MOTORS AND MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 84, 3 January 1919, Page 9

MOTORS AND MOTORING

. • v • . :iiy."Clut?li.") - Air Leaks. ; A.point'iii: conilection with the petrol ■ systeni'is th? method of feeding the fuel to llie earburettor. 'Many of the older r ca.t3 : liave'pressure feed, and as the pressure pump supplying Jthe,.air to the tank #t the rear getfl-'. : Mvcirn : 'its effectiveness, is lessened and-i'tlie :s«nply..of fuel is not wlmf-.it' should--%•!.',Also','-'there are so: inilny, chances for air leaks that it ..is a wp.nucr that, some, of -..the.-systems operate-, nt- all. ■ If y,oii discQver this to be' tlie source of your irregular, running, fit a . Vacuum tnnk-.on-the-fi-ont of yom. dnsli. 'Yon will never have to worry about pressure, and air v leaks,t;hen. ';|iiton Pin Play/,' ' i -it is soiueUm«i : to dc-, , 4 termine whethoi'.'i-thei-B:!has been.wear; ;Ifl the piston pin bearing. the piston' bin in. plac'd a'nd : th^'loiver cfiinkense half down., or a sido pjiite/'olf,..remove a valve' dip or spark plug; aiid.iiii'ji' 1 the engine oyer, so that tlie jpistoii is at top! dead, centre, in such a position that a sprew- . driv.ar. may.'bo ■ pressed'lioivn; on top of' ,the piston, whilo a. bar tlie piston iiia'y be pushed upward from the-under-side. So by alternate forcing up and'down any play be detected.. Running; Costs; '

'' '•'Tholarger the engine the more it.; costs to run" is a .statement usually a'cceptfd:as; true'when referring to motor-cycles.''ln-the development of horse-: ,'po.we.r, conditions,.arisG-'whicli'-;, necessarily ' impose variations in the' consumption of. fuel, and. ftigj, especially • at the present rtiine/coatr moriey l ;-- ' Att ehgirie "tliat will; ■run economically, that is to say, 1 on a low fuel -basis,- is desired by all, but, apart frop the question of initial cost it.' follows in .the natural oi'dei" .of: things: that ii ;big engine hanling a heavier load' than usual will Require more fuel than' 'a smaller one doing lighter work; and-, •what would be considered a very satisfactory perfprmance,.in. respect of miles, per gallonSvith "h, big side-car combination . npuld fall -yery- far. short indeed of.the expectations of .one.who nsed a ■ solb : machine of moderate or small power. .Where it ig a .question of .transporting, ' "paying" loads;'.'. lis''when : ' motor-cycles , ars'nsed for. commercial as ; distinct from pleasure purposes,_ the larger and more . powerful engine; in'.'spite of 'its higher petrol, consumption, .is i often, equal, if not superior, to its smaller rival when the. ultimate: cost'is calculated.'- Fewer journeys' with . increased loads per trip may prove a cheaper method'than thut in, which the ;■ conditions afe reversed, and. the ability to exert a greater amount of tractive effort may,'and almost certain-' ly will, provide'the reason for-tho difference. Wlien, however, the,-machine or side-cat combination, is used solely fee pleasure, then-it- is' not so, easy to ap-. praise tho-;ynlije. .of. relative, perform-. : : anc'e, fo': whilst' cost inevitably figures as an hmiortant; item -in the owner's estimafifi '. :i is not regarded as the basis-' but rat!;:«r as a necessary consequence ..of the, use ofithe-wachine. . , Wbodehi. Wheels.. . . . A. great many American motorists and manufaotm'ors .have a strong preference for wheels built of wood. Tlie , chief reason for this.preference is that hickory,, which .is' the most, suitable wood: known for wheels, exists in enormous quantities in the States; ' Moreover,-'flaws in wood occur on the not. internally lis with; metal; and a. peculiar-property is possessed.' by ".'-wood'"in .that it. absorbsthe'.cbnstant roiid shocks, without exhibiting the signs of "fatigue" which sooner •or later overtakei metal construction. Im r munity from climatic and temperature changes is also mentioned' in favour of the. finished wheel,, as.are tlie ease of re-, pair; in .case of accidental damage and' durability;• in. spite ■ of, neglect, lack of, paint, etc..; ,It' is. undoubtedly a fact,.' however, that metal wheel .constructions of 'various, 'forms-, ore filowly,'gaining : in fiivour in U.S.A., and, in the opinion of i'many pepple on.; both sides' of the Atlantic, the wood wheel' in the near, future. will be, ousted from its present' prcdoriiinant'pbsition in th'at-country and lie.'replaced-by wire and other-metal wheels. I .' ~, , Here and There... • : After, the': valves '.have..been- ground -a little "more than'' the normal clearances should ,iha allojved ' in,, adjusting the tappets, for the simple renson that the surfaces of tho valve and its seat arc rather rough. . After.the,engine has been run for several hours the surfaces will be pounded smooth,, the valve will lower,' and the clearance will bo decreased. After thin has happened the final adjustment should bo made. • . Tho. American. Government is now running, a. motor sleigh..mail ,eorvice. : in Alaska, iuul the vehicles are,proving _ a godsend in the snow regions wnero mails have been few and far between. Tho , motor sleighs . are.- capable ,of travelling 100 miles over ice or snow tracks per (lay with 5001b., of mails aboard. In the end the' German' Ariiiy had to uso .tyres on their '' transport motor vehicles,.(jwinf? to no rubber being available. Erom this !it does not look :iis :';if the German' ; scientists'were successful .in their' efforts'-to produce syn■thbtio .rubber on a'"commercial'basis.. '' In'engines, that are provided with a plate' on' the side to fajcilitate work on: the interior, it ; is not:uncommon to.find that, water ''is escaping here in spite of the rubber , and fabric composition with which it'is''sealed. As-a general thiniy this condition may be' remedied by simply painting the plate with shelliio. cir red' lead and then screwing it tightly iii to -I'plftce:- ■ - 1 ' Ligliting-iip time: Toklay; 7.28 ."p.m.; next Friday, V.27 p.m. ;