MORE HINTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 848, 17 December 1929, Page 12

MORE HINTS

The Care of the Car

OVERCHOKING One of the greatest causes of enI gine wear is driving with the choke | out in cold weather. Investigation has shown that the flood of petrol pumped into the cylinders is not ignited by the explosion, and drains down the cylinder walls into the crankcase, and dilutes the oil. The oil is not only reduced in effectiveness, but the waste petrol washes away the oil film on the cylinder walls, and causes metal to rub against metal. Scoring of the cylinder walls and other costly damage results. EASY TEST FOR GEAR NOISE To locate timing gear noise when the generator is driven from cam gear, run the engine fast enough to give six to ten amps., and then ground the generator terminal with a screwdriver, when noise will almost disappear. TEST THE PRESSURE Make it a rule one day each week to test the pressure in the tyres. Makers estimate that under or overinflation means a loss of 4.000 to 5,000 miles in the life of a tyre, or at least 20,000 miles in a set. CAUSES OF LEAKY VALVES Carbon deposits on valve seats constitute the most frequent cause of leaky valves. These deposits prevent the valves from closing properly, and cause pitting by permitting hot gases to burn over the polished faces of the valves. The formation of carbon can be prevented to a certain extent by using the choke as little as possible, by avoidance of unnecessary idling of the engine, by keeping engine oil fresh and clean, and by never running the car with its engine missing explosions. PAINT FOR CYLINDER BLOCK To paint cylinders, mix Boz white lead in oil, 6oz boiled linseed oil, 2oz turpentine, and of lamp black. If too heavy, thin down with turpentine. This will make a grey paint, and sufficient for six cylinders.