MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2919, 3 November 1916, Page 11

MOTORS & MOTORING

IBt Oltitoh.] An inoperative Clutch. ' 'An alarming experience is, when the clutch pedal is' depressed, to find that the olutoh does not which, unless the driver is resourceful, might cause a nasty accident. In one such easo the collar on tho clutch shaft, against which the clutch withdrawing forks actcd, had como loose, and the only effect of depressing the clutch pedal was to slido this collar along tho shaft. The trouble .was easily overcome, however, by fivo minutes' work with a spanner and screwdriver, but the. correct procedure in auch an event may not be generally known. Tho accelerator pedal should at once be released', if it is not already, and tho gear lever pushed into neutral, although this latter operation may require the exertion of considerable force. Sometimes it will probably prove quicker to switch off the engine and apply the brakes hard, Under ordinary conditions, when everything elso is in order, if the switch gives trouble and refuses to stop tho'angina, the less expert owner-driver is sometimes puzzled how to stop it, but it may easily bo ejfectcd by engaging top gear while tho side brake is on and letting in the clutch, which is ratlior a barbarous method, and should not be attempted by the inexport, as damage to tho transmission might result. It is just as simple to short-circuit some of tho plugs, although care should l be taken in this simple operation, or a nasty shook will bo experienced. Tho spanner or screwdriver should be earthed first by resting it on the cylinder; then, when tho other . end .is brought up against the spafkiug plug, no shock rill bo- felt.- With some carburetters it is possible to stop the engine by jamming open the throttle very suddenly.

Radiator Leaks. A radiator which springs a leak IS at all times a nuisance, but it. is likely to cause tho maximum of trouble if it happens on the road. A motorist who experienced this annoying trouble some time ago was able to proceed by temporarily stopping the leak by the use of white lead. The leak occurred on a 1 conicr of tho radiator which was badly strained- in creoting it, and white lead was thickly plastered On, the radiator filled to the brim, and all hasto made to reach tho destination. By dismounting every 20 or 30 miles' nnd pressing the white lead well round the leak tho car was eventually garaged at its destination, ,and a moro .effective repair put 111 hand. The water joints were undone, find' by removing the four liold-ing-<iriMi' nuts' tho radiator was removed and turned up on its side. A strip of auglo brass an inch or two longer than the leak was then carefully soldered over the'weak place, and tho radiator re-erected, when all waswwate r tight once more. If forced to travel with a leaking radiator it is well to .carry a supply of water and inspect tho radiator every now and then.

Cording Springs. Many cars seem well sprung on a moderately; good road wftcro bad buinps are_ occasionally met, but-only one at a time and not in close succession. As the car takes tho bump the springs act' perfectly, but there is . a considerablerebound, aud the car may ' bo, felt oscillating up and down", for an appreciable time. It is largely this rebound which makes , the car uncomfortable ,on a very bad road, when the effect of one bump is not overcome beforo another burnt) is encountered. For this reason shock absorbers aro so popular, but perhaps a better method of curing the trouble, or minimising it rather, is to bind the springs with cord. This has the effect of creating greater friction between the leavos of tho spring,'and tho rebound is thus/lamped, out more quickly. . It is certainly a most efficacious remedy, and is well worth the trouble involved; Strong blind cord is tho best material to use, and' it must be wound tightly and evenly, aud securely fastened. It should then receive a' coating of waterproof varnish, otherwise it will not long withstand the combined cffects of the stress and mud. Beforo treating the spring's in,' this manner the leaves should be separated and a:supply of lubricant introduced; 'this will then last a considerable time when tho springs are bound'up.. A creeping Covor. , Occasionally,: when' ii now covor is fitted, - it starts creeping after ■ being, ruu.on the road, ami.all efforts to prevent this troublo prove futile. . In ijiifih a caso a fern" security bolts will probably prevent it shifting,. and! the fitting of theso is quite a simple matter. Tho covor should be removed, and the'holes bored, either by an fileatric drill or a hand brace, the latter taking tho longer' time.' ..With. security • bolts fitted thei-p is, of: course, an . added l risk of pinching tho tube' When thocover is ill place on the rim, and boforo tho tube is pumped up, sco that the security bolts are. frco to move upwards.- If they aro tight,'- then it may safely ho assumed that they aro caught in the .beads of the tire; and will have tobo freed'. It has been known that a cover', even' with security bolts, willcrcop, the reason generally, being that it i's not- a proper fit for the rim, or else -the wheels are not in alignment.

Here and Tiiere, It often happens that on taking delivery of a new car a certaiu amount of (stiffness exists in all the pin-joints, making manipulation of the accelerator pedal, steering, etc., very stiff. Tiicnovice is &pt to be very alarmed at this, and to think the car has been sent out in bad condition, but a run of less than 50 miles will make a wonderful difference. This stiffness of joints may. make gear changing rather- difficult until it has been .worn off, as not only may the .gear-changing mechanism work stiffly, but the accelerator pedal may be sticking slightly-, thus making changing-up without undue noise rather difficult. Pin-joints on a new car or a car that has been thoroughly overhauled aro also frequently mado stiff by paint which has got on to them while tho chassis has been in the paint shop. _ ' "j. XV, motorists suffer a certain amou. of discomfort from back draugKbSwhen driving with windscreen up. Th Remedy is to slightly open the screeii- j'o as' to pi-event tho inrush of air from ' '•lie sides. A very slight opening will suffice. . * Punctures in the cover should be repaired with as much earo and promptness as punctures in the tube, or water will enter and rot . tho canvas casing, llust should not be allowed to form in the beads. Inflation should be accurate. The direction of each tire's rotation should he reversed at intervals— an easy matter with detachable wheels. America is becoming a nation of motor-car .owners, ajjl it is estimated that by the beginning of 1917 there will bo one car in tho Unitedl States for overy 25 inhabitants.. This'means that in January next there will be something like 3,946,664 cars in America, the aggregate value of which will be something like £400,000,000. Tho cost of running the cars already on American roads is simply staggering. There are, according to the latest Government census, 2,445,664 cars in use. At an overago upkeep of only £50 each per year, the gigantic sum of over £122',000,000 is arrived at, and £50 would be a long way under the actual average running costs. Lighting up time: To-day, 6.40 p.m. Nexf Friday, 6.54 p.m.