The Washington times., 1921-09-03
.CARE[ESSNESS
CAUSE Of most
AUTOFA|LURES
Statistics Reveal That Most
Breakdowns occure In
Power Plant.

hh PARTS VI Tie WOttus WhcshSa 49,
man at the wheel is "A resident Of
Montclair. N. j., or q dusky prince
slridding over the roads OF Siam. In
each locality where the motor car 10
used there are just SO many good
drivers and just 30 many who run
their cars Ragged" by neglect and
misuse. with the latter type greatly
In the majority. says Scott Worth.
ington, Of Motor.
An interesting analysis has recently
been made public by the Royal Auto
mobile Club, the organization which
practically controls all motoring In
England. This club has an efficient
operates in similar manner to those
maintained by the Automobile Club
of Southern California and the Chi
cago Automobile. Club. During 1920
Il answered thousands Of calls from
members who were stuck on the road
and either fixed their cars up on the
spot or towed them home.
A careful record was kept of the
cause OF each breakdown and the re-
sulting report shows a striking SINH
larity to concentrated tales of Ameri.
can motor woes, The figures relate
to breakdowns that caused q com.
plete stoppage OF the cars and were
beyond the skill of the average
driver to remedy on the road.
Six Classes Of Troubles.
The troubles are divided into six
categories. namely. the power plant,
transmission, front axle and steering
mechanism. rear wheels. suspension
and brakes. electric lighting. and
last. accidents. The first two classes
OF mechanical anguish. which, to-
gether. account for IT'S per cent Of
the cases, are subdivided to show the
causes Of .breakdowns In greater de-
tail and these detailed figures are Of
the greatest interest, h.
OF the mechanical breakdowns, 3s.6
per cent occurred In the power plant.
OF these, ignition failures alone ac-
counted for 1874 per cent Of the total
and no doubt this figure In somewhat
exaggerated by the reluctance of the
Averages owner-driver to tinker with
his ignition system. Breakdowns ow-
ing to carburetor difficulties were com.
parativeiy few. only 81 per cent. The
explanation II doubtless that such
troubles are usually not hard to over
come by adjustment on the road.
Valve troubles were very few, only
6 per cent, but, as compared with this
figure. It 10 somewhat surprising to
note that an many as 81 per cent Of
the total cases occurred through fail.
ure Of valve mechanism. including
cam shafts, etc. II should be borne
In mind, however, that the valves and
their operating mechanism are the
hardest worked parts OF the motor.
Damaged radiators supplied most of
the small percentage Of failures laid
TO the coolingssystem. 10 per cent. In
the general indictment there was q
Apaan mn At e.
against the fabrication system, rs per
cent, most OF which were due to
neglect.
Many Shafts Break.
Among the detailed figures in the
transmission group the most remark.
able II that for back axle shafts, 13.s
per cent. High an this mark would
appear to be, II is quite consistent
with the experience OF the r. A. c.
engineering staff which finds that In
a very large proportion Of the cars ex-
anlined the rear wheels were loose on
the driving shafts and II Is to this
fact that the majority Of these failures
may be ascribed. An enormous mum.
Der Of owners neglected the simple pre-
caution OF packing up the wheels peri
odicaily and taking up any looseness
between the wheels and the shafts.
The clutch was the culprit in 81 per
cent OF the stoppages and the r. A. c.
experts figure that such a high figure
was obviously due to unskilful man.
egement. There was an even larger
number OF breakdowns caused by the
failure OF couplings. universal joints
and propeller shafts-7.5 per cent. To
some extent this may be due to faulty
design but the motor doctors OF the
r. A. c. considered II to be mainly
due to neglect Of proper fabrication
Of couplings and joints. probably en-
couraged by inaccessibility and lack Of
facilities for fabrication.
Here Is where the similarity Of
motorists all over the world comes I'm
about one-third Of the breakdowns
were laid at the door Of neglect and
unsympathetic treatment in those
cases affecting the engine, lubrication
and failures Of couplings and joints,
clutch and rear axle shafts.
Three Other Causes. FL.
or the remaining cases. the front
axle and steering gear were re-
sponsible for 81 per cent and road
wheels, suspension and brakes for rs
per cent. The "Get.You-H Home"
scheme also covers stoppages at night
due to lighting troubles. The figure
in this case was 8 per cent. It may
appear curious that only SIS per cent
OF the calls for help were caused by
accidents, but the explanation OF this
r. that the cost OF towing in a dam
aged car to repair, shop after an
accident Is almost invariably covered
by the car insurance policy and claims
are only made under the "Get-You-
Home" scheme In cases In which II Is
necessary to hire relief car to con-
vey the stranded passengers home.
While these figures show unmis-
takably the PARTS OF the car which
are most susceptible to breakdowns,
II must be remembered that the aver
age car runs many thousands of miles
without an involuntary stop OF any
kind.
Here's a summary OF the charges
against the car during 1920. accord.
ing TO the II. A. c. report: