Page:Motoring Magazine and Motor Life January 1915.djvu/24

22 Leaking Flange joint.

Nothing is more exasperating than the persistent leaking of a flange joint on the manifold, where copper is used for the gasket. The trouble, however, always can be remedied by cutting a groove around the post with a cold chisel, and another around the hole of the flange. When the studs which hold the manifold in place are drawn up, the gasoline is compressed and partially fills the grooves&mdash;sealing the joint.

Stiff Inner Tubes.

If inner tubes that have grown stiff or hard by being placed in a bath of one part concentrated ammonia and two parts of water, they will regain their elasticity. This, however, applies only to such tubes as have been kept in dark rooms, and not to such as have lost their resiliency through heat or sunlight.

Watch Dynamo.

Because an electric motor or dynamo is completely inclosed, so that it is impossible for dust and dirt to work in from the outside, it does not follow that the interior will be free from dust. On the contrary, the gradual wear of the brushes and the slower wear of the commutator produce a dust that is more or less abrasive and also is a good conductor of electricity.

Car Lock.

A piece of trace chain and a good padlock will lock your car so that it cannot be run or drawn away. Put the chain around the frame and between the spokes of the front wheel. It is also a good security for spare tires.

When the removal of a shim makes the bearing too tight for free use, a piece of Manila card board in place of the shim will often give correct adjustment, and will permit a slight tightening if needed, subsequently.

To Clean the Hands.

To those who object to the old method of thoroughly greasing the hands in order to make subsequent cleaning easy after an overhauling job, it is recommended that a solution composed of four parts of alcohol, three parts of glycerine and three parts of water be used instead. This should be well rubbed in and the hands permitted to dry before work is commenced.

Damaged Inner Tubes.

Inner tubes that have been damaged so severely as to make repair impossible can still give good service if cut into sections. The undamaged sections should be placed in tin boxes or cans and covered with talc. After a number of such sections have accumulated a fairly satisfactory tube can easily be made from them by joining and vulcanizing the sections. This is good work for days on which other business is slack.

Trimming Closed Bodies.

The trimming designs of closed bodies at present aim to give as soft a cushion and back as possible. Fewer buttons are used, and the small biscuit and the pipe-and-point are seldom found on the new cars. The superseded designs no doubt kept the trimming in good order much longer, but the present effort is to secure the same soft effect in a new job as was formerly found only in a body that had seen service.

Testing Tire Valve.

Alter you have finished blowing up the tire, drop a film of moisture on the valve outlet. If this moisture stays there, obviously the valve is tight, but if it disappears there is a leakage of air. In putting on the valve cap after it has been screwed tight, loosen it a little and listen to see if there is any leak. If there is, then the cap has pushed the plunger down, and the thing to do is to adjust the washer in the cap so that it does not touch the plunger, or else get a new cap.