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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1975-04-30, Page 14To avoid shocks, install absorbers Standard operating pro- cedure in many homes at this time of the year is installation of screens in windows, and doors. It is the time to check hard- ware, tighten, a few screws here and there and add a drop of oil where neces- sary. You may find an adjust- ment needed in the door closer, too. A combination of wear on the plunger and the lighter screen in- sert makes the door close differently. This plunger is not un- like the shock - absorbers on your car, which may be showing signs of wear after the rigors of winter. Shock absorbers are, es- sentially, plungers. Resists the hop As the plunger on your screen door is designed to resist the forces of the closer spring, allowing the door to close gently; so the shock absorber resists the tendency of the wheel on your car to hop as it bounces off an obstruction in the road. Shocks also keep the car's body from bobbing up and down like a row- boat at sea. The shock absorber's philosophy is to maintain the status quo; the wheels shouldn't hop and the body shouldn't bop. Eventually, with age, a worn shock absorber loses its control of the situation. Instead of easing your wheels over bumps in the road, it lets them bounce, sometimes setting up an oscillation like a ball on a long rubber band. • Other problems If this only caused an uncomfortable ride, it would be bad enough. But there are other problems created by worn shocks. Most important is the safety factor. When the wheel is bouncing a few inches in the air, it cannot contrib- ute much to the steering and/or * braking of your car. During this short but critical period you are virtually out of control. Tires and suspension parts also take additional punishment when shocks lose their control. If a worn shock absorber per- mits these parts to suffer two or three rebounds af- ter a bump, they will have taken double or triple punishment. You'll feel this in your repair bills 'sooner or later. Rule of thumb As, a rule of thumb, any time after your shocks are two years old, they may be due for replacement. New ones will give your car a whole new lease on life: Think about it the next time you are driving over a • bumpy road. Or better yet, before you do. * Collision Repairs * Frame Work * Spot Repairs * complete Refinishing to All Types of Vehicles Filters stand guard against engine wear' Popular tourist attrac- tions in places like London, Ottawa or Washington are the famous changing of the Guard ceremonies. While not nearly as col- orful as the rituals at Buckingham Palace, Par- liament Hill or the Tomb of the Unknowns, there is a guard changing cere- mony that's important to a motor vehicle. The automotive guards are the filters that protect a car's engine from poten- tially serious harm. The air, oil and gasoline filters help screen out foreign materials from vital' en- gine parts. The air filter prevents dirt from entering the carburetor where the air and fuel is mixed. When clogged, the filter can cease functioning, result- ing in poor engine per- formance and, often, a drastic loss of fuel econ- omy. Most ca rs today. use disposable filters which should be replaced at 10,000 miles as part of an *engine tune-up. The oil filter, catches foreign objects in the oil, keeping them from dam- aging engine parts. A clogged filter cannot forni this function effl- Ciently, Especially in these times of the recommended lengthened time of oil change, a new oil filter should' be installed with every dfiange Of lubricants: 14-THE BRUSSELS POST APRIL 30 0 1905 A lot of it. In nationwide fuel economy tests motorists' cars were tested before and after a tune-up. Results showed that a tune-up with new Champion spark plugs saved, on the average, a gallon of gasoline in every tankful. Considering that 3 of every 5 cars on the road need a tune-up right now, tune-ups'alone could save us millions of gallons of gasoline each week Tune-ups benefit us in other ways, too. Quicker acceleration for Safer passing. Dependable starts, Phis a substantial reduction in emissions. See your mechanic regularly for a Champion time-Up. Once :a year or every 10,000 miles.