longer car life

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1020, 10 July 1930, Page 21

longer car life

foes of depreciation RECENT IMPROVEMENTS A combination of slower engine ipeeds for normal travel, plus control of the temperature of the oil, should result in materially prolonged life on some of the new motor-cars, says a noted American authority on the subject. there is quite a group of mauut'ac- j jnrers iu the higher-medium and I ppper-priced classes who are going j oV er to the four-speed gear-box. While the movement is by no means unani-! bious, it has been participated iu by ! a sufficient number of representative ! manufacturers to stamp it as an im- i portant development. The results, as j far as the owners of these cars are j concerned, are of great interest. j In addition to this movement there; is another and even more widespread j effort to preserve the oil film more! effectively by means of controlling the j temperature of the engine and also by the further adoption of devices for fil- ; ter and cleaning the oil as it circu- i lates. STANDARDISING OIL Still another movement which has been largely "sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, aud which has a very material bearing on the ! quality of lubricating oils and hence : their life, is the standardisation of motor oil specifications. The average motorist, when he buys ) oil, simply asks for heavy, medium ; or light, without realising that one j maker’s heavy may be another | maker's medium. Some companies ! have a heavy oil that is like the usuai medium, and then iu addition have an estra-heavv oil that is like the usual heavy.

The movement on foot now is to get all the oil-makers to sell their oils by viscosity numbers, so that after the car owner is informed by bis instruction book as to what viscosity oil to use at different seasons of the year, all he has to do is to ask for that viscosity number from any of the oil stations where a reliable brand of oil is handled. He can then be sure that he is getting the proper oil for his car. The iarger aud better filtering systems now being put on the car will help keep the oil in better condition and, furthermore, the temperature of the car is being controlled very much better through the use of thermostatic control of the shutters, and also thermostatic control of the water circulating sysem.

The new dash layouts of many cars ! have the temperature of tho cooling j vater very clearly indicated, before i the eyes of the driver, so that if any- j thing is not functioning as it should, ; and the temperature of the engine is I

affected, tbe alert driver will be quick to detect It. LONGER OIL LIFE The reduced revolutions a minute due to the use of four speeds result, it is claimed, in greatly reduced wear on tbe oil. Of course, the oiling systems them- i selves have been materially improved, which still further tends to lengthen the life of the oil. Pressure feed to more points and less reliance ou oiling by spray is sure to result in reduced friction aud consequently longer engine life, with reduced temperatures during the life of the engine. LOSS OF HEAT i Most of the energy wasted in tlxe ; I ° ar soes awfl y the form of heat, j

Much of it is thrown away through the radiator. In fact, this amounts to about 30 per cent, of the heat that is contained in the fuel. More goes out through the exhaust. These two things cannot be helped.

As long as the engine is in good adjustment as to timing, etc., there is little the owner can do. Jt is, of course, disadvantageous to have the engine running too cool just as it does not pay to have it running too hot. The heat loss that hurts, because it means wear, is that due to friction. Consequently, everything must be done in the way of lubricating improvements, condition of the oil, etc., to keep the friction losses down. One of the claims for the four-speed gearbox is that, the slower operating speed is a material factor in reducing frictional heat loss. As far as the owner is concerned, he should use all the devices under his control to keep the temperature correct. He should always keep an eye on the temperature indicator.