Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-08
QUESTION OF O|L|NG
/ IS IMPORTANT ONE
One Drop in Right Place Is
Worth Gallons in
Wrong.
IF CLUTCH is FIERCE
SHOULD BE DiSMANTLED
Non-Alignment of Crank and Gear
Shafts Not an Unusual
Trouble.

The old saying. a bird in the hand is
worth two in the BUSH may. in the case
Of all moving machinery in general and
motor cars in particular. be construed
to mean. "A drop of oil in the right place
Is worth gallons in the wrong.
Taking the various moving parts in
their relative order of Importance. one
hnds that the connections and spindles of
the brakes-especially the side brakes
are. on most cars fitted With oiling de-
vices of more or less efficiency which are
most prone TO become clogged up with
paint and mud. The natural consequence
is that these spindles become rusted
up that in time the brakes refuse to be-
come released when the lever is brought
hack, and the result is a mysterious loss
Of power from, the engine and paint from
the back wheel brake drums. In this
particular it is advisable to take off the
back wheels once in about six months and
completely dismantle the brakes. repiac-
Ing them after having thoroughly cleaned
all bearing surfaces with emery cloth and
given them a good supply of grease.
While on this subject it may be mention
cd that unequal adjustment Of the side
brakes is one of the most fruitful causes
of side-SlippinC.
That the engine must he under proper
control and not subject to the alternative
of either racing or stopping is perfectly
obvious if the combination of an lrreSu-
larly running, engine and a fierce clutch
be considered when driving in traffic.
This is only a question of tuning up. but
1t bears upon the present subject. mas
much as il causes undue wear and tear
on the transmission.
If Clutch Is Fierce.
II the clutch is fierce it should be dis
leather-faced cone type releathered il
necessary or the leather rasped up and
castor oil soaked into it IL it be not burn
ed. If the clutch is of the multiple disk
type see that the disks are free from
btIrrs. that they slide freely and that the
oil is quite clean and free from grit. a
sweet clutch is a boon unappreciated by
those inexperienced in the vagarieS of one
that is fierce
The connecting joints. pivots and arms
OF the steering gear are OF great 1mpor-
lance and are subject to more than usual
wear, as it is impossible to keep the mud
out. Therefore they soon work dry IN
less receiving constant weekly attention
Leather covers are. in some cases.
great preservative. but in others form
plague in disguise. as some people are
apt to consider that as the joints are in
cased in leather and SO protected from
all foreign matter they require but little
attention. The writer has in mind at
accidents where the ball cups at the bot
tom Of the back steering arm had be-
come SO badly worn that the connecting
rod dropped right of. One cannot bear
to imagine the fearful consequences
should this occur while the car was trav-
eling fast. Therefore it behooves all who
have charge of car to pay special at
tention to all steering connections-equal-
Due to Present-Day Design.
Owing to present-day design and expe-
Renee, such happenings as the above. the
dropping out of a cardan shaft. the
breaking Of a chain or wheel coming
OF, are. happily. Of rare occurrence. New
ertheless, it is as well. where possible. to
take up all play such as may be found
in cardan bushes Especially up-and down
play in the joint, which may be rectiied
by placing thin washers on the forks
before the bushes) or between the teeth OF
the bevel pinion and crown wheel. This
latter may be set to rights by adjusting
the crown wheel closer to the pinion, for
which purpose a slotted collar Will be
found on the outside of the back axle.
Sometimes it occurs that the back wheel
nuts have worked loose and the wheel
has become loose on the square. All this
unnatural play Is the cause of much
clatter and backlash when driving, and
many a broken part may be put down to
lack of correct adjustment.
With regard to the three main units
of car-the engine. gear-box and back
axle-it will be found that If properly
fabricated they will almost look after
themselves, and 1t Is always the small
details which require attention. Pro-
vfded that reasonable care is given as
regards cleanliness and "oilness,'' and
nuts and bolts are not allowed to work
loose, the average car should cover 10000
miles before a complete overhauling is
necessary.
Non-Alignment Not Unusual.
u have found after being in charge OF
number OF motor vehicles said a
prominent automobile man a few days
ago. that the non-alignment of the crank
and gear shafts was not an unusual
trouble. Some may consider it not an
easy matter to correct this. but II the
following plan is adhered to It is quite
within the province of the ordinary man
In charge. We will assume the clutch to
be OF the leather-to-metal type. Set the
clutch to swing free OF the fywheel, then
with a feeler' measure the aperture
between the leather and the inner face
Of the fiywheel.
DO this at short intervals all round