MOTORING NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 21, 6 August 1920, Page 14

MOTORING NOTES.

C0LD WEATHER LUBRIC.ATION. . .AYE OFF PREMATURE WEAR BY SUPPLYING THE PROPER . LUBRICANT. With the coming of cold weather, iubricating oils naturally becoroe heavier. To make provision for this characteristic of all lubricants, and provide for better luhricaCion during the cold months, it is customary to replace the grease and oil in the car with a lighter lubricant. Serious damage may befall a car by not giving atention to the quantity of the lubricants used all through, from engine to transmissioii and back c ' i , when cold weather sets in. It is more than possible — quite probahle — that something may snap, particularly when the steel has become chilled. During the cold spell of a short time ago a case was noted where the car owner, a most experienced man at that, was compelled to rmi his engine half an hour to transmit sufficient heat to soften the grease in the transmission before he could engage the gears. An^» inexperienced driver would likely have attempted to force the gears into mesh and would have had the trouble and expense of having new gears installed. When a car has been standing for saveral hours in intensely cold weather every particle of grease or oil congeals and becomes extremely heavy, tending to hang on to anything with which it comes in contact. This heavy grease, in the transmission, for instance, will not pass between the teeth of the gears and naturally must act as a clog and a drag. ADD OIL TO LUBRICATING GREASE.

When cup grease is used in the transmission or differential it is well to add ordinary lubricating oil to thin out that which is already in place. Even 6G0W will become so heavy it is almost impossible to move the parts and cup grease will set still harder. Besides, there is danger in the heavy grease not finding its way to those parts that need lubrication, for the gears merely will cut a path through the grease, and none will be in a state to fall into the teeth and be carried around, whereas the lighter oil will follow the gears readily and also will gradually thin out the grease to permit it to work satisfactorily. Before cold weauier has set in part of the heavy grease should be removed and oil suhstituted, so it will have opportunity to soften the r.emain ing grease and work its way to all oil holes or bearings that otherwise will be neglected and perhaps rnined for lack of lubrication. The driver, of course, will not understand why his bearings or gears or some other parts have been damaged when he knew there was a sufficint supply of grease. ELECTRIC MACHINE IS EASY TO OIL,

Oiling the paris of the electrical macliines is not a difficult task, because these parts generally need oil once a month. The chief difficulty encounteted when oiling generator parts and starting motor parts is that too much oil may be applied which would cause the commutator to become flocded and the machine ponsequently inoperative. With a magneto, for example, the oiling holes are covered with caps. These should be lifted and filled only. The oil-can spout must not be forced into the oil hole in the belief that since oil does good wherever it is applied, the oil hole of the magneto should be forcibly flooded. A battery system should have islightly more attention than a simple magneto installation. The Delco system, for example, has five plaees which should be lubricated. They are : the grease cup for lubricating the motor clutch, the oiler for lubricating the generator clutch and the forward armature bearing, the oil hole for lubricating the bearings on the rear of the armature shaft, the oil hole in the distributor for lubricating the top bearing of the distributor shaft (this should receive lubrication once a week), and the inside of the distributor head, which should be lubricated with a small amount of vaseline, carefully applied. Wlien a car is new the distributer should be lubricated two or three times in the first thousand miles. After this no attention need be given the distributer for a burnished surface will have been formed for the rotor brush on the distributor head. After applying the vaseline carefully wipe the head clean with a soft cloth.