Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-04-07

MllIlonS OF motorists set fortl
on motor trips that wind UP II
trouble because they do not know
what constitutes safe and san,
preparation. =
Often the Job is left until tn,
last minute. Or too much EN-.
phasis may be put on one phase
Of the job to the exclusion o.
others. Readying the car for {
successful trip calls for consider.
able know-how.
Balance Is the keystone Of
putting the car into readiness fol
a trip that viii be reasonably
free Of mechanical hreakdowns
When q rnotorist buys q new SET
of tires or has the engines value.
ground he Is apt to think he has
done quite well by the car and
has bought insurance against
trouble.
Yet by overlooking the little
matter Of an ignition check-up
the car may come to a standstill
just because there is corrosion
between posts and the connec-
tors.
A weak fuel pump is a common
source of highway trouble. So is
overheating from a slipping or
broken fan belt.
Specific Checkpoints
The general rules for pre-trip
checkups are about the same
summer or winter:
The car must have reliable
power for starting and for keep
ing 1t moving at highway speeds.
The car must have safe control
through good tires, accurate and
easy steering. proper lighting
and so on. And. third. it must be
capable of efficient braking.
Regardless Of how well the en-
CINE seems to be running it al
ways pays to give it a tune-up
because. in addition to giving
performance a boost, this will
serve to show up anything that
may 60 wrong. especially with
the ignition.
New breaker points are usually
a must" with modern engines.
Spark plugs should be replaced
If they have gone 5000 miles or
SO. cleaned and re-gapped care
fully If they have not been in
service long.
Checking will also call for a
timing adjustment. a compress
sion and vacuum test and a
check on the carburetor's mix
ture.
If compression Is way down,
test to find out If the trouble
comes from poor valving, worn
rings, or both.
If a motor job is indicated this
should be done in plenty of time
to give the car q good testing
and to build up some pre-trip
mileage.
Everything points to checking
early when q trip is contem-
plated. Many forget also that
there is wisdom in trying the car
on the open road for so miles or
so in order to determine just how
it would be likely to behave on a
trip.
This successfully prevents the
traveller finding he has q skip m
the motor which he didn't notice
when just ambling around town.
Or the motor may seriously lack
power.
Motor Only One Troublespot
At the risk Of overlooking
other equally important factors
don't be too fussy about the
motor if it seems a little short
OF maximum performance. s.
In the case of automatic
tranSmissions some of the
trouble may be due to slippage
or TO failure Of the shift points
to provide proper up-shifting.
This transmission may need
more oil. or a complete refilling
if it has gone $4,000 miles or so.
The throttle control linkage
may require careful adjusting.
II the car is conventional,
check to see that the clutch
pedal has the desired one-incn
free travel.
A flushing and refilling of the
gearbox should be included in
the general fabrication OF the
car.
Don't forget to clean, inspect
and repack front wheel bearings.