El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-01-20
BY II. c. BROKAW-

4 y some Of the minor and ofteutimes
hidden parts Of an automobile are
- found frequent sources of trouble.
There are places TO be fabricated OF
which many an auto owner has no
knowledge. They wear slowly but
constantly. and unless given proper at
tention ere long viii cause trouble. In
fact, in looking over a used car the
man who knows naturally turns to
these first to find out how well the
car has been taken care Of NY expe-
rience shows that even where other
parts show normal. or practically no
wear these lesser bearings show alb
solute neglect, and these are "the little
foxes that spoil the vineyard in the
auto world.
What are the neglected partse Well.
when / look into the condition of 4 car.
one Of the first places I inspect for wear
Is at the steering knuckles. One must
realize that they are under a pretty
heavy load, and that while the motion
is not great. there IS a continual motion
there, even when the car is driving
straight ahead. Very few have learned
that it needs a constant supply OF good
heavy grease to prevent wear 4 this
point. Il is worth while to screw down
kuucl1les every time oil IS put in the
engine When the grease cup is
screwed down so that il can not be
turned further II should be filled i'm
mediately There should he enough
grease there to keep forcing T. out so
that grit cannot get into the bearing.
Universal Joint.
Underneath the flooring boards there
are number of parts which need at
tention. but being out OF sight are often
out Of mind. They are a little incOn-
venient to get at also Under there we
he Two al 70fr &c
other joint in which the motion is not
great. but is heavy and continuous
That is the next place that shows hard
wear. in my experience. There are one
or two modern designs which have
housings covering this joint which may
be filled with heavy oil. and II then
takes care of itself for a month It
should he inspected and the oil re-
placed once a month.
Certain universal Joints. not gener-
ally used. however. are supplied with
grease cups, which need attention ev-
cry time the car is used. just as much
as the oiler in the engine.
Also underneath the floor boards are
the levers and arms used for controlling
the clutch and brake. the self starter
and the accelerator. All have bearings,
used occasionally but enough so that
they should be kept fabricated. or they
viii wear. This is especially true OF the
clutch and brake linkage. particularly
in city cunning. where the clutch and
brake are in constant use. Usually this
linkage has no means of fabrication
other than oil holes into which a drop
or two OF oil only may he placed. Nat
urally II viii not last long. and absO-
lutelv oil should he dropped into the
holes every time the car is taken out.
This is also true of the brake link
age on the rear axle Often at that
point 10 provision whatever is made
for oiling . It is simply a matter of
flowing oil around the joint and letting
il work in IF the brake linkage wears
and weakens and ii becomes necessary
to apply the brake with extra force In
an emergency. il will give way.
Inspect Wheel Bearings.
Wheel bearings ought TO run for SIX
months If properly packed. but there is
no way of telling when the bearings
need attention except by inspection. so
IL is well to look them over regularly.
When inspecting the rear wheel bear
inEs. If the construction is OF the type
where the wheel hub is keyed on to the
shaft. il well to inspect the key to de-
termine whether il is tight OF four
cars recently inspected 1 found three
with loose KEYS.
There are two dangers when the key
IS loose. One is that the kevwav be
comes rocked out Of shape and can not
he fitted tight again. The OF her is that