| OCR Text |
Show CLEANLINESS IS OF IMPORTANCE It Is Proper Attention to Little Things That Adds Years of Service to Car. LIST OF COMMON TROUBLES Each Part of Machine Will Operate Better, Wear Longer and Give ; Less Trouble if (t Is Kept Clean and Free From Grit. What troubles occur most frequently frequent-ly on the road? Let us make a list of the ailments "which most frequently afflict the automobile while it is serving serv-ing our pleasure. This done, we will consider what the careful owner can do to eliminate them as fur as possible. possi-ble. If we leave out of consideration skids and collisions, which are either unavoidable or the result of sheer; carelessness or negligence, we have the following list of common troubles: trou-bles: Ignition trouble,, carburetor trouble, broken rear axle, burnt-out "Know your car" is the slogan of the modern motorist. A well-groomed car means money In your pocket. ?nglne bearings, slipping clutch, stripped transmission gears, universal )oicc troubles and stripped differential differen-tial gears. It is quite a formidable list, and nine out of ten owners, whose oars are towed into garages, can charge the resulting expense to one of the above items. "Cleanliness is next to godliness," but as applied to the automobile, cleanliness comes first and is all-Im-; portant. Each part of your car Will operate better, wear longer and give less trouble if it is kept clean and free from grit. Careful cleaning also Involves inspection, for "the two go hand in hand. When you clean the dirt out of corners with kerosene and i brush you may discover that an oil pipe which feeds an important bearing bear-ing is broken ; a loose taper pin in the pump or magneto shaft; a missing grease cup and countless other I things. During the writer's experience j of 14 years he has yet to see an own- j er, who kept the working parts of his car absolutely clean, experience serious seri-ous trouble on the road. Returning home after n Ions ridt the first thing you should do is to remove re-move the dust. During the entire trip the carburetor has been drawing dust-laden dust-laden air into the hot-air tube. Clean it vut and keep it clean. When you fill the tank, strain the gasoline. The man at the gasoline station may tell you that it isn't necessary, nec-essary, but strain it just the same. Clean the vacuum tank strainer and examine the pipes to see if they are being chafed by rubbing on the tlia-ssis. Be careful when you wash t!ho cur. Some -carburetors are so placed that there is danger of filling them with water. Perhaps you would like to know 'how all this attention to detail can prevent the unexpected breaking of a Tear axle. What causes a rear axle to break? For one thing, it is bad for the rear axle and for everything else to jerk along on three cylinders if you should toe Tunning on four. If the clutch does not engage properly, you are throwing a sudden load on the axle, a sudden shock which has a tendency to twist it off. The writer knows of many cases in which the axle has been broken by letting in the clutch suddenly in an effort to get out of -a Tnudhole or a snow bank. Don't neglect the clutch. It can be kept soft and smooth in operation without slipping, and then, when you engage it, there will be no sudden shock. Save the car all you can from jolts and jars by using the brakes. Universal joints fairly -cry for grease and attention. Unless you heed (he warning at once, it is too late to save them, ' for they are worn and will ever after rattle. Invest in a creeper or hunt up some old clothes and go for a tour under your car. It isn't necessary to do it very of fen, but It ifs -a great deal better to explore the under part of the car at your leisure in the garage than under eom--pulsion -on the road. Tfou will be amply -repaid for your trouble, and, while cleaning and adjusting ad-justing 'the universal joints under your car, seize the opportunity to put some oil on the ibrake toggles and equalizer. By G. T. Collins in Popular Pop-ular Science Monthly. |
