Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-20
AUTO|STS PREPARE
FOR COLD WEATHER
Warning Is Issued to Test
Cooling Systems Before
Winter Sets In.

With freezing weather likely to ar
rive any day now over the greater part
of the country, wise automobile owners
are pauSing in their travels TO give
thought 10 q matter that is of vital
Importance at this time Of year. That
is the matter of preparing the cooling
systems Of their cars for the coming of
Winter. Failure to do this each year
not only costs many a motorist sub
stantial number of dollars and cents,
! but may cause him real annoyance and
even serious trouble into the bargain.
| Strange as 1t may appear, relatively
| few motorists realize the importance of
| taking care of their cars cooling sys-
TENS. They have the oil in their cars
changed every 500 miles. They see to
1t that their balloon tires are at exactly
| 80 or IS pounds pressure. Yet their
cooling syStems-oH1e of the most irn-
portant parts of the entire machine
are left to their own devices, although
upon their proper care depends in large
| part the degree Of successful results that
may be expected from an anti-freeze
solution.
Rust Among Triple Threat.
Far too many motorists seem to re-
gard preparation OF the cooling system
before the anti-free1e solution Is poured
! in as unnecessary. Nevertheless, rust,
scale and leaks. the triple threat of the
| uncared.for system, make adequate
preparation absolutely essential. Indi-
vidually or collectively they are men
ace to the peace of mind and the pock-
etbook of the motorist in freezing cli-
mates. Their presence often precludes
| the possibility of successful use of an
| anti-freeze Yet without an anti-freeze,
costly damage may result to the car.
The sole way out Of the dilemma, tech
nical experts advise, is to extend to the
cooling system an amount Of care and
| protection equal to that accorded TO
other sections of the car.
Before using any anti-freeze prepara-
| lions in the radiator. 1t is necessary TO
| take certain definite precautions. Fall
| ure to observe what should be COM
| mon servicing practice may result in
unsatisfactory conditions or loss Of the
| af1ti-freeEe compound. TO take the
! necessary precautions involves no great
amount of. work, and the expense is
negligible.
First, all rust and scale should be re-
moved from the entire cooling system.
| Thorough cleaning Of the engine water
| Jacket. as well as the radiator. Is OF
| special importance. One of the most
| effective methods is the use of simple
washing soda solution. After filling the
| system with this solution, the motor
should be run until the solution is hot,
| after which the entire system should be
completely drained and thoroughly
fiurhed to remove all traces of the
waghing soda. 10 be certain that all
seal, and rust are removed, 1t is adj
visabie to disConnect the hose connec-
tions and flush the system with Q
stream Of water.
General Tightening.
After the cooling system has been
cleaned, the next important step Is the
| tightening of all parts. Careful atten-
i ton must be given to hose and pump
connections, gaskets. expansion plates,
drain cocks, pump packing glands and
grease cups or fittings on the water
pump. Special attention should be
4 given to the radiator to see that there
hauling the cooling system should be
examined periodically during cold
weather to make sure that driving vi
bration has developed no leaks.
These simple precautions are ex-
tremely important, inaSmuch as the ra-
diator and water jacket Of an automo-
bile that has been in use any length
Of time usually contain deposits of rust
and scale. Anti-freeze solutions when
added to the water in the radiator have
tendency to loosen up this rust and
scale. A simple test to determine when
the system Is free of these menacing
elements is to clean and flush it until
the water draining off Is perfectly clear
without trace of rust discoloration.
Most motorists are familiar with the
simple precautions which should be
taken through the Winter. They know,
for example, that hydrometer or SINH
lar device should be used at various in
tervals, depending upon the anti-freeze
used, to check the actual strength Of
the solution and to determine whether
more anti-freeze is needed. But many
of them have not yet realized that one
of the great secrets of satisfactory mo-
tor performance in cold weather de-
ponds on proper attention to the cool
| i,an, Laf 1sfr