The Water Tank—The water tank or radiator is placed on the front of the car and should be kept filled with clear water. Any sediment that is allowed to enter the radiator will clog it and the engine will then overheat. During the winter it is well to fill the radiator with some anti-freezing solution. Alcohol is good for this purpose, mixed with water in the following proportions as desired.
2 pints wood alcohol to 1 gallon water freezes at 0° Fahr.
21⁄2 pints wood alcohol to 1 gallon water freezes at 10° below
3 pints wood alcohol to 1 gallon water freezes at 20° below
4 pints wood alcohol to 1 gallon water freezes at 38° below
If steam is discharged from the radiator, examine the fan directly back of it and the water pump, and see that there is no clog in the pipes leading to and from it.
Tires—Keep the tires free from oil and grease as they rot the rubber. Drive very carefully in wet weather because rubber cuts very easily when wet. Drive slowly around corners and start and stop without jerks; also be very careful not to rub the tires against the curb. Have all small cuts vulcanized so that moisture cannot get in and rot the fabric. Do not run on a flat tire unless it has been damaged beyond repair. Run slowly on the rim or wrap rope around it if no other tire is to be had. It is very important to keep the tires fully inflated at all times. If tires do not give satisfactory wear report it to the manufacturer at once. When the car is to be laid up for some time, place jacks under it to keep the weight off the tires.
To Start the Motor—Place the gear-shifting lever in the neutral position, put the emergency brake on, retard the spark fully or if well acquainted with the motor, to a point where the spark will surely occur after the crank has passed top center. Open throttle about one-third. (After getting acquainted with the machine you will find a position for the throttle where the motor starts best.)
Put the switch in “On” position. If the motor habitually starts hard, prime the carburetor with choking or enriching lever. If car is equipped with electric self-starter, press hard on starting button or pedal. When the engine starts, remove foot from pedal immediately, then close throttle and advance spark lever two-thirds. In cranking the motor by hand, grasp some part of the car with the left hand to steady yourself, place the feet wide apart, and stand close to the front of the machine. Grasp the starting crank with the right hand having it at its lowest position, or a little to the right of this point. Push the crank in as far as it will go and turn slowly clockwise until it engages the crank shaft. It will usually catch when about at its lowest position. When engaged, brace yourself firmly and pull up quickly on crank, turning it about one-half revolution. If after repeating this operation several times the engine does not start, it may be found necessary to spin the motor. This means cranking for a full revolution or more. In spinning the motor, care should be taken to always start with an up pull so as to gain momentum for the down thrust and so reduce the danger of a kick back to a minimum. After the engine starts, advance the spark about two-thirds and close the throttle. If the engine has been started on the battery and a magneto is used, switch immediately from the battery to magneto. Do not allow the motor to race. When running idle, it should turn over at its slowest speed.
To Start the Car—Take your place in the driver’s seat, place left foot on clutch pedal, and press hard to release the clutch. Keep it disengaged while with the right hand the emergency brake is released and gear lever is shifted from neutral to the first speed notch. Then with the right foot press the accelerator pedal gently until the motor speed is increased a little and at the same time with the left foot allow the clutch pedal to come back, until the clutch starts to engage and the car begins to move. From this point decrease the pressure on the clutch pedal very gradually until the clutch is fully engaged, at the same time listening to the engine to see that it doesn’t slow down sufficiently to stall. If it shows signs of stalling, press accelerator pedal a little more to increase its speed, at the same time keeping a slightly greater pressure on the clutch pedal. Stalling the motor is the result of feeding too little gas with the accelerator, or of not keeping pressure on the clutch pedal during the time the clutch is engaging. The jerking of the car comes from feeding too much gas and engaging the clutch too suddenly. Both of these faults may be overcome by listening to the speed of the engine and keeping it right through the proper use of the accelerator pedal, and by releasing the pressure of the foot from the clutch pedal very gradually from the time it starts to engage until it is fully engaged. It is impossible to become a good driver until the ear learns to judge the speed of the motor by its sound and the left foot learns to engage the clutch gradually. When the clutch has become fully engaged, press accelerator pedal slightly to speed up the machine. As soon as it has attained fair momentum, release the clutch and at the same time let up on the accelerator pedal. Change gear lever immediately from first speed notch to second speed notch and let in the clutch quickly until you feel it take hold and then gradually, at the same time pressing slightly on the accelerator pedal. When the clutch pedal is pushed out, the accelerator pedal should be released; when the clutch is let in, the accelerator pedal should be pressed slightly. Change from second to third and from third to fourth if four speeds are employed, always releasing clutch when gear is shifted, and always accelerating slightly while the clutch is being engaged.
Do not forget that the clutch is released when the clutch pedal is pushed out, and that it is engaged when the pedal is allowed to come back. Run on the high-speed gear as much as possible, and when it is necessary to drive more slowly release the clutch and apply the brake gently until the car is brought to the desired speed. Then if the speed of the machine is low enough to warrant it, release the brake and, with the clutch still disengaged, change from the high to the next lower speed notch and let in the clutch. If the car has lost much momentum it may be necessary to change to the lowest gear before letting in the clutch, otherwise the engine may be stalled. Do not drive too close to other vehicles or objects before releasing the clutch and applying the brakes as the brakes may not hold as well as you think and you may not be able to operate them correctly when in close quarters. If while the machine is standing it is found impossible to move the gear lever from neutral to first or reverse, leave the lever in neutral, allow the clutch to engage slightly, then release it quickly and shift lever to desired notch.
To Stop the Car—Select a lamp-post, tree, or other object along the curb, and when still some distance from it, disengage the clutch and apply the brake gently and get the car under control so that you can, if you wish, stop ten feet before the object is reached. Then, releasing the brake pressure slightly, allow the car to drift to the object, stopping with the rear door directly opposite the object and the car close enough to the curb to allow passengers to alight on the sidewalk. Shift gears to neutral, apply emergency brake, and allow clutch to engage. Be careful that the tires do not scrape along the curb as this is very damaging. The brake should be applied so that the car is not brought up with a jerk. This can be accomplished easily with a little practice, as can also starting of the car. Remember that you are driving for the comfort of the passengers, and they can feel the jerks and jar much more than you.
To Reverse the Car—Bring it to a standstill first, then with the clutch released place the gear lever in the reverse notch. Allow the clutch to engage gently with the left hand only on the steering wheel, look backward and gauge the direction by the rear end of the car. Do not attempt to steer by watching the front wheels; always look to the rear when going backward, to make sure the way is clear.