E-om Drivers &Mechanics
Page 26
Page 27
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
TEN SHILLINGS WEEKLY is paid for the best corn. munication received, and one penny a line of ten words for anything else published, with an allowance for photographs.
Send us art account of any sPecial incident of your work or experience. If suitable, we will edit your notes, supply a sketch when required, and pay you for everything published. Mention your employer's name, in confidence, as evidence of good faith. Address to The Editor, TIII3 COMMERCIAL MOTOR, Rosebery Avenue, London, E.C.
Light Up Your Lamps At —
7.21, Thursday ; 7.23, Friday ; 7.24, Saturday ; 7.27, Monday ; 7.28, Tuesday ; 7.30, Wednesday.
Getting Home with a Broken Valve. Another Valve-lifter.
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the lOd. prize this -week.
[14(1] " W.R." (Pimlico) writes :—" I have noticed in your 'D. and M.' pages many different types of valve
lifters, and I enclose a sketch [We have had this redrawn.—En.] of yet another which I myself made a short time ago.
" To make this lifter I obtained a piece of steel bar about 16 in. long, I in. wkle and in. deep. At one end of this I cut a slot, which made it into a kind of fork. A short distance from the slot I drilled four holes, at equal distances front each pthel, along the bar.
"I then took a piece of iron rod 15 in. long and approximately in. diameter, and bent this into the shape of a hook, so that one end could touch the top of the valve, after removing the valve cap, whilst the other was a short distance above the forked bar when in position on the valve stem. To the lower end I attached a short piece of chain.
"In using the tool for removing the valve, I place the fork end or the lever under the valve spring, and pass the chain through one of the holes, fastening it in position by passing a nail through one of the links under the bar. Owing to having holes drilled in different positions, I am able to alter the leverage according to my requirements, and the end of the hook, resting on top of the valve, stops the latter from rising, thus making extraction of the cotter quite a, simple matter.
"It will be understood that, by using a fairly long
chain, the instrument can be adapted to almost any type of engine.
"While on the subject of valves, it may be interesting to mention a little roadside repair which enabled me to get home, in spite of a broken exhaust valve. The latter had snapped off at the bottom, close to the cotter-pin slot, and unfortunately I had no spare valve with me. However, I removed the inlet valve next to it, which happened to be of the same size, and put this in place of the damaged exhaust valve.
"I drilled a in. diameter bole at the bottom of the stem of the broken exhaust valve, and after fitting it in place of the inlet valve, passed the end of a light spring through this hole. The other end of the spring I fastened to a piece of wire, which was secured round the bolts holding the tappet-guides in position.
"The spri»g was of sufficient strength to hold the valve lightly on its seating, and I found that the arrangement was very satisfactory, beyond the fact that at high speeds there was a certain amount of backfiring, owing to the broken valve not being returned to its seat with sufficient rapidity. However, the repair got me home."
Look After Your Steering Joints.
[1466] " G.W.E." (Thornton Heath) writes:—" In many old cars insufficient attention was given to the design of the steering-gear ball-and-socket joints, and there is often the risk in these vehicles of the joints wearing so badly that the connections become detached.
" A few weeks ago I was the victim of a very nasty accident, owing to the ball and socket joint at the end of the steering-gear arm on the vehicle I was driving coming drift. Since then I have taken greater care to make sure that any wear in the joints is taken up as quickly as possible. In addition, I have fitted aisafety device, which I think may be of interest to other readers of your 'D. and M.' pages. .I. enclose, sketen. [‘ve have had this rearawit.—.Enel at tne method ot haing it, and this will be found quite a simple matter.
" The safeguard merely consists of a clip tightly fitted to the steering arm, a short. distanee trom the ball end, to the clip is attached a stoat steel wire loop, wench encircles the steering coatpling-red and ettectively prevents the two pacts being separated, even if wear on the ball joint snould happen to escape (it:auction.
" Drivers should take particular care of every dctail connected with the steering, as the latter is one of the most important parts about the car, and one that is liable to cause severe accidents in the event of its being defective.
