Evening star., 1925-04-26
BY WILLIAM ULLMAN.

With millions of junked automo-
biIes as a constant reminder of the
penalty paid by American car owners
for their failure to provide cledn
fuel, air and oil for their engines,
all motordom is turning to the new
devices that aim to give more mics
10 the engine, according TO the IN
terest displayed by motorists VINO
are already reaping the Dement'S Oh
increased engine efficiency.
Inspection of the automobile grave
wards and an official autopsy OF the
wreckage of the junk heaps reveal
premature wear of the automoplie
engine as the real reason for the
relative short life of the average
automobile. The engine wears OUT
loses its pep-and the owner no
longer wants the car.
Many cars with sound Wheels'
rigid frames and hale and hearty
major chassis units are rotting away
in the open because their power
plants have passed beyond the point
of usefulness. Cylinders have been
rebored. oversize pistons installed,
valves reseated and bearings scraped
and fitted anew. But efficiency ana
power have vanished and the owners
willingly parted with their cars be-
cause they could not endure the hu-
hills, the annoyance of being stopped
in the public parks because of smok-
ing exhaustS and the expense OF low
gas mileage and excessive oil con-
sumption.
Three Injurious Factors.
Search for the cause of this alb
normal wear, automotive engineers
say, reveals dirt, raw gasoline and
foreign matter as the principal
factors. Accordingly the motorist is
now being offered a wide variety or
air cleaners, oil purifiers and recti-
ffers, gasoline strainers and various
other devices for keeping the engine
efficient.
So much effort was expended in the
work of making engines run smooth
ly and perform remarkably that there
was little opportunity TO provide for
a clean diet that would prolong life
by reducing wear. But owners and
engineers soon discovered that engine
performance faded away after ten to
twenty thousand miles of running
and often could not be restored again.
There are still a lot of car owners
who do not realize that even when
they change the oil in the engine
every 500 to 900 miles the dilution
caused by raw gasoline passing the
per cent. There are still millions of
car owners who do not realize that q
typical engine of $50 cubic-inch dis
placement, rotating at the rate OF
1000 times per minute, would, in the
course of eight hours running, con-
sumo more air than is confined in a
building 80 feet wide, so feet deep,
so feet high.
Comparison Is Made.
II you could gather up all the dust
that settles on the floors, walls and
furniture of an Office with floor
area of 1855 square feet IL would
Just about equal the amount of dirt
and dust that would pass through the
carburetor, valve ports and. cylinders
of the typical car mentioned above
during a 240-mile run, provided the
car Travelled over hard-surfaced roads
and there was no wind blowing.
How much Of this dust remains in
the cylinders to mix with the raw
gasoline and stray oil TO form a fine
abrasive? There are various estimates,
but the wise car owner appears to be
taking no chances. He is astounded
at the amount of air an engine
breathes, and he does not have to be
told that this air should be clean.
This accounts for the keen interest
IN a1r-cleanerS, there being number
of different devices in use on cars or
offered on the market. Some strain
the air just as the gasoline purifiers
strain the fuel. Others beat out the
particles of dirt by the rotary method
Others trick the dirt out of the air
either through centrifugal force OIL
momentum. Whatever the theory
employed, the car owner appreciates
that even If he succeeds in keeping
out but IS per cent of the dirt that
normally enters the engine he will
lie getting just so many more miles
10 the engine.
There has been such definite prog
ress in the development of air-cleaners