Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-12-30
Expert Tells How to Get
Best Service From Clutch


spring. several smaller springs at
tached 10 spider and arranged at
equal distance around, its circumfer-
ende A second refinement is the
leather expander, light spring which
forces out the lining at several points
so that the cone comes gradually into
engagement Just behind the clutch
release ring. which Is mounted on
ball bearings and provided with a
grease cup, Is an arrangement which
resembles a miniature cone clutch.
This is the newest OF clutch improve
ments, the clutch brake
Fewer Clutch Troubles
When you push the clntch pedal and
release the clutch the latter continues
to spin because of its inertia. The
transmission shaft Of course rotates
with it. causing the gears in this
transmission case TO spin idly The
result Is that when you move the
gear lever TO bring the gears into
mesh they clash noisily. In the clutch
brake we find a remedy for trouble.
The clutch pedal is depressed, bring
ing the clutch release ring back
against a coiled spring The pressure
exerted through the spring forces a
cone against the braking surface and
stops the spinning OF the clutch.
In the multiple disc clutch the bear
ing in the flywheel center serves to
keep both shafts in alignment There
are several different ways of keying
the discs to the shafts. In one meth
cd number of pins attached to the
flywheel pass through holes in the
driving discs and a second set of pins
attached to spider are used SINH
larly to connect the driven discs. The
discs are usually enclosed as a pro-
lection against dirt or grease. but
provision is made for lubricating the
clutch release ring.
Better clutches have made clutch
troubles much less frequent than for.
merly. but have failed to remove en-
tireIy many Of the old ills to which
the clutch is heir There is very little
in the construction to get out of or
der and you usually forget that you
have such a thing as clutch until it
begins to go wrong Then 1t be-
comes one Of the most aggfavating
of all automobile troubles, shifting of
gears is an operation to be dreaded
and the result is that the engine is
made to suffer.
A we'll behaved clutch should not
slip after II has come to a seat and
ii should release instantly when the
pedal Is depressed. On either side of
the conditions which give perfect en-
gagement are two other conditions
which give trouble. The clutch slips
or, going to the other extreme, the
clutch grabs or seizes.
Slipping Clutches
A cone clutch will slip If oil or
grease has found its way on to the
leather facing, If this occurs, wash
the leather by squirting kerosene on
TO it, and give 1t dressing of meats
foot oil. Wear of the clutch requires
adjustment. and a second cause of |
slipping may be traced to insufficient |
spring pressure In some construc-
lions the spring compression may be
increased by adjustment of nut, but |
when this method is not provided the
pressure can be Increased by inserting i
a washer of the right thickness be-
tween the spring and ats seat OIL
course any obstruction which pre-
vents the cone from entering the seat |
as far as it should will cause the |
clutch to slip, and although this is a
more remote possibility it is trouble
some. since an examination of the |
clutch leather will not tell the story. |
The disc clutch which runs in oil I
will sometimes slip because the oil is
too heavy. This will often be the
case when the clutch has given satiss
faction for some time and no atten.
ton has been paid to its fabrication.
Drain out the old ell and inject about
a pint of kerosene Run the engine
and work the clutch pedal so that the
discs will be thoroughly cleansed and
then drain off the liquid.
elf the clutch still slips when fresh
on has been put i'm the case, dilute
the oil with kerosene. Should this
fell to remedy the trouble II is prob /
able that the spring needs adjustment.