The Washington herald., 1921-06-05
MOTOR WILL NOT
FUNCTION RIGHTLY
WITHOUT CREASINC
Primer Lesson in Care of
Cars Not Yet Thor
oughly Learned.
MUST BE OBSERVED
New Oiling Systems Expected
To Greatly Simplify
This Task.

Importance of fabrication to the
proper operation and continued ex-
istence of the motor car cannot pc
over emphasized. One who follows
the DEVELOPMENTS in the automobile
held might be tempted to think tie
present generation of car owners
had been thoroughly educated In
this, but then he hnds one making
some mistake in lubrication tnat
shows that many car owners still DO
not know the real meaning OF me
subject.
For several years past no wise
motorist has used grease as luo-
ricant for his transmission. yet
many car owners who ought to
know better still employ this heav-
ier lubricant in this location. Grease
cannot flow to the bearing surfaces
and in the transmission the gears
cut a clean path through the grease
when it is cold and run practically
unlubricated thereafter. In addition
grease has the unfortunate charac-
teristic of carrying dirt and foreign
matter that it may pick up. 1t has
distinct drawbacks as a lubricant
in any location, especially in cold
weather. when 1t ought never to be
used. In winter the grease is al
most certain to become packed
against the walls of any case in
which it is used. while the gears op-
crate entirely dry.
Grease Gets Hard.
When grease is used in cups, 1t
has the characteristic of getting
hard SO that the cup cannot be turn
ed down properly, and very little
fabrication gets to the bearing sur
face for which it is INTENDED.
On practically all cars OF any but
the most recent vintage, grease cups
are fitted at various locations. IL
the owner desires to substitute oil
as a lubricant for the grease, he has
practically to replenish the cups
every day. In many cases this would
be worth the increased labor.
On the other hand. il may be pos
sible to replace the grease cups with
large oil cups having gradual feed.
Some of the newer car models have
been designed with central luhricat-
ing points and with win oiling de-
vices, which require replenishment
only once or twice a season. At any
rate the substitution of oil for
grease for almost any fabrication
service will be a benefit to the parts
affected
Naturally different parts of the
mechanism require different lubri- |
csnts, that Is to say. different grades
OF oil. For the gears, the transmits
sion. diierential and rear axle q
heavy oil will be the most satisfac- |
tory lubricant. Other parts will do
better on a cylinder oil. For the |
average car two grades of oil will |
pretty well take care of all the lub- |
rication needs.
Many New OIL Cups.
The last year or so has seen
number of extremely ingenious oil
cups offered to the motoring public,
some of them embodying a gradual
feed, achieved by means of con-
stricted passages that allow the oil
to leak out only by degrees. Others
employ what is known as wick feed.
in which the oil is carried Sp in a
wick and fed gradually to the part
needing fabrication. For such places
as the shackle bolts of the springs,
the cross shafts of the brakes, the
universal joints. in some types. this
makes a very satisfactory arrange
mepf
1t has always been the custom to
lubricate universal joints by means
OF grease or graphite, because there
N great difficulty in keeping oil in
the joint This part moves with
great rapidity when the mechanism
Is in operation and needs the most
effective fabrication. Recently It has
been found possible to lubricate the
uniyersals by means of oil fed
through wicks. In many cases this
change would have to be the result
of altered design, which the manu-
facturer is loath to do because of
the cost
Wick feed has the double adyant-
age of being economical as well as
efficient. In operation the oil tray-
els up the wick by capillary attrac-
tion, just as IL does up a lamp wick.
and is discharged upon the surface
requiring fabrication. The oil
spreads itself all over the whole sur
face. and really this method is the
next best thing to having the parts
run in oil. The wick oil cup does
not require frequent filling. and an
other advantage Of the system is
that dirt or foreign matter, even if
IL is present in the oil, cannot make
Its way to the bearing surface
OF Prime Importance.
The question of Obtaining ade-
quate fabrication is one to which en-
Eineers have given and are giving
almost constant thought. Some of
them have even attempted the mega
tive solution of the problem by en-
ploying bushings made of wood or
OF metal that do not require lubrica-
non In most of these latter there
Is a certain proportion of graphite
which Is intended to act as a lub-
ricant. Just as the soapstone grid
dies our grandmothers used to have
would bake cakes without the an
pllcation Of outside grease. These
Iubricantless bearings serve very
well for certain parts of the cars
mechanism. but where there is in
tense movement they are scarcely up |
10 tne work However, at that, thew
PROBABLY are better than grease
cups. especially those that are nsvsr
turned down by a careless owner
Many engineers believe that even
tually We shall have a car that sr
eOdles a single fabrication svsts,,
Needing all parts OF the mecbanisnn
that case all the owner wouIa |
w =