Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.
Page 19
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Drivers of commercial motor vehicles and tractors, and mechanics and foremen of garages or shops, are invited to send short contributions on any subject which is likely to prove of interest to our readers. Long and successful runs ; services with no "lost journeys" ; workshop tips and smart repairs : all are suitable subjects. Send a post-card, or a letter, or a sketch to us--no matter how short, or how written, or how worded.
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Choked by a Frog.
6I " C.A.R." (Newbury) relates the experience which we print below :----" I was tilling up the tanks of my light steamer last week, and, after a short while, I noticed that the strainer into the main tank was choked, The machine uses superheated steam and is of course fitted with a condenser. The tanks are filled through an ordinary hand hole which is provided with a strainer. I was filling U p ill this instance from a wayside chainpump which lifted water from a large pool at the roadside. When I pulled out the strainer to see what was fouling, I discovered a large frog, as well as other foreign matter, wedged well into it. It was a good job for the frog that I had a strainer on the tank., or he would have had a most unpleasant time when the tank water began to heat up. He must already have had an exciting trip up the chain pump and down the hose," The Lubication of Cylinders.
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the los. prize this week.
[5171 A correspondent " H.L." (Islington) has submitted a description to us of an arrangement which he has adopted to secure the effective lubrication of the cylinders of petrol engines.—" On many engines which are fitted with the ordinary drip-feed system of lubrication, considerable difficulty is invariably experienced owing to the tendency of the oil to be blown back through the walls up to the sight-feed glasses on the dashboard. In the majority of cases where this has happened, it has been found advisable not to bother with the drip feed to the cylinder walls at all, but rather to cut out this part of the lubrication system, and to rely for the oiling of the pistons upon the proper distribution of the lubricant by means of the splash from the crank chamber, or by suitable ducts through hollow gudgeon pins or some other similar device. Unless force feed has been fitted to the cylinder walls, it has seldom been found possible to rely upon the proper flow of lubrication to them.
" A certain engine, with which I had much trouble owing to the blowing back through the lubricator pipes of the gravity system, I decided to fit up in a new way. I made some new fittings which I could bolt on to the outside of the cylinder castings; I show these in the sketch attached to this letter. These were small flange castings drilled to take the ends of the oil pumps, and thereafter each was enlarged by a quarter of an inch to take a steel ball which should act as a non-return valve. J took care to provide this ball with a good seating, and I cut two grooves at the side of the ball to within 1-32 of an inch of the seating, in order to allow the lubricant to pass when the ball was released from the pressure which might get through from the cylinder. Whenever there was any tendency for pressure to get back past the piston rings, the ball was forced on to the seating, and it thus effectually prevented the oil from being blown back up into the sight-feed glasses. In practice, I have found this method to be preferable to the employment of forced-feed lubrication, as I have never found it possible to force oil on to the pistons without the inevitable result of a more or less continuous smoky exhaust."
Skate Roller Used for Repair.
[518] A description of how a driver fixed up a temporarily disabled clutch on a petrol-driven vehicle is sent to us by " R.L." (Bethnal Green).—" I was driving a Milnes-Daimler omnibus some little while ago on private service. I had to take a party down through Epsom, and, when I had just passed this town, something went wrong with the clutch. I, of course, got down and made an examination, and I then found that the roller on the clutch pedal had worked itself loose and had dropped out. I had nothing in my bag which was suitable for fixing up the job. I was a bit worried to know what to do, as I could not draw out the clutch to change speed, and the road was hilly. I had just made up my mind that there was nothing to do but to telephone home for another roller, when I caught sight of some lads who had gathered round in the usual way. One of them was wearing an old roller skate, and this gave me an idea. I asked him how much he would take for his skate, and he told me fourpence, so I promptly took it at the price. I took off one of the front rollers, which had worn down a good deal, and 1 'found that, with a little filing, I was able to reduce it to the size of the roller I required. By boring out the hole "a little larger, I could put it on the pin and hold it in place by a split pin. I rubbed some grease and oil well over this new roller. I was delighted to find that it answered the purpose quite well, and was able to proceed on my journey without any further trouble. The delay caused by this mishap and its -remedy only amounted to thirty minutes all told."