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).
Causes and diagnosis of overheating in Phantom III cars, focusing on radiator matrix blockage.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 94\3\ scan0147 | |
| Date | 13th March 1937 | |
| 340. To Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Std. c. to Br.{T. E. Bellringer - Repair Manager} c. to Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} c. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Std.1/AP.13.3.37. OVERHEATING ON PHANTOM III. CARS With regard to any complaints of overheating on Ph.III. cars, we would mention that a possible source of trouble is blockage of the water passages in the matrix by lime deposit etc., particularly in the case of the first cars fitted with Mk.V. type matrices. This has been experienced on our 34-EX. car - the said car suffered from overheating and changing of the matrix cured the trouble. We have since had the matrix stripped and find that a large amount of blockage has taken place, mainly due to the fact that the waterways, which are not very large on the Mk.V. matrix, have in many cases been partially closed up at the lower ends during the manufacture of the matrix, particularly at the corners. Our Radiator Shop now open the ends of these waterways before fitting the bottom tank, but this was not done on the first Mk.V. matrices. Further the present standard Mk.VI. type of block gives a much larger waterway than the Mk.V. type. In view of this, when investigating any complaints of overheating, after ensuring that the shutters and fan are operating satisfactorily and that boiling, i.e. loss of steam and water is genuinely taking place, the question of blockage of the radiator should be checked - either by repeating tests with a new standard Mk.VI. core fitted or by measuring the temperature at the inlet to and outlet from the engine. If this difference in temperature between the inlet and the outlet exceeds 15°C at high speeds full throttle the radiator should be changed and another test made. We would particularly like to examine the remains of the radiator of the car which, after a complaint of boiling, was smashed up in Italy, in order to see if silting up has taken place in this case. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Std. | ||