MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2969, 5 January 1917, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

IBT Gltixoh.l Tlra Wear and Wheel Alignment. If exccssivo wear of the front tires is noticed it is almost certain tliat tho wlioels are not parallel. I'lie owner is apt to disbelieve this, and the maker of tho car, as a rule, scouts the idea of any trouble of this kind on one of his cars. However, many cars aro turned out without the wheels being tested for parallelism, and, further, a collision, in \vhich the car is either passive or activo, may bring the wheels out of parallel, with the effect mentioned.

The conventional method of testing the wheels is to stretch a rod or a piece of string from wheel to wheel, in front and behind the front axle, but care should be taken that the tests are both at the same hoight from tho ground. As the front wheels are further apart at the top than at the bottom, error will arise if this is not done.

Wo liavo been told that another practical method is to set the wheels straight, then jack -up tho axle on both sides, and paint the treads with a little white-wash. The wheels aro then, both sot spinning as fast as possible, so that the whitewash is thrown off, leaving two thin white lines on tho ground in front of tho car. Tho distance between tho lines is measured closo up to tho wheels and as Tar away as is possible, and both measurements should be tho same. Engine seizing. The term "seizing" indicates binding of a bearing. In one extreme the two parts may become almoßt fused together, in which case renewal is essential. In tho other extreme a bearing may morely run Btiff and then jam, tho parts loosening when they cool down. Whon an engine "seizes" it usually happens that one or more of the pistonß bind and jam, and it is very raro that really bad seizuro takes place. When binding of this kind occurs the engine must bo allowed to cool down, and if possible paraffin or a littlo castor oil should be injected into the cylinder or cylinders. Tho sparkingplugs should be removed, and tho engino then forced round with tho Btart-lng-handle. Tho parts will gradually work free, and tho engine can eventually bo run, but it should not be overworked.

At tho first opportunity the cause of the troublp must bo found and- remedied. It may be due to insufficient J cooling, but more likely to lack of oil. Sometimes the troublo is caused' by, or accompanied with, broken piston rings, but if it takes place in a new engine, and if tho "seizing" is not very bad, one should not bo alarmed, as it is • merely that the parts are rather too tight a fit, and will work freer in tho course of time. In such a caso ample lubrication and light work will prevent serious troublo. Cracks Round Bolt Holes. Recently on overhauling a secondhand car jt was f&und that one of the holts holding a mudguard stay to the frame had evidently been looso a long time, with tho consequence that the metal round the holo had cracked away and was broken in Wo or three directions. .Such cracks would in time elongate and tho frame broak'. What was done to remedy the mattor was to drill out the hole to such a size as to cut away the cracked metal and loavp a perfectly plain round hole without "any radiating cracks. A plato was fitted at the front and hack, and the mudguard stay bolted back into place. Tho edges of the hole were first of all given a coat of paint so as to prevent any rusting; this painting is an important part of the repair. The wholo process is somowhat similar to tho stopping of a tooth by a dentist.- In engineer-' sag repair work it is common practice to prevent a crack- spreading by drilling a holo at cacli ond. D'or instance, if a crack occurs in the water jacket, no matter how small, tho first thing to do should bo to drill a small hole at each extreme end and then plug the hole with a small set screw. If the ends of the crack are not treated in this way' it will spread. Hore and There. On receiving delivery of a new car, it is always advisable to examine the oil sump, gear box, • and axle t_o seo that these aro filled' with - lubricant. Tho same applies to the radiator, as one of tho water-pipe joints may leak slightly, with the result that the water level may be so low that tho water will not circulate.

, Tho very latest fitment for commercial motor vohicles is the recordograph. The instrument records the time the car is started, trip mileage, the time each trip is started and\ finished, the number of stops, tho duration and exact timo of each stop, the speed of travel at any time of day, and tho total day's mileage. The instrument is a clock arrangement with a tape marked off into 36 hours of five-miiiuto periods, and each hour marked 0. In width the tape is divided into eight parts, each representing a quarter of a mile. In operation a straight line drawn by the pencil lengthwise of the tape reveals tho fact that tho vohicle has been standing still; an oblique line shows that the vehicle was moving, and the pitch of, this line gives the actual speed in'miles por hour. The instrument is driven from one of the front wheels, very much after the manner of the speedometer on a motor cycle.

Tho radiator filler cap may in some cases jam, and refuse to unscrew in tho ordinary way ;• ns it is generally of somewhat delicato manufacture it will not stand harsh treatment. The writer found an infallible method for unscrewing tho t-ighest cap was by means of a chamois leather which could be laid over the cap. Tho corners of the leather must bo drawn , round the cap to one point and the free part screwed up tightly, so that the leather forms, as it wore, a hag, gripping the caj> with a kind of projectin" spoke, consisting of the tightly twisted Jpather. By this means a good Hold of the cap can bo effected, and it may be unscrewed quite easily.

Tho long vertical spindle, about which

each front wheel is centred for-steer-ing, is rather difficult to keop in an efficient state of lubrication, and tho very greatest caro is necessary to prevent dirt from {raining access along with the oil. If, when filling the littlo nil cup after a. hundred miles running, tho oil level is still whero it was left when previously oiled it is time to dismount the spindio, to clcan out tho oil ways, and reassemble. If this bo not dono tho spindle is suro to seize, tho thread at the lower end will bo stripped, and wear will bo very rapid. Lighting-up time: To-day, 7.41 p.m. Next Friday, 7.39 p.m.