PETROL ECONOMY.
Page 29
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How Our Driver and Mechanic Readers Have Effected a Saving of Fuel.
rINE OF the readers of this page,
"F,W.H.," of Manchester, says that he thinks that every garage should have its scrap box, and that no piece of metal should ever be thrown away. We have a vision, in our minds, of the scrap box eventually ousting the garage. However, even if we feel that we cannot follow this correspondent all the way hi regard to his recommendation about hoarding, we can at least award him the 15s. prize this week for his excellent drawing of an extra-air fitting which he has made from the contents of the scrapbox which he so strongly favours. The cost, for material, is nil, whilst the labour appears to have been as much a labour of love as anything. The workmanship, if it was anything like that which is evident in the drawing, was excellent.
He tells us nothing about. the device in his letter; evidently he trusts to his drawing to communicate all the needful infromation. We ourselves propose to do little more than follow his example in handing the description on to our readers. -It may be seen that a lever, made from a scrap bolt about 6 Ms. long, is supported on a, 3-16th-in, screw, which is carried by a wrought-iron clip mounted on the steering column. The tap is an old compression cock, and the connection between operating handle and tap is a piece of copper wire, which, on its way, is trained over a small pulley held on a bracket, on the dashboard, through a hole in which the wire passes. A bracket. of sheet metal, bolted on to the carburetter flange, serves as a stop for one end of a compression spring, which at its other end bears against the handle of the tap. The control wire passes through the inside of this spring. Evidently the spring is always tending to push the tap open, and the wire keeps it shut. The operating lever is fixed fairly tightly on its spindle, so that it will stay in any position in which it may be put, and not slip about on account of the vibration of the vehicle.
Following the above hint on the making of a cheap extra-air gadget, comes a letter from ' E.L.J.," of Liverpool, suggesting a number of ways in which petrol may be economized. The• two letters naturally go together.
He recommends that a large funnel should always he used when filling up, thus avoiding the tendency to lose the precious fluid by splashing. On that is fitted with a good gauze for filtering the petrol is best.
Wrap asbestos tape round that portion of the induction pipe far removed from the "hot spot."
Fit an air filter to the open end of the carburetter air intake, thus preventing dust and grit from entering the cylinder and scoring its walls. For a similar reason, always filter the oil.
Decarbonize the cylinders at gequent intervals.
Keep all induction-pipe joints, as well as valve-cap joints, perfectly tight maintain the valves in good working condition by grinding-in as often as is needful, and see that the piston rings are doing their duty.
Adjust the carburetter so that it is supplying the thinnest mixture which the engine will comfortably use. Fit the smallest size jet which will permit of good running.
Always shut off the engine when the car is standing.
Keep the sparking points of the plugs at the correct distance apart. Any plug manufacturer will give an inquirer a gauge for this purpose.
" R.H.T.," of Carlisle, drives a lorry on which part of the petrol piping is rubber, a short piece being fitted between tlie tank and carburetter, au as to eliminate the effects of vibration. Unfortunately trouble ensued from this quarter. As time went on the rubber disintegrated under the action of the petrol, and little pieces of it began to get up into the jet of the carburetter, causing difficulties which need not be descrilaed. " R.H.T." looked out, a piece of gauze from an old petrol flume, and fitted it into the petrol inlet to the carburetter, as indicated in the accompanying sketch.