Evening star., 1953-02-23
Old Time Maintenance MoIinq Comeback

Don't look now, but they're
turning the hands Of the clock
back along automobile row.
Some Of the latest service
methods, and the most approved
current rules for car care, are
just the way old-timers remem-
ber them.
It began with the switch back
to heavier motor oil and quick
methods for removing carbon,
and now the industry is back to
advocating the 1,000-mile oil
change.
If you want to know what's
best in car maintenance today
better take a long look at what
was currently popular, and ef-
fective, before the smart boys in
the engineering field started
looking around for new rules
just to be different.
It is not a case of going back
to the old rules with their de-
fects, however. A lot has been
learned in the meantime, and
the old rules are being wrapped
in new understanding.
Oil Change.
Nowhere Is this better illus
trated than in the case Of the
frequency rule for oil changes.
It Is now recognized that this
matter of when to replace en-
CINE oil is one of considering
how the car Is used.
While there may be many
cases where oil should be
changed at 500 miles and others
where it can be used for 1000
miles or more, the safest course
is to change at 1000 miles.
The public wisely is unim-
pressed by articles purporting to
show that oil doesn't wear out
because it knows that the auto
mobile engines can't rectify the
oil.
Fleet operators who have
facilities for rectifying oil can
use it for long periods success
fully, but these methods are not
available to the average car
owner.
Hence the more frequent oil
change provides not merely q
way to keep the engine clean
but helps eliminate the diluent
which causes wear and helps
form Sludge.
Drain While Hot.
We are also back to the i'm
portant rule about draining oil
when the engine is hot.
There also is increasing in
terest in taking down the engine
pan and manually cleaning out
accumulations Of sludge. This
has been brought into focus by
reason of the troubles that have
followed careless use Of additives
and oils with detergents. In an
old engine stirring up sludge
usually has repercussions. It's
better to clean the old or dirty
engine manually, then use the
additives.
One Of the old rules for
quicker winter starting was to
add kerosene to the lubricating
oil. This made the engine crank
faster, helped build up COM
preston. The additives and
tuneup oils accomplish the
same thing, adding improve
ments to the process so that
valves and piston rings are less
likely to accumulate gums and
varniSh.
Old Timers Knew Something.
Those who went through the
ordeal of bringing the automobile
into reality found success by
means Of rules that they have
never been willing to toss aside
They were unimpressed by the
mania for light engine oil which
reached a peak in the early '40s.
They were just old fashioned
enough to believe that since the
tendency is for oil to thin down
with use the idea Of trusting to
q very light oil on a hot day was
not the best Of reasoning.
Today we are right back to the
plan Of using 80 oil for tempera-
lures over 80 degrees above zero.
The new rice blasting method
for more convenient carbon re-
moval Is a strong reminder OF
the way mechanics used to burn
out carbon with an oxygen flame.
We can expect further varia-
tions. It is just too much trouble
and expense taking of the heads
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