New-York tribune., 1920-06-20

Taking care of the car is one of the
most mportant-and most neglected -
duties Of the owner. I will admit that
it is not much fun to crawl under the
car on a garage floor, oil or grease
soaked, to look over the parts which
may be inspected only in this manner
while you are adjusting or lubricating
them; nor is it for most men an hour Of
delight to wipe grease off the engine,
grind valves, clean the cooling system
or change the lubricatng oil, according
to requirement.
OF course, some men like to get dirty.
They like to put on overalls or old
clothes and mess around, and are never
happier than when hands and face and
everything else make them resemble
garage mechanic. But the fellow who
hates TO get muck under his finger
nails and who has a horror of stains
upon his hands. and who finds no pleas
ure in the smell of oil and is not inter
ested in the cleanliness of his engine
and car, will neglect these things so
long as possible, and then find that
he has long job of it, and probably
will pass it up to the garage.
None of these things are worse than
little dirty, and when one is rugged
up and does the necessary thing at
regular intervals, there is not enough
TO make it more than more or less
pleasant divcrsin, if one has the least
mechanical instinct; but it must be
done according to regular calendar.
Tasks Easy, if Systematic
Some things must be done every day
or every time the car is taken out.
Other things once a week, some once a
month and some things every so many
miles Now the wise man Will set
down all these things in order and di-
vide them up, So much TO be done each
week of the month. In this way he
avoids long task in any week and in
sures that everything Will be attended
to at the proper time. Getting into
this habit and then doing everything in
the right way will make the task easy,
II not pleasant.
To start at the beginning the car,
not work-there is the radiator and
the cooling system, which needs little
care other than to see that there is
enough water each time the car is
taken out and renewed if it boiis aw2y
Twice d year it needs a thorough
cleaning, as instructed previously. 1t
is also necessary to see that The water
clrculates, for the system of engine
cooling depends upon the thorough cir
cuiatlon or water through the radiator
and then back through the engine Keep
the fan belt tight and free from grease
The engine comes next. This should
be rubbed clean of oil. grease or dust
every time the car makes any consider
able run. Every day when you come in
is good practice; the grease and oil
are hot then and will come oil readily.
Gasoline or kcro enc on the rags will
make it easy. Of course, there is the
kerosene spray, which will remove every
bit of the grease and dirt, but unless
one has several cars this would hardly
pay. The spray works with air pressure
from an air pump.
Should Watch for Leaks
Keep the spark plugs and brass parts
free from corrosion, in wet weather COW
ecing the brass with one of the clean
ing compositions. which you wipe off
later. Watch for leaks about the gas
kets. See that all wire terminals are
tight, and if they become corroded
loosen them one by one and clean both
terminal and wire, replacing them as
cleaned, to make sure that they Get back
in the right place.
Valves need to be ground occasionally,
but 90 no. overdo it, Be sure that
the valve cups are screwed down tight
and do not leak. Also see that printing
cups and relief cocks are tight, both
where screwed into the cylinder and
where the key turns 10 open and close
the cock.
With every car there is furnished
diagram of the wiring for ignition.
lights and starter. One may very easily
learn, BY using the diagram, TO trace
through each part CT the system, where
there Is anything wrong; broken wires,
loose terminals, corroslon at the termi-
nails, grease or oil on the insulation
make trouble, and looking after these
things is part Of the regular care
which the car should receive.
Water should be placed in the storage
battery, according to instructions which
come with the battery, and if it does
NOT ties: fully charged on returning
from fairly lons "trip, il viii be well
to ASK the battery service station
whether tn: battery needs charging or
other attention.
LuDr. ca::on is a pat os the regular
routine work ana this h2s beer treated
fully il previous article, but i.
nigh. be Well TO a~a!n advise the nov
'ce 10 read the rule for lubricatior II,
the manufacturers instruction book
anc 4olloT: 1t implicitly. There ale more
than 100 bearings in q cylinder car,
moi including the springs and the