Now, as a matter of fact, wheels which are set in the manner described may run for a considerable distance without the tie rod, which fastens the knuckles together. It is usually understood that when the tie rod breaks there is bound to be a smash at high speed, and under most circumstances this might be true, but at moderate speeds it often happens that the car runs a considerable distance, steering perfectly, after the tie rod has been broken.
The author had an experience of this kind. He was going up Riverside Drive in New York City, toward the viaduct. After he had gone almost across the viaduct he was startled to see what looked like the tie rod protruding out in front of the car, although the car was moving along with no sign of trouble. The car was stopped and it was found that the bolt had jumped out of the knuckle on one side and that the tie rod had actually swung out in front, and not until then had it been discovered that there was any trouble.
Going back over the route across the viaduct and some distance beyond did not disclose the missing pin, but the conclusion was reached that it must have come out on the hill leading to the viaduct. Yet the wheels remained perfectly straight and the car steered properly, although there were no very sharp turns, and the car did not go to smash as it ought to have done in theory. It was the caster effect which saved the car from an accident. The trailing effect described kept the wheels running straight even after the tie rod was out of commission.
Some time later it was learned that the same thing actually had occurred in one of the big auto races. It so mystified the driver and his mechanician that they decided to experiment. They fixed up a car without a tie rod and started to speed up on the track. They attained quite a high speed without mishap and slowed down and drove to the shed as though the steering gear were regularly equipped.
However, it is not recommended that any automobile owner neglect to have his steering apparatus regularly inspected and to see that the pins are kept tight and that the wheels do not get too much out of alignment. The pin might drop out when going down a steep hill or when running at high speed, and tires do wear out when the wheels are too much out of alignment; but the instances cited show that sometimes strict theory and actual practice do not always meet.
CHAPTER XVIII
THE ELUSIVE “JUICE”
It takes good “juice” and lots of it to run a modern auto; not the kind that Uncle Sam has put a ban upon, for that ran the auto into the ditch oftener than most anything else; but something quite as hot and with at least an equal amount of “kick” in it—the electric “juice.”
Probably this is the least understood element in running a car, if one may judge by the troubles reported. Large numbers of autoists have no idea of the functions of the batteries and wires and switches and other parts of the electrical equipment, and when anything goes wrong they are helpless.
In dealing with the electrical equipment of a machine the owner should understand that a complete circuit is necessary in order to have the current do its work; that is, starting with the battery as the source, a wire leads the current from the battery through the switch to the device to be operated, and then the current must be led back to the battery before it will do any work. It is not sufficient simply to lead the current to the device; if there is no way back to the battery it will not get even as far as the switch. It won’t travel except on a round-trip ticket.
In looking for trouble electrically the first thing to inspect is the battery. See that it is charged—has current in it. That can be determined by using a voltmeter (for dry cells an ammeter) or a hydrometer. Then each successive terminal from the battery should be tested. For instance, there is a wire to the lighting switch. It is insulated and the first place to test after making sure that the battery is O. K. is at the switch. If there is no current there the wire may be broken or the terminal connections poor; but whatever the trouble may be, you have narrowed it down to one small stretch of wire.