Evening star., 1936-03-29
USEFUL AUTO TIPS
G|VENFOR WOMEN
Have Service Man Check
Brakes to See if Pedal
Position Is Correct.
BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL.

While 1t is important that the brake
pedal Of any car be set for its normal
position, If your car carries hydraulic
brakes the pedal must always be up
to q point where the return port Of the
master cylinder is closed of. II the
piston cup in the master cylinder Is
ahead of the return port, pressure
will be built up in the lines and the
brakes will start to lock.
Better have your service man check
the return screw of the pedal to see
that it is kept tightly locked. The
Jam nut must be kept secure If the
pedal is to remain in the proper posi-
ton.
The idea that when the average
motorist reaches the open highway he
promptly steps on the gas is not sub
stantiated by actual facts as brought
to light by recent investigations. One
is more apt to drive too fast within
city limits. For instance, in Rhode
Island cars were found to travel at an
average speed Of only 80 miles per
hour when out in the country. On
straightaways in Massachusetts the
average now stands at 80 miles per
hour.
What has happened is this: The
normal speed Of cars has been raised
so that when We are on streets not
cluttered with traffic the tendency is
to drive faster than We realize we are
| going. Out on the open road we may
be encouraged to drive faster but,
noticing that We are running ahead
Of schedule and are burning up gas
and oil, We are tempted to slow down.
I am speaking Of the average. sane
drivers who have the normal desire
for safety. That these figures on open
| road averages are not underestimate
is easily demonstrated by any one who
cares to drive so for a while and note
that she passes nearly every one else.
Difficulty in making the engine idle
smoothly always should include check
ing to see If there are any air leaks.
Frequently enough air will leak into
the cylinders around the worn valve
guides to lean out the mixture and
make for irregular running. 1t is
also not unusual for air TO leak into
| the engine where the carburetor joins
the intake manifold. If your service
man can't seem to check irregular
idling by the usual methods suggest
to him the possibility that the heat
riser of the carburetor may be slightly
perforated.
One Of the things you may have
noticed from watching service men
work on your car is that often after
putting back the coverings on parts,
things seem to change. This Is due
TO the fact that adjustments often
are actually changed by the act Of
replacing the covering. One OF the
newest and best illustrations OF this
is found in the case of the voltage
regulator. If your mechanic fails to
adjust this so that the battery keeps
charged the chances are that the cover
throws his adjustments of balance.
1t is necessary to demagnetize the
cover in some cases, in order to stop
this.
1t may be true. but I just can't
believe it. Figures show that last
year man drivers were involved in
92l per cent Of all accidents, fatal
and otherwise, while women figured
in the comparatively small TO per
cent. There must be something wrong
about this. I won't say that man
drivers can't be quite as bad as all
that, or that women can't be quite
such good drivers. Like any wary
commentator on this much h-discussed
subject, I'll just let it pass.
1t isn't quite so easy to pass up
some of the other facts about mo-
toring. Significant is the statement
made by an attorney Of long and
high standing who declares that he
would prefer to defend a client charged
with murder than one charged with
driving while under the influence Of
liquor. Tell that to the husband or
the boy friend who feels too eager
to drive the car home after q gay
party.
That service men often need very
special tools in order to undertake
certain jobs on the car is something
which the average car owner fails to
appreciate when she takes her car to
the first roadside repair shop that
comes along. I know OF one particu-
lar tool needed to tighten the timing
gear case of a certain 1927 model
No other tool apparently will do the
trick and the only place to be certain
Of finding that tool is in the official
service station for that particular
make of car.
| Manufacturers are obliged to de-
wise these special tools to keep their
products in service. 1t often requires
q great deal Of ingenuity. II too
much time is required to do a certain
job, the station loses money and the
owner becomes impatient over the
delay. 1t would not usually pay the
independent garage man to devise
such equipment because he does not
run up against enough jobs Of the
one make and model of car to war
rant the effort.