Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-09

The fashion plate wonders how the
highway department knows there are
sharp curves ahead.
It isn't enough for milady to know
that to stop a skid it Is necessary to
steer in the direction the rear OF the
car slides. She must be prepared to do
the job quickly.
Cars travel faster today, with the re-
suit that Skidding Is of the speedier
sort. In a flash the rear end Of the car
may come around to overtake the front,
so that at the first sign of trouble the
driver must swing the steering wheel
to the side the car seems to be skid
ding. This is doubly difhcult for many,
because the natural inclination Is to
steer the other way.
There is a thought for every motorist
in the case of a woman who listened
to the wrong salesman and purchased
q car she really did not want. Imme-
diately after taking the wheel she was
dissatisfied with it and wanted to make
change. For months she has been
shopping around for another car, trying
her best to find some one who will take
the other one of her hands at some
where near the figure she paid for 1t.
Time passes. Her dissatisfaction in
creaSeS, while bids become lower and
lower.
The suggestion Is that II one has
made q mistake and wants to change,
the machine should be kept In the ga
rage and a new deal effected as quickly
as possible. The mere process Of shop
ping around In the car one wants to get
rid Of helps to wear 1t out and depre-
ciate 1t.
In buying q car always take q DEM
T. 80 ~ N%vsA
selection. Bodies make surprising Diff
ference in many cases.
The characteristics Of the Seven-pas-
senger model of one make Of car are so
different from those Of its coupe YER
sion one would hardly think it the same
product. Especially for the driver who
is sensitive to steering, power and brak-
ing, the untried body model may prove
to be disappointment. Frequently the
riding qualities are vastly different be-
tween models.
Two-tone horns may be the vogue, but
the woman who drives in a truly smart
fashion will remember to use the "dou-
BILE toot" method Of horning. In be-
tween the tootS she will have q chance
to hear any warning that may be given
simultaneously by another driver. There
have been a surprising number of in
stances where one drivers warning has
Cancelled that Of the other, with col
lision as the penalty.
1t is interesting to note that many
women who drive very creditably when
alone at the wheel become nervous when
there are passengers, especially II .
stranger has taken q position on the
front seat Psychologists suggest that
in case Of this sort the best way to
feel assured that the passenger isn't
thinking Of your driving is to ask her
some question that calls for her talking
about herself.
Being sensitive to noises and curious
to know their cause, women very nat
urally come to be acquainted with the
front-end timing gears and timing
chains, for these parts are VIGOROUSLY
bad actors.
Their function is simple enough. The
valves Of a car and the spark ignition
must be timed in harmony with the
movement of the pistons. The cam
shaft, which operates the valves, is thus
made to drive from the main shaft Of
the engine, either through gears In d.
rect contact or through chain contact.
Usually these gears or the chain also
run the shaft to operate the generator,
water pump and the distributor. They
are Woodworking parts, subject to con-
siderable wear. LooSeness results in
whining noises, and where q chain Is
employed there Is q possibility OF jump
ing tooth on one Of the gears, thus
throwing things out OF time. Timing
gears sometimes hum because they are
not matched or are not properly con-
Structed and chains become noisy II too
loose or too tight.
The service man Is justified In making
q mountain out Of what may impress
one as being just molehill.
Incidentally, should the engine sud
denly seem slow in action, assuming
that 1t Is well warmed up and the car
Is not overloaded, the chances are that
the chain has allowed the timing to be-
come late" Usually this happens to
the ignition timing alone and Is easily
corrected by any mechanic who knows
his business. The main thing Is for
milady to sense the existence Of trouble
before the engine overheats on q hill
ana starts q chain Of secondary all"
ments.
One woman who likes to keep close
check on the mileage between oil
changes has hit upon the plan Of using
the trip part Of the odometer (some
call 1t the speedometer, not realizing