MORE HINTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 870, 14 January 1930, Page 6

MORE HINTS

The Care of the Car LEAKS AROUND WATER PUMP One of the commonest causes of leaks in the water system in the region of the pump is the use of too light cup grease in the grease cups on the pump bearings. This grease softens under the heat of the engine and allows the water to work its way out through the grease and drip from the cup cap. The remedy is to use grease of the proper consistency for the season. In warm weather the hardest cup grease will be none too stiff, but in colder weather lighter grease may be used. When water drips from the nut that holds the packing on the shaft, the nut should be turned up till the dropping stops. If it does not stop, new packing must be put in. -SPARKING PLUG TERMINAL As a contrast to the many devices and elaborations for securing tlie end of the magneto cable to the sparking plug, is the method of attachment by simply forming the stranded end into a neat loop to fit closely over the screwed terminal shank of the plug. The milled nut is not required. This looped end would —if simply slipped over the terminal —tend to vibrate itself off, but if the cable be given a

few twists before attaching the end a certain amount of tension is given to the cable, which holds the loop on and, at the same time, it is instantly detachable when necessary, by giving the cable a slight amount of counter tension. Although the attachment may not look reliable, it will be found to be quite sound and efficient in practice. TYRE TREAD ATTENTION The wisest motorist occasionally examines the tyre treads and removes embedded pieces of flint and stone. These can be taken out with a pointed pen-knife blade, and if the holes are very large, they can be stopped by using one of the several compositions on the market. Most of these preparations dry very quickly, but it is* advisable to choose a time for doing this work when the car will be off the road for at least 12 hours. CLEANING THE ENGINE Few drivers care to contemplate too often a very dirty engine, and the time invariably comes when they take their courage in both hands and set-to to remove the accumulation of grease, oil and dirt. The cleaning medium of course should be kerosene, but a lot of time will be wasted if one simply soaks a rag in this liquid and attempts to clean the cylinder block with it. The best thing to use is a strong wire brush, which is dipped into kerosene frequently. The block may afterwards be wiped off with a rag, but a better method is to turn the hose on it. However, this will have to be done with circumspection, care being taken not to allow any water to get into the carburettor or magneto.