MOTORS AND MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 80, 28 December 1917, Page 11

MOTORS AND MOTORING

IBS CWJTOH.]

How to Effect Economies. An American expert offers the following hints in the interests ot wartime economy:— ' first—Make sure that the carburettor is properly adustcd, particularly the leaning device. Jinny people do not evou know that there is such an arrangement oil the carburettor, and many dealers and mechanics, for somo unknown reason, do not pay much attention to .it. Second—Drive- as much of the time an possible at the most economic speed, which is approximately fifteen miles per hour for lovel roads. You might be surprised to find that by holding to a. speed of fifteen miles an hour on level roads you can get from '25 to uO per cent, more miles per gallon than at a speed of twenty-five miles per Lour. Third—The greatest fuel economy is obtained-by using the hand throttle,instead of the foot accelerator. With your foot at the accelerator you unconsciously press the pedal a little in going nvw a bump; not enough to got appreciably more acceleration, but enough to consume petrol needlessly.

Don't Brake Quickly. Fourth—Anticipate stops. Close tho throttle and disengage tho clutch far enough ahead of the place whero you want to stop, so that very little braking will be necessary. Fuel is wasted by causing the engine to drive the car rapidly right lip to. the stopping place, which necessitates slamming on the brakes. By excessive use of the brakes you arc deliberately destroying momentum, which it has taken petrol to' create.

; ■ Fifth—Accelerate gradually. Many drivers jam down the accelerator pedal, opening the throttle wide, or nearly so. Tims, accelerating rapidly up to thirty-five, they find that they are going about ton miles faster than the ■jaw allows, and brake down to twentyrive. A gradual acceleration up to twenty-five would have saved fuel. This precaution should ho observed particularly in starting. Sixth—Do not leave the engine running when the car is not in operation, either when stopping to talk with a friend, when, waiting for your wife to put on her hat/ when running in to buy a cigar, when tinkering with your car in. the garage, or at any-other time. Probably rnoro .fuel i.i wasted in this way than in any other. Seventh—Do not drive with the auxiliary air valvo lever up any longer than necessary. Shortly after the engine starts' it is possible- to push it part way down, and this should bo done. It should be. pushed tho'rost of the way down as soon as the engine is warm enough to permit doing so. Do not wait until- the engine is warm enough to permit pushing tho | lever all the way down before pushing it part way down. Eighth—Havo the brakes properly adjusted. Brakes which bind increasb yonr fuel consumption. Ninth—Use thn proper kind of oil, and enough-of it. ■ Tenth—See that the tyros are properly inflated. Five-inch fabric tyres, standard on the typo 67, should bo inflated to from seventy-five to eighty pounds.. An Important Point. An important 'poiut for prospective motor-car buyers to look out for when selecting a car is tho accessibility of its various parta for adjustment and repair. When it is necessary to remove the entire body to enable a single loose bolt to bo tightened, or the engine to. make a simple adjustment, the.repair bill on what should be but a five-minute job is decidedly discouraging, not to speak of the loss or time. These examples may bo rather extreme, but the fact remains that accessibility is often made a secondary consideration by designers. That this should bo so is difficult $o understand, for good will is an important asset in these days of keen competition, and no amount of fancy accessories and free extras can offsetheavy repair bills.

Hero and There. It frequently happens that car owners who carry out their own repairs, in replacing parts, forget to replace lock washers* yet these parts are really necessary where ordinary nuts are used. Should the part to bo held in placo be of soft motal, it is best to have tho lock washer rest against a fiat washer, and not directly against the soft metal. ■ The dirt collected on the outside of the engine i 3 not merely an eyesore. It gets into the bearings and causes loss 'of power and wear. This shortens tho life of the engine. If the dirt is removed regularly this wear is prevented, and the car will lajjjb longer. One of the causes of tyre wear that is frequently overlooked is jamming on the brakes too suddenly. This causes the tyre to slide on one spot, 1 , wearing away the tread. Letting in the clutch suddenly causes the tyro to slip and wear the tread in another way. The holes drilled in the tilencer sometimes are rough and ragged, with the result that the escaping gases set np a whistling noise, anything but agreeable. Smoothing off the rough edges will usually eliminate the unwelcome sound. .Try tho clips that hold the ends of the spring leaves together occasionally to make sure they are not coming loose. If they loosen, the springs acquire a side motion, which drags in more dirt and so makes them wear and squeak all the sooner. Wen brakes do not hold it is usually because the surface of the bands has become hard and smooth. Clean them with a thin brush and kerosene, rinse off with gasoline and permit them to dry. Then spread on lubricating oil, being sure evory spot is covered. This will raise the' fibre, soften the material, and the brakes will be effective. This shoiiM.be done at'nisht, for it will be dangerous to attempt using tho car until the oil has had a chance to do its work. In cars fitted with a piston-typo oil pump, failure to force tho oil in its proper channels may be remedied by priming the pump. This is done by disconnecting tho line behind tho gauge and forcing oil from a can through\the pump lead, while tho engine is running very slowly. When oil spurts bnck through the pipe it shows that the pump is working again. In tho absence of fuller's earth ordinary talcum powder may be used to stop cono clutch slippage. Sprinkle the talcum over the surface of the leather or fabric after having first cleaned the surface with petrol. Lighting-up time: To-day, 7.26 p.m. Next Friday, 7.2S p.m.