Investigation report into engine oil leaks, starter motor failure, and shock damper modifications.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 11\2\ 02-page162 | |
| Date | 3rd April 1929 | |
| To Hs. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} From G.W.H. Hotel de France Chateauroux(French test region) Indre 3/4/29 14 DAYS INVESTIGATIONS We dismantled the lower half of the engine, to ascertain the causes of the starter motor failure, also loss of oil. We found the teeth on the flywheel badly chewed up making it necessary to trim them up. We found definite symptoms of oil leaking from the rear of the case, the flywheel casing was smothered in oil. The cause we cannot definately account for. The only reason we could find was the paper joint packing was overhanging and fouling one of the three rings. [Handwritten]: X7685 The spare starter motor failed after three or four attempts at starting. It was again found that the large diametre bearing (pinnion end) had roughed up and worn. We came the conclusion that one cause apart from the unsuitability of the metals was the pinnion being far too deep in mesh causing too heavy a load on the bearing. This is verified by the pinnion not fully engaging when the starter button is pressed. [Handwritten in margin]: We have wired at least some of these points to Cby. We also examined the button switch and found that the phoshor bronze contacts were not making good contact also the buttom had to be pressed hard to obtain this contact. The switch is too stiff to be reliable. We dismantled the rear shock dampers and altered the release holes in the H.P. valves from .062 to .03125". We have refitted the dampers with this feature. No test were taken, it being past midnight before these jobs were completed. G.W.H. [Signature] seen E.H.C. seen J.H.C. [Signature] | ||
From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).