“SUN” SERVICE STATION

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 545, 24 December 1928, Page 6

“SUN” SERVICE STATION

rpHlij “Motordom” section of The Sun includes in its service to readers a -1- Queries and Answers Department, the object of which is to give accurate information regarding mechanical and touring subjects. Whatever the particular puzzle may be in either diagnosing Irritating troubles, or motoring information of any kind, “Headlight’* will endeavour to help, or refer the point to men who are recognised automobile experts in their respective lines. All communications must be accompanied by the Inquirer's name and address (not for publication), and sent to THE SUN “Service Station, Motordom,’' THE SUN. Auckland. Answers will appear weekly In this column.

“Steam.” —Could you tell me through your columns, if there has been any speed record made by a “Stanley Steamer,” if not, what is the fastest speed they have done? Also is it a fact that these machines are prohibited from all race tracks, and why The Stanley steam car made a world’s record of 127.5 m.p.h. on Ormonde Beach (TJ.S.A.) in 1906. This is the only Stanley record known, though other steam cars—notably the Serpollet—made them as early as 1902. Steam cars are prohibited from competition with petrol-driven cars on tracks and in trials because handicap formulas are based on the measurements of Internal combustion engines, and it is not possible to accurately handicap a steam car on the same basis. Z. —My car has run about 4.000 miles (it is a light four) and now will not pull up average hills, without knocking heavily. I use good oil, have not changed my petrol nor touched the mixture setting. The knocking is probably due to excessive carbon. Perhaps your carburettor adjustment is too wide, which might cause this. I would consider decarbonising and having the valves ground.

“Buyer/’—l have often noticed in advertisements that car dealers refer to their cars as “custom built/’ Does

this mean different to a standard model, or is it only a trade term?

The name is applied to the type o£ body and not to the mechanical nor chassis portions of the car. It denotes a special body, and is coined from an old coachbuilding term, when bodies were built to the order or

design of each individual customer. Therefore, it is meant to signify that the body is up to the standard of a specially constructed creation.

“Is this upper cylinder lubrication an argument for experts, or can anybody come in. If it is an open argument, I would like to say that the idea is not new, but it is good. More years ago than I like to remember an old echanic passed on the idea to me. an. since then 1 have always used it in some form. I have mixed thin oil in my petrol, in quantities of about half a pint of oil to eight gallons of petrol, and when specialised oils came on the market I changed over to them. On my last car I installed a Jay lubricator. I don’t know what it is doing inside, but I do know the car behaves itself. It has run 10*000 miles, and has not yet had the valves ground, or carbon removed, and will not have while it keeps going so well. Let experts wrangle about whether the idea is good or not —the results will do me ”