New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-25
Highways Are
Graveyard for
Missing Parts
Lost Bolts, Washers, Screws
and the Like Indicate Il
Popular Tendency 10 LIE.
Car Take Care Of Itself
BY II. Clifford! Brokaw

There arc probably enough SPAR
parts Of automobiles imbcdtcd in city
and country highways TO furnish n
fairly complete stock for no email mum
ber OF automobile accessory store :,
Ore has but to walk along street or
road that is frcQuented by potor cars
to find If Que looks carefully, any num-
ber OF parts which have shaken loose
from come car. a keen-eyed iunkman
ought to be able to make good living
at picking them up.
a friend Of mine recently announced
that Ac was going to sell his car H,
said i've could atford the car all right
and the expense of gas and Oil, bat he
couldn't stand the cost Of the upheeo
He admitted that he had never taken
any pains to keep his machine in con
dition. Consequently this bolt or thai
was continually getting loose without
his knowledge. Various pieces were
therefore adding them selves to the
road's rlrcaGy overstocAed supply Of
parts. No wonder he wanted to dispose
Of his car But all mis- trouble could
have been avoided by just little AT
tcntion given nov and then TO check
ing up on the condition Of his machine
and keeping things from getting a
wrong start.
The other day a CIR stopped n front
of garage where happened to be
standine. The driver pondered deeply
over the fact that the engine had no
power. Failing to find the solution OF
his problem he called mechanic TO
look It over.
Where the Trouble Lay
"A few minutes ago be said, the
Ia. IA s.,4
stop it when wanted to. Now | can't
make it pull at ALL
open your THROTTLE said the auto
motive expert
"rhe throttle is OPEN was the re-
Spouse.
"Oh, | sec" said the workman, and
disappeared into the garage. In few
minutes he reappeared with small
bolt and proceeded to connect the
throttle linhace SO that the lever and
accelerator pedal would open the
throttle when moved.
What had happened was that through
neglect the bolt had worked loose and
dropped out, SO that the lever did not
move the throttle arm. and advancing
the lever had no effect.
This bolt probably is one of those
to be found Embedded in the pavement
has often seen such bolts on the high
way In fact. to illustrate how much
material must be constantly dropping
from autom obiles into the street.
found twenty-scven varieties Of parts
in crossing Fifty-seventh Street and
Eighth Avenue in New York City.
While counting these driver came
along and was unable to stop his car
propcrly-thc brake did not work, and
he had to use the emergency brake
after nearly running over pedestrian.
He got out and found that a pin was
gone in the brake linkagc. A spring
cottcr had worked cut or shcArcd off,
snd the pin had ratified loose and
dropped out.
Many of the stray parts are OF
similar nature-nuts. bolts. washers,
screws. cotter pins and the ikc--which
have worked loose because Of neglect
Their absence will doubtless account
for a good many of the rattlcs and
scueaks which are causing the owner to
complain. and requiring him to spend
cons idcrablc good money at some Scrv-
ice station for repairs.
Neglect Causes Despair
The average instruction book given
with a car will advise the owner to 90
over the car ever so often and tighten
up the bolts and nuts as a prcca ution-
airy measure. But often little, if any,
attention is paid to this until the car
stops or develops some unusual sound
Thcn.a mechanic is called in, and i;
takes him an hour to find the cause OF
the trouble, while the owner looks on
in despair.
Hub caps arc parts susceptible to
loss. Such a loss allows grit to rcC
into tho bearings. all Of which cour!
be prevented by taking q little care of
them. Some parts that arc lost arc