CHAPTER X

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF A GALLON OF GAS

With the price of gasoline constantly mounting skyward and tires following when not leading the rise, while everything else needed for automobile upkeep is ascendant, it is timely to assert the need that the owner consider his expense and renewal costs. And when it is considered that labor and repair parts have pirouetted along with the other things, it behooves the owner to devise ways of decreasing his running expenses and to learn how to get as much as possible out of a gallon of gas, and every mile out of his tires they can be coaxed to give.

There are many little expenses about running a car which total a considerable sum. A nickel, a dime, a quarter, a dollar, do not seem much at the time, but they pile up the cost per mile frightfully. Not everyone can be like a friend, who, when cautioned about the way his chauffeur was running up the cost of his several cars, replied:

“I don’t want to know what my cars cost. If I did, my business instinct would doubtless make me dispose of them all, and I do not want to do this. The cars are a luxury and I don’t want to know what they cost.”

A car which lasts with ordinary care one or two years, if given intelligent care by the owner might be made to last three to five years. This means taking unusual precaution and having a thorough knowledge of the working parts and of how to keep them in condition, and it means doing faithfully and persistently the things necessary to keep everything in order.

When it is considered that under prevailing conditions it may not be possible to get a new car as often as it has been in the past, it might be as well to take care of the cars we have rather than let them go to rack and ruin for lack of care. A good many automobiles are wasted more than they are used. In some cases this is due to carelessness and in others by lack of knowledge of what to do and how to do it.

Take tires, for instance. The cost due to neglect is often greater than the cost of actual wear. Some of the things which cause excessive wear and deterioration of tires are driving into holes in the street, or in deep ruts, turning corners at too high speed, stopping the car so quickly with the brake that the wheels slide on the pavement, and a harsh clutch which jerks the car suddenly from a standstill, causing needless wear. Then there are such things as letting the front wheels get out of alignment so that they do not run parallel, or nearly so, the action being that the tire is slid, instead of being rolled, over the road. There should be a slight toe in, for mechanical reasons, as explained elsewhere, but if this is allowed to go beyond the proper limit it costs money.

Adjusters tell us that a very large percentage of tire failures is caused by under-inflation, which allows the tires to flatten and breaks the side walls. Every tire should be tested with a gauge and not with the eye or hand and kept to the pressure named by the tire maker.

To get the greatest life out of a tire it should be watched continually for small cuts through the rubber to the fabric. Most tires will be found after a short service to have from two to a dozen such cuts. These will allow sand to work in and loosen the rubber and then moisture gets in and rots the fabric. There are preparations with which these cuts may be healed in a few minutes; serious cuts, especially where the rubber is loosened from the fabric, should be taken at once to the vulcanizer.

While oil and grease of good quality cost money, their proper use will save many times their price in replacement of parts. On the other hand, a waste of lubricant makes unnecessary expense. Especially with a new car, oil and grease should be carefully watched until the bearings have had time to work in. That is the time when expense for replacement of bearings is most likely.

It is not generally realized that a large number of things enter into the economical use of gasoline. To get the most out of a gallon of gasoline all moving parts must work properly. This means proper lubrication. The brakes should not drag; each cylinder of the engine should fire properly; the clutch should not slip, and the carburetor should be in proper adjustment. It is not well to adjust the carburetor unless you are sure it is at fault. Excessive carbon in the cylinder causes a decided loss of power, due to back pressure on the piston, and the partial clogging of the muffler indirectly consumes extra gasoline. The importance of keeping the muffler free is not usually understood.

To insure each cylinder getting its proper power without waste, the engine should be driven with the spark lever advanced as far as possible without causing back pressure. The spark-plug gaps should be properly adjusted to insure a thorough ignition of the charge; the spark plugs should be kept clean to prevent the loss of a charge of gas through non-ignition, likewise the interrupter points, and the distributor should be kept clean and properly adjusted.

To use all the gas that is taken into the cylinder there should be no loss of compression through leaky valves, or weak valve springs, or poor gaskets on spark plugs or valve caps; and it is equally important that pet cocks, cylinder head, where there is one, and piston rings are tight, so that gas will not be wasted.

It is not safe to leave these things to the chauffeur and the garage man. The owner should learn himself how to make all these adjustments. If he does so he will find that his propelling machine will work better, and that he will not only have more use and pleasure out of it, but he will save a very appreciable part of the cost of up-keep.