Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-20

When there's a large truck ahead
and the brakes won't hold, no husband
need be in doubt as to what his wife's
driving at.
Persistence pays. If the vacuum tank
has gone dry, it can be refllled auto
matically and quickly by cranking with
the throttle closed to the idling posi-
ton. But it will fill up eventually if
you keep at it, even if the throttle is
opened now and again. Many women
have collided simply because they
thought the brakes were not holding
we'll enough, and foolishly stopped
pressing on the pedal. Persist! It's
the big rule in starting or stopping.
Just to prove the rule, take the case
of woman who recently returned to
her, parked car at night to discover
that the headlights would not light.
She manipulated the switch back and
forth over the various positions, but
nothing happened. 1t was a bit dis
concerning to have everything turn Sc
rene just few moments before serv-
ice man arrived, but it taught her
valuable lesson in determination. He
explained that the switch box at the
bottom of the steering post had become
wet, and that the contact points had
rusted a little. Just working the switch
served to clean these contacts.
Here's the Idea of the week" for the
woman who wants to avoid embarrass-
ment in starting the engine: Always
watch the ammeter when cranking. II
the switch isn't making contact, the
pointer of the ammeter will not flisker
during the cranking process. Some
times switch doesn't make proper
contact when first you flip it to the
ION" position.
Just another little starting tip is to
press down more firmly on the starter
button. This makes a better contact
at the switch. And good contact is very
essential in the starter motor circuit.
HAS any one discovered a way to
help drivers who habitually start off
with the hand brake set?" asks a
woman who is bit weary having the
brakes refined. The solution to this
| problem is simply to set the brake more
| firmly when leaving the car. If the
brake is fully "on," the engine will
stall if the driver tries to get started
without the usual formalities.
This season may see many women
take up again the business of learning
to drive the car. They will regard
every previous attempt as a stepping
stone toward eventual accomplishment
rather than as a stone in a wall OF
defeat. Every city is filled with women
who have tried and failed and who this
year feel determined to try again-and
succeed.
Often it is an accident that diScour-
ages continuation at the wheel, or per-
haps it is just matter of running
afoul of the motor vehicle law. With
such unpleasant experiences behind
one, instead of ahead, there should be
every incentive to continue fighting fol
a diploma in the college of motoring
These difficulties emphasize certain
points about driving that could not be
appreciated in any other way.
One experienced driver says that she
owes her success in driving to bad
skid with the first car she ever handled
1t gave her driving sense"
1t has been said that if motorist
doesn't understand valves she is never
within sight of mastery of the car
| This may or may not be true, but ex-
| perience seems to indicate that know
ing how the valves work is big stride
toward understanding the car generally
A poppet valve, which is the COM
mon type, except in engines where
sleeves do the work of opening anc
closing the valve ports, looks like &
mushroom. The top. or head, covers it.
respective valve opening when in the
closed position, the stem extending
through a guide until it reaches some
intermediary part or parts, which ir
turn are actuated by raised lobes. OF
cams, on the engine camshaft This
intermediary mechanism may be SIM
pie adjustable rod or "tappet, or rocker
arm, push-rod and roller, depending
on the type of engine.
Theoretically, it is possible to let the