The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-25

I ASSSHSiJ Ilclu lHS llOdI oi ihy
 vacuum feed system, so that it failed
 to operate and my car had to be towet in. l have never discovered what caused the trouble, but that was wha' | the garageman said. Is this right Also what caused it?--Leonard Acker' man.
 This is not common complaint, b'i, it does sometimes happen, I believe II IS usually caused by excessive ylprd- tion and naturally the engine stop condition. investigate the fuel line iron tank to engine. Likewise a clogged fue system, as when the strainers are flu! of foreign matter or there is dirt in the fuel pipe, will pull down the power o1
 the engine to remarkable degree
 1 Any obstruction or railure in any part ] of the mechanism that tends to decrease | the power of the engine operates as a l leak. For given expenditure of fuel you get only part of the service that
 you ought to get if the car werer unning | at maximum efficiency. For instance, l if the 1nuffler is clogged, so that back ! pressure if formed, a serious substrac- ! tion from the power of the engine re- suits. Carbonized cylinders result in ex- | cessive consumption of fuel, in addition | to the fact that driving with the en- l zine in this condition is anything but 1 a pleasure. When carbon deposits form, l in the cylinders, they should be cleaned out, preferably by scrapipg or by burn | ing them out in the presence of oxygen.
 This operation may be carried out even when the car is on the road on a tour
 Any good garage will take a car at l night. clean the carbon from the cylin- ders and return the vehicle for the start l next morning at q slight cost. In some l instances, where an engine has ten- 1 dency to carbonize rapidly, it may be a
 good idea after the carbon has been i cleaned out to install vaporzing de
 vice which injects water vapor into | the cylinders and prevents the formation 1 of future carbon deposits
 WATCH YOUR IGNITION
 l Next to good carburetion, perhaps eff 1 ficient ignition is the next most impor l tant thUg, though it is scarcely fair to 1 put one ahead of the other. because each l is dependent on the other. The battery
 must be kept absolutely clean as to ter. minals and fully charged. The wiring
 should be examined, the cable connec. l tions 1t the plugs and at the ignition
 unit and coil must be kept clean and
 tight
 The valves are a very common source of power loss and they must be main
 tained in such condition that they seat | tightly particularly the inlet valves thought the exhaust parts must not be 1 neglected The waste of fuel when the
 valves do not seat tightly is so obvious | that I need scarcely dwell on it. Valve grinding periodically is just as much of a duty as keepino the fuel dine free iron | leaks, for the effect of each defect is 1 the same r the end.
 ! I wonder how many of my readers
 ever stopped to consider how important a bearing on fuel consumption lubrica' l ton has? Every car owner knows thu, 1 # the various parts of the mechanism
 were run without fabrication, the friction would generate such heat that the parts 1 would seize and the car would become Q stationary hulk. Now, when one or two ,,arts, the universals, the bearings, fo' instance, are allowed to run without
 lubricant, tho friction generated exerts | it's influence on the operation of tEe 1 vehicle as a whole The power plant IS 1 required to exert certain amount oi effort tc overcome the resistance of parts 1 that are running dry. This means that i it must use extra power to accomplish She extra effort demanded of it. Proper l fabrication not only conserves the life of the mechanism, but actually con I tributes to making the fuel go as far as \ possible.
 I The clutch is another nro'ific power
 waster, if it Is not maintained in proper | condition, Asl'ppng clutch is wasting ! powe,. every time 1t fails to grip.
 I lSCRAPING WHEELS COST MONEY l When the wheels are not properiy | aligned, a scraping action is set up DO tween the tires and the road. This not
 only destroys the rubber tread in an al most unbelievably short time, but it also 1 ronsumec power. This action is simply friction in another form and the engine a1 to to oytr a. ! ing extra fuel, to overcome the resist l ance offered Misalignment of the wheels l is very common ailment and few cav l owners take the trouble to have thetf l wheels aligned twice year, as they should do. a service which the service stat tion will perform for something like 60 cents a wheel.
 The tires are another source of power consumption, which, remember. means
 fuel waste. When the tires are run par tially inflated, greater surface is
 brought in contact with the ground and ] this means extra friction and extra power f needed to overcome it.. And this is rot :nentioning a. all the frightfully destruc I tive effect of underinflation. agains' | which the tire companies have been Wag | ing a war for years. If the brakes are permitted to get in such condition that
 they drag, even slightly, friction is gen eIssteu anu HloTc poNct iS ASdaiOo " move t.e mechanism It is important tn see that the brakes move freely and that the tires are kept fully inflated.
 COAST WHEN POSSIBLE
 1 Finally. there are many ways of ecouo rnzing ir tile actual driving of the car. For instance, protracted idlinS of the
 engine Will consume an appreciahlc
 amount of fuel to no purpose whatever. l In driving through hilly country. it is just as easy to coast down hill with the throttle closed, thereby saving fuel. NC oae today is Justified in usless operation
 If his car. If the vehicle is used for CT l randS, try to make them all in one t-t'
 instead of spreading them out in half
 a dozen. Gu. out the purely usless mo | toring, save wherever possible in the 1 necessary operation and there is no ques-
 ten that there will be enough motor 1 fuel to carry us through the present
 crisis. even considering the extra dc
 mands of our military forces in Europa and those of our allies.
 l -------------@e~----------~-
 He Understood
 l Erom tho Rostop TrapScrinf