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Show AVOID TROUBLES OF CAR BATTERY Reading of Hydrometer Is Best Way of Testing Its Strength. (By ERWIN GREER, President Greer College- of Automotive Engineering, Chicago.) Learn to read the hydrometer, as it is the best way of testing the battery. Get one made of celluloid instead of glass, as this type is in less danger of breaking. A reading between 1,275 and 1,300 denotes that the battery is being properly charged by the generator. gen-erator. If the hydrometer reading gets down to 1,200 you may be using the lights or starter too much. If the engine Is hard to start excessive use of the starter will run down the battery. bat-tery. If the ear is not operated much during the day time the battery may not get enough current to carry the lights. In case none of these troubles are shown and the system still is at fault you should have the car taken to an electrical expert, as the generator gen-erator may not be delivering the amount of current necessary. Take Care of Terminals. Keep the battery terminals tight and covered with cup grease to prevent corrosion by the battery acid. Prevent short circuits by watching the insulation insula-tion of the wires and covering worn places with tape. The only attention the wires need is to see that they do not come loose or become short circuited. cir-cuited. By going over the thumb nuts occasionally and glancing at the rest of the wiring such troubles will be avoided. Watch the Ammeter. Keep an eye on the ammeter to make sure that the battery Is charging charg-ing when the engine is running. When the car is running about twenty miles an hour, with all the lights turned on, the ammeter should show "charge." If It doesn't the battery will be discharged. dis-charged. This calls for expert attention. atten-tion. Also note when the ammeter doesn't "discharge" when lights and ignition are turned off. This is a short circuit between the ammeter and switch and It must be found and corrected cor-rected immediately.'. If the ammeter needle becomes bent, giving wrong reading, this may be determined by shutting off the light and disconnecting disconnect-ing the wire from the ammeter to the switch. The successful motorist is the fellow who learns by observation and who is constantly tinkering with his car. Try It out and find how much you don't know about an automobile. |