How To Drive A Motorcar
A Key To The Subtleties Of Motoring

CARE WITH PETROL adhered to strictly on account of the ever-present possibility of striking a match to light a fresh cigarette or cigar, which is entirely a different proposition. A friend of the writer’s once made a 1000 successive attempts with brightly-burning cigarettes to ignite some best quality petrol, and in no single instance did the spirit act other than water would. It is not the glow of the cigarette, cigar, or pipe which is dangerous, but if there is any vapour about or any of the spirit spilt anywhere, then the situation may be entirely changed into one of great danger by striking a match to light up again. Another point to remember is that when filling up with spirit on an odd occasion a garage hand (occasion- ally one is guilty of the negligence oneself) may overfill the tank and cause a considerable quantity of the spirit to be spilt. If the tank is in the dashboard a large proportion of this may find its way under the bonnet and under the floorboards into the precincts jt the engine. If the tank is in the rear, a good deal may be in the neighbourhood of the exhaust pipe. In ei ' er case the engine should not be started up, more e®Pe cially in an enclosed space, until such time as that spirit is entirely evaporated. With the dashboard tank, a little of the spirit getting into the distributor of the magneto may bo igni e y a spark or there may be a short circuit somewhere, in the other case a backfire or a pop back m the carbure - ter may cause a flame at the end of theex iaus pipe. In such an event, therefore, there is a distinct danger of causing a fire, and it should invariably e guar e against by mopping up the petrol with a piece of rag and waiting until the spirit has evaporate . . In this connection, it is quite sound advice to sug- gest that one should always keep ™ eye.on all petrol connections ; see that the unions on the pipes have not developed a leak. Similarly that the carburetter has not contracted a habit of Hooding, 01 ■ itself has not sprung a leak All these cond’£°°sdP b sent a distinct element of clanger, and should be rectified at the earliest possible moment. 133