MOTORS AND MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 109, 25 January 1918, Page 11

MOTORS AND MOTORING

a— IBs Clutoh.l Something in a Name. . Whoever first applied the current names to the brakes of the conventional motor-car was guilty of one of the most serious and costly blunders in motor history, says "Motor Life" The hand brake is not tho emergency brake, but the foot brake is. Bccauso most owners think that because, tho hand brake is called tho emergency brake it is only for use in emergencies, this excellent appliance receives far too little nso at the hands of. most drivers, and the foot bj-ako far too much. In 1111 emergency tho quickest and most natural movement to stop the car is to push out with both feet. It requires deliberation to do tbo unaccustomed thing of reaching for tho hand le?er, and it also requires that tho hand bo taken from tho steering wheol •-where it is needed in an emergency. Tho hand brako is useful.in ways, howover, in which it is rarely used. Ono of these is in coasting down hills, when of more than incidental length. Tbo common practice.is,to throw the gear lever in one of tho lower gears and either close tho throttlo or open tho switch, leaving tho friction and compression of tho -"engine to hold tbo vehicle-back on the grade. ' The correct method is to .throw tho lover into neutral, if the gradois long, or hold the clutch out if it-is short, and notch up the hand brake to produco tho required amount of On Hills of considerable length it is best to stop the engine, starting it again at the. bottom of tho grade, oh tho clutch. Oii long mountain grades tho hand brakes will eventually heat up, in which case they should bo released and the foot brake nsed long enough to allow them- to ; cool off—and no longer.

Care of Tubes, ' Sand iff a casing is. the ruination of a tube. ' It'very often happens that a motorist, while* repairing a puncture on a road,.permits the.tube and casing to pick up -particles which creato a friction later, and tiny holes, which will scarcely show when the tube is submerged in water, assert themselves. .Then, perhaps, the motorist nms to the dealer and charges him with selling a porous .tube. ... Putting undersized tubes in casings is .a common fault. This strains -the tube, makes the expansion' all .one-sided—on tho tread side- of tho generally results in a sonorous blow-out in No Man's Land. Sunlight is a natural enemy of inner tubes. The sunlight, and.any bright light for that matter, dries out the tube and makes it brittle and unelastic. . It is then known as a "macaroni" tube. A cool, dark place is the proper-refuge for the reservo tube. The effect .of grease and oils on tubes is well known, A habit of motoris'is to carry tubes unprotected in tool boxes is often responsible for much subsequent trouble. Tools are being bounced against a tube as the car bounds along; its sides arc chafed and become worn. It is weakened before it is oven inserted in the casing. All tubes should be carried in a. waterproof bag or well wrapped. Use of space under the.seat near the battery box for reserve tubes has its penalties, too. Acid from the battery frequently splashes over and doiiscs the .tube, and from that moment deterioration starts. Extinguishing Fires, A series of experiments carried out by the British Firo Prevention Committee show that the best way to extinguish a small petrol fire is to spread over the burning liquid a mixture of 101b. of bicarbonate of soda and 121b. of common, ■ sawdust. Tho sawdust need not be wet, but must bo freo from chips, and shavings. The theory is that the sawdust, by floating on tho burning liquid, excludes the oxygen of the air, and the heat of the flame generates carbonic-acid gas, which helps to extinguish the fire. Even sawdust alone gives better results than sand.

Goal Cas and Petrol. During a discussion at Manchester on the subject of fuel economy and the use of coal gas, an expert exposed the easy-going theory that if is fitted with a coal-gas container, in addition to a petrol tank, the driver may "change over" as often as ho pleases without finding any difference in the running; of the engine. 'Hie coal-gas movement, it was pointed out, is injured by 'the spreading of such a fallacy. Users of this fuel were advised, after seeing that the gas was conveyed from the container in the best possible way, to then fit a carburettor designed specially for coal gas. Motorists who desired to use the gas with petrol as a stand-by were further advised, if they wished to switch on to petrol, to retain their present carburettor, and to fit one for coal gas in addition, thus possessing two independent fuel supplies, each capable of giving the best results at all engine speeds. lis already being practised in Manchester, and the controls aro made automatic. Here and There. A good check on the condition of the piston rings may be had by feeling the crank case. If it is hotter than usual it is probable that there is leakage past the rings, which either are worn or stuck in their grooves because of carbon deposits. "While acetylene gas gives a brilliant ■light in the ordinary way, tlir- brightness of the flame can be increased, if desired (according to an exchange), by adding a little peroxide of hydrogen to the water in the generator. A teaspoonful to half a pint of war.or will be found sufficient. Another tip wf.ith knowing is to put a lump of sugar in the water'before'pouring into ilm container. . Cana sugar, or saccharine, forms a chemical compound with limeproduced by the'action of water on carbide—and the resulting calcium sa'ech'arata prevents much of the corrosion to which the generator and connecting tubes arc subject. The sugar does not impair the brilliancy of the light, lior in any way affect the production of the gas. . . Extra covers should be put in ser- i vice at regular intervals. Don't wait j until you are.fo.rced to change tyres, I but arrange to give all y.mr covers equal service. A cover not in use will ( "age," in time, and you will not get i maximum service. J

Use the throttle more and tho brakes less.

'I'll?. horninay bo the scat of :i manlier of .luiio.viiig toimds that are soroe•limes hard to locate-and remedy. The entire device may be loose on Us bracket, so that it rattles distressingly, cr some of the parts may be.. Icose and

iifJis.V; lii eases ol tins k;iiu tne t sir 'owner should have some passenger grasp the horn and held it tightly while the ear is-in motion; if the rattin subsides, bhiine it on the horn. ' Some of the light dilfuscrs or devices: designed lb redirect the rays of light itro designed to .bo effective only when in a certain fixed iKisition. Vibration may so loosen the'glass in the rim that the glass_ will be permitted to creep around, in which case, he whole, scheme, fails. Not all headlights. : liave . means for anchoring the glass permanently, so it:is a matter for the owner's attention to see that the glasses are properly fastened in place. If screws are used it might do to insert a. loch washer under each one. • Examine the inside casing frequently; ■ If- any breaks are found . have them repaired at once. ' A promising design of motor has been evolved .and- .placed on the American mar-ki't; it-takes the shape of a tractor cljiiibie' <il" l>"hig. attached' U>> vehicles which hiihbrlo were Itorsc-dr'aw'n'. It is called tho one-wheel trarftor, and, as its name implies, it lias but a driving

wheel which can he turned in a complete circle. The engine, transmission gear, and driver's seat are arranged in the call, the whole of which turns with Urn wheel. Tho weight is balanced Upon the- single wheel, stability being given tbo tractor by its attachment to the front axle of 'the vehicle- to be drawn. The attachment is simple, so that the tractor can bo transferred from one vehicle to another in less time than a team of _ horses could bo changed. It is driven 'by a. 4-cylindor engine (3Jin. x 5Ji. n -)j "id transmission is through a lOin. plate clutch; a 3-speed gear-box is also incorporated. Cooling water is carried in a 56-ga!lon tank, so placed as to counterbalance the weight of tho engine. The- motor wheel is 34in. in diameter and lOin. broad. If one side of tho tyro shows more wear than the other, turn it around. Lighting-up time: To-day, 7.20 p.m.; next Friday, 7.13 p.m. Petrol Saver.—The Speedier Vaporiser, which can be fitted to any motor-car cr motor-cycle, 6aving one fourth to onethird of petrol, can be purchased from Robert Miller,. Main Street, Grcytown.—