Evening star., 1937-02-07
ONTROL HELD URGENT:-:A Az
YOU AND YOUR CAR
AIDED BY RUSSELL.
Hydraulic Brake Owners
Advised to Test Pedal
Regularly for Safety.
BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL.

BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL.
Judging by the caliber of some peo-
pies driving leaky heads are not con-
fined to engines.
Owners of cars with hydraulic brakes
can make a simple test daily to con-
vince themselves that everything Is
we'll with the system. 1t is merely
matter of making sure that the brake
pedal has solid feeling. If the pedal
suggests a squashy action, it is we'll to
suspect leakage or insufficient supply
Of fluid in the master cylinder.
Too Much for Granted.
Reading over some recent comment
on automobiles I CHANGED upon a
statement to the effect that today'S
motorist takes the reliability Of his car
for granted. That is probably true.
as far as it goes, but it is apt to blind
us to the fact that as yet there Is no
justification for taking for granted
the cars reliability in the top-speed
bracket. Most cars are capable OF
operating with fair degree of stamina
even though neglected. but to add the
additional burden of high speed is re-
calling the story of the extra straw
that broke the camels back.
No speedway star would think OF
stepping on the accelerator without
first making certain that everything
is in shipshape. Not so with the aver
age motorist. The car may have been
ailing for weeks and virtually suffering
from all manner of neglect. yet he feels
assured that all will be we'll when he
puts it to the supreme test OF being
opened up on the highway. Cars do
perform with an amazing degree Of
reliability when they daily grind along
in close traffic of our modern cities,
but it is one thing to count on this
sort of service and quite another to
assume that the car will be just as
trustworthy at the other extreme Of
its performance range.
It is always dangerous to take too
much for granted, especially with an
automobile. When driver starts out
with the attitude that anything goes"
he is multiplying the possibility that
anything can go wrong.
For Trailer Travellers.
As a positive check against that
seasick feeling when walking around
q parked trailer the thing to do is to
carry along four special jacks to sup
port the rolling home at its four cor
ners. Incidentally these Jacks come
in handy if you find it necessary to
make an emergency adjustment to
the cars brakes when on an extended
trip. BY jacking up all four wheels
at a time the whole process is greatly
simplified And as an after-thought,
why not tighten up the wheel bolts?
Such bolts always seem tighter than
they really are when the wheels are
on the ground.
Mechanic Joe Speaking.
"A reader writes me to say that
directly following service work on the
clutch the oil pump developed a
knock. He cannot understand why
something new should develop during
the work on the clutch, and as re-
suit he feels that the mechanic may
not have done good job.
ut is always difficult to convince
car owners that new troubles can
develop in a service station quite as
readily as in ones own garage. Then
there is also the fact that owners give
their undivided attention to the major
trouble, overlooking something else
that seems to develop after the re-
pair work, but which was there all
the time. I remember keeping a car
in the shop for a. week while straight
ening q badly swayed frame. When
we tried to start the engine a valve
stuck so badly that the cylinder head
had to be taken off,"
Keep Front Wheels Straight.
When trying to back up or go for
ward on an icy road remember that
the rear wheels will get better trac-
ton if you set the front wheels for
the straight-ahead position. With the
wheels cut one way or the other there
is increased drag and more inclination
for the rear wheels to spin. This
rule also applies when the car Is
standing in snow.
Helps Traction and Brakes.
Partially debating the tires in order
to obtain better traction when the
roads are slippery is a smart idea to
recall in a pinch, but don't overlook the
fact that the softer tires increase the
effectiveness of the brakes. There
will be better traction for braking. OF
course, but the increased braking
power is something which should be
carefully compensated for by handling
the brake pedal more guardedly.