HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1971-11-18, Page 37•
The Signal -Star, November 18, 1971—Car Care Supplement --Page 7C
COLD-W88THOR DRIVINGIUTS memo
DeM8NO 0111 IGNITION, eLBCTRI�aL S1STBMS
No part of a car gets a more strenuous workout during the cold weather months ahead
-• than the ignition and electrical systems. Severe cold and dampness attack these systems.
Only when theyre in top condition can they function properly.
The National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA) provides a detailed description of
the electrical and ignition systems in a new publication `Tar Repairs == Facts You Should
Know." The booklet also prescribes maintenance procedures to help keep the systems in
top running order. ,> ...... -':".
Copies of the NAPA booklet can be obtained free from local automotive service and
repair shops, in the United States only.
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Parts most often needing
replacement...and why.
IGNITION SWITCH — really
several switches In one.
First, it turns on the ignition sys-
tem, then the starter — and simul-
taneously turns off the radio and
other accessories to avoid damage
due to power surges which occur
in starting. As it ages, resistance
builds in the switch so not enough
electricity gets to starter and
ignition,
O BATTERY — stores electrical
energy for starting and all
other . electrical jobs. Life expec-
tancy_ of a good battery is 2 to;1
yea'and ink .
ofchargt efilled
'ndgoodstate
e�jelectricity to starter and all
BATTERY CABLES — deliver
other electrical systems . and
brifig in charging current from the
alternator. Unless .cables are in
good condition and have clean,
tight connections, the car cannot
start or run properly. .;
O STARTER SOLENOID SWITCH
— connects the battery to
the starter motor. Poor connec-
tions and age reduce solenoid's %.
ability 'to pass enough electricity
to turn the starter motor fast
enough to start the engine.
O STARTER — an electric motor
which, by means of a mov-
able gear, cranks the car's engine.' o -
As illternal wear develops, the
starter may be unable to turn the
car's engine fast enough, or may
run down the battery. Then,, the
unit must be replaced.
O STARTER DRIVE — the mov
able gear connecting starter
motor and car engine. If the start-
er whines — but the engine
doesn't turn over, chances are the
__starter drive needs replacement.
O CONTACT SET — a switch
that turns the ignition coil
on and off to fire the spark to
each cylinder. Contacts (points)
gradually wear, causing toss of
power and poor gas mileage. Use-
ful life — about 10,000 miles.
O CONDENSER — like an elec-
trical Shock absorber, it
smooths out surges caused by -,
rapid opening and closing of the
contact set. Should be replaced
when
when the contact set is changed.
• ROT0J — turns inside the
distributor; carrying the
spark from coil to each part of
the distributor cap. High voltage
gradually burns it and insul, ion
deteriorates. Should b reg aced
with the distributor c
DISTRIBU
internal'
providing term
phi wire and
CAP
arts of
als for
or th•
— covers
istributor,
each spark
g coil Wire.
High voltage gry burns the
terminals. Dirt and moisture cause
sparks to leak away, resulting in
carbon tracking which is a perma-
nent short. circuit. This causes
hard starting and engine "miss."
.,,Replacement is the only cure.
O IGNITION COIL — heart of
the ignition system. It Is
really a ,transformer, boosting 12
volts from the battery to as high
as .30,000 volts: A¢nd.it does this
about 100 times a second at only
30 m.p.h. When the coil weaked's
entire engine is affected. When it
burns out, entire system goes
dead.
SPARK PLUG WIRES—connect
plugs to distributor cap and
carry 30,000 volts. These wires
must be built so high voltage
doesn't cause Interference not
only with car radio but also nearby
TV sets and even aircraft radio.
Under load, defective wires cause
engine "miss." •
O SPARK PLUGS — fire the ig-
nitionspark into the gaso-
line mixture in_each cylinder to
power the car. Improper plug gap
causes loss in power and gas
economy. Deposits cause spark to
leak away. High voltage gradually
burns the plug, changing gap. Av-
erage efficient life is about 10,000
miles.
O ALTERNATOR (or generate
generates electric power r
everything except the starter; al o
recharges battery. Dirt or deter;
.ration cause hard starting, powe
loss and reduced fuel economy.
