Staggering burden on the engine

Press, 17 June 1986, Page 30

Staggering burden on the engine

For what it is worth, a motorist who covers 16,000 km a year places a staggering burden on the engine of his car. To cover that distance, just one piston could travel 11,000 km up and down its cylinder. On top of that, each spark plug would fire and each valve would open and close around 18 million times. What is more, the ignition system would be called upon to provide about 70 million sparks. One does not have to be an A-grade mechanic to realise that an engine needs its fair share of loving care and attention, if it is always going to give of its best. In other words, it needs regular maintenance.

A survey conducted a decade or so ago by a British electronic tuning equipment manufacturer indicated that motorists in the United Kingdom, like the rest of us, neglect their cars.

Between 10 and 20 per cent of those surveyed had faulty spark plugs and retarded ignition timing. Between 20 and 40 per cent had over-

advanced ignition and out-of-tune carburettors, while more than 40 per cent had faulty contact points.

Cars should be serviced at intervals determined by the distance travelled. Some manufacturers recommend 10,000 km intervals, but it is a fact of New Zealand motoring life that 10,000 km is often about the distance travelled by car-owners in a year.

So, realistically, it is advisable to have a car that travels such a distance over a year serviced every three months. After all, when a car is concerned, it is better to be sure than sorry.

Whlle there are Kiwi do-it-yourselfers who make a hobby of maintaining their cars and have tools in their workshops for the job, the majority should resolve to have a quarterly check by skilled mechanics at their regular service station or garage.

As that U.K. survey showed, a large proportion of car ailments relate to electrics, so it is really no coincidence that the

electric system plays up in winter. Dampness can wreak havoc with electrics.

As most of us know to our sorrow, trouble frequently rears its head when the car refuses to start on a winter morning. On such occasions, a twist of the starter key usually elicits nothing other than a hiccup or a grunt from under the bonnet.

If the battery is the culprit, there are, broadly speaking, three courses of action — jump leads, a bump start or a tow. Assuming jump leads are available, make sure you know how to use them. To connect them up properly, the red lead of the pair should be connected to the positive + terminal of the booster battery and the positive terminals of your tired battery. The black lead should be connected to the negative terminals. Do not drop a live lead on the bodywork. If you do, you will be treated to an impromptu fireworks display. Moreover, if there happens to be even a very minor petrol leak around the engine, you

will invite the risk of an explosion that could be catastrophic. It might be that a loose connection is the cause of the trouble. In such a case, a bump start will often suffice to get the car running so it can be driven to a service station or garage where the fault will be traced and remedied.

Although your doctor probably will not recommend it, bump starts can be accomplished on flat roads. Although you probably will not bring a smile to people who sell surgical trusses, it is much easier to bump start a car by allowing it to run down an incline.

Of course, you will lessen the chances of starting trouble by having the car serviced regularly. After all, the amount you pay for regular servicing is unlikely to be as much as the expense, discomfort and inconvenience involved in calling out a mechanic with a tow truck and the cost of the repairs that should never have been needed in the first place.