ONE of the most Striking iniptovements of recent years in

Motor car; engines- is their A -well-tubed engine of to-day, running at normal speed and with a good reServe of power in hand, emits scareelY. any -noise whatever. The moment, itieiekie,;ihatarLy noise is heard one may knOw that all is not well; and :the cause stiauld be dikoVered immediately and rectified. The first fhiiig to find out is whether the noise comes from the engine itself or from the body parts and transmission. - To do this the engine should be run free, that is, with the elutch in neutral, and the controls manipulated in order to vary the engine speeds. If this does not produce any untoward sound it may be concluded that some part of the transmission or body-work is responsible for the noise.

No one will ever become a really good driver until he has learnt to know his motor's voice. It is a very mistaken policy to ignore the wants of a car until something goes wrong with it ; it is equally foolish for_ a novice to be constantly-pottering around and attempting the impossible. In the hands of a man who.-,is -nossessed of mechanical skill and a vast fund of motoring knoiiledge a car'. can and shoilldlbe tuned-up to concert pitch. But this is the only type of person Vorliti-should take:-such- work in band. -To' the: novice, -and-- theie are thousands who are now taking up the pastime for -the first time, my advice is to try to hit the happy mean. It is-nonsense for anyone to ignore the note of warning that a motor ear utters when some of the parts are badly or incorrectly adjusted. The driver should always be on the qui vice for any abnormal sounds.

If the noise be discovered to lie in the engine the-nature of the sound should be studied.. A periodic knock may be due to worn big-end or gudgeon-pin bearings.. This can 'be deter- mined by turning the engine by hand, preferably with the • valve caps removed, placing the ear close' to the openings and listening for the sound of any looseness. Relining the big-end or renewing the bush in the gudgeon-pin bearing will at once correct the wrong. Engine knock, as apart from the knock of a worn bearing, may be due to pre-ignition, over-heating, too advanced ignition, a weak mixture or imposing too great a load upon the engine: A knock caused in any of these ways is easily distinguishable from a mechanical knock, in that its pitch is higher and it °emirs mote frequently. For instance, ,if the knock only occur when the car is taking a fairly steep gradient "with" the -sPark well:advanced, it maybe assumed at once that the engine is dirty and requite§ decarbonizing or it may be that the ignition is timed too early. A frequent cause of engine khOck is excessive tappet clear- ance or too strong springs, both of which cause hammering. The exact clearance varies with- different engines, and the instructions of the makers should- be observed. If the springs be suspected they may be tested against the reserve spring or one bought from the makers specially for the purpose. The exhaust is an excellent guide, as it indicates Whether the mix- ture is correctly proportioned or not. It sounds woolly, with occasional misfiring, if the mixture be too rich ; a snappier note is emitted if the mixture be too weak.

The coachwork on some Modern cars is not all that it should be, particularly with some of the cheaper models. For this reason, on many cars after they have been driven 'a few thousand miles the doors and windscreen develop a most irritating rattle. But it is quite a simple matter to overcome both difficulties. By screwing a thin strip of well-hammered leather on to the rebate of the door-post the door can be made to fit so well that vibration is impossible. To cure a rattling windscreen the crevices should be filled with rubber insulating tape, gently hammered into position with a fine chisel; and then varnished to render waterproof.

In course of time the fabric which is attached to the flange on the radiator and the dash-board support of the bonnet becomes worn, with the result that the bonnet rattles and squeaks. This can be cured by removing the old band and inserting a new ode of the required width. -Rattling may, howevei, be due to weitknees of the catch springs which hold the bonnet in a closed position. These can generally be tightened hy.meapi of nuts . provided for- the purpose.- -If

the car be gone over occasionally. .with a spanner no nut should ever work loose, but this is a duty which is often neglected. Very seldom indeed do the mudguard bolts and screws come in for attention. In the case of a rattling mudguard the best cure is to insert a strip of leather between the underside of the guard and the support arm, using extra washers, both under the bolt head and below the support arm. - ROAD FUND REVENUE.

The revenue from motor vehicle duties was estimated to be £17,500,000 during the twelve months ending March 31st last, but this figure was exceeded, and the actual amount raised was £18,056,000. This represents an increase of £1,892,000 over the preceding year. During the financial year just ended the expenditure from the Road Fund amounted to 11'1,455,044 as compared with 115,503,044 in 1924-25.

THE CAPE-To-CAnto EXPEDITION.

The story of the remarkable trip by Major Court-Treatt and his wife from Cape Town to Cairo—a picture of which is now being shown in London—is told in a very interesting manner in a booklet issued by Crossley Motors, Ltd., the manufacturers of the two cars which made the journey. The book is well illustrated and the photographs convey but an inadequate idea of the difficulties which were encountered, many of them almost insurmountable. A copy of the booklet will be sent free on application to Crossley Motors, Ltd., Manchester.

NEW ROVER PRICES.

The immense popularity which the 14-45 h.p. Rover car has achieved has resulted in remarkable savings in production costs. These reductions are being passed on to the public, and accordingly the price of all 14-45 h.p. Rover models has been greatly reduced. No alteration has been made in the excellent quality of the car.

CHILDREN'S DAY.

The object of Children's Day is to give as many poor children as possible a few hours in the fresh air, and the joy of the thousands of youngsters who are fortunate enough to be invited has to be seen to be appreciated. The event has been fixed this year for Saturday or Sunday, July 24th or 25th, according to which is the more convenient for clubs organizing it. All motoring and motor-cycling clubs are asked to co-operate, while offers from unattached car and sidecar owners will be greatly appreciated. Offers should be sent to the Secretary, Royal Automobile Club, 83 Pall Mall, London.

Mr. CLAUDE JOHNSON.

Mr. Basil Johnson was appointed Managing Director of Rolls-Royce, Ltd., in place of the late Mr. Claude Johnson, at a meeting of the directors on April 23rd. Mr. Basil Johnson has been with the company for eleven years, and, is general manager, was very closely associated with the late Mr. Claude Johnson during these years. Mr. Claude Johnson was the first secretary of the Royal Automobile Club, and he was responsible for the idea and the organization of the memorable 1,000 Miles' Tour, which put the automobile movement seriously on its feet in 1900. When the late Mr. C. S. Rolls joined Mr. Royce and began manufacturing cars as the Rolls-Royce Co., Mr. Claude Johnson, who was a great friend of Mr. Rolls, became business manager of the company, although the club would have liked to keep him. His loss will be keenly felt by many friends.

E. T. BROWN.