EASY STARTING

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 261, 28 June 1932, Page 2

EASY STARTING

CORRECT LUBRICATION ONE . OF GREATEST FEATURES When the car is difficult to start, = sometimes the fuel is at fault, and sometimes the battery is too low; but most of the hard starting in winter is due to another cause — the lubricating oil. When the engine becomes so stiff after standing that it can be turned over only with difficulty, it is a sure sign that the lubricating oil is not suitable for winter use, and yon are in for various troubles in addition to the annoyance of delayed starting. The first of these is the undue drain on the battery; next is the severe wear on the starting meehanisrn. It is a well known fact that nothmg interferes with economical petrol mileage more than frequent stopping and starting. When the starting process is a lengthy one there is extravagant expenditure of fuel — just as if there were a large number of stop? and starts. Too heavy an oil xneans a waste of good petrol that goes into and out of the engine without being used. Too heavy an oil also means longer periods in the lower gears, which again means excessive fuel consumption. Most important of all, from the point of view of economy, i, the rspid wear which takes place on pistons and cylinder walls when an unsuitable oil is used in the winter. When the engine is being turned over but not firing, raw petrol vapour is entering the cylinders. The effect of this is to wash the surfaces bare of any film of j oil, leaving them unproteeted. Metal-to-metal contact tberefore occurs uiitil ' a considerable time after the engine has commenced to fire. A heavy oil will not start to distribute until it is well warmed up. The harsh, grinding effect of run- I ning for these periods without lubricatio'n can easily be realised. The ideal winter oil is an oil with great fluidity at low temperatures that will immediately circulate to all moving parts when the engine is first started, yet one that will give efficient lubrication right up to the highest operating temperatures. ' Motorists should therefore boar in mind the necessity of draining the crankcase now that the cold winter months are h'sre and filling up with the correct winter grade as recommended by the manufacturers.