Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-14
SYSTEM IN KEEPING
CAR FIT ADVISED
Owner Should Know How 10
Locate Trouble and Take
/ Care of His Machine.
BY CLIFFORD BROKAw.


Modern motorists have less trouble
with their cars, as rule, than they do
with their business problems or house.
hold affairs. Yet once in while mo-
toristi5 vehicle will develop some slight
abnormality and need some attention
cut Of the ordinary.
OF course. service stations are now so
thickly scattered over the country that
one is usually not far away. It is al
ways well to consult an expert when
the auto is sick. But If one isn't right
handy, something has to be done in the
meantime. Folks ought to know some
thing about how to locate troubles when
they arise.
One trouble with trouble is that 1t is
often hid away in most inconSplcuous
place and, therefore, not readily located.
For, instance, it may lie hid in a tiny
piece of carbon lodged under the valve
or between spark plug points. or in a
wire that has Jared loose, or IN an in
terrupter joint, or a piston ring, or a
gas pipe. In spite of that, most trou-
bles may be located quickly If some
systematic search Is made instead of
ain1less wandering about. The best way
to locate trouble is to start out without
any definitely preconceived ideas as 10
where the trouble may be and follow
q procedure which is in reality process
OF elimination. For instance, recall
that three things are necessary TO start
gasoline engine-a mixture of gaso-
line and air in the cylinder, compression
OF this mixture and spark at the right
time. To keep an engine running re-
cuires water for cooling. Oil for lubri-
cation and gasoline which has been va
porized and mixed with air for power.
Time to Use Crank.
When the engine stops and the self
starter fails to start it, or If some Of
the cylinders miss fire, take the crank
and use 1t to turn over the engine. If
the engine cranks very hard, the gears
being in neutral, there is probably a
lack OF lubricating oil, or lack of water
may have allowed the engine to over
has failed to do its work. If the en-
CINE cranks over without sticking the
trouble probably is somewhere else.
If fabrication is not the trouble, 1t
may be in connection with the gasoline.
First inspect the gasoline gauge to see
If there is quantity on hand for USE
Next depresS the float IN the carburetor
end notice If the gasoline Grips from
the float bowl. If it does not, see if the
shut-off valve in the line leading to the
carbHretor is open. If the gasoline
to get rid of water or possible dirt
which may have collected.
It Is usually better not to try to
adjust the carburetor. If the engine
has been running it is almost sure that
the carburetor is not out of adjustment.
Inspect the intake pipe or manifold to
see If It has been loosened by vibration.
The next procedure should be to
determine if spark is being obtained
T.. al 4,
until the interrupter points are open,
then Short-circuit the fixed point with
a screwdriver or other metal tool to see
if there is a spark
If a small spark results 1t may be
assumed that the current has reached
this far. Examine the points for dirt
and see II they come together and open
properly. If no spark can be obtained
by this test check the condition of the
battery and test it to determine if it
is sufficiently charged. Look at the
connections on the battery; these some
times jar loose. Examine the wires
leading to the interrupter and switch
to see if they are loose or broken or by
chance short-circuited.
Next note the condition of the dis
tributor, for moisture or dirt may have
collected on it, or possibly the wires may
have become loose. The wires leading
to the spark plugs may possibly be
short-circuited or burned. If the spark
is good, the compression o. K. and a
mixture passing into the cylinders, the
trouble may be in the spark plug. To
determine this it will probably be neceS-
Sary to remove the plug from the
cylinder. If the porcelain insulator is
coated with carbon this may well be
suspected as the source of trouble. It
is advisable to carry an extra spark plug
or two for such an emergency.
Realm of Troubles.
Most of the troubles which motor
lists have will lie in the realm Of the
topics discussed. There are, of course,
other possibilities Of annoyance and in
convenience in motoring, but they are
not likely to be serious. Whenever pos
sible, it is better for the average motor
ist to take his troubles to the technical
expert who is to be found in almost any
service station. Here he will get COM
petent attention, and whatever the cars
disposition may be, it will be readily
remedied.
Before starting out on long trip, |
however, If the possibility of trouble is |
to be reduced to minimum, the motor |
iSt should have the gasoline tank well
supplied with fuel, the strainers in the |
fuel line and carburetor cleaned, the |
manifold free from leaks, good COM
preston, all spark plugs functioning. |
battery we'll charged, clean timer, no j
loose wire, spark plugs cleaned, inter-
rupter points cleaned and adjusted, |
brushes making good contact and dis
tributor cleaned. d
The conclusion to all this Is that |
those who take reasonably good care |
of their automobiles are likely to have |
very little in the way of troubles to |
inconvenience them. Most troubles |
occur from neglect and while, OF course, |
some dificulties are liable to develop |
even when a car is given the best pos
sible attention, this sort Of thing repre- |
sents a rather rare exception. Other |
things being equal, the driver who treats |
his or her car with the respect due it |
win find troubles reduced to a