SQUEAKS AND RATTLES

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 67, 22 March 1929, Page 18

SQUEAKS AND RATTLES

TRACKING THE TROUBLE

PROCEED SYSTEMATICALLY

.Every motorist experiences a period of nervous dread that his new car is not running as it ought to run, because he fears that a squeak or rattle means mechanical trouble somewhere. Such noises, when investigated, usually reveal themselves as due to a lack of lubrication of some moving part, but although this discovery brings relief to the driver, it cannot compensate him for the worry which probably spoiled his enjoyment of the car for a period. In tracing noises it is best to start systematically. A little driving experience will have taught the owner to distinguish body rattles and noises from mechanical ones, and this will reduce the work of eliminating any new rattle. INSPECT CHASSIS FIEST. As most body rattles, while unpleasant, have no harmful results, it is best to attend first to the chassis. To test for squeaks and rattles involves inspection, and a probable adjustment and lubricating of the spring shackles, the springs, the bolts holding the engine in the chassis, the steering rods and yokes, the starting handle, the universal joints of the transmission, the brake gear, the brakes, and other mechanical parts.

With the springs it will be found that little wear will occur if the shackles are kept well lubricated, but lack of lubrication will result in definite wear, rattle, and unpleasant squeaking. The wear usually will occur in the shackle bolts and bushes. Slackness in these parts will cause elusive noises, particu-

larly when the car is cornered sharply. Replacement is the cure. ■ The springs need to bo lubricated and kept froe from rust and "dryucss" if the puzzling noises they can produce are to bo avoided. Gaiters, which retain oil and keep out dirt, probably are the best means of . preventing spring noises, but almost equal effect is obtained by binding the spring with inch wide strips of oily felt and overbinding this with tape. WEAR IN "U" JOINTS. Wear in universal joints can bo discovered by inspection, but, although frequent lubrication, sometimes the use of a heavier grade of grease, might eliminate the noises caused by. wear, a renewal of the joints usually is the only remedy. . . fabric discs can cause strange noises, and a good rule is to replace these joints immediately they become visibly split, for a split joint imposes undue strains on the driving shafts.. ■When a starter handle is fitted, the use of a leather case, in which the handle rests when out of use, is a good anti-rattle device. Other rattles often can be eliminated by slightly bending the front number plate so that it cannot vibrate on other metals parts of the car. Coming to the wheels, creaks and groans often occur in dry weather with the wook-spoke type. Usually the cause is shrinkage, and a cure then may bo effected by removing the wheel and soaking it in water. Another cause of squeaks is a rim nut that is insufficiently tight on the detachable rim. Slackness here is harmful to the rims, and tends to produce creeping, whi-h can grow to such an extent as to tear out the valve stem. SQUEAKS UNDER BONNET. Noise caused by engine components have a bad habit of magnifying themselves by resounding from metal parts, and for this reason often sound dangerous, yet are elusive. One frequent rattle is that set up by the fan being loose in its bearing. Another fan rattle often is caused by a blade being loose on its rivets. Clicking fan belts are another trouble, and joints in belts, if carelessly made, or repaired, can create, annoying clickings. A high-pitched squeak in the engine often is caused by a magneto or dynamo carbon brush, while other squeaks can be caused by the distributor (intermittent squeak), or the amature slip ring of the magneto, or the commutator of the dynamo (both regular squeaks). These squeaks all can be cured by removing the brushes and rubbing them with glass paper. Obviously, tools and spares carried under the bonnet also will cause strange noises, if not properly secured.