Arizona republican., 1918-10-27
WATCH YOUR FOOT' CARE OF AUTO CLUTCH
 |S VERY IMPORTANT
In General Use, Their Construction, Care Oil ing, Adjustment and Neglect

Outside the steering mechanism and possibly the brakes there is no other
 individual unit in the motor car quite
 so vital to the efficient operation. by
 which l mean the actual driving, of the
 motor car as the clutch. The clutch
 that is properly taken care of and ad
 justed performs it's functions in such
 way that it's very existence is almost forgotten. But let the part get, out or gear, the facing fall, the bearings
 wear and the results are instantaneous and unpleasant An ailing clutch is one of the most prodigious wasters of power and reducers of efficiency that can be imagined. In fact. a badly dis organized clutch can reduce the whole mechanism of the car to impotency. The clutch occupies peculiarly strategic position in the mechanism It | is the connecting link between the en- zine and the transmission, acting as a flexible connection whereby the power may be applied to or removed from tthe rear wheels. The operating func- | tion of the clutch is controlled by l pedal and the part must be employed each time a change of gear is neces-
 sary. Obviously the clutch is a fairly | busy bit of mechanism.
 l
 three distinct types, known respective
 ly as cone. disc and plate clutches. l Cone and disc clutches are divided
 into two subtypes, accordingto whether l they run in oil or dry.
 1 Not very long ago cone clutches were almost universal on American cars, but | within the past few years there has | been a notable change in this respect and at the present time disc clutches
 are in the majority, with cone in sec ond place. As the name implies, the ] cone clutch embodies a cone as the l driven member. This cone fits into | the flywheel, which has been hollow
 cd out to receive it, the engagement l being assured by a spring fitted for l that purpose. The surface of the
 clutch is faced with leather or with a i fabric composed principally of asbes- l tos to reduce thedanger of burning or
 charring. Pressure on the control 1 pedal releases the clutch from en- i eagement with the flywheel and the
 power is at once removed from the ! driving mechanism. When the foot is
 removed from the pedal the cone is
 pressed home the surface grips the in-
 side of the cavity in the flywheel and the power is transmitted to the rear
 wheels. Simple enough and efficient
 in action as long as the part is prop erly maintained.
 In the so-caled multiple disc clutch
 the part is fitted with a number of
 small discs, sometimes more than fifty being used. The inside of the flywheel
 is fitted with drum on the inner sur face of which are arranged keys de-
 signed to maintain the discs in fixed
 position with regard to each other. The discs attached to the flyWheel act as driving discs, and the driven discs
 which fit in between are attached to the clutch shaft itself As the clutch is released the discs separate and the power is removed from the driving mechanism. When the clutch is pressed into engagement the discs come together and the power is sent back through the transmission to the lear wheels.
 Finally there is the plate clutch which is really only a variation of the disc type. Instead of using a number Of small discs this type employs three large plates, of which two are the driven plates and one is the driving plate, fixed on the flywheel. The plates may be of metal or they may have fabric facing. Within the las year or two the plate clutch has made considerable strides into popularity and there seems to be a bright future for this type.
 And now to examine in detail the ail-
 ments to which the different types O clutches are heir and suggest the remedies to be used for each. The cone clutch consists primarily of the cone the shaft and suitable bearings. In ad. dition there is a spring, whose furc. tion is to press the cone into engage ment with the flywheeI. In some case. instead of one main spring, three ol
 even more smaller springs are useC and in this case they are mounted a right angles to the cone. In course O time the tension of the clutch sprine is quite likely to suffer impairment SC that it has not strengh enough to pres! I the cone firmly home. In this case tn, result is slipping and the cure is ad | iustment of the spring. On almost al
 modern clutches an adjustment is pro | vided for regulating the tension of tn, | spring: usually the adjustment take, | the form of a collar behind the spring and it is a simple matter to chang, | the tension by this means. When n, | means of adjustment is provided if i | necessary to fit a shim or even to re . new thes bring. btu in any event th