The Motor Drivers News.
Page 25
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Repairing a Governor.
" R.S." (London) writes : " I have read TUE COMMERctm. MOTOR for some time, and have been interested in the reports of various dodges that were employed by drivers to overcome troubles which occurred while they have been on the road. I think that the following experience which befel me might be of some assistance to others. I am a driver of a petrol motorbus in London, and I was making my last journey when I had the misfortune to lose my governor spring. The consequence was that the engine raced, but would not pull at all, and the least unevenness in the road was sufficient to stop the engine. I had nearly a full load of passengers up, so I thought at first I should have to stop, as I had not another governor spring with me. I was considering what I could do when I remembered that I had a couple of tappet springs with me and some wire. I put the two springs side by side and then used the wire to fasten them ori to the governors, and thus was able to complete my journey and reach the garage in good time."
Armature Bearings.
" 5.0.13." (London) sends us ''the following letter :— " This note on. magnetos is, I think, deserving of space in the note-books of some, at least, of your readers. It applies to both the high and low-tension systems. " It will be found that the clearance between the armature and the pole pieces of the magneto is very slight indeed. This, of course, is as it should be, but it is easy to see what takes place when the armature-spindle bearings become worn a little. What I have often found to happen is this : the armature becomes loose in its bearings, and, consequently, instead of running perfectly true, it revolves eccentrically. A very little unevenness of the winding will make the armature rub upon the fixed parts of the machine, and it requires but little rubbing to remove the insulation off the copper wire forming the armature. The result is a very annoying short-circuit and one that is not discovered in five minutes, and only after the very minutest examination. If those of your readers who are drivers will just slip the covers off their magnetos they will easily follow me."
Good Work by a Mann Steam Lorry.
" J.C." (Aylesbury) writes :—" I am often interested in reading Other drivers' accounts of their experiences in your Drivers Column, and I have got some useful dodges from them to add to my own stock of ideas. I am the driver of a lively little Mann steam lorry, which has for the last three seasons rolled the roads in all directions within 70 miles of this town, and, since I have handled it, it has only once been late, which was owing to a low-pressure piston breaking. The accident happened between Dunstable and Ivinghoe, and a very nice break it was, on a Saturday night, with a distance of 72i miles in front of us to the yard. My mate (a boy I have to take as trailer brakesman) said : Give her another try, and see if she'll go; I want to get home, as it's Saturday night, you know,' but, as it was dark, I decided to go to bed in the lorry, and see what could be done in daylight. I sent my mate into lvinghoe (two miles) to buy some food, and while he was gone, I threw the lorry sheet over the body, and hung a lamp inside, leaving the head and tail lamps burning. We then had .supper, and had about four hours lying between sleep and awake, then we turned out, took some water out of the tank in my pail, and had a wash (which I felt was necessary). I then removed the cylinder cover, took out the broken piston, then pulled out the L.P. connecting rod, then the L.P. slide valve connecting rod and eccentric straps. I left the slide valve covering the exhaust port and or steamport, leaving one port open to admit the exhaest from the H.P. cylinder. I also left the L.P. piston rod in the gland, and tightened the gland well up, and put my covers on, after which I searched the hedge for some firewood. I still doubted my ability to reach home with only my H.P. cylinder, as I had several tough bills to go up and some worse ones to go down ; therefore, I kept my steam as high as possible. I managed to climb the hills which I was afraid of, doing four miles in slow gear in an hour and a half. I was then on a slight down grade, so I thought I would change gear. I put my brakes on, stopped, and changed gear, and got a start. The wagon went well till
we were nearly home, when I was obliged to change to the slow again to mount the hill in High Street, Aylesbury. I reached the yard by i o'clock. On Monday morning a new piston and rod were wired for from the makers, and i
on Tuesday morning it was delivered to me, and I had t in and the engine running in the afternoon. It has run very .satisfactorily ever since, and never kept me out all night
since through breakages."
A Fire-Extinguisher Wanted.
" W.E.E." (Kent) sends this letter :—" I am writing a brief account of an incident which happened in London, trusting it will find space in your paper.
" I was bringing a new i8h.p. light motor from Birmingham to a town. in Kent a short time ago. All went. well until we reached the Metropolis. We had occasion to call at Gamages' for some accessories, so we ran Oxford Street at a snail's pace, traffic being at that time very thick. Suddenly one of the inlet valve springs expired, causing popping in the carburetter. We continued to move along with the traffic, there being no chance to stop, as we were hemmed in on all sides, and there was no possible chance of moving into a side street. At last a backfire occurred, the carburetter exploded, and flames proceeded to illuminate the street. The cry of " Fire! " was raised, traffic was stopped, and people got excited. A policeman rang the fire alarm, and the excitement was intense. However, I was fortunate enough to have a brother motorist with me, and between the two of us we took the bonnet off, the flames shooting up several feet. I threw my overcoat over the engine to smother the flames, and tried to reach the tap close to the carburetter to turn off the petrol. I did not succeed, so with the aid of a pair of pliers we opened the cap on the petrol tank and let out the pressure. We subdued the flames, and put on the bonnet, got the assistance of two or three hands, pushed the car round the first corner, replaced the broken inlet spring by a new one, started the engine, and proceeded on our way none the worse, with the exception of the bonnet being scorched."
An Obstructed Air Vent.
" T.W.G." (London) writes as follows :—" I have been a reader of the Drivers' News ' for a considerable time, so I thought the following would be of interest. About a month ago, while driving from Broxbourne to London, a distance of about 20 miles, I had this roadside experience. I may mention that the car in question has a two-cylinder ioh.p. engine. When going to Broxbourne the car went beautifully, but on the return journey, after having travelled only about five miles, I felt the power getting less and less, so much so, that I had to change to her second speed. We had not gone far before one cylinder had completely stopped firing, and the engine slowed down until it stopped. On getting down, I al once started to look for the cause, and, judging by the way the engine stopped, I concluded it must be that the supply of petrol had given out, or something of that sort, and in trying to flood the carburetter I found it empty. I thought, perhaps, some grit had prevented the needle valve from ascending, but as soon as I took the latter to pieces the petrol started to flow again, so I screwed up the valve and the carburetter flooded all right. After starting the engine again we proceeded on our way, and the car sped along as strong as ever, but only for a few miles, because on reaching the further end of the Seven Sisters Road the motor stopped dead again. I got down from the seat, and, finding the float chamber empty, I ' tickled ' the carburetter until it flooded, which took me some minutes to do, then I started off again as fresh as ever, but the same thing happened again in Old Bond Street, where I went through the same operation. I wondered whether my tank contained a supply of petrol, so I raised the seat to look, and, behold! I at once found the trouble. While down at Broxbourne I had been reading a paper, and had put it under my seat, just over the lid of the petrol tank. My weight had pressed it so tightly on the vent of the lid as to prevent any air being admitted. I may say that I have been on my back twice in Ilyde Park, and once in Eaton Place, and in each case I have taken the carburetter to pieces for the same thing, but I have never had a similar trouble since I found the cause of my breakdown in Bond Street.