Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-12
THE EXPERTS SAY.

With most cars. particularly those
| equipped with a plate clutch. one may
shift from first directly into high in
starting with a normal load on smooth
pavements The inexperienced driver
should not attempt it. but the veteran
will find that he can easily gain
enough speed in first to make the shift
! directly into high without difficulty.
Do not do 1t in heavy going or with a
heavy load.
Take care to keep the spring clips
| tight. Axles break In the center almost
| invariably because of loose spring clips.
! Looseness in the clips also makes tho
springs more likely to squeak. Keeping
the springs fabricated not only pre-
| vents squeaking but makes the car ride
easier and avoids breakagc.
BY knowing in advance what you
should do in case your car catches Are.
you are less likely to, get in a panic
and lose valuable time in an emer-
gency. 1t Is the part of wisdom to
have small extinguisher about your
car. 1t is invaluable in gasoline hre.
Water is useless when gasoline Is blaz-
ing and merely tends to spread the fire.
IT. the absence Of an extinguisher. dirt
or sand may be used. but great dam
age often results by getting grit in the
mechanism. If you have had to put
out fire with sand, clean the working
parts thoroughly before you attempt to
| run again. When fire has started
from backfire. close the throttle and
use the starter to turn the motor over.
This tends to draw the flames into the
manifold. If fire has caught in the drip
pan. put that out first and then attend
IN -1,,r0
cock is located in your gasoline line so
that you can turn 1t off in case of emer-
gency. The drip pan should be kept
free from accumulations Of oil and
grease to lessen the danger from fire.
Radiator compounds are excellent to
have for use when a leak develops
along the way They should be used
only temporarily and as sparingly as
possible: AS soon as possible have the
man.
If you must park on a grade it is
we'll to take additional precautions be-
gears in first instead of neutral as the
! resistance of the motor will hold the
car back. Also turn the front wheels
into the curb if possible.
II hard water is used in the cool
ing system. scale is likely to form in
the radiator. Rust may gather there
with any water. Open the pet cock at
the bottom of the radiator several
times a year and allow all the water
to run out. reilling with clean soft
water. Do not fill the radiator entire
~ full. as water expands with heat.
Make sure that the overflow pipe is not
clogged. by running wire down it,
IT you have trouble with cooling after
seasons use. the radiator may be
cleaned Of scale and sediment with
muriatic acid. Place the car where the
drainage from the radiator will run
away from the tires and drain the
cooling system. After closing the pet
cock fill the radiator with water to
which quart of commercial muriatic
acid has been added. Place the radi-
ator cap in position. run the motor for
five minutes at slow speed and then
drain thoroughly. Fill with fresh wa
ter and run motor again for five min
utes. Drain the radiator again and
rinse thoroughly with clean water. 1t
is essential to wash the cleaning solu-
ton from the radiator. To this end it
is well to drain and refill the radiator
daily for two or three days follow
ing the cleaning.