The Best of Cars Needs An Occasional Tune-up

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18551, 10 November 1934, Page 9

The Best of Cars Needs An Occasional Tune-up

THERE are a few items in car maintenance which it emphatically does not pay to neglect, besides the obvious routine of lubrication and cleaning. These items are not so much necessary to avoid actual damage to parts, as is lubrication, as io ensure that the ear will run dependably and economically. Most involuntary stops and unsatisfactory performances are due to neglect of periodical tune-ups, for without, them the best of cars will not continue indefinitely to function properly. One essential is a clean fuel system, and modern cars require a minimum of attention in this respect, because of the efficient filters with which they are fitted. But even those should be watched, and the glass bowl not allowed to become more than one-third filled with sediment. On older ears there is often merely an apology for a filter at the 1 base of the carburetter, and this should be cleaned frequently. At the same time it is n good plan to remove the lid of the lloat chamber, for some dirt usually succeeds in passing this type of filter. At the bottom of the float chamber it will do no harm, but if it is allowed to accu mutate there it is certain ultimately 10 reach and block the jets.

Faulty Ignition. Although the modern car is less likely to develop fuel feed troubles than were its predecessors, it- is cer tainly'more prone to faulty ignition. The much higher compression of modern engines place a heavy strain on the whole of the ignition system, which now has to throw its sparks against a considerably higher resistance. Therefore troublo through neglect is likely to develop considerably earlier. Extremely bad functioning when cold, even with first-grade spirit, is often an early sign that the ignition system needs a tunc up. This is associated with hard starting, and later with missing when warm also. .In such cases the carburettor is often blamed, but it should be remembered that, so long as it is kept clean, the performance of a carburettor is most unlikely to vary. Thctofore exhaust all other possibilities before ex p'crinienting with changes in carburettor adjustment, which are far more likely to do harm than good

Care of the Plugs. Particularly with high-compression engines, correct gapping of plug electrodes is of prime importance. Gaps should be closer than was correct with older designs, .018 to ,020 in. being about right for coil ignition with a compression of 5.5 to 6.5 to ono. Wider settings may cause coil breakdowns or misfiring when pulling at low speods. Clean plugs are more important than they were because the effect of carbon on the insulators is to weaken their electrical resistance. With high compression the current Is more likely to take an easy path over a dirty insulator than it was when it. had merely a lightly compressed g as between tho electrodes. Ii is not a difficult matter to elenti and adjust, plugs, and it. will be found that their renewal nt frequent intervals is not necessary if a little care is given to keeping them il> good condition. One Sunday a little fellow was on a visit to It is uncle and grandfather. “Uncle,” he said, after his grandfather had left the room, “how old D grandpa?” “t couldn’t tell you,” answered his uncle, “without looking it up in ihe family Bible.” “My wotd!” gasped the child, “is he old enough to be mentioned in the Bible?”