Evening star., 1927-11-27

Motor cars, like human beings,
require a change Of diet in Winter,
! but, whereas the latter resort 10
heavier foods to create additional
energy for the more rigorous weather.
| the former generally must have light
er foods.
1t is the judgment Of engineers
! that many thousands of motor car
! owners fail to get the fine perform
ance Of which their automobiles are
/ capable because they do not recoG-
! nize the Importance of treating them
! To fuels and lubricants Of the proper
character. One engineer puts it sue
| cinctly thus:
The trouble with a host OF cars in
| Winter may be summed up as any old
gas, any old oil and any old grease
Winter Diet of Cars.
In their instruction books. operat-
or's manuals and owners guides. the
manufacturers Of every one of Amer.
lean motor cars are careful to specify
| Just what diet the car requires for
Winter But. according to their
studies. there are entirely too many
owners who never take the trouble
To peruse these valuable little book
let's.
a matter of fact, it is not
always lack Of knowledge that eX-
plains away the treatment that some
owners give their cars, according to
engineers and service station eXecu-
tives. Plain indifference. even when
ii means poor performance, is the
sin of a great many motorists, these
groups maintain.
No one who has tried to start a
car on a zero morning should be in
rH . ln f.n l,A
gasoline had a great deal to do with
the stubborness Of the icy engine
Not everything, of course, but still
very important factor in it. There
is an amazing variety of gasolines
on the market in all parts of the
country In the main, they run
higher than the Federal specifications
for motor fuels. But gasoline is an
unstable substance. One fuel will
have high starting volatility.
Another a perfect operating volatility.
Some will he eXcellently fortified
with. both characteristics. Others
will not.
The factor most seriously to be
considered. naturally, is starting vo-
latilty. 1t does not call for an en-
cessive amount of experimentation to
discover the gasoline that is right for
ity. The process. however. will re-
quire the setting aside of some preju.
Adices for, apparently. there are few
subjects upon which firmer prejudices
are built than gasoline.
Simple Task.
The proper attitude is that there is
a right gasoline available for the car
and that it can be found by testing
two or three brands to determine
which best fits the motor and the eli
mate. OF course, there is such a pos
sibility of carrying ones experiments
too far and making the whole process
futile, since the motorist, learning by
trial and error, often makes deduc-
tionS that are hopelessly remote from
the actual scientific fact.
Selection of the proper Winter en-
gine lubricant has been made a gen.
orally simple task. Refiners and au-
tomobile makers have collaborated in
experiments which have determined
the fitness of number of lubrican $
for every make of car. But motorists
are declared ito persist in running
counter to these findings. Generally
lighter oils are specified for the reason
that after the lubrican has CONCEALED
during the cold night the chances are
that the engine will not get anything
like proper fabrication until the oil
has been thinned by the heat of en-
gine operation. In addition, the heavy
lubricant, which is harder to break.
under such circumstances. very likely
will prove harmful to the oil pump.
Certainly, even the lighter oil-con-
| gealed-gives the starter a heavy
enough burden.
| In connection with Winter lubri-
cants many motorists are accused of
erring in the thought that because
the piston rings are N.'A they should
use heavy lubricant the year around.
The resul. is that the pistons and
rings ar given really severe wear, be.
cause they do not get fabrication in
any way equivalent to hat which
would follow from the use of light
| oil.
Another frailty ascribed to motor
car owners in connection with crank
case lubricants is that of assuming
that dilution, more or less inevitable
in Winter, will do less damage il a
heavy grade of oil is present in the
sump. Scientific study reveals just
the contrary. The dilutent, which al
ways is on top because of it's lightness
will mix with light lubricant, while
in the case of a heavy one, it will dc
so less readily. The result, of course
is that water, gasoline and acids ara
the first liquids thrown from the sumr
to the beai- and cylinder walls.
Too light a grade of oil is the eX
planation of many of the maladies
| wh;ph a ff1ict the motor car in Winter