Evening star., 1928-03-25
OvERHAUL|NG TIPS
G|VENBY ENGINEER
David Gregg Tells Motorists
How to Put Cars in
Condition.

Ice, snow, rain and Slush--all through
the changeable Winter weather the car
has been in daily service. Short runs
and operation in freezing weather have
placed a severe burden on the mechani-
cal parts and careful "once-over" at
your service station will so a long way
toward guaranteeing a Summer of care
free operation, according to DAVID
Gregg, research engineer, who tells
what should be done to put a car Ill
the pink Of condition
Let Us assume" he SAYS, that the
car has come through a hard Winter S
service in fairly good mechanical shape
plenty Of carbon and leaEy valves,
perhaps. but no burnt-out bearings or
badly worn parts. What's to be done
TO tune il up9 First of all let's start
with q hath--clean the engine, chassis
and boGv thorouehly-tiirt covers many
defects and makes Il harder 10 work
around the car.
Method of Checking.
Check the chassis first. See that
the spring clips are al tight; take any
excess psay out Of the spring ShacGleS.
Clean and grease the steering gear and
check the alignment Of the front
wheeis-first adjusting the wheel bear
in1s and filing the hub caps with
fresh grease See that the nuts holding
the rear wheels TO the axleS are drawn
tight and fastened with a cotter pin.
Now Cor the rest OF the car. Drain
the old oil from the transmission and
rear end ana put about a quart Of
kerosene or flushing oil in each. Put a
couple Of handfu!S of sal soda in the
radiator and run the car for few
miles til il is well warmed up. The
soda cleans out the scale and rust in the
radiator. while the kerosene will loosen
and wash out all the old oil in the
transmission and 6;fferential. Drain
these as soon aS YOU stop. then drain
the water from the radiator and fdsh
with fresh water Remove the cylinder
head and scrape out all the carbon and
grind the valves. Now a new gasket
when yoG put back the head-it makes
better JOB and no chance Of leaks.
New rubber hose on all the water
connections IS well worth while. too.
Flll the radiator with fresh water and
start the engine. Run slowly till
warmed UP. Valve tappets should be
adjusted. motor being warm while this
Is being done Follow the manufac-
turer's recommendations for clearanccs.
Remember that while reduced clear
snces NAV mean quieter operation.
they are also q cause Of burned and
warped valves. When the engine is
warmed up. test your oil filter. II oil
flows through it otherwise.
replace the cartridge at once In a
seasons operation this oil filter collects
ever tvo pounds of foreign matter that
would otherwise circulate through the
engine. causing rapid wear and pre-
mature age.
on the starting motor and genera
Tor, and check for proper Summer
charging rate. as covered by latest
instructions by manufacturers Of the
ignition system; this may prevent a
camageo battery due 20 overcharcing
On long, fast Summer trips.
Finishing Touches.
Clean the breaker points in the dis
trlbutor and set Them TO their proDer
opening. Clean the spark plugs. If
Plugs are badly sootei or points worn
20 any degree install a new set. Clean
tsg plugs viii have a beneficial effect
on The motor. however, new plugs will
Pep the motor up and give better opera
ton Caean Of all the ignition wires
sTlc see that the contacts are tight.
Clean the storage battery with am
Monia water. tighten the terminals and
coat them with vsseline or grease Be
sure that the battery is securely held
IN place Check the liquid level and
add distilled water If necessary.
Examine the fan belt: IL it is worn
install a new one
In the bottom OF the gas tank is a
Ensl drain plug. Remove ii and drain
out about quart OF liquid This viii
clean out any water or dirt that has
settled a. the bottom of the tank.
Clean the fuel strainer and the car
bgretor stTainer and tighten all con-
nectionS As less fuel is required for
Summer driving. better check the car
bureIor for the most economical opera
ton
"Eow We come TO the finishing
touches. Drain the old oil from the
cgsnkcase. flush and III with fresh oil.
replace the drain plugs on the differ
entiaI and transmission and put sn the
proper amount Of the recommended
grade Ct gear compound Refill the
radiator with fresh water. Keep your
car supplied with water and fresh oil
give il . thorough gressing once every
500 miles and you yill have ahead Of
you Sumner q csrefree driving. free
from ali mechanical troubles and
anaoganeeg."