The Washington times., 1920-01-17

1
: iliness--a slipping clutch. A clutch |
1 which slips when YOU don't want it
10 slip wastes powfr aud gasoline
aud oyerheats the Jnsine for moth
! liLE Good clutches seldom slip. aud |
I there has been much less trouble |
with the newer dice clutches than |
the older ones and leather clutchesl
! az FAR as slipping IL concerned. !
! Agreed. there WAS never anything
sweeter in slow aud easy engaging |
! than cone clutch. with new
leather well oiled - the Huddenness
with which some multiple disc !
| clutches take hold II both disagree |
| able and discOncerting. But the
disc clutch rarely grabs as an old
cone clutch sometimes does, to the
| distress of the passengers, the ill
| temper Of the operator and the mis-
| uses OF the drive shaft and uniyersHls.
| How will you know IL your clutch
, slips? Well, you won't get up hills
| SLOWLY, In any gear, with a badly
! slipping clutch and you cant make
/ IA quick getaway. But II you want
| t. know IL she slips a little, butt
your front wheels against a wall,
/ slip into first, run the engine rather
| slowly and engage the clutch slowly.
| II your clutch holds. the engine will
| come to dead stop. under power, or
| ,he rear wheels will spin. II the
| clutch slips the engine win keep
| going.
| watch your universal joints.
| <cep them well packed with grease
| and don't take any garage boys wore
| 'or IL, either. Either do IL yourself
| Jr watch IL done. Every bit Of the
power that comes out OF the engine
and every bit that goes into the reaI
wheels, passes through that universal
ioint or joints. And every time the
| haft turns over that joint works
so IL doesn't take very long for IL tC
| work. out OF grease. Now here is q
ruism which every motorist ought to
! learn by heart, but which none OF
hem ever do learn without an eN-
0ensive repair bin for a primer. oil
| ind grease are cheap cheaper than
machinery. 1t costs less for an
Hers time than for a mechanics
ime.' 1t costs less. q great deal less,
n time, trouble, and cash to have
YOUR universals well oiled, oiled often;
| Diled, indeed, too often, than II does
TO put in a new one. II costs n lot
less for engine oil than for new cyIin-
'crs and grease In the grease cups;
cheaper than new bearings. But
specially Is IL true of universals,
'hich do all the work and take all
he strain OF power transmission and
which. because they are out of sight
rnder the car. are often the most neg
'ected OF parts OF the power line"
Anything elser Companion had
"illed up one cuff and was busy on
he other. scrawling left handed.
"Oh. yes. Plenty else But see
he garage ahead and I've just time
% tell you that a differential Is made
- let alone and requires no atten-
ion outside of seeing that 1t has
plenty OF greesc until it begins TO
talk. Then II wants to be looked at
instantly-not next week. The diff
ferential and the driving gear are
very delicately adjust ed--the various
gears and pinions must mesh ex-
act1y-too loose means kick and
back-las too tight means noise
and wear. They are set right at the
factory. II the differentisl begins
TO talk II means something has worn
or slipped and II will save many
dollars and much time to have a
competent-get that word, a compe-
tent--rear-end mechanic on the job
toot sweet told Timer was over
seas, yknow.) II you don't get
after it right away. the slipped nut
or the cracked bolt or the broken
tooth in the ring-gear or whatever
|
proceed to do the same job a busted
toot h In the gear box does. with this
difference broken differential
means dollars where a busted gear
box means ten cent pieces.
Just fix this in your head-.if the
power of the engine could be turned
directly into tho rear wheels nine
Out of ten mechanical troubles would
disappear from cars. But IL can't
| rat Inf
must stop and start. We must have,
gears. because we are faced with
| situations where We want great
power and slow speed or great speed
and little power-the gears provide
those things We must have univer-
sal Joints in the shaft because the
| automobile must be flexible between
| power plant and point Of power ap-
plication. We have to have a differ
| entail because all roads are not
| smooth and because we turn corners.
| We have to make shafts of steel
| because there isn't anything stronger.
| We have to use oil and grease be-
| cause steel wears on steel and does
| not wear when steel rubs oil. There
fore being faced with a given set of
| mechanical conditions we cannot
| change, we must run our cars with
| due regard for those conditions To
Go so is never to have a breakdown
| to fail to- do so is to depend
on the passing motorist for help and
| i say, Mr.. Garageman, there's a
! lady, a boy, and a car all with busted
up rear axles, two miles up the road.
| Want you to come and tow them
| i'll
=, "Right-o." said the garageman.
See him smile?' asked Old Timer
of Companion.
! "Ycs--big broa6 smile"
"Thats because he is going to reap
| the dollars sowcd by ignorance.
! Plant n little knowledge in your head
! and you won't have to open up the
! pock textbook so often"
Tell me some more" asked
| Companion, and for all one knows to
the contrary old Timer is still doing
IT.