MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 36, 6 November 1919, Page 2

MOTORS & MOTORING

i (By "Clutch.")

Wairarapa Automobile Association, The following officers were elected at the annual meeting of the Wairarapa Automobile Association;— Patron, Hon. Sir Walter Buchanan, M.L.G-.; president, Mr. Martin Elgar; vice-presidents, Messrs. W. Howard liuoth and 11. A. Bunny (OiirtQrton), W. Benton (Foatherslon), and J). Smith (Mnstorton); treasurer, Mr. A. C. Holms; auditor, Mr. J. M. 6. M'Kenzic, F.1.A., N.Z.; committee, Messrs. 11. E. Jackson, H. M. B. Trapp, A. F. Hogg (Carterton). J. C. Bidwill, A. C. l'earce, 11. H. Stewart, C. J. Carlyon, M. 11. Kendall (Featherstou), W. A. Hutton, F. C. Bunny, F. J. While (Grpytown), K. M'Bean Stewart, D. B. Carrick, and J. 11. Naylor (Mnsterton). Tho matter of holding a race meeting was brought up by the secretary. Tho sports account is in credit to tho extent of J-60. The secretary reported that there was every chance of scouring a flying machine for the occasion. It was resolved that tho matter be deferred, and that th.e secretary make inquiries regarding tho aeroplane, and report to the committee. Of Interest to Learners. Tho Wallington City ( Council has amended its motor by-laws by stipulating that learners driving motor-cars shall bo allowed to drive only in those portions of the city where the speed limit is 20 miles per hour. Technical Motor College,Speaking of the Motor Garage Proprietors' Congress'at Palmorston North, a most worthy movement appears to have been inaugurated there by the vice-pre-sident of the Wholesalers' Association, Mr, Rogers, and taken up with rapidity and determination by the garage men. It provides for the establishment of a .technical motor college, having as its object the .better education of mechanics. Tho view expressed by Mr. Roger?, and endorsed by the assembly, was that the supply of good mechanics was getting shorter as the number of cars increased, the Industry having grown, faster than the men, and in a year or two a severe shortage of efficient labour would exist if the traders did not start in to train their own employees. A suggestion cropping out of the main idea was that pupils would be able to compete for a dipldma, the winning of which would entitle them to an increase of M per week in wages. Keeping Going. No part of a car is really more vital and nothing is more shamefully neglected, than the steering gear (says an exchange). Obviously the safety of the occupants depends entirely on the soundness of the steering connections. A suspicion of backlash in a steering gear means nothing, but if after first becoming noticeable it increases to any extent, steps should at ouco 1)6 taken to ascertain tho cause.. A car without any backlash at all would be impossible to drive, or at least its steering would bo difficult and- extremely uncomfortable, and it is a matter of experience to know just when the backlash reaches tho dangerous point. Much, of course, may oe done to prevent steering gear trouble by keeping oil joints and connections in a. first-class condition, and this can best be done by periodical oiling* to all the moving parts in the steering gear, except the steering-box when this is automatically lubricated. The pivot pins of the stub axles, the connections of the steering arms to the arms of the stub axle .and to the base of the steering column cannot be oiled too frequently, and when the oiling is being carried out each joint should be tested for slackness. If, as tho result of vigorous shaking, any play is 'detected the road wheel should be ijacked up and the necessary adjustment made at once. With the wheel jacked up, play in bearings may be searched forJ>y holding the wheel* by. an upright and vertical spoke in. each hand, and testing if it is possible to move the wheel laterally. The remedy for play in bearings is obvious, in so far as it consists in removing the wheel entirely and adjusting tho bearings, if these, lire of the cup and cone type, or renewal of (lie bearings, if these are of the ball race type. Rattling, in the steering connections is not, in itself dangerous, but it is a sign that trouble which may become dangerous is developing. A frequent cause of rattling in the steering ;genjr lies in the ball joints at the end of the steering an'iu, when, these are fitted. The screw locking-piece of these joints will often pay for having a short, stiff, helical spring interposed between tho block that actually bears on the ball and tho pin, or bolt