Evening star., 1933-03-26
SPRING AUTO CARE
IS HELD EXACT|NG.
Preparation Now Is Seen
More important Than
for Winter.

AAuiAie 90 ~ 10, 0Pi PiAlSeiLnc OiAcio
challenge to the motorist who wants to
enjoy his car to the limit. Preparing
the car for Spring, according to the
latest advices from service men, has be-
come a more important task than pre-
pairing it for Winter.
This Is said to apply to all classes Of
owners; those who are launching out
for new cars as well as to those who are
planning to struggle along another sea-
son with the old car. Springtime prepa-
rations are particularly important for
the motorist who has in mind trading
in his present car for new one. He
wants to offer his present merchandise
in the best possible condition.
Seen Hard Service.
Many thousands of cars were pur-
chased Immediately following the auto
mobile shows. They have already seen
considerable hard service. They were
adjusted for low temperatures and hard
going Now they must be rechecked and
tuned for the warmer season to come.
That means they must also be adjusted
for the higher road speeds which are
customary accompaniment to the
warmer weather touring. The big prob
lem for those who have been clinging to
their old cars for one reason or another
will be to keep them in safe enough
condition to prevent their being men
ace to highway users.
Equally important as knowing why
special service is needed at this season
is an understanding Of what this atten-
tion should be.
The entire service picture has
changed 1t used to be common sight
to see owners taking out the whole rear
end of the car when warmer days made
possible getting out and getting COM
pletely under. To-day they call service
man to look for a slight difference in
weight around the circumference Of
front wheel. There are still many ex-
tensive jobs to be done. but I mention q
front wheel shimmy just to illustrate
the science that is now brought into the
picture.
Job More Scientific.
1t used to be customary to take of
Even the best of mechanics concentrat-
ed on getting bright ring around the
valve seat. Today the job is done more
scientifically. It Is no longer called
valve grinding, but valve recondition-
ing" Stems are trued. Heads are
aligned with their seats. 1t is recog-
nized that warpage not only OF the
valve but Of the top of the motor block
is more necessary to correct than Ut
tie pitting on the contacting surfaces OF
valve head and seat.
Today front-wheel alignment is a de-
tailed. scientific process. 1t involves
checking the aXles and spindles for
twisting 1t checks the wheels for toe
in, Gambler and caster. Wheels are
checked for balance. Nor is the process
considered complete until rear wheels
are checked not only for their 1nd1v1d-
ual alignment but in relation to the
front wheels. Many conditions that DO
not cause annoyance or tire wear in Win
ter, because the streets are slippery,
become a problem when the car gets
back to normal driving on the open
road.
Service men are learning more about
overheating every day. The thermostat
in the cooling system is apt to be
troublemaker It should be replaced II
found guilty Although it has been
causing grief for years the fan bearing
is one of those things too frequently ig-
nored. A fan that rotates normally
when the motor is idling may slow down
and stop altogether when the motor is
running at road speed. Spark timing Is
quite apt to go late because of the hard
usage which cars receive these days.
Check 1t up and see that it is standard.
Overlooked Cause.
One of the generally overlooked
causes of the overheating is weak coil.
This also Is a new problem. Coils have
always been going bad. but today the
driver insists upon pushing the car at a
high speed. If the coil Is breaking down
~ 10 nic6 nY
the constant forcing results In the COOL
ing system overheating. This, of course,
is generally aggravated by cooling con-
ditions themselves, such as scale In the
motor block, rust in the radiator and
clogged radiator hose connections. Such
a connection NAV look normal on the
outside, vet may be nearly closed inside.
The cylinder head gasket Of the mod
ern engine is something that bears close
scrutiny. With higher compression
there is a tendency for the gasket to
blow internally. This not only permits
loss of water into the motor, but escape
of exhaust fumes into the cooling sys-
TEN. Either wav harmful acids are
formed Never have the old gaskets
used over again.
Service stations offer motor cleaning
Jobs as palt of the Springtime over
hauling process. Take advantage OF
this opportunity to have the motor
cleaned up externally. as many things
needing attention will then show up.
Some cars, incidentally, require rather
frequent replacement Of the high
tension wiring If the car has seen con-
siderable service better consider renew
ing the low-tension wiring as well.
Switch to warm-w weather spark plugs
for performance and efficiency and
have the braking system regreased and
then equalized. Don't let Springtlme
spring unwelcome surprises.
(Copyright. 1933)