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).
Whether to include the 'penny trick' for cold starting an engine in the 40/50 HP instruction book.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 61b\3\ scan0166 | |
| Date | 1st May 1921 | |
| X12/3-6627 Jho PN{Mr Northey}11/DN/1.5.21 RECEIVED [STAMP] TO HY.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} c. to BJ., AF. & Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} FROM P.N. INSTRUCTION BOOK - 40/50 HP. It appears that in the present Instruction Book it was felt justified not to include any reference to the use of a penny for assisting in starting up a cold engine. There are occasions when for sundry reasons, the self-starter is not available for this purpose. Also, it may be that at the same time the magneto ignition is available only. In such cases, we find that those men who know of the method of starting up from cold with the use of a penny under the low-speed jet make use of this method, whilst those who do not know of it complain bitterly that the pilot carburetter does not enable them to start up their engine from cold. We shall be glad to have your remarks on this point as early as possible, because if the above is also your experience, then it would seem that some suitable reference should be made in the Instruction Book to the method of getting out of the difficulty of starting the engine when cold, when only a magneto is available and no self-starter. We think that the suggestion to put a penny underneath the low-speed jet is undignified, but probably this is less undignified than a total inability to start up the engine at all. [Signature] | ||