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).
Use of mineral oil to resolve piston squawks on 20 HP cars.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 144\1\ scan0108 | |
Date | 1st January 1925 | |
4967 EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}10/Hl.1.25. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} re. Use of Mineral Oil on Cars. I have received BY3/H29.1.24 and later Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}6/LG30.12.24. The position, as far as I am concerned, is at the present time rather unsatisfactory. There is no doubt, as pointed out in memo EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}9/H19.12.24, that the use of mineral oil does effect an improvement as far as complaints of piston squawks on the 20 HP. car are concerned. Sometime ago it was arranged with BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} that mineral oil may be used for testing. As pointed out by BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} in his BY3/H29.12.24, since using mineral oil we have not had any trouble with piston squawks on 20-HP cars on test. We have had several cases recently of complaints of piston squawks from customers running on Prices Oil as recommended, and although we have not done so up to the present, we were arranging in accordance with BY3/H29.12.24, to suggest to such customers that they should use Mineral oil at least for a time. We are afraid, however, we cannot do this in face of Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}6/LG30.12.24. With regard to the use of oil for testing, we are of the opinion that it would be preferable to use mineral oil for the early stages of testing whilst the engine is new, but as customers are recommended to use Prices Oil the final road test as carried out by the Production Test Dept. and the Acceptance test as carried out by my Department should both be made on Prices oil; we can then be satisfied that we have done the best we can under the circumstances, and at least be sure that there is no piston squawk whilst the car is in our hands when run with the same oil as will be used by the customer. I have arranged with Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} that the next case where we have a piston squawk with an engine on test, this shall be referred to him for investigation, in view of his statement that this trouble was not experienced on experimental cars or on the 10,000 miles production test car of this model. With regard to the piston squawk on cars in service, I still do not know what to tell customers who are having this trouble. In previous cases of complaint, we Contd. | ||