HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-10-28, Page 45ql
Page 15
Engine neglect can lead to winter trouble.
Have you ever stopped to
wonder how many cases of
car trouble are directly at-
tributed to engine neglect?
Several may come to
mind: the dirty spark plug
that caused your engine to
misfire; the worn valve ring
that created cylinder trou-
ble, and the loose battery
cable that prevented your
car from starting that cold
morning last February.
Vet, out of all the possible
results of neglect, one that is
overlooked the most, is cor-
rosion. to
An increasingly costly
hazard, corrosion inside
your ear's cooling system
can spell disaster. Today's
average car has six metals -
steel, cast iron,' copper,
brass, solder and aluminum
- in its cooling system, and
all of them are continually
exposed to the ravages of
corrosion.
A survey dome by the
Prestone people of some 1200
cars revealed that more than
a third of the three-year-old
models checked, had corro-
sion in their coblants. The
percentages of cars with rust
in their coolants were: One-
, year-old - 22 percent; two-
year-old - 32 percent; three-
year-old - 36 percent,
The consequences of inter-
nal corrosion can create a
vicious cycle and a very
deceptive one too, since cor-
rosion is invisible.
When corrosion starts, it
creates deposits within the
cooling systema Clogging
tubes, .pipes and other
coolant passages, the corro-
sion deposits reduce the rate
of the coolant flow and con-
sequently the coolant's abili-
Burned valves caused by rust and scale build-up could cost
you as much as $700.
ty to remove heat. And, if ex-
cess heat is not removed
from vital components such
as valves, their deterioration
Look beyond the cost of wood
13y: A. St. Germain
President •
Canadian Wood Energy institute
Some 40% of Vermont
homes' are using wood as
their main source of heat.
Yet only 8% of Canadians,
are said to be using wood
as their main source of
heat, although many more
people willhe using wood
' each winter to cut down on
increasing oil and electric
' fuel bills..
Why heat with wood?
The savings over the use' of
Comparison of Average Annual Home Heating Costs
6 900.00
800.00 -
100.00 ;-
600.00 —
a
500.00 —
400,00 —
300,00 —
200.00 —
100,00 —
Chart is based on fuel consumption, for an average Orillia
home and the prevailing fuel prices in August 1980. Note
that oil and gas prices are expected to again rise in October
of this year,
Heating values of commonly available wood types
tock elm
hickory,
while oak
sugar maple
Ironwood
black b red oak
beach
yellow birch
whlie orb
Itld eho.
douglas fir (coastal)
while alto
rad mapla
white birch
Iemareck
Nlver maple
preen b black ash
black chatty
.nanitoba maple
eastern hemlock
madam white pins
balsam b aspen poplar
basswood
bulltlmut
white It rttks spruce 1.111.11.
white ceder r
cottonwood
balsam ar —
mallon tt.t,U, par cord 0 16.0
softwoods NMI
oil or hydro are obvious.
Wood is also a renewable
energy source that will re-
duce future requirements
of non-renewable natural
• resources —oil or gas.
One more reason to heat
with wood —it's safe, plea-
sant heating. 'You don't
hear that oil burner or gas
burner cut in and out. You
-get steady heat and far less
dryness and static electri-
city.
But wood must be avail-
able at a reasonable price,
seasoned, stored and hand
fed into a heater or fur-
nace. Ashes have to bere-
moved. Also, if you are
away you will still need a
stand-by oil, gas or electric
heating system.
Remember, throwing
logs into an open fireplace
is not heating with wood.
85% of that beautiful heat
. is going straight up the
chimney. However, many'
improvements in wood
heating appliances as well
as new types of equipment
have been introduced' to
the market.
' Most modern wood.
heating appliances today
are thermostatically con-
trolled and many will allow
burning periods of up to
12 hours with one fill of
wood. Some are also coin-
bination units which allow
the householder to have the
combination of wood/oil
or wood/electric furnace in
one unit. With two ther-
mostats, if the fire from
wood dies down, the con- ,
ventionalfuel furnace takes
over,
When buying wood look
beyond the cost. The type
of wood and whether it is
seasoned and how it's cut
and whether delivery is in-
cluded are all factors. A
standard cord of wood will
Improve
mileage
You want to improve
your car's fuel ef-
ficiency? Use the tested
methods: get regular
tune-ups, drive at
recommended speeds,
200 26.0 30.0 26.r keep tires properly in-
flated and generally use
good sense in driving.
measure 4' x 4' x 8"or 128
cubic feet and seasoned
hard woods make for a
'better fuel. •
For details on cost com-
parisons, wood BTU rat-
ings, or additional infor-
mation write: -Home Heat
•ing, Hunter Enterprises
Orillia, Ltd.; P.O. Box 400,
Orillia, Ont. L3V 6K1.
is accelerated and they can:
+Gradually lose their
sealing effect and thus
reduce compression;
+Reduce the number of
miles per gallon because of
the lowered compression
' ratio; and
+Waste fuel by permitting
"blow-by" (unburned) gases
passinginto the exhaust
system.
Furthermore, .not only
does corrosion provoke tiny
holes in the water pump and
radiator, but it can cause
engine overheating which
can warp and crack cylinder
heads and serious internal
damage to various other
components.
The final upshot of all
these expensive attacks on
your cooling system is that
your car's fuel economy is
reduced and your
maintenance costs are in-
creased. For example, a
clogged radiator, caused by
corrosive tube blockage may
cost up to $300 to repair while
burned valves caused by cor-
rosion, rust and scale built
up may cost you as much as
$700.
The results . of that
Prestone survey also in-
dicated that most drivers
still believe that a so-called
'permanent" anti -freeze -
coolant can be left in the car
for three years or more -
,despite the fact that car -
engine design has changed
significantly in the last few
years. But engineers and
chemists at Prestone's
automotive research
laboratories recommended,
annual changes of anti-
freeze -coolant; and certain-
ly no longer than every two
years.
The ideal coolant, the ex-
perts say, is a 70-30 mixture
of a reliable anti -freeze -
coolant with special corro-
sion inhibitors and water.
Prestone II, for example,
contains a complex patented
silicone -silicate inhibitor for-
mula which applies a tough,
protective film to all metal
surfaces inside the cooling
system.
Anti -freeze -coolant in-
hibitors will eventually
break down under the high
heat operating conditions
common in today's cars. If
you want to keep your cool-.
ing system in top condition,
your anti -freeze -coolant
should be replaced every 12
months, and after it has been
thoroughly back -flushed.
The reverse -flush opera-
tion is not difficult to do;
Prestone offers a special
Flush and Fill kit in sizes to
fit most cars. Once installed,
the kit stays in positionon
your heater inlet hose and
can be used as often as you
like.
Using a garden hose and
normal water pressure, you
can clean out the old sedi-
ment and coolant, refill the
radiator with a 70-30 mixture
Prestone II and water in just
45 minutes.
Be Prepared
For Winter
a,
McKerlie- Millen
We Corry
a complete
line ofwinter
products for
your auto
or tractor needs
•
Mcketlie-MiIIen Inc.
$6 ALBERT STREET
CLINTON
Phone: 482.3445
a