r&SCilL Priscilla . f ' • • . " » j r ^ ^ • " V ? ' - r ' y. . • » - . ' v • • i SUPPLEMENT TO McHENRY PLAINDEALER - PAGE 14 - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1977 Condition of spark plugs critical as winter reduces needed voltage Latin. STATE INSURANCE! For insurance call Granville Sornson 1303 N.Richmond Rd. 385-1627 STATE FARM INSURANCE COMPANIES HOME OFFICES: BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS "It hasn't been my day," complained the housewife. "This morning my car wouldn't start and I got an overdrawn notice on my checking account from the bank." While the doubly unfor tunate circumstances seem ingly are unrelated, there is a striking parallel between cars not starting and checks bouncing. They are both cases of demand exceeding the supply. The bank overdrafts are a matter of simple econom ics. An avalanche of bills falls due at (Mice and there is a shortage of funds in the bank. You write one check too many, and you're over drawn. Reduces supply In the case of the starting failures, it is a matter of inclement weather reducing the supply of electrical cur rent available from the igni tion system. At the same time, the plugs' need for high voltage is increased. When ignition components, particularly spark plugs, are worn, the result is starting bankruptcy. When winter comes, the voltage available dwindles while the voltage required soars. For example, at 0* F., a battery loses about half of its cranking power. At the same time, cold weather in creases the voltage required to fire the spark plugs and it's harder to vaporize fuel to form ignitable mixtures in the combustion chamber. And when parts of the ignition system are not func tioning properly, starting problems are virtually a certainty. Condition critical As spark plugs undergo normal use, the electrical and chemical punishment they receive erodes their gaps. The wider the gap, the more voltage is required to make the spark jump across to cause ignition. Worn electrodes, there fore, increase the demand for voltage to achieve igni tion. In addition, foreign deposits on the spark plugs, such as wet fuel, carbon, oil, or lead, can further hamper ignition. Other ignition system components must be in good working condition for dependable starting. The spark plug wires and boots, the distributor and its com ponents and the coil can help cause a can't start when they are malfunction ing due to wear or damage. Best insurance According to a recent survey, a tune-up is the best insurance against repeated starting problems. Recharg ing or replacing the battery alone does not always do the job. More than one out of every three motorists who serviced their batteries after a starting failure had re peated trouble. That is twice the rate of new starting problems experienced by owners who purchased tune- ups after the first failure. Where winter starts are concerned, a complete tune- up is like money in the bank. Gas on Thruway Most of the panies selling big oil com- gasoline to TOWN CARS • TRAVEL • JUST PLAIN FUN • CAR POOLS • SOCIAL EVENTS • SALES DISPLAY • SHOPPING drivers using the New York State Thruway have decided they want to get out of the business--or at least out of the locations they now oper ate. Companies running 27 of the 30 stations along the toll road have told the state they do not want to pick up their options for five more years. That means that be fore the end of 1977, the state will be taking bids on those locations. Texaco, Mo bil, Chevron and Atlantic ' Richfield are the companies giving up their spots; only Amoco, with Thruway sta tions at Guilderland, Patter- | sonville and Mohawk, is con- i tinuing with its current sites. • SALES OFFICE • CAMPING FOR THE PRICE OF A STATION WAGONI PUIS THE BEST SERVICE ia McHenry County NNYSIDE DODGE 4810 W. ROUTE 120, McHENRY 385-7220 OPEN DAILY 9-9, SATURDAY 9-5, SUNDAY 10-4 STOP IN AND SEE THIS UNIQUE WAY TO TRAVEL TODAY! Exxon Dropping 4 Midwest States Giant Standard Oil Com pany of New Jersey has never been able to garner a significant piece of the gaso line business in the Midwest. So the company is selling its 213 stations in Illinois, Indi ana, Wisconsin and Michigan, and its brand will disappear from the area. Actually, Exxon gasoline and other automotive prod ucts will still be sold in the stations, since it will be sup plying fuel to the new owner, Checker Oil, a Chi cago independent gasoline operation. Checker will run the stations under the Okla homa brand name, one of the trade names Standard of New Jersey used to use in the region. It also had tried selling gas under signs read ing Pate, Gaseteria and, more recently, Enco. Checker says it is paying just under |15 million for the acquisitions. If you see smooth, narrow bands running across the face of your automobile tires, it means the tread groove depth is worn to 1/16 of an inch and it's time to replace your tires. Treadwear indicators, often called "wear bars," serve as a warning to motor ists when tires are worn to the danger point. Logical The only thing you can do about a poor memory is . Wt forget it t sr.SanPjrancisco.