Your Essex— Its Care and Maintenance

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 124, 16 August 1927, Page 6

Your Essex — Its Care and Maintenance

A SUN special feature to assist the owner-driver to obtain the maximum, results in ■performance hit the proper care and treatment of his car.

These instructions refer particularly to the new “Supex Six” model, but you will find that all instructions can be applied equaly to the other Essex models. There are differences in the mechanical construction, but these mainly concern your mechanic. The most important thing to remember is the lubrication. This is especially important during the first 1,000 miles, but should never be neglected. The makers of the Essex recommend that the oil in the crankcase be added to as found necessary every 250 miles, and that the reservoir bo drained and replenished with new oil every 500 miles. The steering gear case should be filled with steam cylinder oil through the plug on the case. Clutch lubricant should be inspected and replenished if necessary every 2,500 miles, or oftener, if the action becomes harsh. For the transmission use heavy body motor oil. but not grease. Every 5,000 miles drain the transmission, flush out with kerosene and refill with new oil. * * * The rear axle drive gears and differential are lubricated by removing the large pipe plug in the housing cover. The oil supply in the housing should be kept up to the level of the filler plug opening. Use only good rear axle or differential oil that will flow at low temperatures. Do not use grease. Once a year drain axle by removing lower cap screw from housing cover and refill with new oil. Make a particular note that in rear axle, etc., oil should be used and not grease. There are only two places where grease should be used on the Essex—in the front and rear axle hubs and in the two universal joints. A drop of light oil should be given to the generator every 1,000 miles. Fill the distributor base with motor oil once a month. Do not oil the starting motor. Lubricate the horn occasionally. * * * Every week go round the following oil cups with motor oil: —Front and rear of rear springs, front and rear of front springs, brake rods and brake drums on all wheels. * * * Remember to keep an eye occasionally on the oil gauge on the dash. It must always register when the engine is mnn r e . # The next thing to remember is the heating of the engine. Essex cars are provided with two devices to enable you to regulate your engine, the Boyce Motometer and radiator shutters. When driving, keep the shutters closed until the motormeter registers a fair lieat, then open them. The shutters are operated by band, not automatically, so don’t expect the engine to regulate itself. The electrical system requires little attention other than that of proper lubrication as indicated above. The wiring employed in the light circuits is protected by a 20-ampere fuse located on the back of the ignition switch. If for any reason the lights do not burn, first examine the fuse, and if necessary, replace with a spare of the proper capacity.

The Essex is fitted with an automatic spark control device, which is part of the ignition distributor. This automatically controls the ignition according to the speed of the engine. This renders a hand spark advance, as fitted to most cars, unnecessary. The initial setting at the factory is correct, and should not be altered unless some of the parts have been removed or disturbed. * # * The battery will not give any trouble if properly looked after. Some people have a habit of leaving the battery key on over night, and are surprised when they find the battery is flat! During the winter months, the greater use of lights and the starting motor naturally drains the battery more quickly than in the summer. Incidentally there is an instrument on the dashboard that is scarcely ever looked at, but occasional attention to it will save your battery. That is the ammeter. To adjust the carburettor for better fuel economy, begin by running the motor a sufficient length of time for it to attain a normal running temparature, then close the throttle. First, decrease the amount of fuel by turning the knurled adjusting screw at bottom of carburettor to the left, until the motor begins to miss or stalls. This may require several complete turns. The adjustment should then be reversed, that is, turn to the right, a notch at a time until the motor fires evenly. When the hot weather comes, better performance will be obtained by opening the sliding covers on the hot air cover. The cooling system should be kept full of pure water at all times. It is important that the system be drained and thoroughly flushed out with clear water at frequent intervals to prevent the formation of deposits. The spring shackles are provided with an adjustment by means of which all play can be taken up in a few minutes, and rattles at these points eliminated. Do not tighten too much, or you will interfere with the action of the springs. Spring breakage can usually be attributed to looseness in the spring clips, which secure the springs to the axles. The alignment of the front wheels has an important bearing on the life of the front tyres, and on the ease of steering. The alignment.can be easily checked by measuring the distance between the inside of the rims at the front and rear. The distance at the front should be the same as the distance at the rear, or not more than one-eighth inch less. All the electric bulbs are G volt, single contact. The firing order of the cylinders is 3, 5,3, G, 2, 4. The spark plug should have a gap of .028 in., and the ignition contact points a gap of .020 in. The valve tappet clearances arc as follow: —Intake, .003 in. to .005 in.; exhaust, .005 in. to .007 in., with hot motor.

If every Essex owner will give attention to the points mentioned above, a considerable benefit will be obtained in the way of greater reliability, more satisfactory running, and the lowest possible cost.