South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-17
Importance of Proper Lubncaton
By Ralph De Palma

Gated here. which need attention II
I the car IS fitted with generator.
I the armature bearings OF this de-
vice should be oiled at frequent
intervals The manufacturer Of the
generator is generally particular 10
give minute Instructions for the care
Of this part When there is an oil
well included, IL Is an admirable
plant To refill il at the same time
Z that the engines oil reservoir Is re-
plenished. III the car is equipped
with magnetic ignition. the arma-
ture bearings of this part need oil
and as general thing "a well Is
provided for the lubricant. In cases
where battery distributor is fit
ted, the vertical shaft. which oper-
ates the distributor arm. must have
oil at not greater intervals than 500
miles of running and every 200
miles would be better Then there
rs the bearing on which the cooling
fan runs, this operates az high
speed and needs lubricant once y
week or so.
In working our way back along
I the chassis, the next part needing
fabrication we find in the clutch.
Unhappily the clutch commonly re-
ceives very little attention, in spite
of the fact that the part is called
upon % do extremely strenuous ser
vice, even In normal service. But
clutch service seldom is normal. for
/ the average car owner abominabIy
I abuses the unit, mainly through ig-
norance Most drivers keep a foot
+ constantly on the clutch pedal and
i inevitably though they may be to-
\ tally unaware Of it, this causes the
\ clutch TO slip. which is bad for any
\ type Of clutch.
Clutches in general use today are
] Of four kinds. cone. dry disc. disc
/ in oil and plate. I'm the cone, dry
disc and dry plate clutches the
I owner should see that every NOV
ing part of the inkage from the
I pedal is kept constantly fabricated.
\ He should make sure that the oil
gets to the thrust-b bearing and
/ throw-out collar. on most cars a
/ grease cup is installed TO care for
the fabrication needs of the thrust
/ bearing. In many cars with when
1 am acquainted, this cup is placed
in very inaccessible position, so
that il is a real job to FIJI it and
turn it down. but it ought to be
done regularly, nevertheless.
Renewing the Lubricant
In the type Of disc clutch which
runs in oil, the duty Of the car
owner is more directly indicated.
The lubricant here must be renewed
at least once in every 1 200 miles
of running and oftener if the owner
wants 20 get maximum efficiency of
the part. In renewing the lubri-
cant. as with the engine reservoir.
the case should be flushed out with
kerosene to remove any of the
summy deposit that sometimes
forms. before the fresh oil is put
in. The proper lubricant for this
part is cylinder oil, or a mixture of
cylinder oil and Kerosene. The plain
oil is best for summer and the mix
ture for use in cold weather The
linkage and bearings must be cared
for as i'm the other types
Another part of the mechanism
that needs careful fabrication but
seldom gets it, is the universal joints
that couple the propeller shaft with
the rear axle and the. transmission
or the transmission and clutch in
some car designs. These universal
joint turn at the same speed as
that of the engine. moving up and
down while they revolve. Obvious
/ ~ this is strenuous service with
maximum of friction and a cOnse-
quent need of copious fabrication.
! Universals should have their lubri-
/ cant renewed at intervals of 500
miles of running. Ordinary flake
graphite or graphite grease is the
best lubricant for these parts
Many owners use oil but Unfor-
tunately oil will leak out of the
tightest universal cover that was
ever built Moreover the centrifu-
gal force that is generated by the
peculiar motion of the universal
tends to throw oil 10 one side of
the case, making the fabrication
extremely uneven. The universal
should be flushed with Kerosene be
fore being repacked with fresh
graphite.
Flush Rear Axle.
Next in order we come 20 the
transmission and real axle units
the gears must be kept constantly
fabricated if they are to continue
10 function quietly and efficiently
though fortunately these parts do
not operate at the high speed Of
engine parts, and consequently do
not need the same unremitting care
However. the transmission and rear
axle should be flushed out with
kerosene and refilled 10 the level
of the plug at no longer intervals
than $500 miles of running. For
the ordinary car this means about
twice "a year.
There seems to be some doubt
among car owners as TO just what
kind of lubricant ought TO be used
i'm the transmission and rear axle
Z have noticed motorists who used
grease i'm these parts This il abb
HHE.rrr HH. 4