O. VOLTAGE REGULATOR—limits
voltage produced by alterna-
tor to the amount needed by the
car's systems. Poor connections
can damage it. • If the r gulator
,gets otlt of adjustment, i 's prob-
ably� damaged and shout be re-
placed.
SixMonth `Check -Up'
KeepsWheels Aligned
By JODY CARR
Have you evernoticed how
different your favorite shoes
feel with new soles and
heels? Because the wear had
accumulated so
gradually, you
had been quite
comfortable in
those shoes and
had not real-
ized how worn
they were.
This is rath-
er like the sud-
den improve-
ment in your
car when you
install new tires. You may
have become accustomed to
the vibrations and noise of
your old tires. Suddenly. with
new ones, the car seems to
glide.
You feel a dramatic change
in the handling of your car,
too. Especially with some of
the newly developed tire de-
signs.
Don't "Kill" Tires
Your new tires can be ex-
pected to last longer if they
are properly baianced and
aligned. But• even the best of
them may live a short life if
either of these factors Is ig-
nored.
It is not unusual for mis-
alignment to scrub off a third
of....a tire's tread. This can
amount to several times the)
price of the wheel alignment
jbb thht could .have prevent-
ed such—waste and would
6Ga
have made your cal' a safer
one.
How do you know if your
car's wheels need aligning?
Your first clue may. come
from erratic steering. The
car may wander or pull from
one side to the other. Some-
times misalignment causes a
shimmy similar to the ac-
tion of an out -of -balance
tire.
Tread Tells Story
Clue number two: For this,
you have to get out and look
closely at the tread wear on
your tires.
If tires appear to be worn
more at the outer edges than
at the center (or vice versa) ,
your problem may be noth-
ing more than improper in-
flation. But tires worn more
on one side than the other,
or otherwise unevenly worn,
probably are suffering from
misalignment.
Your mechanic can help
you differentiate between in-
flation, alignment and bal-
ance problems. But any one
of the three should be at-
tended to without delay when
you first notice the symp-
toms, -
Meantime, check wheel
alig'nrne`rii—and balance ev-
ery •six months, And when
you have those new tires in-
stalled, be sure to have the
wheels balanced.
Tim e for New Treads?
Here Are Some Tips
The task of selecting re-
placements for worn or dam-
aged tires, or installing win-
ter tires, is made a little eas-
ier by some suggestions of-,
fered by the Rubber Manu-
facturers Association (RMA) .
' First, never .buy a -smaller
size than those which came
with the car, says RMA. Tires
should always be replaced
with the same designation,
or approved options, as rec-
ommended by the automo-
bile manufacturer.
Also, if you're considering
replacing- conventional sized
__ ti�re�s, such as; -7,7-5 -i4 ---eta; —
wi '" a Seto Weill r gala be put on the rear-wheeLie for
belted bias or the wider tread better traction, handling and
profiles ("70 Series," "78 Se- extra'prote'ction againstiiats.
ries") , be sure to check the , Vl hen, a ,single, .new tire is _
automobile manufacturer'S bought, ft should °be paired
or tire dealer's recomm'enda- on the Tear axle with the tire
dons. having the most tread depth
Why It's Recommended • •of the other three.
Interchangeability of dif- -
ferent types of tires is. not •
The tire industry also rec-�
always. possible,.'due- to dif- ommends a "brea—It-in" peri-
od in load'`rating, tire od for all new or previously
dimensions, wheel well clear- unused tires — the tires on a
antes -and rim sizes, particu-
larly with older cars. new car, the spare put on
'On the question of mixing after a flat and all replace -
different types of tires on the mentk Limiting speed to 60
same car, the association mph for the first 50 miles of
suggests that for best all- ' driving enables the many
around performance it's best complex elements in a tire
to use the same type of tire to adjust gradually to each
other and function as an ;n-
on all'four wheel positions. tegral unit.'' y
In the case of radial tires,
mixing is definitely ruled
out. Due to differences in
handling characteristics,
they should be used only in
sets of four.
RMA also notes that while
the wider tread "70 Series"
tires can be mixed with con-
ventional tires, they should
only be used in pairs -on the
same axle.
For Extra Protection
When buying a pairof re-
placement tires in the sme
size and -construction, the as -
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The Square Phone 524-8359
John Mackay , Manager
n