SHORTS CIRCUITS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 11, 4 September 1931, Page 5

SHORTS CIRCUITS

Habitually using the clutch pedal as foot-rest causes unnecessary wear n this important mechanism. : «=* If the rims, rather than the wheels, ,f your car are demountable, you aay hear a swishing - oi? • cr unching ound.that seems to come from one of he wheels. It may be that the nuts yhich hold th'e rim in.- the wheel- have vorked loose enough to permit ihe •im to.slipv .They can be easily.tigh;enedv • •*' * • ' ' * * * Most motorists neglect their windjcreen wipers' until they rieed them —and then* ,-as., often . as not, -they ffon't work. Test the wiper occasionally and lubricate it once in a while by putting a drop of oildn »the mechanism. ♦ ♦ ♦ Difficulty experienced in extracting bushes from such components as stub axles, track.rods,.and-so on,. can.iisualjy be overcome by carefully cutting the side of the bush withi a hacksaw; having cut right through -it will' be found that the bush can easily be pushed out. Take care hot to cut the surrounding metal. * * ♦ Owners of open touring cars are sometimes annoyed' by the irattles traceable to the- jolts . of , the hood frame. A very little thin oil is user ful in preventing rattle, but where, owing to neglect, the rivets and holes have worn slack, the rivets should be replaced by.slightly longer ones, together' with thin; double-spring washers, the ©ld,.plain washers being discarded. * * * Carelessness in handling the clutch causes more wear on cars than any other thing. Many drivers let in the clutch with such suddenness as to cause the driving wheels to turn a little on their tapered ends.' * * * No one likes to wear out the tread of a tyre prematurely, but many a,re doing it because their brakes are not equalised. Uneven brakes mean that one wheel stops first and slides on the road surf ace, while the others continue to turn. ' ■ * * * Maintaining the right air pressure at all times is an important item in the upkeep of balloon tyres. Excessive shimmy in the front wheels is often traced to tyres, and the softer they are the more they shimmy. * * * Hard steering results from misalignment of front wheels or from low presssure in front tyres. * * * If you lose the petrol tank cap, don't go aro.und for.long with,.a rag or piece of cork pl'ugging up the hole, as this may preyent air from entering the tank, or worse, lint or parti cles of cork are almost sure to fall in and clog the f uel line. A new cap doesn't cost much. * • , * ❖ The engine is often blamed when the car has power on the level but seems to lack it on a . hill. First examine the clutch and find out whether it is slipping, as this.-will make the engine app'ear to lack power. * * * A long strip of stout brass about Jin wide, doubled . lengthwise and squeezed in a vice to grip the back of a hacksaw blade for its full length, lends the blade rigidity, and a handle made from a 4in length of broomstick, split, and then bolted together again with the blade between and bound with string, enables the saw to be used without a frame for. a number of jobs "vYhere the frame would be an encumbrance. * * * Before removing a wheel it is an excellent practice to block up the other wheels of the car. * •* * A novel showroom on four wheels. This unique travelling exhibit was recently placed on the road by the Shell Company of New Zealand Ltd., and is at present engaged on an extensive tour of the Dtminion.