MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 268, 6 August 1920, Page 2

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By "Clutch.") 1 Lubrication of Gears and Ar.les, In some gears tho spigot bearing of the main drfvo shaft is so. arranged that 5t cannot be adequately lubricated by grease, and oil holes and grooves are provided to lead tho oil to this important bearing. With a gearbox of such a design it is unsafe to use grease. In a case where grease was substituted for oil, this spigot ■bearing was left practically unlubricated. Tfia grease was too thick to get thiough tho oil leads to tile bearing, while, on' tlie othar hand, it choked up the oilway, and the bearing ran hot and seized. 'When considering the use of grease in gearboxes and differential gears which have previously been lubricated with oil, it is well 1? to make oneself thoroughly acquainted with the arrangement of the lubricant leads, so us to make 6Urc that if grease is substituted for tho oil it has adequate room to gel; to the surfaces where it is wanted.

In the case of tho live axles there is another consideration as regards the use of. grease which should have dim attention. _ In quite a number of these axle 3 tho oil used in the differential perform* the dual duty of providing for the lubri. callion of tho differential gear and ilia crown and bevel drive, and also the outer bearings on which the road- wheels run. In such eases it is obviously dangerous to substitute grease in the differential case for oil, sinco the grease stands litli# chance of getting-to the road wheel bearings. Before using grease it should be ascertained whether it can reach these bearings. _ If it can, there are cases where it of advantage to use <t. ()n« such case is where oil tends to leak out at tho wheel ends of the axle, and get up oil to the braking surfaces. Cases ar<i known where tho brakes failed to act with sufficient power to pull up tho car. owing to the oil getting, between the braJce-shoes and the iiiside of the drum brak IDterually rear rule Steering Mechanism. . A , deal of discomfort and fatigue irtidriving is caused through heavy action *rL ?» steering mechanism of some cnr6. Ofi.all the controls about a; car tho .stewing, being itlio 0110 in consent operation, shiould bo the easiest- of manipulation. It is noticeable oil quite a number of American cars that no attempt seems to be mado by the makers to cause'the road wheel contact to coincide with the axis of the steering head. It is obvious that, if the road contact point and the axis of the steering headdo hot coincide, a considerable drag must ba put on tho turning of tho wheel sideways for steerage purposes. Then, again, it would 1 seem that more attention paid to the design of the steering mechanism itself—including Iho wheel head?, tho links, the worm gear, and the steering column-would add to the ease of control. IHI or roller baring? should be provided wherever they are applicable. ' Some would provide ball bearings and thrusts at ton and bottom of the steering heads, at the end of tho steering links rind arms, nnd in the worm or other irreversible gear. Even tho worm gear itself could be made much easier T>y some such construction, fio that tho whole movement is transmitted through ball bearings. • Such a steering mechanism might bo more expensive "to manufacture, but there, is no doubt that the result ill nddrd comfort, easp of operation, and. efficiency generally would amply, repay,the increased'first cost. .Future for. British Cars. There appears to be less fear now than ever beforo that America will capture the motor 'markets :of "-Great!- Britain and the Dominions. Not only sire British manufacturers now better prepared than . previously to turn out vast quantities of first-class cars, but they are assisted in. the matter of price by'the'operation of tho exchange rate. British cars being unusually cheap in certain markets, such as those in 'the -United States, South America, Holland, Spain, Scandinavia, .etc.,' where the' pound sterling is at a . dfccoiinlt, though the opposite- is the case where the .sovereign stands at a premium. . The Modern Racing. Car.' ■ ;,As an interesting fact, it maf lie mentioned! that' ilit! modern, .racing car is liot largo from, any point of view.' ..Tho engine is. scarcely. aii large as found in ■ tho avcragQ louring car, tho wheeibaso is 110 inches, while the tyres arts anything but huge. The days of the inouster racing engine, are passed.. A dozen years, ago tho engine- of a-typical racing car had a bore of t to_7Jin., and a. stroke of Bin., but the engine speed was not much-over. 1000 revolutions per minute. To-day the bore, and -stroke- are much shrunken,' but engine speeds have .increased/so- that Uis -not uncommon for an engine to touch 4000 revolutions per ininjte. General efficiency' lias been so improved hat the actual increase in power is more than proportional to tho increase in speed, Brakes. . Most. cars are furnished with two sets of brakes, and. excepting those motors (very few) which are. provided, with front , wheel.brakes, both act on the-rear wheels. The value and ability of brakes are more or_ less ,equul in that, almost all of • them will lock , the wheels, assuming, of course, that they, are in. good order; and that is all any brake ean.be asked-to do, for a .brake than will skid . the wheels is as powerful as it can bo made. As, a matter of fact, if'the brarca is put on with such' force as to quito provent the wheels from turning, the retarding effect is lessened. Therefore it matters littlo how many brakes are fitted Which act on the rear-wheels only if they can lie blocked by one of tho brakes, for if two, or «ven three, brakes were applied they could have no greater effect on! tho wheels. A second brake, however,, is frequently useful, in ..an emergency—wlion the one may fail, to act. Jottings, In Los Angeles (California), 1-},OOO buggies and 5500 wagons were manufactured. in__ 18%. A' fry years later the first automobile appeared, and tho .business thereafter has declined to such an extent jfthat not more than a hundred buggies aro sold in California, One prominent builder, sold eight million dollars', worth of horse-drawn vehicles in IS9G; but ceased manufacturing them in 1905. hud concentrated hig production' facilities' on automobiles' which he had gradually developed as the wagon trade- decreased. Most of the. wagon builders, however, installed motor departments, and are now reaping tho benefit by manufacturing van 1 and truck bodies for standard chaeses.

Motor lorries shipped by 'American manufacturers to Norway liavo been refused admission into that country because they were not in conformity' with tho iio'w'_ wheel and tyre specification. Norway is tho first country in the'" world to propose national legislation'cnacting that motor lorries up to two tons capacity lie cuipped with pneumatic tyres so as to prevent' damage to the roads arid, to cut down the excessive cost- of highway , repairs due to the;'iiiso of, solid $Tes. ' . . It caijnot bo too widely known that only the best of grease's is Rood for automobile purposes. . There are grijiis# manufacturers with names and reputations "too valuable to damage'by the slipplyiug of. inferior lubricants. '' If 'the motorist Rets their branded Rooilsi as recommended by them for. the particular purpose for which they are required, he may liavo to pay a little more, but lus Rain in the end will bo considerably over tho cheeseparing motorist whoso 6010 criterion of merit in nn article is 'cheapness.' There is nothing cheap today. Most cheap things tare dear,at any price. It, would take a good many tins of .the best and hiphost priced grease to pay for a full set of front wheel ball «r roller bearings. 'T/'fthtinfj up time: To-day. 5 p.m. Next Friday, 5.7 p.m.