Motoring fact or fallacy?

valve seals The motoring world has not been spared its share of myths . Here are some common ones. If your

engine is running hot take out the thermostat . Fact or Fallacy ? Total fallacy. An engine needs a thermostat to

warm up quickly and to keep the coolant temperature stable in changing ambient temperatures. Removing it will

drastically shorten the life of the engine, apart from wasting a lot of fuel . If an engine is running unnaturally

hot, there is a problem somewhere in the cooling system, but don’t blame the thermostat. There’s this new fuel-

saving gizmo guaranteed to save you 15 percent on petrol. Fact or Fallacy? Absolute fantasy. Why would car

manufacturers spend millions on tooling for improvements that save perhaps 1 percent on petrol if they can fit

this gizmo that saves 15 percent? New engines no longer need a run-in period and special run-in oil. Fact or

fallacy? It’s true for some of the more expensive engines. Study the owner’s handbook. An engine that has been

rebored or re-sleeved does normally require special break-in oil. A smoking engine always means worn rings. Fact

or fallacy? Not always true. Could also be leaking valve stem oil seals (the give-away is a puff of smoke when you

first give petrol after having been off the accelerator on a downhill stretch). Valve seals are actually good

news; with the right equipment they can normally be replaced without major dismantling. A simple top-end overhaul

is generally sufficient to restore a sick engine to health. Fact or fallacy? Fallacy. A worn engine will have wear

in places not touched in a top-end overhaul. Soon you will have to do it properly. A sluggish starter almost

certainly means you need a new battery. Fact or fallacy? By no means a certainty. Could be bad wiring or problems

inside the starter motor. And if the finger does point to the battery perhaps it simply isn’t being charged as it

should. Petrol is a marvellous cleaner for greasy parts, etc. Fact or fallacy? A half-truth. Petrol is vicious

stuff. It may be good at removing oil and grease and unless you wear gloves the petrol will penetrate your skin.