MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 73, 19 December 1919, Page 2

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By "Clutch.")

Care of Brakes. A writer in the ".Daily Mori" gives some useful information regarding tho cnir> of brakes. The commonest method of finding out if a brake is v.orlrinj? properly, he points out, is to jack up one or both of the rear wheels and then, while tho 'brakes aro held in the on position, to try turning the tear vhcels by hand. Nothing could be more futile unless it is merely a enso nf adjustment from such a pointthat the brakes aro so ineffective, as to bo unable, to hold the wheels against turning effort applied by hand. When it is merely a question of Adjusting the brakes so that: they may be applied with better effect the whselfl may bn jackfd and attempts to (urn them by hand be 'made, but: what is most important to bear in mind is that an adjustment sufficient to prevent tho wheels from moving half an inch under ordinary hand rires e »"c will' usually be <iuile useless to enable the brakes to have a really useful emergency effect. \V)t°ii tlio point in the adjustment is found that is enough to prevent the brakes from giving , ' way at all under hand pressure tho ntljustment should bo tightened still further at Vast half as far ntra'.n as it has been moved already. This is the. most frpcMieut attention that brakes renuire, and is nflen all that they ever get. but it is quite ;io?siblo that adjustment of tho operating rod< or external adjustment-of tho hhoos will be'inadequate to make the brakes really effective and in this oa*e attention must be turned to other details.

