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The Gisborne Photo News

 

82

Motoring With Robbie

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A Mysterious engine miss can be traced to the dipstick on some late model Studebakers and other cars. If the stick isn't completely pushed home and the loop of the handle is by mischance turned the wrong way, it can short out the coil primary wire.

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Reading the oil level with clean oil on the dipstick can often be difficult. Make it easier by prick-punching a series of dents in the dip stick. Oil will collect in the punch marks and show the level clearly. Small drilled holes work even better; each hole then acts as a small lens when filled with oil.

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Handy Hint
Avoid running the road wheels against the kerb when parking. Besides causing cracks in the walls of the tyres the steering can be misaligned.

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Spots on white convertible tops can be hard to remove. Solvents often leave a dark ring but many spots can be taken out with a soft pencil eraser. Simply rub the spot which should remove the mark without smearing.

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If your car is equipped with an automatic choke you can improve short-trip economy by rerouting a heater hose so that it touches the choke thermostat housing. Heat from the hose keeps the choke from closing during the short pause between errands and saves petrol.

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Expanding a heavy spring that works under tension sometimes calls for a special tool. Bending the spring and wedging the coils open with flat washers does the trick. When the spring is in place and is stretched once with the normal action of the lever to which it is attached, the washers will fall out.

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Distributor lead order can be easily mixed when replacing wires or distributor cap. Some numbered spring clip clothes pegs make it easy to keep track of which wire goes where if you have to remove them all at once. Instead of tagging the pegs they could be marked with pencil or ball point pen.