Evening star., 1936-05-10
USEFUL AUTO TIPS
G|VENF0R WOMEN
"Up and Down" Speed Often
Cause of Motor 0verheat.
ing in Summer.
BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL.
An average time for learning to
drive skillfully is four or five cars.

This being the open season for over
heating, I am reminded to call at
tention to the fact that many mys-
terious cases Of engine fever are ex-
planned by sustained speed. The
driver takes one kind Of motor trip
and has no trouble. Next week she
starts out over different territory and
has no end Of annoyance. The differ
ence Is due to the fact that on one
trip her speed is "up and down." while
on the other 1t Is sustained.
Where the radiator core Is slightly
clogged, or the engine suffers from
some minor condition which would
help to cause overheating. it may
take considerable time for the cool
ing system to 60 into fever. Favored
with this element Of time the radiator
may start to boil over as freely as II
the fan belt had broken
Cleaning out the cooling system by
reverse flushing should be done in
such a way that there is time to make
good job of it. The first step is to
heat up the engine, using q good
cleansing agent in the water. Don't
hurry the mechanic. When he at
taches the combination water and air
hose to the lower outlet of the radi-
ator there will be considerable sedi-
ment to dislodge. It won't all blow
out the radiator top at once.
High air pressure is not usually
used until much of the rust and sedi-
L,ae Irof fy1n "a
point the mechanic plugs the water
inlet to the engine block. When high
air pressure is released the water will
spout out of the radiator top like a
geyser. The process should also be
extended to include forcing water and
air into the block, since great deal
of muck accumulates around the water
jackets and is later carried to the
radiator. If there is any suspicion
that any quantity Of this sediment is
going to remain around the water
jackets it is advisable to have the
side plate of the block removed. With
this out of the way, removal of the
sediment can be made manually.
Just because certain parts of the
car seem a bit stiff in their action is
no excuse for allowing your service
man to oil them. Always consult the
official service representative about
this, or check up with the aid Of the
instruction book, because it Is quite
likely that the friction you notice is
really necessary.
A popular example is the automatic
choking system. Here we find con-
siderable friction in some instances.
There is a natural temptation to Oil
these parts. but that would be short
cut to trouble. Never oil any part
of the car unless the instruction book
clearly calls for it.
That strange feeling of having the
car run away with itself when you
are just starting out in the morning
is merely a result of the automatic
fast idling control of the carburetor
feeding more gas than is normal for
closed throttle. This has fooled many
driver. AS result of the wide use
of this control it is well to remember
that, when the engine is in process OF
warming up, the clutch pedal should
be pushed to the floor if you desire
to apply the brakes. Under normal
conditions the clutch usually is left
engaged until the car is down to
speed of about 10 miles an hour, or
at least to near its complete stop.
! If the clutch is not disengaged dur
ing the warming-up period the brakes
will have to slow down the engine as
we'll as the car-and the engine is
pulling enough to make the brakes
seem quite inefficient.
Fast idling is used to prevent STALL
ing during the warmup. 1t is another
of the many desirable features which
unfortunately have way of bringing
along their offsetting disadvantages.
The old law of compensation at its
bestl Once these matters are under
stood, however, most drivers can ar
range to keep things safely on the
advantage side. With fast idling it
simply means remembering to de-
clutch (thus releasing the engine)
when the brakes must be used.
Retreading tires is entirely practi-
cal if your tire dealer says that the
old shoes are not injured and that
there is no possibility of danger from
a blowout. Retreading, however, is
preferable in cases where good tires
have lost their treads prematurely,
rather than for tires which have worn
out in legitimate service. One Of the
interesting developments in retread-
ing is the fact that the new rubber
put on the shoe now can be slotted
either longitudinally or diagonally.
The former Stimulates the new tires,
which have ribbed treads and which
are said to provide unusually good
traction for stopping as well as
starting.
The world is just supposed to be
emerging from depression and many
persons who are believed to be in
Strengthened circumstances are not
usually considered to be likely pros
poets for automobiles. But one sales
man isn't going to be fooled on this
point in the future. He recently TN
earthed the story of two families in
a small town that were being aided
by rich relative to the tune of 500
month apiece, with $1,000 Christ
mas presents to boot.
Whether or not to install a spark
intensif1er was the probl>u on the
mind of a newcomer at the wheel
when she wrote me regarding the mat
ter recently. The device, she was
told, would greatly improve power, cut
repair costs and pay for itself many
times over. What puzzled her was
that if such a device actually did as
advertised, why would the car man
ufacturers overlook the opportunity
to use the device as original equip
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