THE MECHANISM OF THE CAR
In which a Practical Introduction to the Car is given with Simple
Explanations of the Details of the Machinery--The Importance of
Lubrication--The Testing of the Brakes--The Six Levers and their
Various Functions--The Electric Battery
“Be sure you are right, then go ahead.” This good old motto is just the
thing to remember when one is going in for motoring. Remember, I am
discussing the woman who drives her own car, and does all those things
that ordinarily a chauffeur would have to do.
I am constantly asked by some astonished people, “Do you really
understand all the horrid machinery of a motor, and could you mend it if
it broke down?” but it really is not a very difficult matter. The
details of the engine may sound complicated and may look “horrid,” but
an engine is easily mastered. A few hours of proper diligence, provided
you are determined to learn, and you know all that you have to know.
Again, I must remind you that I am discussing the single-cylinder car,
which is by far the simplest for a woman to drive and attend to alone.
I have made it a rule never to allow any one to drive my own little
car--and this is a rule that every one will find useful. All cars have
their individual idiosyncrasies, and if you alone drive, you get to
understand every sound; but if you allow any one to drive you are
ignorant of what strain the car has been put to. As a matter of fact, a
strange hand on the wheel and levers seems to put the car out of tune.
Before starting out for a ride your first duty is to see that the
petrol-tank is full. It is unpleasant to be stranded on the road, miles
from anywhere, minus petrol. The petrol-tank is, in many instances,
under the seat. Lift the cushions, unscrew the cap and peep in. If it is
dark it will be necessary to hold a piece of stick in to see how much
petrol there is, but when there is occasion to do this, be very careful
that there is no dirt on the stick,
[Illustration:
_Photo. H. W. Nicholls_
UNSCREW THE CAP AND PEEP IN]
or a choked petrol-pipe or carburetter will result. The slightest atom
of dirt in the petrol will cause trouble. If you are going for a very
long run it is a wise plan to take an extra can with you. It is,
perhaps, unnecessary for me to warn you not to take a light near the
petrol-tank while it is being filled up. Many cars have been wrecked
through carelessness in this direction. Remember it is not actually the
_petrol_ that catches alight, but the vapour that arises from it. If
your petrol-tank runs dry there is no danger--the car will simply come
to a standstill.
The chamber in which the petrol and air mix and vapourise is called the
carburetter, from which the vapour is carried to the cylinder head by
means of a pipe, and is there exploded by the tiny electric spark from
the sparking-plug, the explosion forcing down the piston and causing the
crank-shaft to revolve.
Having examined your petrol-supply, being sure to replace the screw
quite tightly, your next duty is to see that the water-tank is full.
This tank is situated behind the engine, close to the dash-board.
Unscrew the top and if you cannot see without uncomfortably bending
over take a twig or stick and poke it in, and the wet portion will tell
you how much water there is; though on some cars there is, affixed to
the screw tops of both the petrol-and water-tanks, a metal rod which
shows the amount of petrol or water in the tank. When you are refilling
the water-tank you can tell by the “overflow” when the tank is
full--there is a special outlet, so as to prevent the surplus from
flowing over the top of the engine. Be sure to screw the top of the tank
on again.
The next for examination is the oil-tank. This supplies the oil to
lubricate the engine and gears. There are several different types of
lubricators, force or drip feed, according to the type of car. It is
necessary to lift the bonnet to refill the oil-tank. The “bonnet” is the
metal covering to the engine. When the bonnet is lifted, metal supports
will be found each side to hold it up. It is important that you have
plenty of oil, for it is the lubrication that keeps your machinery in
working trim. Without oil your engine and
[Illustration:
_Photo. H. W. Nicholls._
TEST THE QUANTITY OF OIL IN THE TANK BY INSERTING A PIECE OF STICK]
gears would overheat and probably “seize.” The lubricating oil is
forced, by a small hand pump, to all the different parts of the engine
and gears requiring it.
