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The Huron Expositor, 1979-04-19, Page 3410 - CAR CARE SECTION Most RVsiaek.'maintt:: I Despite the fact that vir- ally every recreational ve icle owner is seeking bet- ter fuel economyand is dis- satisfied with present. gasoline mileage, most dis- play widespread inattention to basic-l'uel-saving engine maintenance; Tests on nearly 200 motor homes and towing ve- hicles showed that 79 percent of the motor homes and 78.., percent of the vehicles used topull trailers had at least one maintenance deficiency that would adversely affect fuel economy, emissions, or performance. In other words. four out of every five needed at :least part of a tune -t.; An earlier " test of some 5,600 passenger cars found a similar situation r:th 79 percent requiring mainte- nance, The most frequent engine malfunction disciv'ered among the recreational vehi- cles was incorrect timing, A total of 67 percent of the H .. RV owners find maintenance checks increase gas mileage. ' Check our law -cost ioans The, rate is 'low and thereis no charge: for loan pro action insurance NUB Clinton Community Credit Un•on. Limited 70 Ontario SL, Cllntor 482-3467 Main St., Exeter . 235-0640 BUSINESS HOURS Monday thru Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Friday 0:00 a.m. -'8:00 p.m. CLOSED ALL DAY SATURDAY motor 'homes and 60.5 per- cent of the towing vehicles had timing that was retarded or advanced at least two de- grees from manufacturer's specifications. Such incorrect timing is a major cause of poor perfor- mance, detonatiion, and wasted fuel, Engineers per-. formed diagnostic exam- inations of the engine and ig- nition systems on 76 towing vehicles at an Airstream 1 Trailer rally in Mansfield,. Ohio. Although the motor home or travel trailer isgenerally considered an expensive ve- hicle. owners are thrifty. All but one in the entire sample used regular gasoline, and many answered the question of what type of gas they used, with "the cheapest I can find." Virtually every RV, owner said that he was seeking bet- ter gasoline mileage and was disappointed in his present milesper gallon. Most admit- ted to getting just five to eight miles. per gallon. Few ex- ceeded 10 miles per gallon. In terms of maintenance, the motor homes were in worse condition than the tow - h f k I replacement. Of vehicles used for towing. 59 percent'; , needed new' spark plugs. while only 23 percent of the motor homes required the;. • replacement of plugs. There are currently no. standards for emissions- on ' motor 'homes. increasingly. standards are being applied to : the rugged recreational vehicles and pickup trucks frequently being used to .pull heavy trailers. The • tests showed that 59 percentof the motor homes and 65. percent of the towing vehicles failed emission checks: based on New Jersey passenger'car standards. In earlier tests, 41 percent „,of cars failed these standards': Mr. Walker explained that the -high concentrations of ing vehicles. The only exception to this i was n t e'area o spar pug prior to every major trip, is recommended. This guaran- tees peak performance and fuel economy, "Such a recommendation �ance work does not mean that a major tune-up is always neces- sary," Mr, Walker added, "The best definition of a tune-up is: Any service nec- essary to restore the engine to it manufacturer's spec- ifications and performance standards." "These figures are only on gasoline saved and do not take into account the more, dependable starting and bet- ter performance a tune-up af- fords." While Mr. Woodard be Heves his 1 Rite Time Saver system ,could benefit all motorists, his primary area of concentration is for fleet markets. He says, "A computerized analysis of fuel purchases not only provides exact informa- tion on how fuel is used, but it is also useful for tax account- ing purposes. It also helps a fleet owner detect any unau- thorized use of fuel." '1 Mr. Woodard, , a retired Elmer R. (Woody) Woodard explains the workings of his 1 Rite Time Saver Fuel Control System at his Elizabeth City, N.C., service station. After buying gas and recording her. odometer mileage, the customer inserts a credit card into a machine that computes kev details of the transaction Later, she'llget a,report on how efficiently she uses. fuel.. System shoals::... Tune-ups don t cost; they pay .in economy A tune-up doesn't cost. It. pays. • New proof for, that . state- ment comes from a formula developed by a North Carolina businessman who has devised a new system to achieve economical car op- eration. . Elmer R. .(Woody) Woodard of South Mills, N.C., has applied• computer science tohis fuel dispensing operation to let customers know exactly how efficiently (or inefficiently) their vehi- cles are running.. Mr, .Woodard's system. known as -1 Rite Time Saver, Fuel Control System," pro- vides issuance of periodic print-outs including the fol- lowing: LOST needs attention when his fuel, cost per mile goes up dramat- ically.' Based on information he has gathered, Mr. Woodard's formula shows how im- proved fuel economy, pays. for a tune-up. His basic formula involves a car averaging 10 miles per gallon, driving'1;000 miles a month, purchasing. gasoline tor. 60 cents per gallon, with 10,000 -mile tune-up Inter- vals. Assuming an • average tune-up cost of 540, eliminat- ing liminat-ing' a i'a of a mile per gallon loss in fuel economy would pay for the price of a tune-up over a year. Under Mr. Woodard's formula: carbon monoxide and hydro- MILEAGE WASTE • Quantify of;•fuel pur- chased .25 MPG $15 • Cost orpurchase ,., .r .50 MPG 530 • Miles traveled since last .75 MPG $45 purchase 1'MPG $60 carbon pollutants found in the RVs,are a sign that the vehicles are probably wast- ing gasoline and performing at a substandard level. But with this increase in leisure and ret:reational travel, thousands have let slip; routine vehicle mainte nance. Mr. Walker said. 'The gradual falling off of... engine performance ,fre- quently goes unnoticed to the average motorist because the deterioration has been slow. Heat. vibration, and normal wear graduaaly change the clearances between engine parts and the' adjustments within the electrical, fuel, and ignition systems. 'When owners do notice'. the need for maintenance, it is usually only after fuel economy already has been sacrificed for a considerable amount of time," he said. "Thebest answer for the RV owner to the questions of when and how often to tune is that seasonal maintenance, or even better, maintenance. Bias Ply' Tire / soot/ nv Co11DO IW N .,+/- ON .IAO Body ply cords run on bias from bead to bead Built with 2 to 4 plies cord angle reversed an each ply Tread is bonded directly to top ply • Average miles per gallon. on each purchase • Average fuel cost per mile on each purchase Mr. Woodard points out, "It's simple for a motorist to become aware that his engine Calculations are based on the fact that surveys show an untuned engine consumes. more than 11 percent fuel than when it is tuned. Mr: Woodard points out, navy career officer, intends to :franchise his 1 Rite Time Saver system nationally. Certified mechanics::: abound Finding a mechanic cer- tified by the National Insti- tute for Automotive. Service - Excellence in your neighbor-. hood becomes less difficult all the time. Some ' 140,000 mechanics have won NiAS'E credentials. ' •Ask the repair shop if it cinploys NIASE certified mechanics. Look for the orange and blue gear' shoul- der patches and the outdoor sign thatreiads: "We employ:. mechanics certified by NIASE , . . let us show you their credentials." If you want a free listing of shops employing certified mechanics in your state, send a stamped. self-addressed; envelope. to NiaASE State,; Listing, Suite.' 51.5, 1825 K Street NW, Washington. D.C. 20(X)6. USE WANT - ADS `BUILT TOUGH TO MAKE YOUR TRUCK'S LIFE 'EASIER .LINE- BEOI v v Folks all over are instailing. fine -A -Beds In their trucks because of their beauty and rugged durabWty: We rcarry many sizes, and models of truck covers TRAVEL - Sales Service Travel Trailers . Travel Accessories Folding Campers . Truck Covers 519-482-3364 R.R.2 Clinton, Ont. Canada