The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-12
HOW TO CONQUER
WINTER TROUBLES
A Little More Attention to the
Motor Is Necessary at
This Season.
BY II. CLIFFORD BRoKAw,

Technical Director West Side Y. d. c. A.
Automobile Schools.
Once upon a time, as fairy tales be-
gin, It was customary TO stow the old
boat in the barn when the first snow
flakes appeared and not get 1t out until
the robins were chipping merrily in the
trees This may hold true in some of
the back country districts yet, but fof
city driving there seems to be little dir
ference between summer and winter
OF course there is less purely pleasure
driving, but the automobile has come to
be such a part of the daily life that the
average owner would not think he could
possibly get along without it. Even last
winter when the continued storms and
low temperature made the streets night
mares, fivver and limousine ploughed
through drifts and over the ice mounds
and got there when street car systems
failed and traffic generally was in q
considerable tangle.
The first difficulty encountered In win
ter driving Is starting the motor. Low.
grades OF gasolene do not vaporlze read
ily at low temperatures They may
spray through the needle valve. but
when they hit the cold walls Of the mix
ing chamber, manifold and the cylinder
there is a quick condensation, and liquid
gasolene is about as non-infiammable as
water. The problem, therefore. is one
or vaporization. This may be accom-
plished in a number of ways. There
are a number of devices sold for warm
ing the carburetor and intake manifold,
or keeping them warm. These devices
are not too expensive for the average
purse.
When the carburetor is water-jaclI-
eted it is also possible to drain the
cooling system and fill It up with not
water before starting the engine, and
as a last resort one may wrap cloth
around the intake manifold, pour over
IL hot water from the madams tea
kettle, observing due care not to mix
any of 1t with the gasolene in the car
buretor.
Any of these means win raise the
temperature enough to allow vaporiza-
ton so that the engine will start OF
course when 1t is running it produces
heat enough to cause proper vaporiza-
ton.
The necessity for an anti-freeze solu-
ton and for covering the radiator Ia
well known With some motors 1t is
found advisable also to remove the fan
belt, but ordinarily Il Is much better
TO let the fan run and cover as much OF
the radiator as is necessary TO give
proper temperature TO the engine.
The next problem which the winter
driver must consider Is the electric
system. Presumably the car has an
electric starter. This means that the
battery which supplies current to turn
over the starting motor must have u
great deal more care than IN tho sum
mor time. This is necessary for sew
oral reasons. The battery docs not
work so well in I'D weather. The bat
terry does not really store electricity. 1t
produces Il by chemical action and
chemical action Is always slower at
low temperature. Therefore the bait
terry must be favored.
Greater calls are made upon the bat
terry I'm winter than in summer 10 takes
little longer for the starter to get ths
engine going and every second makes a
terrific drain upon the battery. Lights
are burned much longer because Of the
short days, and also there are fewer
long drives to give the generator
chance 20 charge the battery, 80 that 10
is In danger of being starved and then
suddenly refusing TO function. The So
luton Is 70 leave the batter at a SER
vice station once a month or 20 and
have IL fully charged III thls "a not
done there Is likely to be faulty Ignition,
ruuble With the lights and failure No
turn over the engine properly In start
ing Some generators are equipped with
regulator, The proper adjustment OF
which will increase the amount OK cur
rent sent into the battery.
The next most important problem OF
the winter driver is the matter OF tines.
IN the average winter in the city tho
uavements are about as easy on tires as
IN the summer. but last winter there was
on undue amount Of ice ON tho streets.
which produced . great dtal of slipping
md Slowing. with wear on the tires ana
there were jarscd chunl.s or lee ana t1ita
which ground down the tires at a rapid
rate or cut them TO shrods.
This is also. true on dirt roads In the