With the car illustrated, it is necessary to pump a charge of oil into
the engine about every twenty miles. This is an easy matter and it is
not necessary to stop the car to do it. Before starting out each day you
should allow the “used” oil to run out of the base chamber. This is done
by lifting a small rod you will find on the left-hand side of the
commutator. If you pull this up it releases the oil, which you will see
running out. When it is all out do not forget to press the rod into
place again, as failure to do this would mean serious trouble, as the
fresh oil, when pumped into the engine, would simply run right through
on to the ground. After this stale oil has been released, two charges
should be pumped into the engine before starting. This is done by
turning the pointer on the pump handle to “Reservoir,” then pull up
slowly, turn the pointer to “Moteur” and press gently down. To lubricate
the gear, fill from “Reservoir” as before, turn the pointer to
“Vitesse” and press down in the same manner.
Apart from filling the various grease-caps occasionally, on the
steering, &c., and greasing the wheel bearings, this is all that is
necessary in the way of lubrication. The wheels, however, only require
greasing about every 400 miles.
Your next duty would be to test the brake. Get into the habit of doing
this every time you go out. It is no trouble to run the car a few yards
to ascertain whether the brakes grip or not. If all motorists, no matter
how expert, were to spend a few moments in taking this precaution, there
would undoubtedly be fewer accidents. We often read that “the
steering-gear went wrong,” but I am right in saying that, in many cases,
the accidents are caused by the failure of the brakes when applied
suddenly on an emergency. The brakes may be in a satisfactory condition
when you lock up the car after a day’s run, but when the car is
stationary there is the slight possibility of a little oil dripping on
to them during the night, rendering them practically useless. If there
[Illustration:
_Photo. H. W. Nicholls._
PULL UP THIS SMALL ROD TO ENABLE THE “USED” OIL TO RUN OUT OF THE
BASE-CHAMBER]
is oil on the brakes, however, it can easily be burnt off by running the
car a little way and applying the brakes several times--the friction
will gradually burn it off. The brakes sometimes slacken and need
adjustment--an easy operation. Types of brakes may vary slightly with
different types of cars. On my single-cylinder car the brake is very
simple. To adjust, you will find a small handle underneath the frame
towards the back of the car, on the off-side. Half a turn one way or the
other if the brake is too slack or too fierce usually suffices. It can
be adjusted one way or the other in about a second or two.
We now come to the various levers and their different functions. There
are six levers, the change-speed, or gear-lever, on the left-hand side
of the steering-column, under the steering-wheel; the ignition-lever and
the air-lever, both to be found under the steering-wheel on the
right-hand side of the steering-column; the hand-throttle, underneath
the steering-wheel; in centre of column, on a small ratchet, the
hand-brake lever and the first-speed lever. In this chapter I shall
only deal with the first four.
It is the gear-lever that sets the gear in motion--practically puts the
“muscles” of your car into play. It is imperative that it be in neutral
(or central) position when starting the engine, or when applying either
the hand-or foot-brake. This gear-lever, when in neutral position,
disconnects the engine and gear, thereby allowing the road wheels to be
brought to a standstill. When first learning to drive there is a
tendency to suddenly apply the brake without bringing the gear-lever
into neutral position, consequently a great strain is put upon the
entire mechanism, as rival forces are brought into play, viz., while the
engine is pulling, and through the driving-shaft turning the gears and
propelling the wheels, the action of the brake is to make the back
wheels stationary. As an example, the shock on the mechanism in the
event of this happening can be compared to taking a watch and banging it
on the ground.
With regard to the other levers, always
[Illustration:
_Photo. H. W. Nicholls_
THE ADJUSTMENT OF THE FOOT-BRAKE IS A MATTER OF SECONDS]
be quite sure that the ignition (top) lever is retarded, and that the
air-lever is in correct position. It is impossible to exactly give the
correct position for these as it is a matter of adjustment and liable to
slightly vary with different cars. However, when once you have found the
correct position it is impossible to get it wrong.
The next thing to do is to switch on the electric current. The car
carries a battery on the dash-board, where is also the coil. As it is
possible to run 2000 or 3000 miles on one battery, the replacing is not
an expensive item. The cost of a new battery is 15_s._ 9_d._ The switch
is on the coil and the current is set in motion by moving the switch
from “A” to “M.” Having done all these things you are ready to start up
the engine, and after that, drive.
It has taken a long time to explain the preliminary things that you
should do before starting off on a run, and the non-motoriste, and even
perhaps the intending motoriste, will say, “If I have to do all those
troublesome things it will take up all my time, so I think I had better
have a chauffeur”; but let me assure you that while it has taken some
little time to explain these things in the plainest possible language,
it will take you but a few minutes to carry them out.