BETTER LIGHTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 141, 17 June 1930, Page 17

BETTER LIGHTS.

WINTER NEEDS OF BATTERY. A "KICK" IN THE STARTER. (By AUTOSCRIBE.) * (All Eights Reserved.) With cold and frosty mornings, and the shortest day nearly upon us, necessitating considerable use of the lights, the poor old battery is having a hard row to hoe in many a car. When we jam our foot hard down on the starter in the morning, and hear groaning and moaning before the first faint "kick" comes in the engine, we can rest assured that we have been abusing that most neglected part of the car's anatomy, the battery. It is true enough that although the battery actually requires as little attention as almost any part of the car, it receives still less. in summer the neglect is less troublesome because of the lesser demands made by the starter and the lights, but with cars in continual use at present, the demands are exceptionally heavy, and the battery must be in good order, and maintained so, if proper service is to be secured. What Battery Is and Does. I have seen many descriptions of battery performance, some too technical for the average motorist to understand, and others quite simple, but the one I like beet is that which regards the battery as the bank, into which we deposit our current account. It is particularly apt, for, ae with the bank, unless we make sufficient deposits, we cannot draw off on demand, Modern car batteries are usually either of six volts or twelve volts, the latter size in the larger types of cars where current consumption is heavy. The electrical pressure, or voltage, depends -upon the number of cells in the battery, while the capacity of the battery to hold power depends on the size of the individual cells.

In any case you may be certain that your car comes to you with a good battery of the right size and , type for its needs, and that this battery will continue giving you good service _ for a longer or shorter time according to whether or not you give it proper attention. Surprisingly few defects develop in batteries, even in cases where they are abused, so you may feel pretty certain that the fault is yours, if you do have inefficient service. What is the Electrolyte? Most motorists know that distilled water should be added to the battery every now and again, but few know exactly why. In your battery there is a mixture of acid ana water which is known as electrolyte, and unless this mixture is kept at the right strength the battery will not charge to the fullest extent. Almost without exception starting anil lighting troubles whendui to tha battery are caused through inattention to the strength o.f the mixture. The ■prnper strength for this mixture is a specific gravity of .1.250 to 1.255, and with a cheap hydrometer (now easily obtained from any radio shop) tine can regularly be tested. That sounds a troublesome and perhaps unnecessary procedure, but it is a worth-while one, as the writer can testify from personal experience. Actually it takes only a few minutes a fortnight, for, even during the winter, a fortnightly look over the battery will be sufficient —but don't let the fortnight stretch out to three or four weeks. Overcharging Troubles. At this time of the year, if the car is being used practically every day, it will be almost impossible to overcharge, for the demands made by the etarter alone will take a good deal of current from your bank—the battery. It n:ay eo happen, though, that in travelling over rough roads some of your electrolyte may be lost, possibly \hrough leakage near the stopper. If that is the caee, it is useless adding water, as that only weakens the mixture still further. What is needed then is the purest grade of sulphuric acid to bring it up to strength again, and, above all things, take care to add the acid to the water, not the water to the acid, or you may have acid flying about and burning you. If you da this job yourself, a hydrometer is, of course, essential; if you don't know much about battery work you had far better trust the work to a battery expert.

Some people who use their cars principally for pleasure, and who do not like driving on wet nights or over bad roads, lay their cars off during some of the winter months. In these cases it is a good plan to give the engine a run at least once a week, and it is most essential to see that the battery is kept charged'. A battery in good condition will hold its charge for at least a month, but if the car has not been used for a longer period it should be taken_ to a service station and charged. Wireless enthusiasts can make use of the battery for lighting up the valves if it is not being used in the car, but the inroads of the all-electric set are preventing, this use more and more. The real point is that the battery ie better in use than lying idle, and that in any ease it must have periodical attention.

Where the Current Goes. Motorists sometimes wonder where the current that .the generator sends to the battery goes. When the car is being driven at a fair pace at night the generator will give out sufficient current to keep the lights going without any call being made on stored electricity in the battery, but when the car is moving slowly there is a slight drain on the battery. The starter makes a very heavy drain on the battery, and it takes some miles of ordinary running for the generator to make this good. That heavy drain is accentuated if defective sparking plugs are used, or if the engine is not in goad condition, therefore the ideal is a judiciously used battery, in a carefully adjusted car. The generators and dynamos are ticklish things for the amateur to handle, and unless he has fair electrical knowledge he is better to leave them severely alone. If he gives liis battery the care outlined in this article he will have little need to fiddle with the generator, and he will have that most desirable thing, a car that starts easily on a frosty morning and that gives an excellent light no matter how much it is used.