Of Interest to the Motorist who Owns a Car
Wheel in Center.
A new idea in the design of electric pleasure cars is that of placing the steering wheel in the center. The driver's seat is placed a little forward of two passenger seats, one on each side. The brake levers are placed one on each side of the steering pillar. For city service, for which electrics are almost exclusively used, the center drive is claimed to have advantages over either right-hand or left-hand drives, and provides a more symmetrical seating arrangement.
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New Seating Arrangement.
Two interesting new ideas in the seating arrangement of an automobile have been brought out by one of the leading American manufacturers for 1915. In the four-passenger car the rear seats are separate, and can be moved forward and backward on sliding tracks and also turned slightly sidewise, this arrangement making it possible for passengers to group themselves sociably and with more comfort than in the ordinary type of rear seat. In the six-passenger car the extra seats are so constructed that they fold into spaces at the rear of the front seats and are covered by leather curtains when not in use. In both types the driver's seat is separated from the front passenger seats by a passage way, so that a passenger may change from the front to a rear one at will.
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To Grease Chains.
A mixture of graphite or plumbago and grease is often used on the chains, chain wheels and chain sprockets of chain-driven cars, especially in places where such chains are not protected by efficient chain cases.
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Use Wood Alcohol.
Wood alcohol applied with a sponge or cloth is one of the best methods of cleaning either cloth or leather upholstery. A mixture of linseed oil and turpentine is sometimes recommended for cleaning leather.
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Deep Cut in Tire.
A deep cut in a tire, which partly severs a piece of rubber and allows it to flap should receive immediate attention, because the loose piece is apt to tear off more rubber, and so make the damage worse than at first. This is particularly true of solid tires.
Kerosene Will Help.
The power of kerosene to penetrate between metal surfaces that are in contact is surprising, but it requires time, and if sufficient time is not allowed no good results can be expected. Soaking for several hours generally is necessary.
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Use Metal Terminals.
It is far better to use metal terminals on battery wires than to merely wind the barbed wire ends around the binding posts; the special terminals hold better, look better and give better contact. If no terminals are used, however, the wires should be passed around the post so that the tightening of the binding nut will tend to wrap it more closely rather than to unwind it.
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Watch Use of Ignition Lever.
Improper handling of the ignition lever is not always the cause of overheating the motor with a well adjusted carbureter. It is entirely possible for the magneto coupling, in some cases, to become loose and permit the ignition to lag, despite the advancing lever, and the same thing can result from loose connections between the lever and the timber. On the other hand, loose connection of the latter variety can cause pounding due to too much advance, despite the retarding of the lever when the motor slows down.
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Holes in Muffler.
The holes drilled in mufflers sometimes are rough and ragged, with the result that the escaping gases set up a whistling noise anything but agreeable. Smoothing off the rough edges will usually eliminate the unwelcome sound.
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A Driving Tip.
When driving wheels get into the mud so deep and so slippery that traction cannot be maintained, it is a good plan to throw dust, sand or straw into the mud to thicken it and partly lessen its lubricating qualities.
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Starting and Lighting Systems.
Despite the fact that a well built electric lighting and starting system gives little trouble, it is important that the devices provided by the manufacturer to indicate the derangement should be watched. It is almost as easy to form the habit of looking at indicators as it is the habit to ignore them.
Spring Leaves.
When two or more leaves of a spring break, it is not advisable to install new leaves without setting the spring. If the spring is used for some time, its set is different from that of the new leaves installed, and the effect often results in another broken spring very soon.
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Drain Off Gasoline.
If an engine has been standing for some time it is advisable to drain off the stale gasoline in the float chamber of the carburetor. Any moisture or sediment will also be removed by this operation, and a lot of possible annoyance avoided.
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Motor Should Not Labor.
A motor should not be permitted to labor, even if it can be kept going. When running very slowly the sudden blows of the explosion, acting against the resistance of the slow-moving crank shaft, set up with tremendous stresses that are as dangerous as they are unnecessary.
Although dry cells seldom are a source of energy for electric lights it should be remembered that when they are used the voltage of each cell is a little more than one. When six are connected in series to feed six-volt tungsten lamps the filaments are likely to be illuminated too brightly to permit of normal life.
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Valve Grinding.
A good valve-grinding compound is the "sludge" deposited in the bottom of a grindstone trough. It is less sharp than emery, but is excellent for valves that do not need a great deal of cutting down, and for finishing work.
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Renewing Exhaust Joints.
When renewing exhaust joint washers care should be taken in the size of the new washer. The efficiency of an engine is often reduced when a washer is renewed, owing to the diameter of the central hole being larger than the interior diameter of the exhaust pipe. Of course when a washer is cut from sheet asbestos and the central hole left smaller than it should be, the passage of the exhaust gases very soon blows away the surplus asbestos protruding within the pipe, but when a joint is formed with a copper covered asbestos washer the restricted bore is likely to prevail for some time—probably permanently.
