The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1962-03-02
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WHEELING

/ Not long ago one of the coun-
ltry's top auto builders turned out
ian engine worth 60 million dollars.
! 1t wasn't diamond studded nor
tgold plated. Research, planning, in
credibly complex precision tools,
/ testing and host of other pre-
liminaries added to the cost of pro-
ducing the engine. One of the en-
gines that followed the expensive
prototype may be in your car right
now.
And you know it is a complicated
package Of many parts and systems
that must work together to give
you power and reliable motoring.
Keeping your auto engine at peak
efficiency depends largely on term
grown familiar by useage-the tune
up.
But what precisely is tune up ?
Basically, it involves a single goal!
to renew sagging performance.
Mile upon mile of driving steadily
whites away at the precision,
power and economy built into your
engine. The change is gradual, of
course, and many drivers say their
car responds as well as when it was
spanking brand new.
But that's not likely because in
each 5000 miles of driving, here's
what's going on inside your en-
gine:
Suark plugs fire about five-and-a-
Quarter million times.
Distributor points snap some AZ
million times.
Valves, of course, open and close
the same number of times as the
plugs fire.
Inside the carburetor 20 or more
parts move every time you nudge
the accelerator. ~ S
At average speeds the fuel pump
pulses about 1000 times minute.
Every mile driven causes some
departure from new engine specifi-
cations. A car can still run fairly
Iwell despite many things wrong
\ with it. But, the hard fact is that
regular tune ups are necessary if
we are to get our moneys worth
| in performance and economy.
An engine tune up begins with
a compression check. Compression
in each cylinder is measured to in
dicate excessive wear in valves, cy-
finders and piston rings. An engine
showing poor compression usually
needs more than a tune up and
money spent for one may be wasted.
If compression, on the other hand,
is okay then plugs should be re-
moved and checked. They should
be cleaned and regapped to speci-
fications. Or if they are fouled,
replaced. At the same time the
distributor points and condenser
should be serviced with replace
ment parts.
The electrical system should get
a going over. This means a careful
check of the battery, battery brac-
ket, voltage regulator, generator,
ignition wiring.
Next the fuel system, the car
buretor, fuel pump, and filter must
| be cleaned and worn parts replaced
where necessary.
A test Of the fuel pump is inn
portant. 1t must give the right pres
sure to deliver gas to the engine
A fussy pump can mean trouble
about to happen" as one mechanic
says. A badly worn fuel pump
means your car may cut out when
you're driving causing that UNI
comfortable sensation of the engine
gasping for fuel. If it fails entire
| ly your car would be "out of gas"
even though the tank was full.
Every car owner can benefit
from knowing just what an engine
tune up is and why it should be
done regularly. Neglect can lead
to costly maintenance.
A handy checklist for complete
engine tune up would include:
Compression check of all ,cylin-
ders.
Test battery and cables: clean or
replace.
Check fuel pump for correct pres
sure and fuel delivery.
Check starting system.
Carburetor-clean and adjust,
new gaskets if necessary.
Filters, oil and air, cleaned or re-
placed.
Clean or replace spark plugs, set
lelectrode gap.
Tighten manifold studs and in
spect heat control valve.
Check ignition wiring and cables.
Adjust idle mixture.
Set engine timing to correspond
with fuel used.
Adjust fan belt.
Check cooling system for leaks
and hose restriction.
Finally, as recommended by auto
motive specialists, if your engine
starts hard, seems to cut out when