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).
Comparing the crankcase ventilation system and resulting oil smell of a 6-cylinder Buick to their own vehicle.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 182\M19\ img060 | |
| Date | 22th April 1931 | |
| To E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} From HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}11/KT. 22.4.31. x331 We have recently tried one of the latest 6 cylinder Buick cars. The synchronous mesh gear fitted to this car worked remarkable well. An interesting feature that we noticed on this car is that they take the crankcase breather down below the bottom half below the undershield. One of the most objectionable features in the R.R. car in my experience, is the smell of oil which is always prevalent in the front unless the floor boards fit remarkably well. I have always attributed this to the filler cap being placed at the back of the crankcase and being made the breather so that with unventilated bonnets, the fumes have to pass by the floor boards. Another reason for the smell is the oil which drains out of the rear crankshaft bearing into the clutch pit - there is usually a quantity of this as wear takes place - gradually collects in the undershield where it smells when the car is standing. We admit that the straightforward way of getting rid of this trouble is to use the crankcase as the carburetter silencer, and to expell the fumes through the exhaust and keep the oil in the engine by creating a depression in the crank chamber. Failing this, however, we think the Buick method of conducting the fumes to the atmosphere is very commendable. HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||