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).
Letter suggesting troubleshooting steps to address the low maximum speed of car 46-PK.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 73\3\ scan0382 | |
| Date | 8th February 1924 | |
| X9946 Expl: Dept: Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd., Nightingale Rd., Derby. England. 8th. Feb. 1924. Mr. Lauro C/O PN.{Mr Northey} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} With reference to the speed of 46-PK. On the stretches of road round Derby - such as - London Rd. or Uttoxeter Rd., we could always obtain a maximum speed of 75 m.p.h. We should like to know your opinion of the car and what it will do on a good level flat road - a test taken on each way of the road in order to discount the wind. The points we suggest you should look into are :- (1) Make sure the Autovac is supplying sufficient petrol. (2) Make sure there is no pre-ignition, by fixing the aero engine type plugs. (3) Make sure there are six good compressions - a valve may have burnt. (4) Make sure there is no undue slack in the spring drive - for instance, the springs may have all broken. (5) Make sure the controls allow the throttle to go full open. (6) We also suggest that you try on your own, experimentally, removing the air valve spring altogether. Make sure to adjust the carburetter to suit. (7) The other point is to examine the Speedometer and see whether nothing has become loose. Before the car went away we altered the reading of the speedometer because it was reading too high - it may have happened that the rotator armature was not blocked up properly. You will, at Nice, have an opportunity of comparing the car with standard 40/50 HP. cars. I am very anxious to get your opinion of what you think the car is like. Yours faithfully, | ||