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).
Issues with the Phantom II's petrol level indicator and proposing the reintroduction of a two-gallon reserve.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 17\5\ Scan031 | |
| Date | 27th May 1930 | |
| COPY. x7460. To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}5/E27.5.30. Re: Phantom II - Petrol Level Indicator and Reserve. Experience with Phantom II's is indicating that we have made rather a mistake in doing away with the two gallon reserve. The position is that, if the dashboard gauge proves itself inaccurate - as has occasionally occurred - an extremely undesirable position arises if the petrol in the main tank is exhausted. As things are at present with the Phantom II, should this happen, the only reserve is a small quantity of petrol in the autovac sufficient to run a car 4 or 5 miles, and if - as is highly probable - the user is not fortunate enough to meet a petrol supply station within that distance, he is in the position, even if his main tank is replenished, of being unable to feed petrol forward as was easily the case under the old system by giving a few turns to the engine. Tests have been made and show that to feed petrol forward it is necessary to run the engine by means of the self-starter for a period of 1 1/2 minutes - (this in view of the limited capacity of the air pump) - and I am sure you will agree that a RR owner would not expect to have to do this with the feeling perhaps, especially in the winter months, that his battery had already been allowed to get sufficiently into a condition of discharge. I understand that a fairly simple way of improving matters would be by the provision of a dashboard tap which would enable at one turn the old reserve of two gallons in the main tank to be available and the depression in the induction pipe to feed the Autovac. I gather it is agreed at Derby that the situation is such as would render this desirable, and I should be glad to hear that you agree. (Sgd.) Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||