A FEW HINTS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXIV, Issue 3240, 9 December 1930, Page 2

A FEW HINTS.

A clue to what is 'wrong may be found in the colour of the smoke that issues from the exhaust pipe. If it is black, the meaning is too much gasolene: Blue or white smoke indicates an excess of oil in the engine; if grey, it is probably produced by a combination of too much oil and too much gasolene.

Burnt-out bearings, scored cylinders, melting of soldered connections, burnt gaskets and water hose, may happen if a leak in the cooling system is neglected.

One of the simplest tests for a slipping clutch is to set the handbrake and try to run the car. If the engine stalls immediately the clutch is not slipping; if it races for a moment without moving the car, the clutch is slipping.

Front hub caps act as grease retainer for wheel bearings, and it is important that grease- in the cap is renewed.

Tyres will wear out, and to keep an old shoe on a wheel simply in the hope of getting a couple of hundred miles out of it before it blows out is poor economy. It is true that additional mileage may be had, 'but at the expense of an inner tube.

When breaking in a new car it is as important to hold down your speed in first and second gears as in high. It is engine speed, not car speed, that counts, and running 25 miles an hour in second is equivalent to about 40 in high, so far as the engine is concerned.

Selection of the proper grade of oil will make a noticeable difference in the performance of an engine. An oil with a heavy body has a greater cushioning effect that a light or medium body oil, and when used in a badly worn engine will reduce noise somewhat. Lubricating systems, however, are designed to operate efficiently with a certain grade of oil, and if the oil used is to heavy to circulate properly the engine may be damaged. It is best to follow the recommendations of the factory as to the grade of oil to be used.