Evening star., 1935-07-14
AUTOMOBILE SCHOOL HITS THE TRAIL; AVIATION NEWS
HELPFUL AUTO TIPS
GIVEN FOR WOMEN
Engine Defects Make Other
Parts of Car Seem
Below Par.
BY FREDERICK c. RUSSELL.

DI EhLDEhlOh " hOoOLLLs
No matter what seems to be wrong
with the car when you take it to the
service station, think it is an excel
lent plan to have the engine tested
for efficiency. Low compression, for
example, can help make the brakes
seem below par. In other words,
valve job is something that may come
before brake adjustment.
A mere skip in the engine may ac-
count for the bucking Of the drive
shaft. Still another illustration is the
way overheating will affect gear shift
ing by thinning out the lubricant.
The rear shock absorber nearest the
exhaust pipe requires treatment diff
ferent from that given the other three.
Heat from the exhaust system tends
to thin out the fluid in this shock
absorber, the result being that it fails
to exert sufficient control. To COM
pensate for this heating effect, either
a heavier grade of fluid should be
used or a different valve should be
inserted Where the exhaust system
adversely affects the slock abSorber'S
efficiency in this way the car will ride
with less control and there may be
considerable noise from the shock alb
Sorber itself.
There has been so much talk about
steel for body construction many a
motoriSt has lost sight of the fact
that her present car has body bolts
| that occasionally need attention. In
fact, it is true that some Of the new
cars, while carrying steel for the top
or for parts of the body, still are
Joined to the frame in the usual way.
By changing the tension on the bolts
it is possible to correct door condi-
tions, or to bring on door rattlesl
That's why it's best TO let an expert
| enced service man do the work, even
! though it seems simple.
The motorist who has an accident
with her car tends TO figure the loss
| in terms of what it is going to set
her back financially TO have the dam
age repaired. She does not stop to
calculate the additional losses which
/ spread out in a circle like waves that
/ travel away from a source of disturb
| ance on the surface Of q lake. Every
| accident occasions loss of some ones
time; too often it curbs earning power
Assuming that the $4,000 persons
killed in automobile accidents last
| year would normally have earned
/ $1,000 each for the next 20 years, it
has been estimated that the yeak
! fatality record for the United States
alone represents an income loss of
| S720,000,000. The income loss for an
| additional 100000 persons permanent
ly disabled has been figured at So
O000OO,000. Added to this burden is
the property loss and the cost of acci-
dents, which exceeded $2,500.000,000
! for the year.
| Among the extras you might con-
slider for your car this Summer are
vanity mirrors for the upper side OF
! the windshield sun visors, ball for
the shift lever which has a recorder
for fabrication dates" an altimeter
to indicate the altitude of the road
and an extension for the hand brake
lever Replace the rear-view mirror
if it is too small and install one of the
larger type with a clock built into 1t.
This timepiece should be of the jump
hour kind and have pull wind.
There is a good deal of discussion
as to whether parked cars with steel
tops are cool in hot weather. 1t does
seem that with all the special insu-
lating materials being used in modern
tops there should be no reason to
worry about this question, but there
is one improvement in modern cars
which ought to help solve the parked
car problem, if such a problem does
exist. Whereas closed cars were for
merly without any ventilation when
the doors were locked and the windows
closed, the modern car has its venti-
lating wings which can be left open
Just enough to keep the interior airy
while at the same time thwarting
thieves and prowlers.
Most women realize that 1t is neces-
sary to take firm grasp on the steer
ing wheel when swinging into turn,
but how many appreciate that 1t is
equally as necessary to hold tightly
to the wheel while the car Is complet-
ing the turn and Strengthening out?
Some cars require considerable brake y
on the steering wheel rim during the
Strengthening out process. Unless the
driver takes this into account the car
is apt to straighten out too suddenly
If you are taking a long tour and
feel that because you are adding oil
frequently it is not necessary to change
the oil in the crankcase, do not make
the mistake of overworking the oil
filter. Draining off the crankcase
provides one means of escape for dirt
and abrasive. If the crankcase ism
: drained regularly the oil filter has
more work to do.
|