that holds this block in position. Putting a spring in this place has the further advantage of minimising the shocks to which the steering gear as a whole is subjected, mid it is an improvement well worth carrying out on a new ear that has not actually called for it, on account of wear. The cause of backlash will most generally bo found in the Steering box itself, and it ia a good sign that many of the latest British ears are using n completo worm wheel instead of merely a sector to mesh with the worm at the end of the steering column. When play has developed in a' steering box of this nature, it is a simple matter to dis--1 connect all necessary connections, and to give the worm wheel a quarter of a turn so that fresh teeth aro brought into engagement, with the worm wheel. The arm connecting tho horizontal shaft immediately under the steering box to the steering shaft proper is a possible point for play, musing backlash. This nrin is generally a driving' fit on to the horizontal shaft and carries a key and a key-way.. Keys ard liable to wear, and backlash and steering troubles may often Ih> traced to this source, and cured by the fitting of a. larger key and tho cutting of a widej; key-way, if this is thought necessary. Any first-class accessories house sells leather holsters specially made for encasing the different parts of the steering gear, and the use of these holsters is excellent in every way. Obviously steering connections arc exposed to road-grit, and it is because, this works into the joints so easily that wear is liable to take place. Thus anything which will protect the joints from foreign matter miist have n good effect. An Internal Combustion Turbine. The idea of a turbine operated by internal combustion is not altogether new, and various experimenters hu-vo been ut work on tho subject for, years. Tho attractions of the turbine as n prime mover for tho road vohiclo are, of course, very considerable. The OTer-al) dimensions of a turbine to givo about 10-h.p. need 'bo Little larger than those of an ordinary alarm clock. A turbino is silent in operation and also vibrationless. There arc certain disadvantages connected with its use, tho chief being that owing to its high speed of revolution a very considerable reduction gear is necessary between tho power-unit and the road wheels, and up to the present cooling has proved a problem. In the "Autocar" recently there was a description of an entirely new type of turbino designed and made by Captain .f. M. Sanders, Woodsido House, Canford Park. Woslbury-on-Trym, Bristol. Briefly, Captain Sanders's turbine may bo said to consist of two specially designed skew gears, one of which drives tho other through the pressure of tho exploded gaSes instead of through their velocity or impact, as is more usually the caso in turbine practice. Thus tho rotor with its vanes is absent. Captain Sanders has not yet overcome tho compressor difficulty, and, of course, 'he driving of the compressor is a very real problem in turbine' construction. Tim experimental work of this turbine has been conducted with an independently driven compressor, and it is now up to tho inventor to produce a compressor flint will not absorb too much powc and will make the turbine, into a selfcontained unit. As an instance of tho capabilities of the experimental mode"! it is calculated that with n s'in. cylinder wheel and two piston wheels it should b& capable of developing Hfl-h.p. at a sneed of IO.fIOO r.p.m. Further developments of this very 'ntrrestlng device, wliirh if perfected will pffnet fomotlii"<s in the nature of a revolution In Hio d(=icu of mrchnnicn)ly-pronnllerl . road vehicles, will bo awaited with the keenest interest. About Rims, Demountnblo r'ms often give trouble by becoming limit or warped, so that tiiey will not l'twlily paxa over the felloe-band. Continued lwnmcring only aggravates ihc trouble in most eases, but with .iii extra jack the task is simplified. By placing tho jack on tho hub, and

