MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2539, 13 August 1915, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

D [Br Clutch.] Starting After the Cylinders Have Been Cleaned. For certain reasons (says a writer in th-o "Light Car"), an engine is usually vory reluctant to start after the cylinders havo been removed for cleaning, and especially so if tho valves or piston rings have received attention. The staff of a garage situated in a side street near my house are very cynical in these matters; they seem to have decided that tho task is hopeless, and two or three times a week one may see four or five of their mechanics emerge pushing a car, and sometimes they will go a eouplo of hundred yards before they'get an explosion. The reason, of course, is that the faces of the compression joints have been interfered with, .that the suction on the jet of the carburetter is consequently poor, and that tho ongino consequently fails to inhale sufficient vapour. Tho other day I visited tho garage just when the reassembling of a small monobloc engine was complete, and the foreman, after an ineffectual swing < r two at the starting handle, was summoning all hands to shove tho car up and down tho street. I asked leave to show them a more excellent way, and inserted a wad of rag in the main air intako -of the carburetter. As a result, the engine inhaled a rich mixture, and went _ off with a bang at the first swing- It- is a mistake to inject petrol into tho cylinders under these circumstances,' as it washes away the oil with which tho pistons were smeared during reassembling, and so further weakens the compression. Tho forecasts in the American Press that world's records would bo established 011 the new Chicago Motor Speedway have soon been verified, for the opening event has provided sensational figures. Tho Chicago Derby, a 500 miles Taco, drew a select and large field of 21 of the fastest cars and drivers in America, and provided a magnifi : cent struggle. The winner proved to bo D. Rest'a, who won by over three minutes, and covered the "500" in tho almost incredible time of 5 hours 7 minutes. 2G seconds, equal to an average speed of 97 J miles an hour. A Sunbeam (England), driven by Porporato, was second in 5 hours 10 minutes 50 seconds, whilst lleielienbacher, 011 a Maxwell, was third in 5 hours 11 minutes 0 seconds —a really wonderful performance. Of tho' 12 drivers who completed the full courso 10 averaged 90 miles per hour or over, all thus bettering Do PalmaV world's .competition record of 89.8 miles per hour, established in America only a fow weeks back. An enormous "crowd of 80,000 people witnessed tfJio raco," and so great was the rush to _ the Spoedway, that tho railway service was paralysed. Tho Chicago track, with its surface, proved a great success, and easy 011 tyres, as may be judged from the fact that six of the drivers to finish never changed ( a tyro. Grant, Sunbeam, who finished fifth, went right through the contest without a stop of any kind. D. Itesta drove a Peugeot, 4-cylinder (overhead vales), 3.62 in. bore by 6.67 in. stroke.

Noisy Differentials. A defect to -which many cars aro liable is _ that of excessive noiso in. tho differential goar, gonerally accentuated when the car is climbing a grade with the low gop.r in operation, and tile engine running fast. This trouble is naturally only experienced in the case of cars that havo a bevel drive, using a small bevel pinion and a large crown wheel. AVhoro we havo a worm drive no troubjo of this kind is found. Tho noise is generally due to bad meshing of the engaging wheels—a common defect arising from their being too far out of engagement with each other. In most cases this is on account of tho wear in tho thrust bearings, both on tho_ shaft which carries the small bevel pinion, and on tho main bearing- which carries tho differential gear cases to which the crosyn wheel is bolted. These bearings have to take up considerable end thrust, due to the bevel wheels endeavouring to crowd away from each other. Normally, provision is made to take up this wear, but even so it is an adjustment that requires to be performed very delicately, and is not the kind of work that tho ordinary motorist can undertake; indeed, it is not an adjustment that one would leave to tho avorago all-round repair shop, Here and There. Lighting up tdmo for motor-cars and motor-cycles: To-day, 5.10 p.m. Next Friday, 5.17 p.m. Probably the chief reason of neglect by motorists to plug tho cover holes that permit water reaching the canvas casing has been the need of a sure, simple, and effectivo plugging compound, 'something that would bo not only certain in its results, but oheap and easy to use. Tho Dunlop Robber Co. has been experimenting in tliis direction for somo considerable time- past, and nowannounce that they aro marketing an ideal outfit which will enable all motorists to not only plug cover holes, but repair all - their punctured tubes, permanently and quickly. Tho latter alone means a considerable saving, to motorists, for it obviates carrying so many, spare tubes when touring. Another advantage of "Repairit"—as the new self-vulcanising outfit is called —is that motorists and motor cyclists caii in their spare time easily overhaul their covers and tubes without the necessity of having to send, same to a tire depot for minor repairs.