Readers: Yes, anti-roll device indeed existed

Dear Bob: In reference to a reader inquiring about a trunk-installed stabilizer for cars:

Around 1970 a car magazine had an article about a trunk-mounted skid stabilizer that had a weight, and a method of moving it as the car turned, to help stabilize it.

Keep writing and I’ll keep reading!

— J., via e-mail

Dear Bob: About that device that was to give stability on sharp turns:

In the 1960s I was introduced to a device that was about 4 feet in length and about 4 inches in diameter. It was laid crosswise in the trunk, and had a weight that shifted during fast turns. A local parts store had one and I did use it a couple of times, but I don’t recall any special results.

I returned it to the store, and haven’t heard a thing about it for all these years.

I greatly enjoy your articles.

— J.C., Spokane, Wash.

Dear Bob: The anti-roll device described by one of your readers did indeed exist.

It had a large weight mounted on a bar, with springs and buffers used to limit its travel. It was installed in the rear compartment of large vacation trailers. The principal was the same as that used in high-rise buildings to limit sway caused by high winds.

To my knowledge the device was not popular with RVers, even though it was somewhat effective in reducing sway when a large truck passed.

— A.V.M., via e-mail

A: To judge by the reports from my ever-knowledgeable readers, it seems that this device did indeed exist, but went the way of many other DIY-installed contraptions.

Dear Bob: My engine makes a loud squealing sound from the belt drive. I have had it checked twice by a shop. They have replaced the belt and the tensioner pulley, and have checked all the components driven by the belt for bad bearings. My truck continues to squeal like an embarrassing child wherever it goes.

What else can I do?

— R.H., United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.

A: There are two possibilities that the shop may somehow have overlooked, neither especially hard to check for.

If the belt is not tight enough, that would account for the squealing. I doubt that the shop could have missed this very basic adjustment, but check it again for proper tension anyway.

The other possibility is that the belt is not aligned properly — in other words, all the pulleys etc. that it passes through are not in a perfect vertical plane. Any misalignment of the pulleys would cause squealing.

Dear Bob: I’m responding to a column of yours, sent to me by a friend in the Albany area. Your column referred to a Cadillac Escalade using oil, and your suggestion was to change to a different style of PCV valve.

My 2001 DeVille has consumed a quart of oil every thousand miles since Day 1. The dealer tells me that this is “normal” for the vehicle. I spoke to another man with a 2002 DeVille who had the same problem.

I can’t complain about performance or mileage — 19 city and 28 highway — but this use of oil is not right. I’m going to confront the dealer with your column and see where it gets me.

— D.H., Pottstown, Pa.

A: I’m not sure that the fix I noted for the Escalade will apply to your DeVille, but there’s no harm in asking.

This “normal” oil-use thing has stuck in the craws of many new-car owners, whether their vehicles came from GM, Ford or other carmakers. Anywhere from 750 miles to 1,500 miles per quart is considered “normal” oil consumption by a number of manufacturers.

Is this a cover-up for a significant flaw in an otherwise excellent-performing engine, or is this really realistic and unavoidable oil use for this type of engine? I can’t answer that.

But I do know that it doesn’t seem right. I for one would be quite unhappy if I had a new car that, after break-in, continued to use oil in this 1,000-miles-per-quart “normal” range.

AMERICAN DRIVERS FIGHT BACK

Here’s a tip that will help you get better gas mileage while fighting terrorism and cutting our nation’s dependence on Mideastern oil:

Before backing into a tight parking place, turn off all accessories. The engine is already laboring overtime turning the power-steering unit. Any added accessory use, especially the air conditioner, requires extra horsepower from the engine and that means using extra gas.

The same applies when leaving that tight space: Wait a few seconds, until you are clear and moving freely, before you turn on the accessories. It’s a small sacrifice that, if practiced regularly, will pay nice dividends in gas savings.

Want to save even more? Turning off all accessories right before you turn off the engine will ease the strain on the engine when it’s restarted, so that it uses even less gas.