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).
Technical memo discussing oil leak issues at the rear engine bearing and gearbox, evaluating various proposed fixes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 83\4\ scan0062 | |
| Date | 11th November 1935 | |
| X-264a HOTEL DE FRANCE, CHATEAUROUX, Indre. France. GWH{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux}/3/JAB. 11th November 1935. To. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} From G.W.H. c to Hives. We thank you for your memo E.3/HP.7.11.35. With regard to the oil leak at the rear Engine Bearing. The special breather that you designed for us from the results of tests carried out here was primarily to breath the engine and lessen oil consumption. Although better breathing of the engine should lessen the leak of oil from the rear Engine Bearing, we were not trying to cure that leak by the crankcase breather. The breather to LEC 4.460 was fitted to 21.G.IV. the last car we had out here, but owing to radical faults the test was stopped, no report was therefore issued. The oil breather was not a success owing to the quantity of oil being pulled out of the crankchamber via the breather. The felt scheme as you state, was satisfactory in England. It is the long sustained runs and the fact that the felt hardens up which makes it not so successfull on our tests here. We were astonished to find the new breather fitted to Phantom III.- 31 EX. nicely protected by the clutch undershield which effectively prevented it from functioning. We are of the opinion that the fitting of an under pan at that position had been overlooked. We have discarded this under pan because there is nothing which requires protecting. The scheme fitted behind the flywheel on 31.EX. is not a 100% job as our scheme fitted to the previous. This I presume is because of the loss in getting the mouth of the air pipe close to the periphery of the flywheel due to the altered design which was pointed out to me before I left Derby. GEARBOX. Re the leak of oil from the swinging arm bearing. The box fitted to B.56.BN.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} is standard, and has got the standard oil retaining bush fitted. This job is rather a mess up, because two to three years ago, we turned the present standard bush down as not being satisfactory. We, the Experimental Department, have tried various schemes and did get a pressing which was an improvement, which I personally understood had gone into production. This however I found was not the case during my last return to the Works. | ||