MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2943, 1 December 1916, Page 11

MOTORS & MOTORING

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Adjusting Brakes. The rear-wheel brakes 011 most machines are not compensated, and adjustment is usually effected by wing nuts on each operating arm. 'l'ho rear wheels should b© jacked up clear of the ground and the wheels driven by the engine. The.' clutch should bo disengaged, and the rear, brakes applied, adjustments being carried out until both wheels stop simultaneously. If one tyre i 6 studded and the other plain, the brake on the former should bo adjusted so that it comes to rest ono notch before the other. In the case of foot brakes, it is advisable to be rather more careful in the adjustment than in that of the side brakes, as a fierce foot brake is sometimes a source of danger. As the differential compen-, sates, as it were, the action of the foot Brake so far as each wheel is concerned, thoro is, therefore, no need to jack up the rear wheels when adjusting this brake. Instead, the car should bo tried on the road after the adjustment has been made, and matters 6hould bo arranged in such a manner that the brake arrests tho motion of the'car rapidly but progressively and without any sign of fiorceness or harshness of engagement. How to Use a File. Every motorist has occasion to use a file at some time or other, and it is remarkablo what a small minority employ this simple tool in tho correct manner. The art of filing can be easily acquired if the following hints are followed:—Tho correct method to hold 1 a file is to grasp the handle so that the thumb is on the top, this being the natural and best position for the muscles of the wrist to give simultaneously the push and downward thrust. The point of the file should be steadied by the left hand, either by pressing with the palm of the hand or the four fingers onlj". When filing a narrow piece of metal tho operator should grip the file near the. point with the-fingers and thumb. New files should invariably bo used for tho first time on brass or gunmetal, and kept for that purpose as long as possible.' A file that has been used for steel work for some time will not cut brass properly. It is a good plan to keep ono 6ide of a file for

and til© other for brass. n Never file without a handle. When filing stool, wrought iron, copper, tin, or sow, chalk nibbed into the teeth of tho nle will prevent it clogging. A Rotary Engine. • A rotary engine of tlie Gnome aeroplane type has been fitted to an American light car by a Chicago manufacturer. Five cylinders are fitted around and parallel with tlie stationary shaft. Ninety per cont. of the total weight is revolving, 'with the result that there is practically no vibration. There is no flywheel, said the engine is air-cooled. Tho crankshaft is .also dispensed with, its place, being ■ taken by an armed ring suvounding tho stationary shaft, but seln>n ail axis which is diagonal thereto. Thocar weighs under 7J cwt., and the engine develops 12 h.p." Some hold that this combination possesses tho germ of a great development. Such an engine would very materially reducofEe weight of a light car and increase its cfficienoy. It will bo interesting to hear how tho engine works in practice. Jack and Pump; Very few amateurs use grease for tho jack, using the jack for all time in the dry state" in-which it was originally supplied. Yet. the jack is an embodiment of tho screw principle, and - evor.y schoolboy knows .that, in a mechanical device, the one trouble that attends that principle is friction. Grease that jack, therefore, down .the whole length of the screw ; also grease tho toothed wheels and flio pawl. Do you ever do. anything to your pump? A little attention on tlie following lines goes a long way. Screw off tho cap at the top, and, with a finger, push' a little. soft grease a few inches down inside the barrel, so that tlie plunger will reach it when you pull it up. Make a complete ring with the grcaso, .so that the leather rim of the plunger-' will pick some up all round. Do not put a lot in—just a bread-and-butter smear. It is not necessary to pull tho plunger right out of the barrel to grease it. Follow the method indicated. If you pull it right out, you may have difficulty .in getting it in again, and you may cut the leather with the barrel. Next. look, at .that small holo in the cap. Is it clear? If not, mako it so by pricking it out. That is tho air hole, and it ought to be clear. Finally, after replacing the cap, pull the plunger right up as far as it will come, and grease the central rod. There is a lot of friction between that and the metal surrounding tho central holo in tho cap. After this treatment, you will find that the pump is much more effective, that it works twice as quickly, and at the same time involves less labour.

Here and There. When the car does not appear to bo running as well as usual; most drivers imagine that it is the engine which is at fault, and proceed to tune it up. It is a mistake to take for "granted that the engine is out of tune, and if drivers would depend less on an allout run against the speedometer as an index of form, and rely more on an occasional coasting run, they would obtain results which would often be instructive. Most of us have, close at hand, a suitable hill which is often descended, and it is suggested that at regular intervals this hill be should bo descended toy "coasting," i.e., with gear lever in neutral, under similar conditions ■ of weather and road surface, and the avorage length of such "coasts" noted for purposes of comparison. Among tho items which will cause sluggish running arc brakes too tightly adjusted, bearings suffering from lack of lubrication or plethora of dirt, axles out of line, and tires dragging through imder-inuatiou. A good substitute for a missing bolt and nut is a wood screw and a piece of leather, and these are worth carrying jii any spares box. They can be used just as an ordinary bolt and nut. If several are carried, ono of the right sine can be selected, so that it screws its way through the back part of the object to ue secured. This is rendered all the easier by tho taper on these screws. For strength, use iron or steel screws in preference to brass. For the "nut," select a piece of old driving belt, and cut the samo length as width, say, Jin. or Jin., and perforate so that the point of the screw can enter. ■ If the leather.is left square it is easier to hold it when screwing up. To prevent windscreens clouding in wet weather, there are special prenarati'ons 'on the market of varying efficiency. There are also many "home remedies." Glycerine rubbed over the screen is often effective. Also it has been suggested that soft soap should bo smeared on sparingly and the screen afterwards polished with a rag. It has also been recommended that the screen be wiped over with a slice of apple, but tho writer has not tried this suggestion. Every motorist soon finds that petrol is a splendid cleanser, but, if used to clean the hands, it removes the greater part of tho grease, but leaves a groat ■ deal of dirty grease in Uio pores of the skin and is very hard to dislodge. If the bands am rubbed with soap before a. dirty job is started, tliry will be easier to cleanse afterwards; tho i

finger nails should also bo filled with soap by drawing the fingers - along a fresli cut piece of ordinary yellow household cleanser. Soft sonp mixed with very line sand or oatmeal is effective if a proper "motor soap" is not available. Lighting-np timo: To-day, 7.21 p.m. Next Friday, 7.28 p.m.