More New Hints

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 598, 26 February 1929, Page 6

More New Hints

The Care of the Car SLIPPING CONE CLUTCH A hacksaw and a little ingenuity helped a motorist to get his heavilyladen car through woods and over sandy roads, miles away from a garage, when the clutch slipped and failed to provide the necessary pulling power. The blade of the saw was broken into pieces as long as the width of the leather belt, and these were then driven at equal intervals between the clutch and the leather. The latter was

thus raised, and when engaged the clutch held firmly, remaining in good condition for a long time. The plan is an easy one, but care must be used to place the pieces of saw so as not to shear off the copper rivets. MAGNETO HINT When a magneto needs attention it is advisable to place it in the hands of a firm specialising in this ‘type of j work. If, in an emergency, however, J a motorist dismantles his magneto, it | should uot be forgotten that the horse- I shoe-shaped magnets will quickly lose j their magnetism if a “keeper”—a piece ■ of soft iron—is not placed across the j poles. The magnets, when removed, j should not be knocked in any way or the residual magnetism may be destroyed. PAINT SCRATCHES Scratches that have not penetrated completely through the paint to the undercoating, or further, can very often be smoothed out by careful and somewhat lengthy rubbing with a very fine abrasive. For this purpose one may successfully use the sediment in brass polish on a soft piece of rag—the latter wrapped round a finger tip. j A bad surface scratch across a back wing, caused by contact with the front wing on another and carelessly driven car, was eliminated completely by using successively knife-powder, brass polish sediment, and powdered whiting. The latter moistened with lubricating oil, being a very fine abrasive indeed, brought back the original gloss to the treated area in a surprisingly satisfactory manner. ACCELERATOR GUIDE One now and again hears of accidents arising through the Inadvertent depression of the accelerator pedal when it is intended to apply the brake. Where the pedal corns too near the brake the danger may often be obviated by arranging some sort of shield or shroud—perhaps of thin sheet metal, or bent iron work—which will guard the accelerator when the brake is applied. Often some similar arrangement to act as a guide to steer the foot easily and safely to the accelerator may be devised, and will make for safety. Many drivers have peculiarities personal to themselves, which may make it necessary to guard the feet against straying on to the wrong pedal. Some makers guard against this in the design. MYSTERIOUS TROUBLE After washing his car, a motorist had difficulty in starting it, and once running it would not pull well. He visited a garage and ignition valves and carburretor were checked without result. Finally the muffler was removed, when the engine ran perfectly. Examination showed that a . loose muffler baffle was blocking the exhaust, and probably this was due to a heavy muffler explosion. The owner , had got some water in the distributor, and this was the cause of the starting trouble. After checking the engine for some time, a spark occurred, which . ignited the charge in the muffler, blowing the baffle loose and shutting off the exhaust.