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).
List of electrical faults and a discussion on supplier equipment reliability, comparing Lucas and Delco components.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 182\M16\ img026 | |
| Date | 1st June 1921 | |
| Contd. -3- 1. Dynamo does not cut in early enough. 2. Cut-out is not reliable. 3. Fuse holders are not reliable. 4. Tin lead fuses are not reliable. 5. Belt drive for dynamo needs too much attention. 6. Starter Motor push button switch has given a lot of trouble. 7. Battery Ignition condensers have given trouble. 8. Battery Ignition contact breaker points have given trouble. We have on order Lucas Dynamos for a further 600 cars which are not yet made. With the reduction in out-put it looks as though for 12 or 18 months we shall be sending out cars with electrical equipment which we know has definite faults. Our records on experimental cars show that we have never yet been able to complete 5000 miles without some fault on the electrical equipment. The faults may only be trivial, such as fuses blowing, or dynamo belts need adjustment, none-the-less they are irritating. We have kept a very careful record of the trouble we have had with the Delco equipment on the Marmon car. *That car has now completed 5000 miles since it has come into our hands. It has not been nursed; the electrical units have all been pulled off for information and put back again, yet *during the whole of the 5000 miles we have not had a single fault on the electrical side.* The only fault we have had has been with the mechanical drive for the starter motor sheared two pins. It was put right. contd:- | ||