DANGER OF FIRE.

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 124, 16 August 1927, Page 6

DANGER OF FIRE.

USE CARE ALWAYS. LEAKY PETROL PIPES. Every woman driver has a private j fear that her car may suddenly burst into flames through some mysterious cause or other. While the possibility of ; such a disaster may be remote, it is nevertheless advisable for motorists to take every precaution in their power to j guard against lire. It may seem unnecessary to emphasise the fact that the petrol tank or even the carburettor should never on any account he approached with a naked light, hut at the risk of stressing the obvious it is well worth while to men- ! tion the matter. A cigarette between the lips, too, may be as dangerous as a lighted match. When the car is being greased and ‘ otherwise attended to, a special point should he made of inspecting all petrol joints to ensure that there is no leakage of fuel. It takes only a moment or two to have the flojr-boards up and to examine the whole length of petrol pipe from the tank to the autovac to see that there is no fault and that every joint is tight and dry. The carburettor should also he examined carefully for persistent leakage. Even if a small quantity of motor spirit accumulates below the carburettor it may be easily set alight through a backfire. It is a common practice to “tickle” the carburettor float to help to start from cold, but if that is done care should be taken that it does not overflow too much and leave a pool of petrol in the vicinThe engine should be set in motion only when the waste petrol has been wiped away or has become absorbed by the air.