using it to foroo tho bulky rim upwards, a few taps of tbe v hammer will coax it over t1)o felloe. If a second jack is not available, tho rim ojid tyro can be sv.ured troui BlippiJig by a Topo or strap; and the jack removed from underneath tho axle, used as a lover as iihovo suggested, and replaced 'beneath the axle, go that the retaining lugs may bo properly put in place.. There should bo an equal space betwoon tho rim niid the fel'.oo all tho way round tho wheel; and if this is not tho case excessive wear mny lio paused on the hearings, and perhaps tho wheel may ride unevenly. Demountable rims are sometimes difficult to dismantle, because they liavo been for months untouched—no punctures having been sustained—a luxury that, seemingly, must bo paid for. ; Dusty riins are detrimental to tyres, . and should not be allowed to remain in that condition longer than can ho helped. When rims are in that s(nl« the,- should l>e scraped with a sharp tool, then lightly pounded with a wooden mallet until all of the flakes of rust have heen lettered off; followed by a vi'ioron": treatment with pand-jmnoi\ After the siir- . fnco has heen properly* cleaned, the rim. should he neinW. Sh"Har RimeHmps has been used instead of i>nint. Tint it is lmt sit'sfaetnry. as it, neni off in n eomriarntivcly lirW jnriod. (I'vid'-'tc unint or even ordinnrv mint wi'l be found inne'i more GPr-WnWe, Tt is almost rwdlpce to >nv thai- f.-roc s )ipi,i,i njireplaced until tho paint is citirely dry. Wheel Flan. A fault that is sometimes found in brand-new cars is a mysterious defect known as "wheel-flap." According 'to a writer in the "Autocar," an instance is on record where a first-class maker turned out a batch of some thirty cars, two of which showed this defect, whilo tho others, apparently identical in all respects; weie quite innocent of it. "Wheel-flap" is a wobbling of oiie or both of the front wheels which occurs only at certain speeds, generally between 2.5 and SO m.p.h., the speed at which tho averago man docs quite a large proportion of his driving. A suggested remedy for this trouble, which has a disconcerting effect oil the steering of the car, is the fitting of wedges between the front springs .and the spring pads on tho axle, the result being to alter the angle that the axlo takes up relatively to tho springs. Tho fitting of these wedges has the effect of altering the angle which Hio pivots of the stub axles make with the road, and it is very probable that this strikes at tho cause of tho trouble. Just what size of -wedge is required is, of course, impossible to say, as everything depends upon the car' to which it is being applied. To anyone troubled with wheel-flap, it is recommended by a writer in tho ".Daily Mail" that two or three wedges, of approximately the same size as a spring pad, but tapering from J to nothing, be made. If one wedge be placed in each spring and no benefit ensue, another one may bo inserted; but it ii not advisable that 'more . than three wedges should be used. If a thickness of i-in. is not enough, it is better to make another wedge tapering from one-half an inch, rather than 16 use four, each one an eighth of an inch in thickness. The wedges will, of course, bare to 1m bored so that the. bolts holding tho springs in position will pass" through i them when these bolts.pass through tho springs. In the case of springs held in position by staples, holes for the bolts will often be,found,, unnecessary, . Here and There, The New York Motor Show, held earlier in tho year, is stated to have been a success froui a selling point of view, but was. notably lacking in uovcltpr Manufacturers were engaged in meeting tho demand by producing models which had proved their usefulness, the medium, powered six-cylinder engined motor being the dominant type of vehicle fbspassenger cars. Design had for the time stagnated, but many new models and original designs are expected to materialise when the rush of after-war business subsides somewhat. Major Goddard. when speaking at the Garage, Proprietors'- Conference "at Palmerston North, said ho had asked tho British manufacturers to make "a car with a lower gear, high clearance, larger radiator capacity, bettor spring saddles, and mors flexible springs," and added that ho believed they were not only going to get back the trado lost during tho war but vere going to do a much bigger business in the future. According to iv report from Paris tho French Government's offer for the purchase of the war stocks of the American Army in Franco has been accepted. Tho "New York Herald" states that the prica which France will pay for supplies which are valued at over .£200,000,000, is' approximately .£GO,OOO,OOu. The vast stock is said to include no fewer than 50,000 motor lorries and SO.OOO cars of various types. German-made cars are not yet admitted to England, and many officers of the, British Army of Occupation-on the-Rhine who have purchased such cars, have been refused admission of tho vehicles into England. Lightin-up time:—To-day, G. 37. . p.m. Next Thursday, G. 45 p.m.