RUNNING, UPKEEP AND OVERHAUL
Page 71
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Interesting Contributions from Maintenance Engineers, Drivers and Mechanics
The .Danger of the Accelerator . Pedal WE have received the following letter from a correspondent,
" Of West Bromwich, who calls attention to what he considers a orations danger and frequent cause of accidents, We shall be glad to hear the views of others on this subject.
Our coriespondeut points out the growing frequency of accidents due to the inadvertent uSe of the accelerator pedal instead of the brake. According to the evidence given in many recent inquests, this has been the cause of fatalities. Such evidence, coupled with his own experience as a driver, leads him to believe that some alteration in the position of the accelerator pedal is at least worthy of consideration.
In his opinion, loss of control is Often caused by the unintentional use. of the accelerator instead of the foot brake. We can, however, hardly follow his argument in its entirety, as when one applies the brake the clutch pedal is or should be depressed at the same time, so; even though the accelerator pedal be used, the vehicle should not rush forward.
ThereIs little doubt that he is correct in saying that the pedals should be so arranged that a mistake of the kind is an impossibility, so, with this object, be makes the following suggestion. The accelerator pedal should be out of reach of the foot while the heel is positioned for operating the brake. With this'in view, he makes the suggestion that the accelerator control should be placed higher up than the brake pedal, and that a rubberpad should be provided for the heel to rest on while using the accelerator. Sue,h a design should prevent the accidental misplacement of the driver's right foot.
To Prevent Wear in the Trans, mission.
TO ensure that particles of metal may be 'allowed to settlein gearboxes and differential cases, a eorrespondeut, " W.S.," of Maidstone, makes the fol According to " W.S.," a sump in a gearbox or rear axle would allow foreign matter to collect; a part-section of a rear axle designed to incorporate a sump.
lowing suggestion. Fje proposes that all gearboxes and differential cases should be provided with a settling chamber in 'Maid: any particles of metal which have been broken away, due to wear or faulty gear changing, could settle by gravity. Even a nut or other part, which might by accident become loose and drop into the case, would have a chance of finding a place in such a chamber, where it could lie without causing damage to other parts. The sump could be made •so that the lowest portion might be removed at times, thus any unwanted grit or foreign matter could be easily cleared out instead of Mug continually churned up and finding its way into Parts where it can do harm.
When Petrol Runs Short on the Road. .
THE following tip may be ancient his
tory to those who have been driving for some time, but as there are alwaysnew men becoming drivers, the information may help them to get out of an awkward predicament when petrol runs short and there is no filling station
near, • A correspondent, "J.W.S.D.," of Darweu, Lancs,`Itad oecasion to leave his lorry and take a lift home on another vehicle. After running for some distance the vehicle stopped, having apparently run out of petrol; as usual, in such circumstances, the nearest garage was miles away and it was pouring with rain. •
A close inspection showed that although the carburetter would not flood, there was nearly a quart of petrol lying in the tank. The driver having ascertained this, replaced ,the cap on the filling hole and whittled down a match stick to fit the vent hole, than blowing into the tank as hard as be could, he removed his lips and .quickly placed the stick in the hole. The result was that the petrol immediately filled the carburetter, and the trip home was ,aecomplished with nothing more than an occasional popping in the carburetter.
Another tip which may be of use to novices is to raise the end of the tank farthest from the outlet, by placing some packing under it; the best tip of all, however, is to make perfectly sure about the quantity' of petrol in the tank before starting, or to carry a spare tin with you. The above ideas only refer to gravity-feed systems.
Refacing Brake Shoes.
SOME useful information is given on the subject of re-facing brake shoes by " J.G.," of Holloway, who points out that when brake drums have to be bored out in a lathe to remove unevenness brought about by wear the standard thickness of facing cannot be used, as the amount of wear and the quantity of metal removed iiethe boring necessitate the use of thicker friction material. Even when this be used it is a .wasteful matter, 'as the strip is more costly and cannot be fully used tip owing to the enlarged diameter of the drum.
The plan adopted by our correspondent is to use material of ordinary thickness and to make up for the larger diameter of the drum by placing a layer of Hallite on the shoes before fixing the facings. When following this plan he uses the plain facing material, not that which is shaped and drilled ready to ,fit, as in that case the holes would not come exactly where he wants them, By this means he is able to save money on every refacing job and to run the stew material to the end of its useful life.
Trouble with a Floating Axle.
ONE of our correspondents, "
of Upper Tooting, who has to-maintain an X-type Thornycroft, appears to have had trouble through wear taking place on the splines on the outer end of the axle-shaft, also in the internal
• splines in the driving flange, both these parts requiring frequent renewal. The wear was probably due to some error of 'alignment, or to the floating bush having worn badly so that the wheel did not revolve truly.
He appears to have got over his trouble by having a special driving dog made of greater thickness than the original, also an outer ring, which he has bolted to the wheel. This ring has internal recesses to receive the dog. The outer ring is secured to the hub flange by bolts passing through the original holes ; the dog on the axle is a tight fit Olt its splines. A slight amount of play is allowed between the two new parts, so that any error of alignment will only result in movement between these parts, which, being of ease-hardened steel, are not easily affected by wear.
His plan is undoubtedly a good one, but appears to be somewhat costly, as the parts require careful manufacture. Ile assures us that the scheme has entirely cured the trouble.