Evening star., 1937-03-14
YOU AND Y0URCAR
AIDED BY RUSSELL
Owners Should Operate En-.
gine Cautiously When
Motor Is Cold.
BY FREDERICK G. RUSSELL

It's bad enough to be treated like a
fiat tire, but lucky is the husband
who isn't treated like a spare.
Riding home with a motorist who
kept the cars speed down to 20 miles
an hour in second gear for a half
mile revived my belief that some
owners still have heart for cold
engines. 1t has encouraged me to
remind readers that because of the
lag in oil pressure the engine should
be operated with every caution during
the initial starting period. This lapse
OF time may run anywhere from S to
20 minutes.
1t may stress the point little more
effectively to say that in the first
revolution Of the engine the variation
IN temperature between that OF the
oil in the crankcase and that of the
burning mixture in the cylinders may
be as much as 5000 degrees.
1t Speeds Up Wiper.
When the windshield wiper slows
down and seems constantly to be
making its last gasp, do not be dis
mayed by the frown on the forehead
of the less we'll posted mechanics Won
chance to consult. They do not
usually fancy taking apart all the
windshield header in order To oct at
the wiper mechanism, and because 1t
looks like tedious job they often try
TO turn it down when more important
work must be done to the car But
there Is an easy way out for every one
concerned. Just apply a few drops
OF penetrating oil to the shaft. in
Jecting this from the outside,
1t may take little while for the
OIL to work in, and repetition of the
olllng may be needed, but shortly the
wiper should return to its original
speed. Binding is due to gradual ac-
cumulatlon of dirt and rust in the
tube through which the wiper shaft
runs.
Hitch to This One.
Trailer fans will be interested to
Know that one of the newest bitches
Is IN the form of a third wheel, tire
equipped. Its purpose is to take the
weight OH the front end of the trailer
thereby preventing the rear end of
the car from being pulled down. This
not only helps save the rear springs of
the car but prevents changes in the
caster OF the front axle which, in turn
would adversely affect steering.
Lacking a third wheel hitch of this
sort the best plan is to load the
trailer In such a way that It balances
enough to avoid dipping down at the
front.
Mechanic Joe Speakinx:
because miscellaneous engine
noises are so often confused with
those produced by the valve tappets 7
am now following the plan of inserting
th1n strips of metal at the tappets so
as to take up clearance. With these
shlms IN place, the valves are unusually
quiet. II the noise continues I then
Know 1t comes from some other unit
OF the engine and have far less trou-
Die locating its source"
Try This Useful Test.
Are you in the habit of taking curves
too fast?
There is simple and convincing
test that will tell you the truth about
this. thus possibly saving you a bad
accident. Simply ask one of YOUR
passengers to close his eyes when YOU
are entering curve. If he says that
he is very much aware that you are
turning, then the indications are that
your speed is excessive. A blindfolded
passenger should not be able to notice
any marked change whether the car
is going straight ahead or is rounding
curve-if speed for the turn is
reasonable.
Safer Ways to Signal.
The temptation to switch the head
lights to the far focus when an ap-
preaching driver fails to drop his
tights to the passing beam is such
that prudent drivers are commencing
to look to other ways, and safer ways.
Of getting attention from the thought
less driver who approaches.