The Washington herald., 1919-02-16
PRACTICAL
J. PARAGRAPHS
Tire Wear .nd Rim Mounting.


that wheels which are out of align
ment cause undue tire wear. Few
owners, however. realize that rims
which are loose or otherwise i'm
properly mounted will have the same
effect OF causing excessively rapid
tread wear A loose rim generally
makes its presence known by a click
ing or squeaking sound. This Is not
always so. for occasionally a small
stone or some sand may get in be-
tween the rim and felloe so as to
prevent noise. The rim appears to
be tight but in reality is running out
of alignment and wearing out the
tire.
Decending Grades.
In driving down steep grades vari-
Gus resistences may be utilized to
keep the car under control. II the
engine is kept running and the gears
are in high, there is only slight resist
ance. This may be Increased by
shifting into second speed and further
increased by shifting to first When
still further resistance is needed to
maintain a check on the progress of
the car and ii is not desired TO use
the brakes. the ignition may be shut
off and the throttle closed. BY open
ing the throttle the resistance is still
further increased. The maximum of
resistance and the best control on a
dangerously steep hill may be OBJ
tanned by shifting into first, switching
off OF the igDition and applying the
brakes at intervals.
Clutch Troubles.
A great deal of clutch trouble for
which the owner can find no obvious
cause, is due to the fact that the
clutch shaft is out of true with the
center OF the fiywheel. This causes
one side of the cone clutch to bind.
while the other sfoe is free; in the
case of the disc clutch, the plates
tend TO hold only on one side. Yhe
result is that the clutch grabs when
engaged. II persistent treatment and
adjustment does not help a clutch. it
is safe to conclude that the condition
mentioned is causing the trouble.
On Upholstery.
The glossy finished leather substi-
tute upholstery is better than the dull
finished, the latter being prone to
crack or lose its coloring material
through friction. Use of the dull
material brings a sort of half glossy
finish and the cracking ceases, but it
ID DSNlti " get 1lt DiiSI lIlSn III
the first place.
When Fuses Blow.
When lighting fuses blow out one
after the other. it does not pay to
keep replacing them: il is something
more than coincidence. Try to find
out the cause and the first place to
look is in the Cut-out. II this portion
of the ligging system is OF the type
4 . hu hos iEafS NHThi hiTh
stuck, it is very likely 10 cause con-
tinued fuse breakagc.
The Storage Battery.
After the storage battery is fifteen
months old the dealer considers it
worthless. The fact that the battery
has such a comparatively brief life
at best. should lead owners to give
1t careful treatment so as TO get
maximum service from ii. Adding
distilled water to the cells TO bring
the fluid up to the proper level, should
be done once a week in summer and
twice a month in winter But this is
not enough; the gravity of the solution
may not be correct. A hydronleter syT-
inge test is the only sure method OF
determining the condition of the Dat
terry and IL the cells show below l-sJ
each. they require rechaTGing. Once
every two months the battery should
he taken to the service station for
charging. especially If the user Is
doctor or one similarly occupied.
whose car is started and stopped
many times each day.
Fitting Parts.
1t is just as bad to have parts fit too
tightly as it is to leave them too loose.
y bearing which is too tight will
loosen rapidly and will pound while so
doing. 1t is bad practice to have the
bearings taken up merely by refitting
the movable half. The whole bearing
should be refitted. if the part is to give
really good service. In some cars i'm
proper fitting of the rear main bearing
will throw the clutch shaft out of
alignment and cause endless trouble
Pseudo-BIowout Patch.
In the absence of blowout patch a
motorist recently tore up an old shirt
and cemented fiat portion around the
tube at the place opposite the hole in
the casing. Two wrappings were made
and the patch held for sixty miles
Operating the windshieId.
Never attempt to force the upper
half of the windshield up or down by
shield is an old one. If the framework
is at all weak, this method of handling
win probably break the pane
Priming the Oil Pump.
In cars fitted with a piston-typc oil
pump, failure to force the oil i'm its
proper channels may be remedied by
printing the pump. This is done by
disconnecting the line behind the
gauge and forcing oil from a can
through the pump lead while the en-
Gine is running very slowly. When oil
spurts back through the pipe it shows
that the pump is working again.
Emergency Rim EXpandcr.
In the absence of a conventional rim
expander. diagonally split rims may
be spread by means of the lifting jack
and two blocks of wood.
With the new plant in full operation
the Studebaker will add to their force
over 1000 men and put into effect
manufacturing plans which will call
for a production of 10000 automobiles
for the year 1920 Beginning the first
of next year their schedules require
the annual production of 10000 four
cylinder cars and 60,OO0 six-cylinder
cars at the present plants at Detroit.
ReCapitulation of Americas S indus
trial achievements from the time this
country entered the war reveal a work
that is stupendous not only i'm its vol
ume but in its variety of tasks per-
formed. Practically every American
industry was called upon to do its part.
Sometimes that part was humble and
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