Af» a rule the shoes are Hie most inaccessible part of tho brakes, and for this reason it is well to examine all components before turning attention to them. Tho compensates device will often cause unequal operation of Hie brakes, wlien.it is the rear wheel brakes that are bein<r attended tn. Road dirt, damp, and'mud eenorally find the compensating device in the bralce-opt-rating mechanism a convenient resting-place, and they easily prevent its proper working, so that when tlio bvakf , lever is used the.whole of theresulting pressure may be. concentrated on ono wheel only, with obviously unpleasant results. Tho, remedy lies in the cleaning and keoping clean of the compensating toeeles, which may bo best performed with a stiff brush 'dipped in paraffin and 'by. afterwards coating i.ho joint with thick engine oil—the kind.usually sold for u°° in air-cooled engines being 'ho best. It •penetrates into the joints of the topsjlns more effectively than does grease, and its thickness makes it stay there much longer than would a thinuov oil. If tho brako rods pass through guides, as they jrenerally do on first-class cars, these, should also he cleaned ftud <.iled in the sanvway, for sticking at this point would from somo points of view bo worse than sticking in the toggle, joints, as one brake might quite easily h« held 'continually in the on position. Little wore can be done, to the external brake mechanism, unless it bo thouirht necessary to mafco nulta sure that the base of the operating lever works quite properly. Trouble at this point is rare, but it is just as well to be on the safe side, nnd the paraffin brush and oil-can may be applied with advantage- If the foregoing tips rave, had no 'lwneflcial effect on the working of the brakes, it mav be token that the troupe lie? in the. brake-shoes themselves. If there, are lined with some friction nwi terinl, rolining is the obvious remedy, but where this is not >mtnc<lia.(ely possible the shoes may often be patched up po as to work quite well until such tlmo a? tho new linings can ho fitted. Uneven wear on the lining will, if present, bo easily detected when the shoes aro removr ed from their drums, and the parts.th«t have not worn at all may be. packed with <shims-~thin pioces ,of forced in between the lining and the inetal .shops proper. The amount of packr ing necessary must be found by trial and error, and the shoes frequently replaced into the drums and the wheel spun until it will just revolve without noisy rubbing between the two surfaces, Tho cam forcing the two sitoes apart when the brakos aro applied may need some attention, mainly in tho direction of oil o'n its spindle, and the same attontiqn may be givon to tlio pips on which the shoes themsolves are mounted; so'that they work easily and will not only , expand readily but will contract again under the action of the spring fitted for the purpose. But when tins ouing is in progress tako great caro that none of the oil cets on to tho braklr.jj surfaces. AYhen the uhocs are not lined with friction material but consist sun. lily of cast-iron acting against iron or Bteel drums, the only remedy lot wear !8 replacement ,pf the drums by new onos but a, temporary oxpedient may sometimes bo effected by changing over the shoes from one wheel to thp other. This cannot always be. done, and ita practicability depends on the design of the drums and operating mechanism, but it is quite warlh trying, so long as it is not allowed to remain as a permanent substitute for new 6h«s, If the trouble with tho brakes is th* very rpvorw of that so far dealt with the cure id not likely to be su easy. I'ierwnees in brake operation is always ilue to the 6hoes, and may yield to on* uf two entirely different treatments, or may refuse to bo .cuml by. anything bat new linings or shoes. The first treat, ment is simple enough in execution, but may be easily overdone and so mm trouble worse than'the original. Most makers of friction linines sell or recommend, if they do not actually manufac hire, a dressing for their material, and this should lie applied sparingly to the surface and allowed to dry before the shoes are replaced. If the special dressing is not available a few. spots, of linseed oil may be applied.' but under no circumstances should this .bo overdone, or tho result will be slipping that no amount of adjustment will cup. If the application of a small amount of dre>.s'init or oil does not effect a cure the next step to be taken does not lie in the nppliration of more oil or dressing, but in roughing the surface of the material with a rasp This, will almost invariably cause the trouble to disappear, but is not to be •recommended except as a last resource, as it causes the lining to wear rani lv, and if it has been cmplovod. steps'should be taken to procure new lining*, -so that they, will be at hand remarks are intended to apply mainly to. bnOf*» -operating en roar-wheel drums, and though some of thoiu obviously apply equally well to.propeller shaft brakes,-there remains something to bo said on this subject. Chattering is commoner with tho propeller shaft brake than it is with those on the rear wheels, nnd often the cause is.external to the Vake itself, being traceable to looseness in a universal joint, tt uiis is the caso the trouble should be cured oven more urgently than is advisably whan it is in tho brake, for it means that undue stresses are being sot up in tie joint, which cause rapid wear ma delicate component; the euro is not diincult, aud so long ns tho trouble has not bten allowed to go too far, lies in tightening of the pins of the joint ifit u of .the all-metal tvpe, or in the bolts if it is ot tho fabric type. Chattering may aleo be due to fierceness of the brako itsclt, tno remedy for which Inw already been given. Is tho foot brake is to near to tho gearbox in ordinary dcngns, it is uossiwe dial dipping may lie caused by leaking, lubricant from tho box getting on to the drum. It may bo removed by Uio equirttiiig on to the> drum of, a little patrolparaffin should not bo used under uuy circumstances. The Paris Show. The Paris Automobilo Salon, tho Mist exhibition of its' kind held in liurope since 1913, afforded a. unique opportunity of studying tho general tendency ot design now that factories aro settling down t>. a resumption of normal business. Generally speaking, thero was a -notieeiiolo improvuii'ieiiij, in the quality ot deMign and fouetruction. While -fourcylinder engines are most genera), six cylinders are in a big majority for highorirlnei can,' S and 12-cylinder engines are poorly represented. "Unit conetruclion ot pugina, .<..ulch, and goar-box haii made i.nornT"s progress. Tho few who used thw U-u.x! tho war have contiUuwl it, ar.d largo numbers have followed their Mftii. ' . The cono clutch has lost p-i-iHinn upaiiMl Hip multiple disi-. Debchable cylinder heads were ahr.o't in a imij'-nfty for all clar-ses of cars. While the magneto has been abandoned on several of the cheaper Kuropoan cars, it is stilt used by practical all the liailielnsi makers. The of the traiWY«r« Shaft fjatm c, , driving niag- _

