UPKEEP OF THE CAR

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22388, 29 April 1938, Page 18

UPKEEP OF THE CAR

IMPORTANT DETAILS FOR ATTENTION

GUIDE FOR INEXPERIENCED

MOTORISTS

When a man buys his first car, he dften feels apprehensive about the responsibility of looking after its £4OO or £SOO worth of machinery. He imagines all sorts of awful and expensive catastrophes, and is apt to fuss about the car’s maintenance in a manner that would appear ridiculous, were it. not prompted by such a praiseworthy impulse.

Although cars do need some attention, they are not in the least frail, and the modern vehicle will stand up to unmerciful abuse. The life, in the car of to-day, of such hard-working parts as the steering cpnnexions and spring bolts is remarkable to those of us who remember the constant attention they needed 10 or 15 years ago. But to maintain the car’s performance and its general safety at a reasonably high standard, a logical plan of maintenance is required, in addition to the performance of those routine tasks connected with chassis greasing, battery upkeep, and fuel and water checking, as laid down in the instruction book. The following hints on this

subject may be of some help to those who are still gaining motoring experience with their first cars. The question of the car s roadwortmness, the term being used in the sense of its safety and ability to answer immediately every control, must be treated as the one thing of paramount importance throughout its life. A watchful eye must always be kept upon the tyres, because it is vciy easy fop one of the side walls to be cut dangerously without the owner knowing it, with the result that the tyre may blow out when the car is travelling at a high speed. When the wall is cut so badly, that some of the cords are fractured, throw the tyre away. It is not worth risking human lives for the sake of the few pounds which represent the value of a new cover. On the other hand, if it is only the rubber that is cut, there is little to worry about, provided that the cut is vulcanised immediately in order to prevent water and dirt entering and disintegrating the cords. In the same way, as soon as the tyres have worn so much that the faint line of the “breaker strip” is seen down their centre, replace them, because then they are too thin for safety. , , Of equal importance are the brakes. The best indicator of their condition is the distance the pedal travels to the floorboards when the brakes are applied hard. As soon as it gets fairly close (pedal travel increasing as the linings wear down), have the brakes adjusted. Otherwise the time may come when the brakes will not act at all when called upon in an emergency. The steering gear should also be checked every 5000 miles or so, but in modern cars it is unlikely that it will •need much attention for a long time. Finally, with regard to the running gear, see that the oil level and efficient working of the shock absorbers arc tested about every 5000 miles, because they have a most important influence on the car’s road stability. Keeping Engine Tuned The foregoing covers the most important things, but the owner who wishes to keep the engine running sweetly and evenly, and maintain its power, will be wise to follow a set course of periodical checking for it also. • An important thing to remember is that no engine, but particularly the modern unit, likes carbon formation in the combustion chambers. Carbon causesAletonation and reduces power, and occasionally it must be removed. Opinion varies as to the time which should.be permitted to elapse between carbon removals—a task which generally means also grinding the valves into their seats —but an owner will not make a mistake if he orders, this “top overhaul” every 10,000 miles. He will be very pleasantly surprised at the result.

The engine will need other attention than this. Modern engines are apt to place a fairly severe strain on the whole of the ignition system. At least once every 5000 and sometimes more often, the sparking plugs and points of the distributor make and break should be checked. This is a very simple task, which the owner may easily do himself after first purchasing a set of feeler gauges.’ - - The Correct Gap

The heat of the combustion and the spark itself will gradually foul the plug points and burn them, so that the gaps increase in size. Remove each 1 plug in turn, carefully scrape away as much carbon as possible, and reset the points to the correct gap .by tapping the outside electrode with a spanner or pair of pliers. , ' Generally, this is .030 inch, but sometimes it is less, and the instruction book should be consulted on this point. Deal with each plug separately, and replace it before starting on the next one, to avoid any possibility of getting the high tension wires mixed, a mistake that will be accompanied by the most awe-inspiring explosions when the engine is started again. The make and break mechanism is exposed by lifting the ignition distributor cover and removing the small rotor which distributes the current. It will be seen that there are two platinum points, one on a rocker, which .alternately meet and part under the

influence of a small cam on the distributor jspindle. Rempve the rocker arm and examine its point. The chances are it will be blackened and pitted, and it should be cleaned by carpful rubbing with a very fine file, such as a nail file. The same treatment should be given to its fellow, still in position in the distributor head. Then, on reassembly, turn the engine by .hand until the cam separates the points, when the gap may be measured with the feeler gauge. It should be .018 inch. It can be reset if necessary by the adjusting screw provided. If the hints outlined in this article are followed, the owner can be sure that his car will give very satisfactory service for many thousands of miles.