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).
The top gear disengaging while running on 20-HP chassis models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 75\1\ scan0272 | |
| Date | 24th May 1923 | |
| X4247 c. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}9/H24.5.23. X4247 20-HP Chassis. Top Gear becoming disengaged while running. We still continue to receive complaints of this taking place on customers cars in service, which we have so far been able to overcome by fixing stronger springs. As far as our tests are concerned, we do not feel that this took place while the cars were on test, but it certainly does appear to have the habit of developing this fault when the car has been in service for a short time. It therefore seems that we should immediately take action to fix a stronger type spring as standard, and no further cars should be delivered to customers unless this has been done. Can you please obtain from BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} the necessary instructions to do this. We do not feel quite happy in tackling the job as above described, as all the gear boxes do not have the same trouble. There are several cars which have been in service for a considerable time which were exactly the same design and construction which have not had this trouble, even though the weak spring is used. I am trying as far as possible to obtain on test a definitely faulty gear box in this respect, so that we can return it to you for investigation. In the meantime, will you please see that every possible action is taken to ensure that the alignment of the shafts and bearings etc. of the gear boxes is satisfactory, and as far as possible the internal gear parts are correctly cut and inspected for concentricity and true running, this being the only feature which we can consider may be the cause of the variation between boxes. We shall be glad if BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} and Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} can also put any points forward in connection with this job which can overcome the trouble, not only on future production, but on cars retrospectively. This is a weakness on cars in service on which action should be taken to prevent any possibility of this occurring while the car is in the hands of the customer. EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} | ||