NOISES IN CARS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 132, 7 June 1930, Page 27

NOISES IN CARS

l THEIR INFINITE VARIETY 'WORK OF ELIMINATION In the mind of tho novice ownerdriver there often is a nervous dread |,' that his new acquisition is not running : quite as it ought to run. Some squeak or rattle haunts him, probably, leading Mm to fear the worst. When investigated, however, tho noise probably will ■ boil down to mere, lack of lubrication of some moving part. ;i, Taking car noises in the order in !' which these occur, most frequently they . proceed from the springs, spring •1 shackles, universal joints, brakes, road 'l wheels, and various parts of the engine. ' Then come noises from the bodywork, -, door hinges, steering column (where it . is anchored to the scuttle dash), hood, ■ windscreen, wings, and valances, tool boxes, and various gadgets with which so many owners love to deck their cars. GREASE GUN ADVANTAGES. , Nearly every .car nowadays is ' equipped with a grease gun, easily ■:' filled with grease or oil, easily at- , tached to tho car by a simple catch or , thread, and requiring only the niini- •■ mum of exertion on tho. part of the owner to keep everything well oiled and silent. But how often do we hear every unfortunate shackle protesting loudly that it needs oil, especially in dry,, dusty weather. This occurs perhaps more frequently on new cars, which havo tight ■ bushes everywhere. - Those owners of old ears who arc; not the fortunate possessors of a grease gun should got one. In most cases they can fit the adapters themselves. They will not regret it, after the experience of filling up grease caps, more often than not leaving a largo but invisible- air lock that prevented the grease from reaching its destination. It is surprising what little wear takes place on properly lubricated shackles,, which alone should', ensure punctilious attention to their oiling requirements. SPRING LUBRICATION.

Spring leaves which are gaitered rc.;'quire little attention, but otherwise they caunot retain their lubricant, -which must be more or less frequently ; replenished. Far more movement takes place on the ends of the spring leaves ■'than -most people imagine, and it is .only when the leaves' are stripped for ' inspection that this motion and consequent wear become apparent. Apart from squeaks, an irritating and illusive cracking may develop in the : : springs and shackles, duo to the fact .that the main-leaf ends are a loose fit ;';in the shackles. This is most apparent ■■on turning corners, when the weight of .'the chassis and body is thrown to one [side. If the slackness cannot be taken up, a steel washer of suitablo thiek'■ness will banish the noise! ■' Wear usually will be found to take ; placb'o,n' the rear portion of tho front , springs-and the front portion of the rear springs, more than at the point of Anchorage to the chassis itself. Make sure that oil reaches tho shackles, and ■spring squeaks will cease from troubling. UNIVERSAL JOINTS. The squeak or shriek caused by a tlry universal joint is most unpleasant, and should immediately be rectified. Apart from creating undue strain on the final drive, a worn universal joint tends to set up clatter, especially when driving slowly. Fabric discs need no lubrication, of course, but metal blocks or bushes should be efficiently enclosed and kept supplied with lubricant. .Number plates are frequently nono too securely fastened to their anchorage, and vibration will, loosen them, causing a rattlo that is not always easy to locate.'

How often, as a car pulls up, do wo hear a piercing shriek, causing as much annoyance to the public as the driver. Where the brake..shoes are not-, due for reliniiigj- /when the holding rivets aro rubbing on the brake drums, the trouble may be caused by pitch or similar substance melting out of the linings and adhering to the brake ijiands. This can be stopped by a liberal rubbing with paraffin; but let the driver tako earo afterwards, as lie ■will find his brakes practically useless on the first few applications. The remedy is to drivo tho car a short dis-1 tanee with tho brakes well on. I

In very dry weather cars fitted with wooden wheels occasionally will give out ominous creaks, due most probably to wheel shrinkage, curable by soaking in water. Another form of creaking, on cars fitted with detachable rims, is occasioned by the rim nuts being insufficiently tightened. Slackness here is harmful to tho rims themselves, as it tends to produce creeping and possibly may pull the tire valve out of the vertical. INSIDE THE BONNET. Under the bonnet a variety of minor squeakers and rattles may develop, and ought to be easy to locate, as they can be searched for while the engine is running and the car is stationary. The most frequent, rattle, possibly, proceeds from the fan. If of tho riveted type, the fan blades may be loose or the bearing worn. Some fans serve a double purpose, the end of the fan shaft entering tho water jacket* and having a water-circulating vano attached. Owing to'its weight, this type is the more likely to wear, and it should be seen to that there is no undue end play in the bearing. It is essential also to ensure that' the. shaft is amply lubricated-. A leather-, fan belt, if its ends are joined by a metal clip, may click every time it rotates on the pulley. A high-pitched squeak in tho engine may be traced at times to an ignition or dynamo, carbon brush. If tho squeak be intermittent its sourco may be in the distributor; if permanent, in the dynamo. Usually these • squeaks can be cured by removing the brushes and rubbing with glass paper. Irksome rattle may result from loose fastenings of the bonnet itself, which, again, is very liable to squeaking as tho result of movement against tho usual fabric or leather lacing on which it "beds." For the one tho remedy is to tighten up the fastenings, and for the other the application of graphite to the laces will put things right. It is a common practice to carry oil cans, spanners, jacks, etc., under tho bonnet, and these are all potential rattlers when not properly secured. COACHWORK NOISES. Coachwork design affords loopholes for noises to develop, sometimes after only a short period of road running. Doors will rattle for various reasons, such as worn hinge-pins, loose screws (a common occurence), weakness of tho bottom portion of the body, worn slam locks, worn door stops, or lack of these altogether; jand, lastly, warped doors. Loose body bolts aro a frequent source of irritating noises, which, may be added to by floor boards that are a bad fit, probably through shrinkage or distortion. With enclosed coachwork, window rattles and squeaks ma 3' call for patience and perseverance in their diagnosis and cure, which latter may be absurdly simple, when the source of the

trouble lias been located; but, on the other hand, it may bo a coachbuilder 's job to get at the root cause. Modem welding processes have eliminated many old sources of annoying squeaks.at panel joinings,' and produced a, niorc rieid construction,. particularly with regar' 1 to door framings. But friction still works in movement as between the outer shell and its lining, where the r-suiting .sounds are not easy to track, and even moro difficult to get rid of. The modern enclosed body is not ordinarily talkative, however, and is deadly silent compared -with the drumming and rattling of not so very long ago. But wo grow more exacting with- every improvement, whether in chassis or body design or construction, and it is a wonderful tribute to car designers and builders to-day that sound—or silence —has achieved its present importance.