MORE HINTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1036, 29 July 1930, Page 6

MORE HINTS

The Care of the Car CARBURETTER ADJUSTING Almost any kind of carburetter adjustment will cause the engine to run idle, lmt a more careful adjustment is necessary to obtain (lulling quali ties. Make sure that spark control meets the conditions desired when ad justments are being made. With a retarded spark one can hardly expect any power from the engine. First make sure that the engine has good compression and then see that a goad spark, both in retard and advance position, is obtained. After this the carburetter should be adjusted to obtain a good mixture. With these three fundamentals, namely, go- d compression, good ignition and good mixture, no trouble should be experienced in making the engine pull. CUTS IN THE TYRES Apart from the usual routine of testing the tyre pressures, it is advisable periodically to examine each cover for any cuts or damage to the walls: moreover, all flints which may have become embedded in the rubber should be dug out, a screwdriver or similar tool being used for the job. Do not employ a sharp tool, as this may pierce the cover and tube. Flints, if ignored, may be forced through the cover and cause a puncture. A BONNET CATCH Meccano parts are often very useful to tlie motorist for making small clips, etc. A neat catch for holding the bonnet when open is made by cutting a slot in the beading carrying .he anti-rattling tape with a hacksaw; two angle-pieces of Meccano are screwed to the dash, and a small nut aud bolt passed through the bottom hole of the small strip, long enough to extend up through the slot. The small strip should project sufficiently far above the bonnet flange to prevent the bonnet falling. A simple holder for a festoon bulb can be made by screwing two anglepieces to an insulated base, just so far apart that a festoon bulb can be held by the two holes The ends of the wires connected to it should be bared and placed under the screws, a couple of small washers being used. CURES FOR PETROL LEAKS As petrol Is by no means a cheap commodity, it is just as well to stop all leaks that may take place. It often occurs that, the plugs situated just beneath the jets on some types of car buretters become wet, due to a slight leakage past the fibre washers. Thesp plugs should be removed, and the washers given a coat of shellac or other oilproof jointing liquid. Petrolpipe unions are other parts that frequently develop slight leaks. The remedy is to unscrew them aud coat the contact surfaces with jointing liquid. Where a ground-in union has been badly damaged, the best thing to do is to cut a narrow ring out of thin lead or fibre sheet. The ring should just go on to the conical part of the union, and. when screwed up. will make a tight joint. It is not generally known that, the well-known brands of metal polishes are good mediums for grinding-in plug taps or needle valves.