The Motor Drivers News.
Page 23
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Engine-bed Oil.
"T.D." (Ipswich).—" Will any driver tell me the best oil or grease to use in the engine Ded of my swam wagon? 1 have used heavy engine oil, and find that, no matter how tight I screw down the covers, the oil passes through and finds its way down the outside of the casting, which causes dust and dirt to accumulate. I have tried nearly all classes of oil, but, up to the present, have not been able to do away with the trouble."
A Wrong Diagnosis.
" Standard" (London) wishes this letter to appear on this page :—" Rather an amusing incident occurred the other day, but, it may be a little instructive, in addition to being amusing. A motorbus came to a standstill through some slight cause, and the driver, on getting down to see what was the matter, turned off the petrol supply. He then examined various parts of the engine, such as the sparking plugs, carburetter, valves, etc., and, after each trial he directed the conductor to turn the starting handle, which he did in a laborious manner : still the engine would not start up. The driver at last exclaimed : ' The air valve must be broken the same as yesterday ; 1 can hear it rattle,' and, turning to the conductor, 'go back to the garage and get another valve while I take this one out.' The conductor demurred. The driver then had another look round his engine, and said : 'Why, the petrol connection is turned off !' He turned it on, and the engine immediately started up, to the amusement of the bystanders and the chagrin of the driver and conductor."
Inefficiency of Drivers.
" T.D." (Keighley-) writes :—" I send this letter, which is the outcome of a foolish action done on the part of a steam wagon driver. I came across this driver on the road, and as his wagon was stopped, 1, also, drew up to offer any assistance he might require. On enquiry, I found that he was unable to get water into his boiler, and, to save accident, he had obtained a bucket of water from a house near by and dashed its contents into the firebox. A scalded arm was the result to himself, whilst the damage to the tubes and firebox stays was serious, causing a bad leakage. I told this driver what 1 thought of him, and gave him some advice. For the benefit of the so-called drivers who may read this letter, I may tell them that the safest thing to do under these circumstances is to get some wet ashes or dirt of any description, and smother the fire well over, closing all dampers, which causes the fire to die out.
" I overhauled the pump for this driver and found a match had got wedged in the suction valve, thus allowing the watty to return to the tank instead of its being forced into the boiler. All this trouble was caused by striking a match and letting it fall into the tank, when the covers were off. If firms would only employ experienced drivers, who have had a proper training, instead of labourers, better results would be got from their wagons. It appears to me that if a man can open a regulator and steer two front wheels he is quite good enough for a driver. A driver in Halifax recently knocked a tram off the metals owing to his wagon skidding, by the locking of the back wheels by the brake. "Would it not be a wise course for wagon manufacturers to have pamphlets printed, giving instructions on boiler management and care of the engine? 1 believe some makers publish books of this kind, and only require to be applied to for a copy. Every new driver should make himself conversant with the action of the engine and different parts of his vehicle. I hope to send you a few further notes shortly." Fitting Petrol Pipes, " S.0.13." (London) writes us this letter :—" The following account of a stoppage of a motorbus from a very simple cause may be interesting, and even instructive to your readers :—We recently received a telephone message at the garage which was as follows : • Number " 63 " hung up at Hyde Park Corner. Something wrong with carburetter. Plenty of petrol in the tank, but can get none at carburetter ; have cleaned out jet and pipe, but no result.' 1 was told off to go and see to the vehicle, so I put some tools, the towing rope, a couple of cans of petrol, and a jack (merely force of habit) on another bus and off we went.
"As soon as we sighted the crippled bus, I felt sure of the cause of the breakdown. I could see that she had stopped on a little bit of an incline, and, knowing that it was fitted with a gravity-fed carburetter, 1 had my clue and had got her running (mentally) before we started work. What had happened was this : The bus had just been fitted with a new petrol pipe, and, instead of the pipe being kept under the various fittings with a fall all the way from the tank to the carburetter, it had been bent upwards in one or two places to get it above the fittings. The consequence was that, although there was quite a lot of petrol in the tank, there was not enough to rise up the bends in the pipe when the bus was going up hill. A little manipulation of the pipe across my knee ensured no more delays from that cause. '
Boiler Management.
" G.T." (Penge) sends some notes upon the proper management of boilers for wagons, and tractors. He says :— " Be most careful to keep all parts of a boiler scrupulously clean, and be particular in keeping the bottom ends of the tubes clear of accumulations of ash. It pays a driver of a steam vehicle to ascertain the kind of coke, or coal, which gives the best result in his boiler, because, even in two boilers of identically the same construction, some difference in their steaming qualities very often occurs. Two most important points in the efficient working of a boiler are to keep the fire-bars free from clinker, and the water at a nearly constant level in the gauge glass. A great factor in the successful use of a boiler is the keeping tight of steam joints, as if any of these `blow'—this applies to glands—the loss of steam is considerable. Keep the cylinder lubricators well filled, or the result may be a scored cylinder wall. When the wagon, or tractor, has to stand still for any length of time it is essential that the cylinder drain cocks be opened, as if this is not attended to, it is quite possible that a cylinder cover may be forced off,
"Most drivers seem to think that the only way to get a reliable red tail lamp is to cover the glass of an ordinary colza, or paraffin, lamp with red paint, or paper of the same shade. I cannot understand why this makeshift is so often employed, because in most localities, sufficient red glass can be got for the purpose for the modest sum of three halfpence.
"Now that the winter months are approaching, be particularly careful to drain off all water pipes, and connections, and leave the drain cocks open.
"Never leave the depot without having a piece of hose pipe, a small duck lamp, and a good adjustable wrench, in. your tool kit, as these are invaluable on occasions.
"A piece of chain, and a few new bolts and nuts are, also, invaluable in some cases : never be content to have only old bolts in the tool-box, because, just at the critical moment when one is wanted, the thread will generally be found to be damaged."