Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.
Page 17
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Ten Shillings Weekly For the Best Communication Received, and One Penny a Line of ten words for anything else published.
Drivers of commercial motors, and mechanics and foo enien of garages or shops, who are engaged in any branch of the industry, are invited to conirilmte short, Personal experiences, opinions or suggestions, on subjects which are likely to Prove of interest to our readers. Ire shall he glad to hear of anything interesting Hut has come under any driver's or mechanic's notice, either in the shops or on the rood. Long and successful runs ; services with 02 ,lost journeys" ; workshop tips and smart repairs ; all are suitable subjects. Send a lost-card, OY a letter, or a sketch to us—na matter how short, or how written, or luny worded. We will "knock it into shape" before publication. When writing it is as well to mention your employer's name as a guarantee of bona fides (not for publication), and to state whether you wish your own name, or initials only, to be published. Payment will be made immediately after publication. Address your letters to The Editor," THE COMMERCIAL Mo tort," 7-15, Rosebery A venue, London. E.C.
What Gives Most Trouble? Leaky Radiators?
[4441 The following reply to the above query, from 'Forest Hill), is one of a number of similar letters which has come to hand during the week. It is to lw regretted :bat considerations of space do not permit the publication of 3thers in the present issue :—" In my experience of London )us driving, I have found that radiators and pumps are the hiel cause of trouble, and I consider that this will continue o be so until the designers produce a system that will really Aand the hard usage, which is inseparable from public ;ervice.
" Badly leaking radiators can cause no end of trouble. Ft sometimes happens that the radiator is steaming, and :he conductor then fills it up with a pail of cold water, with the likely result that the cylinders will not stand the ;udder' contraction. The consequent effect, as a rule, is a !racked cylinder jacket.
" I have known pump failures that have been due to the itting of a new magneto. In such a case the magneto vheel has been found to be too high to mesh properly with he pump pinion, and several teeth of the latter have, in :onsequence. been stripped, with the result that the cireulaion came to a sudden end. This was luckily noticed before nore damage was done, and the fitting of a new wheel in 'roper mesh avoided the recurrence of the trouble."
or Obstinate Gib Keys.
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the tos. prize this week.
14451" A.EAV.L." (Notting Hill), in the followingletter, escribes a useful little fitting, that he has employed to nable him to withdraw gib keys, which could not easily
e shifted by the more usual means :—" I enclose a sketch
f a tool that may be useful to readers of the Drivers' and lechanh-s' rage of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.' The ti:ling
tails of motor vehicles, which are principally employed out of doors in all kinds of weather.
" I made the tool, while I was working on printing machinery, and I never failed to shift a tight key with it.
" The V piece (A) should he made from fairly stiff iron— say i inch by I inch—as it is advisable to have at least seven threads to hold the set screws (B and C). The plate (D) is provided to keep the V piece from spreading when the pressure is put on to the two wedges (E and F), and to enable the tool to be used on a length of shafting. ThE packing piece (G), which is kept in position by the set screw (H), is intended to keep the wedges snug under the head of the key. The set screw (II) only requires to be finger tight. The two wedges should be of steel. I used a wornout ten-inch file and the screws were 7-16-inch diameter. If the V piece is made to suit a 2;14-inch shaft, the tool can be used on any smaller size shaft by means of the simple expedient of placing some packing at the bottom of the V, in order to bring the set screws (B and C) into line with the key. If a moderate strain is put on to the wedges, and a smart blow is then given to the boss of the wheel, it will be found that the tool will never fail to shift the key. It is hardly necessary to remind a mechanic that a few drops of oil should be applied to the wedges and the set screws."
Timing a Bussing.
k46I A letter received from " H.C.G." (Greyhound Road, Fulham) contains a few useful hints on the methods which he has employed for the timing of the engines on Bussing chassis :—" A large number of Bussing chassis is employed at the present time, for commercial-vehicle work, and it has occurred to me that a few hints on the timing and adjustment of the Bussing engines would be welcome to many drivers and mechanics, especially to those employed on motor omnibuses. These machines have but little time in garage and they, sometimes, do not get proper attention.
".I will first deal with the ignition. The crankshaft should be turned round so that the first trip rod is ascending, and then, if the flywheel is inspected, it will be found that the figure 5 is near the top centre. This figure must be set so that it is on the top centre. When this has been done, the length of the trip rod must be altered by means of the adjusting screw, so that the trip piece is just touching the lever of the igniter. The trip piece must not actually be lifting the lever. Next, without moving the crankshaft, the magneto must be set so that the armature has an 1-inch break. It will not be necessary to refer to the flywheel in order to set the other trip rods, hut the position. of the magneto will enable these other adjustments to be made. The crankshaft must then he turned round slowly, until the magneto again shows an 4-inch break—the magneto will have revolved through half a revolution—then the next trip rod can be set as described above. " It sometimes happens that the engine is pulling badly, through the valves' not being properly adjusted. In such an event, the crankshaft should be turned until No. i exhaust valve is dosed, and until No. 1, inlet valve is about to open. The flywheel must then be set so that the mark 0/0 is on the top centre, the rockers may next be adjusted, so that there is not more than I-32-inch lift on either the inlet-valve or the exhaust-valve rockers. For No, 2, cylinder it will be necessary to give the crankshaft half a revolution, so that the correspondingmark 0,/0 is on the top centre, and then the .rockers may be adjusted, as in the previous case. the operation must be repeated for the remaining cylinders."