The Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-10-26, Page 43itpaysto keep car battery in ti
The fast apprgaching cold weather
season significantly increases the need for
maintenance of automotive bat-
es.
ates.
y battery was all right until it got cold
last night," car owners frequently com-
plainas soon as the first cold snap
hits.. call Bfy
then it is too late to do anything
help.
Here is advice tokeep your battery in
tip-top ns shape.
*Inspect monthly: The battery should be
inspected monthly to make sure the ter-
minals are clean, the electrolyte (fluid in
the battery) is maintained at the proper
level, and the belts and clamps are tight.
Use a hydrometer to obtain an accurate
reading of the battery's state of charge.
These are inexpensive and available from
most retailers of automotive products.
*Lifetime batteries: Most maintenance -
free (or lifetime) batteries are sealed and
so do not require checking of the elec-
trolyte level. Even with these batteries,
however, you sometimes can check the
level by looking through the translucent
material on the side of the battery.
These batteries keep the supply of elec-
trolyte at the proper level by using an ex-
pension,
xpension, or vapor storage, compartment to
trap the gasses given off during charging
and discharging. The condensation from
these gasses drains back into the cells.
If your car has a conventional battery
and the fluid level is low, add water to
those cells which need it. The car should
then be driven a while before using the
hydrometer to recheck the electrolyte
level. This will give you a true reading by
allowing the charging system of the vehi-
77 ALBERT ST.-CLINTON
(Across from McK.rlle-Millen Clinton)
482-7770
°Recores for all makes
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re
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Corner of Hamilton
and Queen St.
523-9305
BLYTH
WINTER'S COMING...
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cle to recharge the cells.
•Not in winter: Never add water to a bat-
tery during the winter unless you plan to
drive the vehicle shortly afterward. This
will prevent, the water from freezing and
damaging the battery.
A fully -charged battery will not freeze
until the under -the -hood temperature
drops to minus 70 degrees F.; a weak bat-
tery, at 20 degrees F. — only 12 degrees
below freezing.
The most common causes of battery
failure are corrosion on the battery ter-
minals and battery terminal ends, and a
loose connection. These conditions are
easily remedied if they are caught before a
battery failure occurs.
•The brush-off: For corroded terminals,
simply remove the cables from the bat-
tery. Be sure you remove the negative or
top shape
"ground" cable first. There is no problem
in determining which of the two cables
goes to the negative terminal.
Conventionally mounted batteries have
terminals that are two sizes. The smaller -
sized terminal is the negative one and
usually will be marked "Neg." or '°(—)."
Some General Motors cars have side -
mounted batteries — the terminals face a
side rather than upward. The negative ter-
minals on these t atteries are black.
Clean all the terminals and cable ends
with a wire brush.
Once the cables and terminals are clean
and shiny, re -install the cables.
•Safety first — and last: Be sure you
hook up the negative/ground cable last.
The reason for removing the negative
cable first and replacing it last is to avoid
Turn to page 7 •
Cold weather starting hints
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Keeping your automobile in good shape
is the best way to insure against having to
pull out your battery booster cables this
winter. Before the cold weather hits, be
sure your car is winterized for the season.
Here are some guidelines developed by
The Gates Rubber Company which can
help ease your cold morning starting wor-
ries.
1. A winter tune-up is your � eco d
in-
surance against not starting
weather. Regular tune-ups, including
points, plugs and ignition wire checks are
of special importance in the winter.
2. The benefits of a well -tuned car will go
further when you use the correct grade of.
winter oil for your area. This will often
make the difference between starting and
not starting.
3. Have your battery cables checked to
be sure they are in good condition with
tight connections.
4. The battery, itself, should be checked
for electrolyte level. A battery at zero
Water saving tips
The followin suugggestions provide water
saving tips and further user awareness.
• Take showers rather than tub baths,
but limit your showering time and check
the water flow if you want to save energy.
It takes about 30 gallons of water to fill the
average tub. A shower with a flow of four
gallons of water a minute uses only 20
gallons in five minutes.
Assuming you use hall hot and hall cold
water for bathing, you would save about
five gallons of hot water every time you
degrees Fahrenheit produces less than 50
percent of the power it has at 80 degrees
Fahrenheit, and requires 2% times as
much power to crank the engine. for
5. All V -belts should be inspected
wear, especially the alternator drive.
Because of the types of V -belts used in
most cars today, it is very difficult ® even
for the trained mechanic o to spot a failing
belt. So, as a rule of thumb, if your belts
are four years old, replace them whether
or not they appear to need it. Replacement
should be done sooner than every four
years if you do a great deal of driving.
6. If the weather in your area demands
it, consider using auxiliary heaters such as
oil, coolant, or battery heaters. A battery
heater can be very effective in extremely
cold areas.
7. Rust and dirt in the cooling system can
cause poor heater output. If necessary, the
cooling system should be flushed. At the
same time, the thermostat and all hoses
should be checked:
substitute a shower -for a bath. Thus, if you
substituted just one shower for one bath
per day, you would save almost 2,000
gallons of hot water in a year.
• Consider installinga flow restrictor in
the pipe at the showerhead. These inexpen-
sive, easy -to -install devicesrestrict the
flow of water to an adequate three to four
gallons per minute. This can save con-
siderable amounts of hot water and the
energy used to produce them over a year's
time.
Friendly, Personal
Service Since 1958 8
M•W MOTORS
LTD.
SALES & SERVICE
184 EAST STREET, GODERICH ph:524.2113
"Oar Dealership may be harder to fiind...but then, so are our prices...elsewhere!"
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