"I am glad, to notice that the majority of modern motor vehicles are now fitted with steering joints
hich are of much more substasitial dimensions, and are better designed than some of the older types."
How I Cured Valve-guide Leakage.
[1467] " W.M." (Brixton) writes :—" Some time ago I fitted a new carburetter to the engine of a someo aat ancient lorry, but had great difficulty with it, as I could not get the engine to throttle down for stow running without its stopping altogether. The owner of the maclaine was annoyed, and suggested that the trouble was due to my making a misca.ke in thQ carburetter adjustment.
After examining the engine carefully, I came to the conclusion that the fault lay through air leaking past. the inlet-valve guides, which had worn badly ; being an old type of engine these were simply holes bared in the cast-iron of the cylinder casting, no bushes having been fitted. As the lorry was required on an urgent job and there was no time to bush the valve-guides I looked round for something with which I could effect a cure in the shortest possible time. " Taking a piece of thin leather I cut four comparatively large washers from it and in the centre of each punched a. hole slightly smaller than the diameter of the inlet-valve stems. I then placed these on the stems and held them in position by means of the valve-springs, as shown in the sketch [We have had this redrawn.—ED.J.
"On againstarting the engine I found that it could be throttled down to a very low speed, and that in addition to this more air could be given through tho proper air-intake , and thus further economy of running was insured. I have found that the washers last for a considerable while without wearing to an appreciable extent, and, of course, it is a very simple matter to renew them when reouired. 1% hen I showed the repair to the .owner oi the machine he was very surprised at its simplicity and effectiveness, and withdrew his previous allegations. " It is not essential to fit washers ti, the exhaustvalve stems, as leakage there does not inattiq." Rapid Goods Transport with a Commercar.
[1468] " J.D.R." (Camberwell) writes :—" Possibly the readers of your 'D. and M.' pages may be interested in an exceptionally long journey which. I made a short time ago on a four-ton Commer. This machine is nerialy seven years old, and is still run fling in a most satisfactory manner.
"An urgent order for unpacked provisions was received on a Saturday, and the goods were required in Birmingham by seven o'cleek on the following Monday morning. We loaded up at once with about 3-i tons of commodities, and started on Sunday morning at 8.30, travelling via Watford., Aylesbury and Bicester, reaching Banbury at two o'clotk. The 77 miles from London were done without a stop in ai hours.
" Starting again at 2.45, we arrived in Birmingham at six o'clock. The next morning, having unloaded, we proceeded to Aston to pick up a four-ton load of printed matter, and theme we made short calls at various places in the neighbourhood.
"We then went on to Luton, and leaving at 7.30 p.m. arrived in London at ten o'clock on the Monday night. The total distance recorded was 245 miles, anti the actual running time was 1.8:1 hours, this giving an actual average running speed of just Over 13 miles an hour.
" Throughout the whole journey the machine ran perfectly, and, considering its age, this may seem somewhat surprising to drivers who do not know the Commer. If the goods had lmci to be carried by rail, Ike job would certainly have taken much longer, and there would have been the necessity of packing the provisions very carefully for that mode of transit."
Eliminating an Elusive Knock.
11469j " H.D." (Tottenham) wiites :—" For the last ten months I have been driving a. four-ton petrol lorry manufactured by a. well-ktlown company ; until a. month ago this machine gave the utmost satisfaction, and proved itself to be a splendid hill-climber with a frill load aboard. Latterly, however, I noticed that the power had decreased considerably, and that the engine developed a. very severe knocking when climbing quite moderate inclines, though no knock was discernible while run»ing along the, level. " To ascertain the cause of the trouble I unbolted the crankcase inspection-covers and examined all the big-ends, without, however, finding any defects. I then removed the cylinders and found that the rings on one of the pistons had worked round until all the slots were irk line ; though somewhat doubtful as tc whether such a simple matter as this could have caused the trouble, I corrected the slot positions and replaced the cylinders. " On testing the machine, on a very severe gradient I found that the knocking had ceased, and since then no further trouble of this nature has been experienced."