CAR NOISES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 19, 24 January 1939, Page 16

CAR NOISES.

RATTLES AND SQUEAKS. SOME SIMPLE CURES. TRACTXO UNWANTED vKOUXDS. The development of rattle* a n<l squeak* in the running jreiir of a good modern car iwnmlly c.\H*|>erHtps an owner more titan anything else which °in occur to it. Tliese noinex eventually develop in even the Vst of vehicles, and often are so olwcnre that tracing them is a matter of extreme difficulty. The following notes, however, l>a«ed on the experienced of a number of inotorifrts. may ihel[> those lees wine in the ways of motor vehicles to trace those unwanted eound* if they have develojied, because the points cnumerated are the iiinwt common oourcw of theoe uoistw. Tn setting out to trace rattles, the first tiling to do is to remove the tool kit, jack, starting handle, etc.. and drive trtie car over rough roads without them. A* so few cars have proper noise-proof accomodation for Mie*»c item*, they frequently are the catwc of obscure

J thumping soundi which n»j be Mted by the careful packing of them ■o that movement is prohibited when the car h in motion. Another frequent offender these days ie the exhaust pipe. When an engine W tnonatad flexibJr in the frame, u practically «H mrt > to-day, it will be • appreciated that to fimten the manifold io a rtotihr moimted tail-pipe ealls for : eoaneetion, and <t ;i*.-at • wl^yp|»:|thit : ''^Jiyerttin 'amount: of InoeSnemrf may develop to cause a most ohecure rattle. In some case*, rattles in the exhanat line 'due to. mating in tba. muffler and tail pipe *> that haffla platan inside the muffler fall •way, or. It becomes impossible to form * » eoaneethm between the muffler aad ltlM inlet or outlet pipe. This rqsting, caused by Internal. eondeneatton< of water, develops rather rapidly in the I mult iii car, and it is worth search inp for even though no unwanted nowas I have arisen. Yean ago, rattlea developed fairly quickly in the fpdng shackle boKs, but I these itema ere now much better designed than they and only become audible after many thousands of miles. While not now common offenders, it k elWaya worth aearching for excesaivo up |#l.dvwn or aide wear in them, because MWrs.'ls always , tta possibility of a clogged ollway preventing proper lubrik eatkm. ' >• • f, SyciagaaMlsa. When a : «ar has drive, that is, aa op«»^f«^jjMlior < abaft with the torque atrains of tha >aek iHMela taken by «be Springs, these are bokad at their «Mr*s to saddles forming aa integral part of the axl* housing, so that the •haekls bolts are the only points where wiar can occur. Howaver/if the ear has • torque tube wrouadtag the propellor abaft, these spring saddles swivsl ° about the axla housing, and thess, ia certain popular models a«s gnMle causes of ■ Wear devekqm w olfeat Jteeome unduly loose, and tfcs axle.thurapa about inside them. So: be easily removed fnmi tlm'adbr ilwsa saddles •re divkM together. ' '-Tka 'aura. : sooraa la cap from <peh saddle and llts tha* two;faces wbicb boar against the facee of tte other half, ! so that wban thay are repbiced they flt " 'awra dosely about the axle bousing. ft i fH* or seven| yeans, ago, the most 'j common causes /of under body rattles were the brake/raids, but many ipfople think that this' ia • trouble which .has 1 almost disappeared witti the widespread , use of hydraulic brakes, connected with the drums, of eourae, by KnciUe rubber * tubes. This belief overlooks ue important point that the hand brake atill J operates mechanically, and there Is still < a simple system of brake rods beneath « the car with wtokfc it is connected. And, ! It nay be added, these rods give a lot \ of trouble, wben they become a little J ibda# at their clevis pins, mo that when an- insietent and pronounaed rattle' 1 obtrudes, they should be looked, at * immediately. Ixmseness can be cured by o arranging tension springs from the rods " to some convenient bolt beneath the 2 car. ... ■ With Improved methods of aanatruc- « tiai, body MMles do. aot arise nsarly | > ***» 9.

possible .for a certain amount of looseness to develop in the doom. In the case of oteel bodies, it it* not generally known that the position of the dovetails can be altered by loosening two screws. Adjustment to these "will usually cure the trouble. With a composite body, this adjustment is not passible, but as looseners is usually due to wear on the dovetail*, their replacement! not an expensive matter, will usually effect a cure.

Apart from rattles, the most annoying complaint in a car is squeaking from the spring leaves. Thin can be stnpjied temporarily by having the lea vets sprayed under pressure with oil, but that does not lant very long. The best way of finding a permanent cure is to obtain a set of spring gaiters which are ]>acked with grease, but if the owner does not wish to go to that expense, the follpwing scheme may be tried: Spring leaves usually squeak at their tips, so a number of small pieces about two inches square are cut from an old inner tube and forced between the spring leaves at their tips. These will last for some months liefore wearing out. Nquaircs of heavy celluloid, fitted in the same way. are said to In* even Ix'tter. When the squeaks are traced to tihe rubber bushings used for .the «hock absorl»er connections, these |«irts may be treated with hydraulic brake fluid. Ordinary mineral oil must not be used on | them as this will rot the rubber away. When these bushings nventiially wear right out bad metallic rattles will develop in the shock absorber connections. Xew bushings are the cure.