the wire beading may be broken. When replacing -the tyro inflate the tube very slightly and place it in position with the valve through the hole in the rim. It is a good plan to wipe round the edge of the cover with a soapy rag before pushing it into ttia well opposite tho valve. It should then be quite simple to push the whole cover over the rim, keeping the first section right in the well, and using a tyre lever if necessary for the last few inches. Then before replacing the valve parts and inflating make sure that 'the Lube is not trapped between tho cover and rim.

A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS.

WINTER DRIVING. SOME PRACTICAL HINTS. Some inexperienced drivers regard skidding- as a danger inseparable from winter motoring. By taking a few simple precautions and making two or three adjustments to the car, this, and other winter unpleasantnesses, can be almost entirely eliminated. Proceed as follows: 1, Examine the tyres. Any tyre that has worn smooth should be discarded. It is essential to keep tyres in good condition. Do not forget the possibilities of retreading.

2. Inflate all tyres to the recommended pressure and make sure that the shock absorbers are properly adjusted. Fill hydraulic shockers with the recommended fluid and make certain that the filler plugs are screwed down tightly. It is a wise precaution to clean the shock absorber in the region of the filler before removing the filler plug, as the entrance of dirt into the instrument must bo avoided at all costs.

3. Adjust and equalise the brakes. It is very important that the brake at one end of an axle gives exactly the same retarding effect as its fellow at the other end; inequality tends to cause side-slip. When hydraulic brakes are installed see that the supply tank is three-quarters full of brake fluid. It is advisable to test mechanical systems to make sure that all the joints in the mechanism are working freely. Brake cables should be greased, especially where they run over pulleys or through conduits. Windscreen Wiper. 4. If the blade of the windscreen wiper is defective and leaves streaks of wet behind it, renew it. Examine the tubing of suction wipers, and, if it is perished, renew it. If the wiper is sluggish in action, remove the arm and set the wiper in motion. Put a few drops of cycle oil on the spindle. The suction will carry the lubricant into the instrument. 5. Carry a .large clean duster with you to clean the mist off the inside of the screen in foggy or wet weather. 6. Adjust and focus the lamps properly. Head lamps that shine up Into the tree-tops are not givng the best driving light and they are causing unnecessary dazzie.

7. Are you sure that your “ stop ” light Is working? Get a friend to watch it while you press the brake pedal. 8. Always carry, in a . safe place where they cannot get broken, at least one side lamp and one tail lamp bulb in addition to a spare set of fuses. 0. When driving on a treacherous road remember that a car that is travelling in a straight line at a uniform speed will, not skid. Skidding is ■set up by a too violent change in direction or speed. For that reason avoid fierce acceleration, especially on the lower gears- Leave yourself plenty of room so that you are never called upon to brake hard. Approach corners slowly and handle the steering wheel gently. If you are in a hurry it is better to come slowly into the turn and accelerate out of it than to approach the corner fast and then brake.

SPARKS. Say it with brakes and save on the flowers. • • • • ■Last year English motorists paid £'42,256,612 in petrol taxes on £30,589,579 worth of petrol. That is 138 per cent. * * m • To avoid distracting the attention of road users, advertising signs are prohibited in Prussia within 10 yards of official traffic signals. # il: * *

The French Government have freed from taxation vehicles using- gas from wood or charcoal, to encourage the use of home-produced fuels.

In England there lived recently an 87-year-old woman who had in regular use a 15-year-old car. Her chauffeur, aged GO, had been in her employment for 28 years.

At the last meeting of the Automobile Association (Canterbury) it was reported that 97 new members had been enrolled during the month, making 586 new members for the current year. & * * # " Now, when we cross the road, my dear,” said the old lady to her friend, “don’t look round, because if a motor hits us in the back it’s their fault, not ours 1 ” • an* Motorists almost invariably pay their fines; not one in 10,000 goes to prison for failure to pay. This was revealed in England at a luncheon of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

The Hungarian Government, it has been stated, proposes to stop all further construction of railways and to devote its energies to motor traffic. It is therefore proposed that the tariff on imported cars should be reduced, as well as the tax payable.

A motorist who was driving along a city thoroughfare the other day, says an Invercargill paper, had a rude shock when both front wheels fell apart and the car came to a sudden stop with the front axle resting on the asphalt. No one was hurt, but the car had to be removed by the motor “ambulance.”