The Mail-Journal, Volume 15, Number 13, Milford, Kosciusko County, 19 April 1978 — Page 20

How to keep your car going through heat and cold: TLC

Your car has been outside all day in egg-frying temperatures. You slip behind the wheel of your car, snap on the seat belt and turn the key. It starts . . . just as it did a few months ago when it was at the curb all night in sub-freezing weather. Amazing? Not at all, but perhaps it should be because your car — if typical — has received much less care than it deserves. Recommended service intervals too often are ignored by many motorists, the same people who would never think of letting a week go by without vacuuming all the carpeting in the house or following a schedule for watering their plants. Outstanding machine The automobile is truly an outstanding machine, says the Automotive Information Council. Not only is it expected to function under such a wide range of weather conditions, but it is subjected to road salt, chuckholes, careless and hard driving and indifferent maintenance. “I can’t think of another product that has to do so much under so many adverse conditions,” said Ronald H. Weiner, president of the Automotive Information Council. “We have come to rely on the proper functioning of an automobile to the point where we never make a time-allowance in case the car should fail to go,” Weiner said. “We just expect it to start up and move out and, fortunately, that’s what happens almost every time.

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But the isolated instance 3,000 miles going up and down the cylinder walls, causes the owner to forget the many hundreds or thousands of times the car started without a problem. Simple tune-up “And chances are that the problem resulted from neg-lect.-A simple tune-up, adding water to the battery, cleaning the battery terminals, a lubrication, using a carburetor cleaner: All of these minor items can go a long way in keeping a reliable product even more reliable.” Tires, too, are neglected, even though the air is free. The car has become so dependable that people tend to take it for granted and to ignore even the greatly lengthened intervals for preventative maintenance. In the 1950 s the car had lubri-cation-oil change intervals of 1,000 to 2,000 miles. The interval for thcjse two services now is 6,000 to 10,000 miles, and even further reductions are being planned by the auto industry. Car more complex At the same time, the car has become far more complex, with the great growth in use of air conditioning, power steering and brakes, cruise control, air-emission systems and others. Today’s automobile contains some 15,000 parts and about 5,000 of them are in motion. This results in some staggering statistics. In an average V-8, going 10,000 miles a year, the spark plugs fire 15 million times, distributor points open and

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close 120 million times and the pistons travel more than while the carburetor mixes 666 gallons of gasoline with 2.8 billion cubic feet of air. “To expect all of those functions to operate at peak efficiency without some maintenance is asking the car to defy the laws of friction,” said the AIC executive. “Give your car just a little tender loving care and it should last you more than 100,000 miles with great convenience and very few problems,” he said. Potholes — (Continued from page 1) So, says the club, drive with consideration and be sure to think of other drivers who have to be alert for potholes, too. The Chicago Motor Club also cautions drivers to be alert for road crews at work. It won’t be long before they are out in force repairing highway surfaces.

SEE AND BE SEEN! Among the most common reasons for rejection at vehicle inspection stations throughout the country are items affecting visibility. In some areas as high as»a 50 percent rejection rate occurs on items such as lights and windshield wiper and washer systems. Experts say that headlight aiming should be checked several times a year. Wiper blades should be replaced every six months.

Maintenance of three areas most important

Some cars or components, when they fail, cause the engine to stop at once. The ignition system is a good example. Others, like the braking create hazardous situations. And electrical trouble, at best, is inconvenient when the car won’t start. Failure in other areas, such as the engine lubrication or cooling systems, can be destructive. These are the main safeguards of the engine. Without oil or coolant the engine can seize up, with possibly major damage as a result. The latter system is relatively easy to understand and check, says the Automotive Cooling System Institute. In addition to the anti-freeze/coolant, you’ll be concerned with the condition of belts, hoses and clamps, thermostat, pressure cap and radiator. Main components These are the main components involved in a cooling system tune-up. They should be checked as follows: 1. BELTS. They drive the fan and water pump as well as other engine accessories. Look for frayed, glazed or cracked belt surfaces that might cause the belt to slip or break. If you find one belt worn, look closely at the others. They’re probably ready for replacement too. If the belts look okay, check the tension. A belt should deflect no more than a half-inch to an inch when depressed half way between

the pulleys. 2. HOSES. Squeeze them hard to be sure they are not getting brittle, mushy or otherwise deteriorated. Do this when the engine is cold; your test might cause a bad hose to let go, with resultant hot anti-freeze all over you. A hose of dubious condition should be scrapped, and, as with belts, the failure of one hose may indicate the imminent failure of others. Replace any that look marginal, to prevent the possibility of expensive and inconvenient failure. Most mechanics replace the clamps when installing new hose. It’s a wise investment whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or have it done. 3. THERMOSTAT. A sticking thermostat will cause too hot or too cold engine operations. You will recognize this by the obvious signs of engine overheating or by little or no heat from the heater. In either case, a new thermostat is needed. When in doubt, have your mechanic check it for you. Finally, when you are sure everything is tight and leak proof, you come to the final step in your cooling system tune-up: flushing the system and installing new antifreeze/coolant. If it has been a year or more since you last changed it, drain the old, flush the system with a good chemical cleaner and install a fresh 50/50 solution of permanent anti-freeze, technically known as ethylene glycol.

fel JOHN LIBERTI FIESTA I HSI Eo* n K = GEORGE HARTTER