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The Motor Drivers News.

22nd August 1907, Page 21
22nd August 1907
Page 21
Page 21, 22nd August 1907 — The Motor Drivers News.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

The Result of a Weak Mixture,

" A.G." (Lewisham) sends this letter :—" I think that the following experience, which befell me a few days ago, may he both interesting and instructive to your many readers. The vehicle upon which the incident occurred was a motorbus that had been sent into the garage for repair, owing to two badly cracked water jackets. The repair was done, and the bus was sent out as being in good running order. On starting up the engine, however, loud reports issued from the silencer and the mixture chamber on the carburetter. The ignition system was overhauled, and the soapstones were changed; the engine, also, was re-timed. The engine was then started up a second time, but the result was th^ same as before. A thorough examination was made, and this disclosed the facts that, in screwing up the joint between the induction pipe and the cylinder, one of the flanges had fractured, and that a small hole had been accidentally pierced in the pipe. The trouble was caused by the mixture being too weak, and, after the defects had been remedied, the engine ran as well as it had done formerly."

Inferior Lubricating Oil.

" Nemo " (Yorkshire) sends the following letter for inclusion in the " Drivers News " columns. " During the past few days I have noticed the trails of two steam wagons belonging to one owner which run in this district. I am not a Sherlock Holmes, but, wherever I go with my vehicle, see a trail of oil, which has been dropped upon the high_ way. I know both the drivers of these wagons, so I asked them if they would allow me to examine the engine beds of their vehicles. I knew something about one of the vehicles, and, when the driver told me that he was using double the amount of coke that he used to use, I knew that something was not as it should be, so one clay we tipped the platform up, and had a look in the engine bed. I put my hand on the bearings and found that they were very hot, although there was quite the correct amount of oil, or so-called oil, present. I never saw such a good imitation of a lubricant in my life. 1-Vell, subsequently the oil was examined and found to contain 40 per cetit. of inferior fats, and 6o per cent, of different chemicals. Stuff like this ruins a steam-wagon engine, which has to run at a relatively high speed. I advised the driver of the vehicle to inform his employer of the had quality of the lubricating oil at the first opportunity. I may state that the owner of the wagons was paying a good price for the oil, and that its quality had been altered without any intimation to this effect. The people who supplied the oil had to refund the difference between the grade which • was being paid for and the one which was delivered. " After cleaning out my engine bed, I nut in i's gallon, which is just about the right quantity of oil for the adequate lubrication of all the moving parts of the machinery and bearings. Then, at the end of each day's work, T replenish the bath by pouring in half a gallon of fresh oil. I find that this is just the right amount when the day's journey averages about 40 miles in length. One important point is, to see that the removable door to the engine bed is entirely dust proof, because, if it is not, dust will find its way into the bearings—to say nothing of the mess caused by exuding oil, which runs all over the outside of the casing and makes the whole thing filthy and disgusting. After all is said and done, a driver is-only looking after " No. i " if he keeps his wagon in good running order, because he saves himself many an awkward job on the roadside by a little attention, in the garage or depot, to those parts which, in the nature of things, must wear out after a certain length of time. Among those portions of an engine which should be carefully examined occasionally may be mentioned the slide valves, and the piston rings, because badly-bedded valves and improperly-fitting piston rings tend to waste both fuel and water in a marked degree, and thus extra work is made for the driver or stoker, as the case may be. Looking after your engine, as I remarked above, is a sound policy which I can recommend to all drivers who have any regard for their own personal comfort, and I advise those who have not looked-at it from this point of view before this to do 90 now, and I am

• sure they will be of the same opinion ere long."

Unskilled Labour.

" A.M.W." (Sussex) sends the following report of a conversation which, he says, actually took place a short time ago. A certain gentleman bought a new steam wagon, and he advertised for a driver—preferably, a man who knew the town well and the roads in itsvicinity. " A.M.W." remarks that " the applicant looked more like driving a spade than a steam wagon," and the following is the gist of the conversation.

The owner of the vehicle : " Well, my man, what qualifications have you for the situation?"

Applicant : " Kolification ?"

The owner of the vehicle : " Yes, do you know how to drive a wagon, and have you a good all-round experience?"

Applicant : " No; but my father drives the local traction engine, and I drive the steam roller when it's wanted."

There is a firm conviction in some quarters that anybody can drive a steam wagon the first time he mounts the footplate, and it is much to be deplored that such a feeling exists at the present time. As a matter of fact, a steam wagon. to get the best results from it, requires careful and intelligent handling, in common with all other expensive machinery. How seldom one sees the side chains of a steam or petrol wagon properly adjusted, with just the necessary amount of slackness to give easy running : generally speaking the chains are either too tight, or too loose, and the happy medium is seldom seen. The consequence is that, in the first instance, the chains soon lose their correct pitch, owing to mud and dirt finding a lodgment between the teeth of the sprockets, and, in the second, innumerable strains are set up in th-e transmission system generally, owing to the varying excess of speed acquired by the differential shaft before the chains tighten up. In the old days of the 3-ton tare limit, the consequence of slack chains was seen more often than it is at the present time, and although, owing to the increased tare which is now allowed, the results are not so apparent, the damage .done to the machinery by improperly adjusted chains is still occasionally in evidence."

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