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).
Valve performance, a rear axle oil leak, and steering adjustments with lead weights.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 11\3\ 03-page088 | |
| Date | 7th May 1930 guessed | |
| -3- the front of the car being steadier. has again occured. The S/SLV. valves are perfectly O.K. Therefore I think we have sufficient proof that the Firth Crown Steel valves are not suitable for car work. There is not any sign of the flats being burnt on the valves, as was experienced on 14-G-IV, but most probably this is due to the less compression ratio with the consequent less velocity and heat from the exhaust. Re the rear axle. We reported to you that we had drilled the hole in the vent plug at your request, and after the first day's mileage no further oil was escaping. We have verified this, and it certainly does stop the oil from leaking out of the case into the axle tubes to the extent that it was doing so, but we find that oil is being flung out of the vent hole. The amount is not great, and there is no serious loss of oil out of the axle. We checked the level of oil in the axle last evening, it being the 1,000 mile examination, and no oil had been lost at all. It looks as if it is one of those jobs that are very elusive. You will by now have received my report on the steering with the lead weights on the front. It would perhaps be better to explain that we put the lead weights as near to the head lamp brackets as it was possible to get them. We could not get anything here to fix the weights at each side of the dumb irons as is done with your tests. The weight is approximately the same as you use, as we used our lead blocks that we use for our ballast in the rear. I am rather at a loss in the exact result that you require with the steering, as we have not complained of the selectivity of the steering, in fact it is very good. What the effect of the lead weights on the front did was to steady the front considerably, thereby making the steering more selective, because a higher speed could be run with more safety, owing to | ||