Evening star., 1950-02-19

OIL Glle SCdI CS liot put Illl1llOl1S VI
dollars worth are being destroyed
Through lack of skill in installa-
ton. And it's largely the car
owners fault.
This is straight from the auto
mobile manufacturers whose parts
and service departments decry the
current waste of materials. Most
of the loss results from amateur
repair work by motorists and
back-alley car butchers. Close
observers of this unpleasant scene
are quick to point out that the
whole thing is greatly accelerated
by lack of suitable service equip
ment.
What it means is that many
car owners are unable to obtain
needed parts just because so many
others have to replace new parts
they have damaged. Right now
a lot of demand stems not SO
much from actual wear and tear
as from trial and error.
There is much that a me-
chanically-minded motorist can
do that requires skill, experience
and patience. But the risk lies in
going beyond ones ability, IA
miliarity with the particular make
and model. and equipment. Many
an, engineer would not think of
trying. to grind the valves of his
engine simply because good job
requires a clean shop, good light
ing, hoist to pull the head, valve
spring compressors, valve-grind-
ing equipment and access to
parts department. If he hasn't
been doing valve jobs right along
he is likely to slip on some minor
phaze of the work and then be
sorry he hadn't sent the car to
good shop. All the service sta
tions are struggling to cut down
on the percentage of "comebacks"
Jobs that have to be repeated.
Yet the amateur expects to do a
ring replacement or a bearing in
sert job on the strength of his
ambition alone.
Watch Clutch Position.
One of the most disturbing
things the industry has to face is
the motorist who takes down a
clutch without marking the cover
in it's original position with the
flywheel. Result is that the
clutch, no matter how well serv-
iced otherwise, is out of balance
when hooked up again.
The situation in ring jobs is
pathetic, motorists still believing
that round rings can be made to
fit cylinders that have worn
square" New rings alone are
useful only if the cylinder walls
have not worn out-of-round and
tapered, and even then it is neces-
sary to consider the ring grooves
which may be worn wide enough
to require overWidth rings and
which are certain to be clogged
with carbon.
Piston-ring expanders also are
wasted at an alarming rate. Own
ers think that by forcing the new
rings to press heavily against the
cylinder walls they can raise COM
preston and cut down oil mile
age. They fail to realize that
compression and oil will be lost
behind the rings. Properly used
expanders can be helpful. So can
resized pistons, but this job isn't
done merely by spreading the
skirt.
Millions of cars could benefit
by new carburetors but if you're
having trouble getting good one
for your car the chances are that
the shortage is due to a lot OF
people who are slapping new car
buretors on engines which prob |
ably need a reboring or a new dis
tributor. Somehow the carburetor
always impresses the uninitiated
as something that accounts for
everything the engine does by way
of misbehavior Brake master
cylinders often are replaced when
the old one just needed an adjust
ment of the pedal rod. Thousands
of radiators are given everything
from a dose of acid to careless
ly conducted reverse flushing,
when all the system needs is a
new motor thermostat or pair
of new hoses.
Automobile Has Changed.
What's to be done about it?
Perhaps there would be halt II
more motorists stopped to realize
that the automobile has changed.