" •■ ""i"- « '■ >' < " ''' ' neto ami water pump has been recognised. Tlio exlimist fed pressure 6ys(eni hue disn.punnrt.-d, and lias tieen replaced bjr the- vacuum or by air pressure with & email reserve tunic on the front of the dash, with a flout ami needle valve. Tliis avoids any necessity for a hand pump. Gravity tanks are only used on email cars. All European cars «ro no\v fitted with electric lighting and starting, am! in the great majority of eases two units are employed. Improvements have been mado in carburettore, especially with retard, to economy and easy starting. This latter is more important now that eloctrio starting is Reneral than was the case when the starting crank had to lie operated. The system o£ taking the drive and tho torque through the springs has lost ground, and hn£, been replaced bv what is known «s Hie, central drive. Under thin system the i.£"taller shaft is enclosed and lias a spheie »u its forward ond which is received in u, corresponding, female member, either on tho real , of the iranr-lxi.v or on n central cross frame mcm'her. With thi< dc?tEii the springs aro shackled at both ends and have no other function than to assure the suspension of the car. The spiral bevel typo of final drive is now use.d by alj highclass milkers. There are practically 1)0 worm driven nylos, whilo tho number of straight bevels is tending to decrease. Both sets of brakes are now fitted to the rear wheels. Tlio drums aro fjeneral'.y ribbed to assist coolins, rfnd diameter is very Imk. Wnorl wheels are deatf. They have V«n replaced by the steel etwko, the di°e, or the wire wheel. All the"> wl'*el* are of the detachable tyne with ■flinfihor vim?. Considerable nttcntinn baa bi>en paid to snrlnge, and a feature n{ rV show was the- extensive UFO of. cantilevers. The eemi-elliptie, however, sli'.l maintains a prominent posit'nn. Jl lias Wii improved ]>y being increased in leiifftli, and by the adoption of a Ri'oater witnbcr nf thin loaves, In some a reversed leaf is fitted above tlw main leaf, in order to arrest rebound. Tl'Tp is ("insider-able refinement in bodyvwir, although not many really new , ''■>pnrtnri!R; On hish-oinss touring cars "in top is now completely out of eight I when not in iiso.

Where British Motor Spirit Ccmcs From. Tn thn nnnunl statement of tlie trado of Hie United Kingdom are (tiven a set of figures relating- to tlie imports of motor spirit into the United Kingdom during 191fi, 1917, and 1918. whiolt are interesting in that they reveal the sources of supply concerning v.liicli there has been a lively discussion If tely. America, as might l>e expected, tops the list with 137,013.025 gallons in lt>lß, as comnared with 78.007.62G Rallonn in -916. From Dutch Tiorneo in 1918 Britain received. 2t.529.7Gl gallons, this being upwards, of S.ODO.OM callous more thim were imported in 1916. Other J)ntch possessions supplied 2n.CCn.134 gallons in ".91(1, lut only 6,938,756 last. year. Franco cent i gallons, and Persia only 212,764 gallons, as ncainet 1,817,813 gallons in 191(5. From Mexico last year Britain received 15.204,205 gal--lons, an increase of nearly 5,000,000 over 1916. The total from foreign countriea amounted in 1918 to 184.618,514 frallom, an inert"-™ over the 1916 liirures of over 45,' (100,000 gallons. In 1918 Fgynt contribufc. Ed 27,395 gallons, and from British India there , ww --Kt-itvpfl nitty W2 enlloii", as ngninst in 1916. There has l>een a sorious TRIUHO-β!! in quantity, too, from the Straits Settlements and Pwndemies, the figures for 1918 being 575.5VK1 saltans, or' nlxint 750,000 gallons less than 1916. In (lie ense of the British AYost India lf=l(inds tliere lias Imsn r.n increase from Jf10.207 gn]lon3 in 19)6 to 3,214.9.10 gallons in 1918. Thus the total from British possessions Inst vnnr«,•>= *n'vß.B-H1..M0 Mill" , ', compared with 22,274.635 pillions in 19(6. From nil sources, however, the grand total amounts to 192,950,051 gallons, which is 31,000,000 nallons more than were imported in 1916. I Lighting np time i-To-day, 7.23 p.m. Next Friday. 7.28 p.m,