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).
Cooling system leak and ineffective car heater performance on a Bentley III.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 97\4\ scan0107 | |
| Date | 2nd February 1938 | |
| 4006 To. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} STD CHATEAUROUX. 2/.I.II.38. Cracked valve seat may have lowered water level 8.B.V. - BENTLEY III. Replying to your memo Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Std.7/MH.{M. Huckerby}29.10.38. re cooling system, we have noted oil on the filler cap when we remove it to inspect the water level. We have no explanation at present, unless it could possibly have come out of the putty which was used to block up the leak in the damaged matrix. When the car arrived at Châteauroux after the preliminary run in Germany, it had covered 2,000 miles with no water being added, and the level was 0.8" above the bottom of the header tank, i.e. 1.2" below the filler cap washer. The level has been somewhat erratic with the new radiator and water has had to be added. We suspected a leak but could not locate one. The overflow valve was cleaned and the level has now settled down about 0.5" above the bottom of the header tank. We will report further on this in due course, also on temperature at sustained full throttle when road conditions have improved. We have referred to the car heater in the Daily Reports. The defroster orifices are far too big. We recommend that the small slots as seen on the latest G.M. cars be tried. The passenger's side starves the driver's completely. We would frequently like to warm one's feet without a continous waft of hot air in the face. The effect of the heater is of very little benefit in the rear seats. ------------------ Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/IMW.{Ivan M. Waller - Head of Chateauroux} [Handwritten notes in margin]: Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} hic Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} /553 | ||