Hints for the Motorist

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14570, 14 January 1948, Page 4

Hints for the Motorist

6y ALBERT L. CLOUGH

BUYING A SECOND-HAND CAR SOME MINOR POINTS AND A SUMMING UP

(The Last in a Series of Seven Articles on Buying a Second Hand Car.) Before deciding on any second hand car, the intending purchaser should test all the lights and electrical attachments. Should any of these fail to function, look for fuses.

In examining the battery, there should be no signs of shorting or corrosion; the leads should not be frayed, nor the air vent holes in the ce plugs be blocked. The distilled water level should just cover the plates.

Clutch Is Important

When testing the clutch, it should be borne in mind that there should be a certain amount of free play (approximately one inch) on the dutc pedal before any resistance is felt from the clutch spring. The impoitan thing is, when changing gear and the pedal is depressed, there should be no noise, which would point to worn bearings in the transmission sha i, or possibly to the clutch not being thrown far enough out. A slipping clutch is a common fault. This condition can be gauged if the speed of the car does not conform to the speed of the engine when accelerating. It will be more noticeable when climbing a hill. To test for it, when moving at, say, 25 miles an hour in third gear, accelerate and brake at the same time.' If the engine speed does not immediately slow down, it means that the clutch is slipping. A slipping clutch may be due to oil seeping through on to the clutch lining, or to a worn

lining. Another way of testing for a slipping clutch is, with the engine running and the hand brake on, put the gears into bottom and slowly let the clutch in. The engine should stall immediately. Silent Gears It should be possible to engage all gears silently. When the engine is running, shift the gears into all speeds and reverse. Any undue noise may mean one of several things—a worn thrust race bearing, worn clutch or not being thrown far enough out; burred gear teeth; transmission and clutch shaft out of alignment or bent gear selector. Noise when in gear, provided there is sufficient oil in the gear box, will probably be due to worn bearings. If the car jumps out of gear when under way, it shows a worn or broken selector spring or missing bearings. Finally, when on the road test, note whether there is any backlash (excessive rotational movement of the propeller shaft when power is applied or relaxed), or any metallic noise when taking up the drive after changing gear. This may be caused by undue play in the universal joint/s dr in the differential. You can confirm your fears on this point in the following way; With the gears in top, jack up a driving wheel, and gripping the wheel, rock it backwards and forwards. Be chary of buying a car in which there is an excessive amount of play.

Excessive rear axle noise when on drive or over-run can mean that the crown wheel and pinion is wrongly meshed or that a thrust race bearing is worn. It will be seen that there are many points to be considered before taking over a used car. Unless you are an expert it may not be possible to make such an exhaustive test, but it might be worth the outlay to have your prospective purchase overhauled by an expert.

(Concluded)