THE MOTORIST.

Northern Advocate, 2 August 1924, Page 11 (Supplement)

THE MOTORIST.

LUBRICATING THE CAK. WHEN TO OIL AND GKF,ASK Compared with the production of ten years ago, - the modern 'car require* very little oiil and greasing; or, perhaps, one should eay that these operations are necessary at far more infrequent intervals. This is attributable :to* better "weather protection" m , -wearing parts; improvements in the /method of feeding the lubricant, and Hast, but by no means least, the possibility of obtaining the right grease :£or every job. k. A' fairly sound maxim, but one I'which'may lead to quite a heavy oil hill, is: Flood the new car with lubricants. It may be expressed in a slight ly modified form, thus: "Spare the grease and spoil the bearing." Any Tv-ay the moving parts of the new car. lacking that snug bedding which is only produced by actual running, must be "liberally supplied with fhe correct lubricant. What applies to the engine (and even the tyro knows sufficient about motor cars to realise the importance of over, rather then under, oiling the power, unit for the first 200 miles), actually applies. to all other moving parts; but, fortunately for the owner's purse, they are not nearly so greedy. The engine should be the first con- '■ sideration, however, and, in purei> , ( theses, it should be noted that all the \»1 in the world will not prevent, damage if the car be overdriven for the first few hundred miles. Many drivers make the mistake of filling the sump every day until the oil is or even §in. above the higher indicator mark on the dipper rod. This is certainly being on t'he safe side, -but is. analogous to putting another quart into a gallon jar already overflowing in order to make sure that it is full. Provided the oil is up to the high- • level mark, the working parts will receive a steady cool, and adequate supply, which cannot be increased by overfilling the sump; but if there- be .«*. surplus above the high-level line, t'he undersides of the pistons will soon bef come coated with carbon, the combus-tion-head will likewise get "dirty" plugs may soot-up and mis-fire, and valve seatings may suffer as the result

of the deposition of specks of carbon. To bo on tiie safe side, then, keep t'he oil up to the high-level on the dipper rod, but do not fill beyond this mark.

j There arc several different grades of engine oil They may be divided under "air" and "water-cooled," and subdivided under summer and winter. Air-cooled oil is slightly heavier than water-cooled, and, again, -summer is slightly heavier than winter. The effect of using a "summer air-cooled" oil in a four-cylinder water-cooler enengine during winter would be to interfere with the proper circulation, as, first of all, the pumps would b.3 unable to "move it along" with sufficient rapidity, and secondly, because, as a water-cooled engine warms up more slowly than an air-cooled, and the thicker oil seldom attains easy fluidity, the flow at the best would be sluggish. j Such an oil might be suitable for a I very "hot" water-cooled engine, but I the greatest care would have to bo 1 exercised when starting up from dead cold. Incidentally, starting up would i be a strenuous business. i Be sure, therefore, that the correct lubricant is used, both for the type of engine, and for the time of the year. i Do. not buy quart cans; only purchase in single gallons in emergencies, and make a practice of ordering not less than five gallons (in a drum) at a time. The clutch withdrawal mechanism comes in for a great deal of hard work especially when the car is habitually driven in traffic. If the owner decides, conscientiously, to attend to it every day, thin oil may be risen, but grouse, well packed into the withdrawal collar, is preferable, as it does not fly oft", owing to centrifugal force, like the thinner lubricating medium. Do not overlook the clutch spigot; as a rule it has an oiler to itself, and this should be filled at least every 1000 miles. The wise owner will verify the presence of a sufficient quantity of lubricant in the gear box and back axle, after which the former may be forgotten for at least 3000 miles, and the latter for, say, 2000. A good thick oil is recommended for the back axle, for it will not show too marked a tendency to get past the oil-retaining washers, and out on to the brake drums. To overcome the difficulty of introducing it, fill up at the end of a run, when the car may be warmed by standing it on the cylinder block for

ten minutes. Never fill above the overflow plug. So far so good. The essentials have been dealt with, but there remains a number of important points, the most vital of which are- the steering connections. From the moment the driver lete in the dutch; and glides away, these connections begin to work, and even on the straightest road they are constantly on the move. True the rubbing action between the various faces may be infinitesimal, but it is by no means negligible, hence the need for attention. Steering connections probably get dirtier than other part of the car's mechanism, and, unfortunately, adequate means for introducing lubricant are seldom provided, except over the steering pivots themselves. For this reason the application of the oil can to yoke ends, is liable to do more harm than good, unless all mud and grit be removed first. The car of the futuro, it is to be hoped, will be fitted witii screw-down greasers, or grease-gun connections, so that the lubricating medium is introduced inside, thereby removing foreign injurious substances. At present such fittings appear to be regarded as luxuries, and figure on only a few cars. "VVe are hardly concerned here with the respective merits of grease-cups and grease-guns. We merely take it for granted that either cups or nipples ace provided where necessary, and remind the new owner that all of these must receive regular attention. For small moving parts the writer recommends a grease Avith a good graphite foundation. It is more expensive to buy, but as cheap in the long run. The most effective way of treating the stcoiing pivot pins, upon which so much depends, including quite 50 per cent., of the case of locking over, is to jack up the axle so that the bearing faces are relieved of their load. This permits the grease to reach the , most

vital surfaces, from which, when under loud, it would be barred. Force in fho grease, and, at the same time, instruct an assistant to work vigorously at the steering wheel.