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).
Preventing oil leakages and ensuring proper lubrication in the front axle assembly and associated components.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 27\1\ Scan039 | |
| Date | 1st February 1929 guessed | |
| - 5 - (8) Leakages "by the way" have to be avoided wherever possible. For example on the pendulum lever A-12881, we seal the serrations with shellac, to prevent escape of oil. A 5/16" pipe is used down the lever, as we find anything smaller than this is likely to air-lock. (9) Front Axle. Maintenance bulletin #330-6 and prints A-9366 and A-12938 will give you the best picture I think of our struggle with pivot lubrication. Getting this right has been the most difficult single point on the whole job, but once right it appears to work splendidly winter and summer, vastly better than one would think from such a labyrinth. (a) The pivot has to fit the hole in the axle to prevent leakage. (b) The collar B (Sk.2) has to make a seal on top of the axle. (c) The hole D has to be clear of the collar. If these are done the oil mounts to the lower edge of the roller bearing, creeps over it and lubricates it perfectly, then overflows down the center of the pivot pin. (d) The joint L (SK III) between the collar and the bottom of the pivot forging must not leak. The joint M at the bolt must not leak. Thus oil mounts to level of standpipe J and lubricates bottom pivot bearing. (e) The standpipe must project at the lower end so that oil does not leak out at the serrated joint of the lever. This serrated joint must be sealed against the entry of water. (f) The passages P and Q below the ball stud must be clear. (g) For the brake actuating shafts we now have hollow shafts, so that the need of a seal at R (SK V) is absent. (h) For the lubrication of the front ball of the side steering tube, we have now arranged a second gravity feed in the left front pivot as shown in A-12938, which allows us to take the cumbersome brass oil pipe off the side steering tube. This takes a small share of the oil that comes down the center of the hollow pivot and conducts it down the center of the hollow center bolt and out to the ball. -continued- | ||