ROADSIDE AND GARAGE.
Page 69
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Interesting Contributions From Our Driver and Mechanic Readers.
A Cheap, Efficient and Simple Oil Filter.
THE great waste of oil that continu • ally goes on in the changing of engine lubricant at regular intervals is 'Minted out by one of our readers, of Manchester, who says that a vehicle under normal conditions may easily waste twenty gallons of oil a year due to the changing of the contents of the sump. Much of this waste could he saved if an efficient filter were installed, as there is no need to throw away oil that has been in use, provided that every particle of foreign matter can be filtered from it.
There is no better known method of filtering than by the siphon action of a wick; such a siphoning action, being due to capillary attraction, nothing but fluid can pass.
The device that our correspondent recommends is so simple to make that anyone can rig it up in a very short time.
It consists of any kind of vessel supported above another vessel and a number of wicks which act as siphons.
• Our correspondent suggests a lower vessel With a perforated diaphragm on .which the upper vessel can rest, but we think that mast people would find it easier to take any oil tin, rest another on it as shown, and place the two in a tin of larger diameter. Any number of cotton lamp wicks can be laid over the edge of the upper tin and the drippings can fall into the lower one. A cover to keep out the dust is esseiatial.
A few points should he observed if success is to be attained. The upper tin should not be very deep, otherwise the oil will not be lifted by the siphon. The ends that hang down outside should he far longer than the depth of oil in the upper tin. A very loose kind of wink is necessary, as the closer kinds are made for paraffin and will not pass .heavier oils. The kind known as "ball eotton_" will answer well, as it is made for use with wick lubricators. The filter should be kept in as warm a place as possible, as most oil runs more freely when warm. If a tap be fitted to the lower vessel it will ferns a very useful storage tank.
Starting Large Engines in Cold Weather.
THE starting of a heavy engine on a
cold morning is one of the jobs that a driver dreads most, so we are always ready to accept tips that will make the task lighter, as with men of indifferent physique the effort necessary to get a start may affect them for the rest of the day.
A correspondent, " of Faringdon, Berks, sends us the following suggestions: If gas be laid on in the garage where the lorry is kept, he suggests making a Bunsen burner out of an old incandescent fitting and standing it under the radiator or the lower waterpipe, using tubing to connect it with the
gas supply. or safety, he suggests that the petrol should be turned off and the engine run until the carburetter is empty, then the bonnet and radiator should be covered up and the burner lighted, as a small flame burning all night will keep the water warm and in circulation. Every care should_ be taken, if this plan be adopted, to prevent any possibility of a fire occurring.
Another tip given by the same correspondent is to turn off the petrol, and heat the induction pipe with a blowlamp until one cannot bear the hand on it, then play very lightly on the sparking plugs to drive off any moisture,
and flick the flame near the magneto so as to dry the air around it, then turn on the petrol and give a few sharp swings. A little paraffin in the cylinders will often make the necessary sharp turns more easy.
Writing on the same subject, " Ma.," of Sheffield, tells us how he manages when a terry has been standing in a cold damp place for a night, as lorries cannot always be garaged in warm places when away from their homes.
His method is a somewhat long job, but probably it saves time in obstinate cases where much energy and time are
so often wasted, so perhaps his tip may prove useful to some. He takes all. the plugs out, places them in a shallow tin, and pours about a teaspoonful of petrol over each, then sets light to it ; he then pours about the same quantity of petrol in each hole, and replaces the plugs ad quickly as possible so that they have not time to cool. He says that the plugs, being hot, vaporise the petrol around their points, and that he usually finds that this will ensure a start.
Another correspondent, " F.S.S.," of Durham, who has been driving heavy motors for many years, tells us that all difficulties in starting can be overcome by adopting his methods.
When the vehicle is brought in at night, be says that the engine should not be run fast before switching off, but the petrol should be turned off and the engine left to run until all the petrol is drawn from the carburetter. He goes on to say that the sparking Plugs should be taken out, examined, cleaned and put away in a warm, dry place. He :ecommends putting a teaspoonful of paraffin in each cylinder and cranking the engine for six revolutions.
When arriving in the morning, he says, the carburetter should be flooded, and a small quantity of petrol injected into each cylinder before the plugs are replaced. The cap of the magneto should be removed to see that the rocker. arm is working freely. He then suggests that the ignition should be advanced three-quarters along its quadrant, and the throttle opened just so far that a match-stick can be placed between theasstuds ; the air shutter of the carburetter should be partly closed.
A Remedy for a Slipping Clutch.
A REMEDY which is suggested by of Sheffield, for a slipping clutch must be taken es merely a temporary one,' and is only given by him as a means for getting home in an emergency.
He says that the most common clutch trouble is slipping, and suggests that when the commonest rainedies, such as washing out with petrol to remove grease or oil, have failed, and french chalk and even grit have not prevented the clutch from slipping it is possible that the clutch may have worn so much that it is bottoming, 80 that the leather or fabric is no longer in sufficient contact with the outer cone.
In this case he has found that Pieces of thin metal, such as hacksaw blade or anything that may be handy, should be pushed under the leather to raise it at about six equally spaced places. This will enable a driver to get home, but it must not be looked upon as a per-. rnauent cure, as the surface in contact will be only very small, and burning may Oemar, so such a clutch should be refaced before other journeys are attempted.
Will ".T.E.," of Battersea, please send us his correct address?—En.