Evening star., 1933-11-05
WISE CAR GARAG|NG|
AIDS EARLY START
Careless Housing of Auto at
Night May Handicap
Days Beginning.

How the car starts of in the morn
ing and performs throughout the day
depends to a large extent on how 1t Is
garaged for the night. Many a cars
inability to get going at all in the morn
ing Is a direct result Of the way 1t Is
handled =. :. is being put to bed for
the night.
ing failures are nothing more nor less
than stopping failures. In this process
the operator of the car Is the key to
the problem. As a motorist stops. SO
shall he start.
Warm Motor at Night.
In unheated garages, for instance, It
has been found helpful to warm up the
engine thoroughly before switching 1t
off for the night. This, of course, should
be done outside in the open, preferably
while the car is being used on some
errand that could just as well be done
in the evening as the next morning.
Too frequently on cold nights motorists
will drive few blocks from friends
home and garage the car while the
motor is still trying to get into normal
running. Not only is the motor colder
than necessary in the morning, but the
valves are apt to be sticky, thus greatly
lIlCTcdSulS Cllc OlluCulty VI I11iS.
It is not uncommon for owners to
leave their cars out In the cold until
Just before retiring for the night. Others
run the car into the garage. but leave
the doors open. A surprisingly high
percentage of garages have ill-f1tting
doors and comparatively few have strips
of leather betting on the bottom to
keep out the cold air that blows In
freely at this point.
1t is not a good plan to pull out the
choke when switching of the motor at
night. This sometimes is effective IN
providing a quicker reStart II the car is
not standing too long and II the rings
happen to be unusually tight. In most
cases, as the rings contract the extra
rich volume of gas in one or two cylln-
ders condenses and leaks down into the
crankcase to dilute the oil. This also
washes of the walls any oil that might
be there, lessening compression.
Be Careful of Battery.
One Of the greatest mistakes to make
when putting the car away is to refill
the battery. Adding water without i'm
mediately giving the generator a chance
to effect a chemical change in the So
luton results in weakening the battery.
Many cases of morning battery failures
can be traced to this mistaken idea that
the car Is being done great service
when water is added at night.
If the owner feels inclined to pay
some attention to his car in the evening
he might add a little water 10 the cool.
ing system, provided he has good light
and can be sure that he is not raising
the level to above inches below the top
of the overflow pipe. Water always
should be added to the radiator when
the system is hot-never when cold.
This takes into consideration the fact
that with a heated system the element
of expansion is being taken into ac-
count.
Just because water is not added at
night. or while the motor is hot. many
a system overhows so often that the
anti-freeze leaks out to point where
frozen radiator core becomes the pen
atty.
Now that so many motorists are buy
ing oil in bulk and are equlpplng their
cars with oil drairers just word OF
caution. Do not change oil at night.
The fresh oil will be heavier. thus I'M
posing more strain on the starter motor
during the morning crapking. Save the
oil change for a time when the engine
is warm and preferably when the car is
to be operated for so or more miles De-
fore again being garaged.
Take Brake OF.
1t is not considered good practice to
leave the hand brake on during the
night. Either place the gears in low
or block the wheels, if it is necessary
to keep the car from rolling. If the
brakes are held in the ''on" position
during the night the drums may be
warped as a result of the pressure on
them while contracting. The handicap
under which most brakes cool off is said
to account for most of the drum warp
age and the variety of braking troubles
that follow this.
1t is surprising how many drivers
leave the controls in such way that
mistakes are easily made in the morn
ing. 1t is not uncommon for driver
to retard the spark as he eases into
the garage, and should he forget to ad-
vance it in the morning there will be
delay in getting started. Be careful to
note the ammeter, as the pointer should
always rest at zero with all car lights
out. Often the stop light is left burning
because of stickage of its switch and
failure to look at the ammeter.
Put your car away wisely and 1t will
be up bright and early, ready to serve
you faithfully the next morning.
tCopyright, 1933D